“Can you put her into a deep, dreamless sleep?” I ask Dimitri, and he nods before waving his hand without question.
I feel the change in her, the way she becomes dead weight and the soft snores. She could use some real sleep, and we need to be able to talk freely without leaving her alone.
Now I can get up. I wasn’t willing to risk her having a nightmare and waking up alone, even if she was only going to be a few feet away. Still, I linger, unable to actually make myself let her go.
Nolan moves into the living room, dropping into one of the chairs, with Dimitri only a few steps behind him. Titus moves to stand behind the couch, bracing his hands on the back near my shoulders so that he’s towering over me. Usually, I’d hate something like this, being surrounded and made to feel small, but I feel safe with Titus and the guys.
We might not always agree, but these are my friends; this is the family we built. These guys have been there for me through everything, and I know that won’t stop now.
Gavin is the last one to join us, and given his slow movements and downcast eyes, he knows he’s in trouble.
“It wasn’t me. I swear I would never do that to her, or anyone.” He looks up, meeting my gaze, and I see the truth in his eyes, the desperate need for me to believe him.
Fortunately for him, I do, or I might have already hit him.
“I know.”
“I thought she was interested in me, but I think she was just using me to get information about Wren…” he hangs his head again, and I sigh, feeling some of my annoyance at him melt away, even if I’m not sure he deserves it.
“Yeah, Rose, the bitch who’s been doing nothing but making Wren’s life hell just happened to want to get close to you now, after all the years she ignored you,” Titus says, and I can hear his eyes rolling even if I can’t see him.
“Yeah, I know, it was stupid, but…”
“But the attention felt nice?” I ask because I’m almost sure that’s what it was, and I’m also not sure he’s actually going to finish his thought.
“Yeah,” he mumbles without looking up, clearly embarrassed.
Good.
“Funny, I bet you could get that kind of attention from someone much nicer if only you weren’t such a raging dick to her all the time.”
Gavin’s head snaps up, and he looks at his brother as if he’s just grown a second head. I see the hope flicker in his eyes for a second before he buries it and tsks.
“Yeah, right. Besides, Wren isn’t really my type.”
He’s lying, and I don’t need my built-in senses to know it; I’m sure everyone in the room can tell, himself included.
We spend the next hour going over the story of how Dimitri and Wren met for Gavin, and I even explain how I found out about them through her texts. Yet another reason I’m sure shewill catch on once things settle down: Wren’s much smarter than I am after all.
“I wish you had just told me. I mean, I don’t love it, but as long as you're happy.”
Dimitri looks longingly at Wren, who’s still passed out in my arms, and I see the unspoken words.
He was.
Whether he can be again or not is up to him, I fear, because while this was mostly a misunderstanding and miscommunication, what he’s hiding from her now isn’t. That has the potential to ruin them, and as much as I want her to be mine, I would never trade her happiness for my selfishness. She has feelings for Dimitri; anyone with eyes can see that, so I hope he gets his head out of his ass before it’s too late.
“What doesn’t make sense is why her aunt has any pull? Why not just stop talking to her and cut all ties? She’s an adult.” Titus says, and as I look around the room, I have a few answers for him.
“It’s not always that easy, though, is it?” I ask him, looking up to find his lips pulled down in a frown above me.
Every one of us isgrown, yet we all have our issues, some more than others.
He looks to the corner of the room where the shadows are heaviest, and I know he’s thinking of Felix, even if he’d never admit it.
Yeah, some of us don’t have a choice, and something tells me that’s what Wren is dealing with; nothing else makes sense.
“We should get some sleep. We have the week off. We should use it to help Wren settle down now that the showcase is over,” Dimitri suggests, standing but makes no move to actually walk away.
