Page 200 of Lose You Twice

He holds up two king-size Twix bars. I raise my eyebrows at him. “Two, huh?”

Kai grins. “Yup. One for you, and one for me.”

“Of course.” I run my hands over the top of the water, realizing just how shriveled they’re starting to look.

Kai must notice too. He grabs my towel and holds it up for me. “I think it’s time to get out before you turn into a prune.”

He wraps me in the towel as I get out, and I meet his gaze. “Thank you.”

“I told you, there’s no need to thank me,” he says, backing toward the door. “I enjoy taking care of you. I put a new shirt on the counter and a pair of compression shorts. It’s the best I can do until morning, and I figured those might have a better chance of staying on than my boxers or sweats.”

I smile at him as he returns to his room and closes the bathroom door, giving me some privacy.

I quickly assess the situation, get dressed, and toss my towel in the hamper before joining him in his room.

I freeze as I step out and see Kai putting the comforter back on his bed. He pauses when he sees me staring, a flush creeping into my cheeks once again. “Are they ruined?”

“Nah,” he says, pulling the covers back and climbing in before patting the spot next to him. “They’re in the wash. No big deal.”

“You can say that since you’re not the one that got blood all over your boyfriend’s sheets,” I mumble.

He pulls me close to him as I get under the covers, kissing me quickly. “Wrenley Mae, you could ruin everything I own, and I still wouldn’t love you any less. Seriously, it happens. It’s natural and a part of you.” He shrugs, and I have no choice but to believe him. “Let’s get some sleep.”

I snuggle closer to his side, wrapping my arm around his waist and laying my head against his chest. “I love you.”

“Love you too, Freckles. Get some sleep.”

I drift off, feeling safe, loved, and cared for, with my cup a little less empty than it was before.

36

WREN

The last day of school before spring break should come with extra warnings.

Children might not want to go to school.

Children may hide their backpacks in hopes they will be able to stay home.

Children may also fling themselves onto the ground when you tell them that they do, in fact, have to go to school.

“Daisy…” I bend to pick her up off the ground. “You literally have one more day, babe. One more day. Then we can have so much fun next week, and then we get to have your birthday party next weekend. Doesn’t that sound fun?”

“Don’t make me go back there,” she cries.

Lily stands against the wall, watching her twin, completely unimpressed. “If we don’t leave, we’re going to be late.”

“I know, Lil,” I say, somewhat out of breath from fighting a six-year-old. “Can you go see if Mom’s up?”

She nods and heads up the stairs.

I finally manage to get Daisy into a sitting position and crouch down so that we’re eye to eye. “Why don’t you want to go to school? I thought you liked it?”

She sniffles, tears in her green eyes. “Sofia’s birthday is today, and her dad is bringing her lunch at school.”

My brow furrows. “Is that bad?”

Daisy wipes at her eyes before crossing her arms angrily over her chest. “She said it’s weird that my dad doesn’t ever come to see me.”