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He must have been in the car with his parents.
Rose’s eyes shine with tears as she tugs Alex’s hand away, letting his pants fall down.
“You’re not broken, Alex. Someday, you’ll meet people who’ll love you so much that you’ll forget these painful months.”
He doesn’t look convinced, not even a tiny bit. Most likely because he’s been told the same thing multiple times over the months.
A determined look crosses Rose’s face. She gives me a last glance and then turns around. Hitching up her shirt just a tiny bit so that the scars on her waist are visible, she looks over her shoulder.
Confusion etches on Alex’s face until he realizes what’s in front of his eyes. He gasps. “You’re broken too.”
My fists clench, and my heart fucking tears out at the sight of Rose’s scars as she shows Alex he isn’t alone and forgotten. There are others too.
“I’m not broken, Alex, and neither are you.”
When she turns to face him again, he throws his arms around her. “I don’t want to be broken.”
My eyes fucking well up, and my heart beats wild as hiccups tear through Alex’s body. Maybe he doesn’t need someone perfect but someone like us—a little broken like him.
“You’re not, and you won’t be.” Rose’s misty gaze meets mine, and I smile at my wife. My chest is filled with nothing but pride for her. As she wipes Alex’s tears, I grab two Wolverine comics from her stash and place them in his hand.
A spark lights in his teary eyes. “These are really yours?” His gaze jumps between Rose and me. When Rose nods with a huge smile on her face, his hold on the books tightens. “Can I read them?”
“Only if you drink your hot chocolate first.” I motion toward the coffee table, and Alex nods furiously before walking to the couch.
My gaze follows him as he places the comic books beside him and then grabs his mug before sipping the hot drink.
“He looks comfy,” Rose whispers in my ear, her hand brushing against mine before she clutches it tight.
* * *
“You don’t know how to cook?” Alex’s raised eyebrows reach to the middle of his forehead. His stunned gaze skips from Rose to me as I beat the eggs for today’s breakfast. “And you cook?” When I nod, he asks, “But you’re also her boss, like the biggest boss in the office?” He repeats the words Rose just used to describe our work relationship.
I bite back my smile at his bewildered state.
Last night, after drinking hot chocolate and finishing one comic book, we brought him to the guest bedroom adjacent to ours. He hesitated, but when Rose told him that he could come to us anytime in the night, he finally got under the covers.
I left the light in the corridor on and also rechecked the motion sensors around the property. I hoped it wouldn’t come to that, but I still didn’t want a repeat of the previous night—Alex running around the streets of Cherrywood.
And thank fuck it didn’t happen. He slept soundly. I checked multiple times, as sleep didn’t come easy to Rose and me. We stayed up almost the whole night, hiding in each other’s arms and remembering our own childhoods.
We were sipping coffee when Alex walked down the stairs this morning. His worried face relaxed when he found us, and it fucking warmed my heart knowing we built some trust with him in one night.
“Zander!” Rose’s voice brings me back to now. “Your phone is ringing.” Her confused face confirms this isn’t the first time she’s called my name.
“Sorry.” I place the bowl of over-beaten eggs on the counter before grabbing a kitchen towel. Wiping my hands, I stride toward the sitting area. As soon as I pick up my phone, the ringing stops.
It was Officer Cole.
My heart leaps in my throat seeing his name.
I glance toward our open kitchen, where Rose and Alex are softly talking. Most likely, Rose is telling him more stories of our friends and family.
“I’ll be back in a sec,” I holler, and when Rose looks at me, I covertly tilt my head in Alex’s direction before marching into our office.
I shut the door slowly and hit the dial button. “Good morning, Officer Cole. Sorry I missed your call.”
“Good morning, Mr. Teager. I just wanted to inform you that in about an hour, I’ll arrive with the headmistress to pick up Alex. Hope that’s fine with you and your wife,” he says. I hesitate for a second, and the good officer speaks up. “Mr. Teager, are you there?”
