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He grunted. “I know,” he responded.
I looked at him over her head. “Where are you at in your head, bro?” I asked him. “When she’s ready to make that move with you, you need to know whether she’s what you want or not.”
He drew in a deep breath before he slowly released it. “I can’t walk away from her, Christian. She’s got me as long as she needs me, and I’ll do everything in my power to always make her happy.” He released a soft laugh. “I never thought I would possibly be sharing a woman with my brother.” He shook his head.
I shrugged. “Kind of already are,” I reminded him.
He brushed his thumb over her bruised knuckles. The swelling in them had gone down, but it had taken quite of bit of ice to get her hands to return to normal. “I know.”
Axel poked his head into the room. “Police have just arrested Randall outside of your home,” he quietly informed us, taking note of Ally’s sleeping form. “They’ll be clearing out within the next couple of days, and then you can have someone go in to repair everything. Your phones were downstairs,” he explained at my confused look. I sighed. Must have forgotten them earlier when we got here.
I tightened my arm around her. “I don’t think she’s going to want to go back there,” I told him. “Not after what happened. For her, it’s going to be like walking back into a nightmare.”
“You guys can stay here as long as you need,” he assured us. “Our home is your home.” He pointed his finger at Caiden. “You fucking hurt my little sister, and you’ll quickly find out that both Julian and I can become monsters over our family.”
Caiden grunted as he shut his eyes, not the least bit bothered by his threat. Axel rolled his eyes. “My sister always had a thing for the moody ones.” Caiden flipped Axel his middle finger, and I quietly laughed. “Just take care of her, yeah? It’s going to take her a long time to overcome this. She almost completely lost herself when he called her.”
Caiden nodded. “I suffer from PTSD. I know.”
I clenched my jaw. I hated that Caiden went through shit overseas that fucked with him. He didn’t talk about it. I just knew he spoke with a therapist once a week, but I didn’t know the depth of his symptoms, nor how badly it affected him.
But I knew if anyone would be able to connect with and help Ally, it would be him. I could ground her, hold her together, but he could be the one that lit that fire in her eyes and gave her a reason to fight.
And for that, he was perfect for her.
Both of us together? With a bit of healing, my moon would shine brightly every single day.
Caiden got a little more comfortable on the bed, bending his right knee up. “I’m going to take a nap,” he told me. “If you leave, let me know. She needs someone holding her.”
I nodded in agreement before I pressed a kiss to the back of Ally’s head. “Just breathe, my moon,” I whispered in her ear. She was so deeply asleep that I knew it wouldn’t wake her. “One day, you’ll shine—just like you’re supposed to do.”
“Sappy fuck,” Caiden grumbled.
I laughed quietly. “Okay, baby,” I teased, mocking him calling her that in the hospital.
“I’d punch you if she wasn’t between us.”
I laughed again. “Go the fuck to sleep, asshole.”
20
TRUST
Ally
Silent tears fell down my cheeks as I looked down at my body, the tears mixing in with the water from the shower. I covered my mouth to silence the sob that ripped from my throat, my body shaking.
Randall ruined me.
I had scratches and bite marks all over my body that I knew would leave scars behind, forever blemishing my skin and further adding to the scars that I had already inflicted on myself.
“Ally?” Caiden called from the other side of the door. “You’ve been in there for a while, darlin’. You okay?”
I was terrified to answer for fear that I would just cry harder. I wasn’t okay. I was ruined. How in the hell had Caiden been able to look at me, to hold me, when I looked like this?
I knew it was bad, but I had no idea it was this bad.
I could never let Christian look at me again.
The door opened, and as soon as my eyes met Caiden’s through the shower door, my tears came harder. I turned away from him as I covered my face with my hands, my shoulders shaking as I tried not to sob. Suddenly, the shower door opened, and then Caiden was there, his arms wrapping around me.
“Don’t do this, baby,” he pleaded as he turned me to face him. He pulled my hands down from my face before he reached up to cup my cheeks in his hands. “He didn’t ruin you. You’re still so perfect, baby. Don’t do this to yourself.”
