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I should have done more. When I met him, I should have insisted he come with me, at least for a few days so we could figure something out. I could have—
Rome places his hand on my arm, stopping my spiral of thoughts. “You did what you could, Benjamin. Don’t beat yourself up. He’s here now. That’s what matters.”
He’s right of course. It won’t stop me from thinking what if, but I’ll try to keep it to a minimum.
Hesitantly, I reach back and tap Tanner on the knee. He wakes up quickly, sitting upright and looking around frantically. My heart breaks for him. I’m sure being around an addict for a father had him on guard and then the few weeks he was on the streets didn’t make it any better.
Smiling softly so he won’t be afraid, I tell Tanner, “We’re home. Let’s get you inside and you can take a nap. We’ll talk when you wake.”
“Can I shh-shower first? I haven’t in w-w-w-weeks.”
Swallowing a lump in my throat, I nod. We head upstairs to my apartment and Tanner is barely able to stay on his feet. I see him weave and his eyelids droop, but he shakes it off when I show him the bathroom.
“I’ll find you something to change into,” I tell him. He may be able to fit a pair of my basketball shorts, but he’s much taller than me, so my pants will look ridiculous on him.
Hurrying down the hall to my linen closet, I grab a washcloth and towel for him, laying them out on the counter along with a pair of shorts and t-shirt I found. With my cheeks flaming, I tell Tanner, “We can buy you some underwear later.”
“I’ll go out and grab some now,” Rome says from behind me and I could kiss him. “Tell me your size and I’ll pick up a few things for you.”
Tanner looks back and forth between us, then his eyes settle on me, a question hanging in them. I nod, letting him know he can trust Rome. He can depend on my mate to help him too. Tanner nods and gives Rome his sizes. I make sure he has everything he needs and leave the bathroom.
When I get to the living room, Rome wraps his arms around me and I can’t help it—I break down in his arms. Gods, it’s all I wanted for Tanner to call me so I can help. Now that he has, I feel so relieved that I don’t have to worry about him, but so angry that I couldn’t have found him earlier. Never in a million years would I have thought he would be sleeping under that bridge. It hurts that he felt he had to. He didn’t know me, so I understand him wanting to make it on his own, not knowing who to trust.
Rome soothes me, rubbing his hand up and down my back, whispering to me and kissing my forehead. When I think I’ve finished the worst of the crying, I pull away and smile up at him. “Thank you, alpha. I feel much better.”
“Good.” Rome kisses me softly. “I’ll be right back. There’s a clothing store a few blocks away. Won’t take me long. It’ll give you two some time to talk.”
Nodding, I give him one more kiss and he takes off. I make my way to the sofa, tucking my feet under me while I wait for Tanner to finish his shower.
The little alpha and I have to talk.
Chapter 15
Benji
Hehasthegrimeof the streets all over him, so Tanner takes a while in the shower. I don’t mind waiting. He’s here and safe, and that’s what matters.
When he steps out, he’s pink from head to toe, as if he tried to scrub away all the bad memories of what lead him to my apartment. I sigh, then pat the sofa beside me. He ambles over, sitting at the other end, his hands in his lap.
“You don’t have to be afraid of me, Tanner. Or Rome. We would never hurt you.”
“I’m not a-a-afraid. I’m … fucking tired.”
I let the curse slide since I can’t very well tell him not to use bad language. If his home life is what I imagined it would be, he had little to no parenting. I’m surprised he turned out the way he has, almost courteous, if you don’t count the stealing. Which I don’t because he did it to survive.
“Come here,” I say, patting my thigh. Tanner glances at me, then at my leg. For a moment, I don’t think he’ll come, but after a few more moments, he inches over gingerly, laying his head on my thigh. I expect him to stiffen, uncomfortable with the brief contact. I don’t expect him to start crying.
Tanner pulls his legs up to his chest, holding himself as he sobs. Just as Rome did for me, I rub his hair and murmur to him, letting him know he’s safe and he doesn’t have to worry about anything as long as I’m around. He nods, tears still flowing heavily. I do my best to comfort him as he releases all the emotions he's probably kept bottled up for weeks.
He shouldn’t be feeling like this. His father should have made sure he was always safe and taken care of. He shouldn’t have had to pick between being molested and being homeless. No child should have to make that choice.
I’ll make sure he never has to make a choice like that ever again. Starting today, I will do everything I can to make him feel safe. Tanner will have a safe, loving environment where he can thrive and grow. He’ll never have to worry again.
At some point while I’m comforting him, Tanner stops crying and little, small puffs of air leave his open mouth. I think he’s still getting himself under control until he lets out a snore. Poor little alpha, crying himself to sleep. He still has his legs tucked to his chest as if cold, so I pull the throw from the back of the couch and arrange it as best I can over his body.
About thirty minutes later, Rome walks in. I immediately put my finger to my lips, then point down to Tanner on my lap. He hasn’t moved an inch. Rome comes over to the couch, kissing me lightly on the lips, then sets the bags down.
Whispering, he says, “I got him some socks, underwear, body wash, deodorant, a hairbrush …” Rome rattles off a few more things, laying everything out on the coffee table. My eyes well with tears at how thoughtful my alpha is. He didn’t have to buy all this, going above and beyond what I expected. Yeah, the universe did good by pairing me with this alpha.
