“Good.” I pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “You deserve to be taken care of.”
A comfortable silence fell between us as I finished brushing through her hair, and I almost hated to break it, but I knew Wren well by now, and I knew what a huge deal tomorrow was to her. I needed her to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I was here for her, no matter what.
Placing the brush down, I propped a pillow behind my back and then wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her back to rest against me.
“Wren? How are you feeling about tomorrow?” I tightened my hold on her, wanting her to know I was here, that I wasn’t going anywhere. “I want you to know that I’m here for you, little bird. No matter what. You’re not alone in any of this.”
She exhaled shakily, her fingers curving over mine. I could feel the tremble in her hand. When she finally spoke, her voice was small, almost inaudible.
“I’m scared. So scared. Not of him, exactly. Or maybe a little, although I know he can’t hurt me anymore. Not with you there. Not with the whole cirque behind me. But I’m afraid of...of falling apart. Of seeing him and becoming that scared little girl again. Of losing myself like I did in the mirror maze.”
Fuck. I buried my face in her hair, breathing her in. “Wren.”
“What if I freeze?” she whispered. “What if I can’t go through with it? What if everyone’s counting on me and I just…break?”
My heart broke for my little bird, so fucking brave, preparing to face her worst nightmare head on, despite the potential cost. I turned her gently in my arms until she was facing me, until I could look directly into her beautiful brown eyes.
Cupping her cheek, I stroked my thumb over her soft, warm skin. “Listen to me. No one is counting on you to do anything you’re not ready for. If you need to walk away, if you need to let the others handle it, you can. You don’t even need to say anything. No one will judge you for it. Not one single person.”
“But—”
“No.” I pressed my finger gently against her lips. “Even if you do freeze, or panic, or even just need a moment to step away, it’s okay. You’ve already been so brave, Wren. You don’t have to do anything else. You alone have the power to decide. And whatever you decide you want to do, I’ll be right there with you. Every single second. If you need to leave, I’ll leave with you, no questions asked. If you need to scream or cry or rage, I’ll be there to hold you through it. You’re not alone in this. Do you understand?”
Her eyes filled with tears as she gave me a jerky nod. “Fuck, Amélie. I don’t deserve you.”
“You deserve everything,” I said fiercely. “And I’m not going anywhere. We’re in this together. You and me.”
“You and me?” she repeated.
“Yes. In every way possible, if that’s something you want. I want you to be mine in every way, and I want to be yours.”
“You are mine,” she whispered. “You already know you are.”
I smiled. “I do. And I’m yours.” Pressing a soft kiss to her lips, I wrapped my arms around her. She seemed lighter, now that we’d addressed what was to come tomorrow, and I wantedto keep that going. “Tell me something. Something I don’t know about you. Something good.”
“Hmm. Something you don’t know… Let me see.” A small smile tugged at her lips. “How about this… I want to learn French. Vivienne’s been teaching me a few words and phrases here and there, but I want to really learn it properly, so I can hold a proper conversation the next time the cirque is in France. You know, with the shopkeepers. Or to order some of those tarts I know you like from the patisserie. Teeth said he’d download an app for me to practice with.”
“French?” My brows rose.
Her smile widened. “It may also have something to do with the fact that you can speak fluent French.”
“Tu es incroyable,” I murmured, and her cheeks flushed. Fuck, she was so sweet.
“Oh… I’m not sure exactly what that means but…Tu…es…belle.” Biting down on her lip, she eyed me from beneath her lashes. “That was the first phrase I asked Vivienne to teach me.”
“Is that so?”
“Maybe I hoped I could say it to you one day. Although I never dreamed we’d actually end up…well, together.”
In reply, I brushed my lips over hers, deepening the kiss until both of us were flushed and breathless.
When we broke apart, she studied me carefully. “You don’t have to answer this, but I was just wondering… What’s your favourite memory? From before the cirque, I mean.”
The question caught me off guard. I rarely talked about my life before the cirque, before Vivienne and Judge took me in. But Wren had been so honest with me, so vulnerable. She deserved the same from me.
“I was maybe four or five,” I began. “My mother took me to the sea for the first time. It was the first and only trip we took before she passed away. We didn’t have much money, but she’dsaved up so we could go for the weekend. I remember standing on the shore, feeling the waves lapping at my feet, and watching the seagulls swooping above me. Back then, it was the most magical thing I’d ever experienced. She told me that someday I’d fly even higher than the birds over the water. I didn’t understand what she meant then, but now…” I swallowed around the lump in my throat. “Now I think she somehow knew I’d end up here, in the air, flying.”
Wren wrapped her arms around me. “She’d be so proud of you. Look at everything you’ve achieved. One day, you’re going to take Vivienne’s place as the head aerial artiste, and I’ll be right there with you.”
