“Wyatt,” I said gently, “you don’t have to give me the footnotes right now.”
His gaze softened at that. Just a fraction.
“There are fourteen other men at Dominion Hall,” he said. “They’re my brothers. Half-brothers.”
I blinked. “Fourteen.”
He nodded once. “Yeah.”
I let that sit, then reached out, resting my hand on his forearm.
“That’s a lot,” I said.
“You’re taking this better than I am.”
I smiled faintly. “I’ve had some practice surviving information that rearranges your sense of self. And I’m a counselor, remember?”
That got a real look from him.
“I ran,” he said then. “This morning. Not from you. Toward answers. But I left without explaining, and I hate that I did that to you.”
I squeezed his arm. “I know why you ran.”
His throat bobbed. “I don’t want to run from you. Ever. But I need you to understand—I’m not steady right now.”
“I do understand,” I said. “And I’m still here.”
He turned fully toward me then, searching my face like he was afraid he’d imagined that part.
“I tried to find you because everything in my life just exploded,” he said. “And the only thing that made sense was you.”
The room felt smaller. More intimate.
“I don’t need you to fix me,” he added quickly. “I just—needed to see you. To know you were real.”
I slid my hand from his arm to his chest, feeling his heart hammering under my palm. “I am.”
He covered my hand with his, pressing it there like an anchor. “You took a job,” he said again, softer this time. “You’re staying.”
“Yes.”
“For you?” he asked.
“For me,” I said without hesitation. “And because my life makes more sense here. With or without anyone else.”
Something loosened in him at that. Like the answer freed him instead of binding him.
“I’m proud of you,” he said quietly.
The words hit harder than the job offer had.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
We sat there for a long moment, just breathing. Letting the weight of everything settle without crushing us.
Finally, I tipped my forehead against his shoulder. “You booked an extended stay suite without even asking me.”
He huffed a soft laugh. “Are you complaining?”
