Even through the material of my t-shirt and hoodie, I still feel the warmth from Rion's touch, my silent pillar of comfort and support. I blink at the doorway across the road as nerves thrum through my veins, but I can't bring myself to eliminate the distance between my parents and me. People I didn't know I was always searching for.
My mind drifts to my mom back at the trailerpark for a moment and my stomach clenches as I recall the pain and heartache that clouds my vision. Is she okay? I guess I could find out, but I don’t want any closure from her. Knowing Warren is dead is all I care about, I just have to hope him being gone has been enough to change her life too.
Shaking my head, I refocus my attention on the present situation, and I’m acutely aware that the others are being insanely patient with me. They must sense the same uncertainty inside me, because nobody pushes me to hurry up.
Ocean remains patient on the other side of Thorne, while Kael remains a breath behind me.
Mustering a deep breath, I take an extra moment to compose myself, but the longer I stare at the offending door, the worse it gets.
“I don't think I can do this,” I mutter, a chill washing over me as beads of sweat gather at my temples. I exhale, dipping my chin to my chest, refusing to look at them. “You guys go on ahead,” I insist, but my words are quickly met with a scoff from behind.
“We're not going anywhere without you,” Kael murmurs, and I shake my head, but before I can part my lips and state my case, Rion grips my chin, tilting my face to his.
Hetakes a deep, exaggerated breath, moving his hands to encourage me to do the same. I frown at him, but he persists, and I quickly relent, following his action. Only when I've slowly exhaled for the sixth time does he speak.
“Hey, let's talk it out,” he murmurs, and I shrug.
I’m failing to overcome the anxiety that lives rent-free in my mind and I hate how weak it makes me feel. “I don't know what you want me to say,” I admit. Because that's my issue: my brain's gone blank. I don't know whether it's from the drain I felt getting here, or the mental struggle of acknowledging what I might be about to face.
“I need you to clarify, Petal. Are you struggling with what to say to me right now, or what to say in there?” he asks, and it takes me a moment to wrap my head around his words, but the truth is… it’s both of them.
“I don't know what I'm supposed to say in either place,” I admit, and he offers me a reassuring smile.
“You don't have to say a word at all if you don't want to,” he explains, releasing my chin to pull me into his embrace.
With my chest flat against his, his arms wrap tightly around my middle, bathing me in his love, and it helps me find the strength to admit the truth.
“I’m scared.”
Thorne scoffs from behind me. “I would be worried if you weren’t,” he rasps, and I roll my eyes. I don't know whether he can see me, but it doesn't stop him from answering as if he did. “I’m not joking. You're not dead inside, Elodie. This is a lot. I can't imagine the life you've lived before all of this. We all know what Rion did when he saw the scars left behind on you, but those were only the physical ones, the mental ones… they're even deeper and harder to overcome.”
I gulp as emotion twists in my chest.
Rion releases me enough to give me space to turn around, and my gaze collides with Thorne’s.
“What if they don't like me?”
Thorne’s eyes widen in disbelief, but it's Kael who speaks first. “Then I’ll be more than happy to lock them up in a basement too, but that's not going to happen.” Nerves swell in my throat, catching my breath as I turn to face him. “You met them for the briefest time. You know who they are, and I wouldn't even dream of bringing you here if I wasn't sure that I knew that too. But even if neither of us had ever met them, knowing that they sacrificed themselves for you without question… that's love on another level.” He plants his hands on myhips, staring deep into my soul. “Maybe your mind isn't scared that they're not going to like you. Maybe it's more because you have no idea how to even comprehend that kind of love.”
I all but sway on my feet as Ocean steps closer, completing the circle wrapped around me with the guys.
“We’re here for you every step of the way, El,” she breathes, squeezing my arm, and I nod.
“I’m ready,” I mutter, refusing to let my nerves get the better of me.
“Are you sure?” she clarifies, and I nod again as she takes a step back.
“As ready as I'll ever be,” I breathe, and Thorne reaches for my hand, lacing our fingers together as he tugs me across the street and toward the looming door where my future awaits.
I expect Thorne to knock, and that's my first mistake, because he reaches for the handle and twists, letting the heavy door fall open to reveal the very two people I'm worked up over.
They’re standing in the hallway, guilt widening their eyes as Odie's mouth moves, but no words come out.
They’re no longer wearing the same clothes that they had on in Jude’s castle. Ellie wears a loosebutton-up and a pair of cropped trousers, while Odie opts for a shirt beneath a sweater and a pair of cargo pants. I don’t think I’ve ever seen two people look so much like… parents before.
“We weren't spying,” Ellie blurts, lifting her hands in surrender, and Odie scoffs.
“Please, we all know she was. She's nosy as hell,” he insists, pointing his thumb at her, and she whacks him with the back of her hand with a huff.
