Pulling my arms out from under her, she snuggles close. “And what about the bear?”
I huff against the back of her head. “Didn’t let that one go, did you?” She simply shakes her head in response. “When I was little, my mom gave me a brown teddy bear. After she left, it became my best friend, my security blanket, my protector. I’d talk to it every night and share with it all the terrible things my father did since I couldn’t tell anyone else. But by then, my father decided a man shouldn’t cling to a stuffed toy. So, he tore it apart right in front of me.” I feel wetness drop on my arm and gently turn her face to see tears streaming down. Wiping them away with my thumb, I continue, “I rushed over to Clay’s, completely shattered. He just hugged me and told me I no longer needed the bear, and he’d be my lion, my best friend, my protector, and I could tell him anything.”
She bites her lip, trying to hold back her sobs. Gently, I tug her lip free with my thumb. “Clay was, and always will be, the light of my life.”
“And you’re the love of mine,” Clay says from the doorway.
We both glance over to see him and Josh standing at the doorway.
Striding over with that familiar smirk, Clay settles beside us on the bed. “Sounds like we’re spilling our guts. Why wasn’t I invited?”
“You can still spill if you want to,” I tease back, reaching out to push his hair away from his eyes.
“I am perfect, thank you. Although I think I may have some daddy issues,” he ponders with a faux pensive look.
Carolina’s gaze flits between the two of us, her voice dripping with sarcasm, “Shocker.”
Josh’s laughter echoes from the doorway, where he’s been watching the exchange. “Got everything sorted out?” I ask him, and he nods in response.
Carolina asks pensively, “Howie?”
“He’s stable. It’s gonna take him a while, but things are looking up,” Josh assures her.
She visibly deflates, “Dio, okay. Good.” She exhales, getting off my lap and on the other side of me so I am sandwiched between Clay and her.Best place to be.
“Who is he to you?” Clay asks, reaching out to hold her hand.
“The only friend I’ve ever had,” she whispers.
“Not true,” Clay protests, pulling on her hand so he can hug her over me. “You know what I promised. I am never leaving you, and I will always come for you,” he whispers in her hair.
“Promise he is going to be okay?” she asks when he lets go of her, tears back in her eyes.
“Promise,” he says.
Seeing her defeated expression, I gently lift her chin, urging her, “Tell him you believe him.”
“I believe you,” she murmurs, though her words lack any conviction.
After giving her a peck on the lips, I urge her once more, “Say it again and mean it.”
This time, her voice carries a hint of assurance. “I believe you.”
With that settled, I lean back down onto the bed, letting Clay rest his head on the left side of my chest and Carolina on the right.
Josh shuffles in the doorway, so I beckon, “Come on, Joshy. There’s room for one more.”
He hesitates. “No, I think I’ll?—”
“Please?” Carolina’s plea stops him in his tracks, the change in him evident as he gives in.
Moving over to her side, he snuggles in close, burying his face in her hair and breathing in deeply.
She sighs. “I’ve missed you, Joshua.”
He gently kisses the back of her head, murmuring, “My Carolina.”
With everyone settled and the room filled with quiet comfort, I brush my fingers across Clay’s forehead, and before I know it, sleep claims me.
