“I’m fine.”
“You’re not,” Aiden said, leaving no room for argument.
Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Sorry.”
I sat up and brought her with me at the same time Aiden came and sat behind her. “That’s not what I meant. You have nothing to be sorry for.”
Trinity’s eyes glossed, and she looked down. “I know. I just… don’t like feeling like this. Don’t like you seeing me this way.”
My instincts rose, and I let them take over. I took her hands and folded both wrists into one of mine, squeezing like she was bound. My other arm around her waist, I pulled her onto my lap, much like I’d done that day when we exchanged lists.
Restraining her did exactly what I knew it would. She melted into me, head lolling back on my shoulder with a sigh. She hadn’t told us yet, but I guessed some of it. Trinity craved consistency and safety. Protection. She wanted to give up control because she’d been holding on so tightly for so long all that was left was her fingertips on the edge of a cliff.
Theo crouched in front of us. “We want to see all of you, sweetheart. We all have bad days, and weallhave our own crap to deal with. Doesn’t mean you have to do it by yourself.”
“We travel for our sports, and we’ll figure that out,” I said, “but we can do that next time.”
She startled. “What do you mean?”
“Wanna go watch Logan surf?”
I loosened my hold enough for her to turn and look at me. “Really? You mean it?”
“I do.”
Trinity spun and wrapped herself around me like a monkey, burying her face in my neck. Suddenly she was crying, only her scent didn’t speak of sadness. It was sweet as fuck and this felt like relief. “I’ve always wanted to go. I never get to go.”
“What do you mean?” Aiden asked.
A much smaller, softer word. “Dad. I always asked him to take me with him on his trips. He’s gone so many cool places. But he always said no.”
Aiden and Theo looked at me with equal shock. Theo was the one who found his voice first. “Never? He never took you with him?”
She shook her head into my neck.
That made my heart ache. I liked Cecil. He seemed like a decent guy. He also seemed like he lived with his head in the clouds. No wonder Trinity hated people leaving. The only parent she had left her behind. Not just sometimes, buteverytime.
“If we can take you with us, we will,” I promised. “It might not always work, but I swear I will always try.”
“Thank you.”
Theo ran a hand down her spine. “Here. I wrote this out for you.” She untangled herself from me and took the small paper. “Packing list. Grab these things. If you need to add anything, check with me first.”
She raised an eyebrow at him. “Do we think that may be overstepping?”
“Do we think you’ll be able to pack efficiently in a reasonable time if I don’t give you a list?” He answered with a smirk.
She made a face. “Fair point.”
“Remember how we said dynamics can evolve? Consider it a small exercise in building trust. I made the list. It’s what I think you’ll need. If you forget something, or if I’m wrong, that’s not on you, it’s on me. But you can also trust that no matter what, we’ll take care of you. Because you are ours to take care of.”
“Okay.”
Such a simple thing, that acceptance. Most people wouldn’t see the truth. It washardto hand over pieces of yourself to others. But the trust she was offering with a single word wasn’t lost on us.
“Go pack,” he said. “We’ll leave as soon as Brooks gets back.”
She stood and took a step before freezing. “I forgot to do my training this morning. I… was distracted.”
