With a shake of his head, Dad burst into a million fireflies, swarming around me like a whirlwind of light. An explosion rocked the house, and the fire above me came rushing down.
My entire body was on fire, the pain too much to handle as an agonizing roar ripped from my throat.
I was burning and nothing would be left except the ashes of who I used to be, scattered amongst the debris in the home that used to be happy.
“Sophia! Sophia, wake up!”
I jolted upright out of bed, still screaming as I was consumed by flames. Only, there was no fire. There were no fireflies. There was no Dad.
Only a large, hard male body holding me in his lap as he hugged me, my face pressed into his neck. He rocked me slowly, whispering in a familiar voice that I was okay. That it was a dream. I relaxed into the man, not caring who it was, only that I was safe and that none of it had been real. It feltsoreal though.
“I’m sorry,” I croaked, my throat parched and raw from screaming.
“It’s okay,” he soothed, continuing to hold me and rock me, waiting patiently for my breathing to slow down and my body to stop shaking.
When I was finally settled, I turned my head and leaned back to look at him. I knew instantly this was Darren, as he was definitely not Porter but he looked like an older version of Alden.
“You good now?” he asked softly, his grayish blue eyes flicking between both of mine in concern.
“I think so.” As he gently helped me out of his lap, pain ricocheted through both of my legs. I gasped and threw my head back. My jaw clenched down so hard, my teeth were moments from breaking.
“Shit. You need to take some more of your pain meds. I’ll be right back,” Darren explained, rushing from the room.
I busied my mind away from the pain, surveying the room to see it was cast in darkness. The moon creeped out from behind the clouds, giving the room the barest of light.
I must’ve slept through most of the day and skipped a dose of my pain medication. That explained why the pain was so much worse tonight.
Footsteps announced Darren’s arrival, a large glass of water in hand. He quickly unscrewed the cap of my medication and dropped two pills into my hand. I swallowed them down with the water and relished the cooling sensation sliding down my throat. By the time I finished the entire glass, the effects of my dream had completely worn off, leaving me with just the pain of my burns and a feeling of embarrassment.
“I’m so sorry I woke you,” I told Darren, who was only dressed in a pair of black sweatpants and nothing else. It was obvious he’d been disturbed from his sleep.
He waved me off. “It’s what I’m here for. I heard you scream and thought something happened. I could see whatever dream you were having was rough, so I just did for you what my mom would do for me when I had bad dreams. Hold me and tell me I’m okay. It always worked for me, so I figured it was worth a try for you.”
How the hell had I gotten so lucky to be taken in by not one, not two, but three men who clearly had way bigger hearts than anyone I’d ever met? Taking in a stranger, buying her clothes, soothing her nightmares, these were just things people didn’t do. Yet here I was, feeling much better, and obviously being well taken care of.
My brother sure knew what he was doing when he called them.
Darren turned to leave, but I reached out and snagged his hand. He stopped and turned. I tried not to focus on how nice his hand felt in mine, instead, I brought forward a memory.
“I didn’t get to thank you for saving me. I know all three of you had a hand in it, but Kaden told me what you did. How you were the one to walk me out of that fire then did CPR. I remember you. Your face had been a blur, but I heard your voice. Felt your hand. I was so scared, but you calmed me almost instantly. Just like now. I can’t thank you enough for that.”
Instead of using words, Darren just stood there, squeezing my hand a bit tighter and looking down at me. His expression didn’t say much, but I could tell there was relief and a bit of something unnamed in the way he gazed at me.
Finally, he slowly released my hand. “If you need anything else, just holler. Sweet dreams, Sophia,” he muttered, turning to leave.
The warmth and comfort I felt in that moment was enough that I barely registered the pain in my legs anymore. I was able to nestle back down into the bed and close my eyes without fear I’d have another nightmare.
How I knew I wouldn’t? I had no idea.
But Darren had a presence that just set all my worries at ease.
In no time at all, I was back asleep and had a dreamless rest of the night.
Unknown
Isent you more flowers, but they were returned since you weren’t there. Where did you go? You were supposed to be there so I could find you.
But you know, it doesn’t matter. Because I will find you again. I always know how to find you.
