Page 78 of Shattered Melodies

A voice I would know anywhere, in any lifetime.

“Jake, let him go,” Caleb said, his tone brooking no argument. “I’ve got him.”

Jake hesitated for a moment, his eyes flicking between me and Caleb. But then he nodded, his grip loosening as he stepped back. And then Caleb was there, his arms wrapping around me like a lifeline, like a promise of safety and shelter from the storm raging inside me.

I collapsed into him, all the fight draining out of me in a rush. And as I buried my face in his chest, as I breathed in the familiar scent of him, something inside me broke. All the pain, all the confusion and the heartbreak and the years of longing it came crashing down on me like a tidal wave, sweeping me away in a torrent of grief and anger and desperate, aching need.

I sobbed into his shirt, my fingers clutching at his back like he was the only thing keeping me tethered to the earth. And through it all, through the gut-wrenching sobs and the shuddering gasps, Caleb just held me.

“It’s okay, Liam,” he murmured, his voice soft and soothing in my ear. “I’ve got you. I’m here, I’m right here.”

I don’t know how long we stood there, clinging to each other like drowning men in a storm-tossed sea. But eventually, gradually, the sobs subsided, the shaking eased, and I was left feeling hollowed out and utterly spent.

Caleb pulled back slightly, his hands coming up to cup my face. His thumbs brushed over my cheeks, wiping away the tears that still clung to my skin.

“Come on,” he said gently, his eyes soft with understanding. “Let’s get you out of here.”

I let him guide me to his truck, my steps unsteady and my mind still reeling from the events of the night. I felt like I was in a daze, like everything was happening in slow motion and I was just along for the ride.

As Caleb helped me into the passenger seat, buckling me in with careful, gentle hands, I mumbled something, the words slurring together in my exhaustion.

“They lied to me,” I said, my voice raw and ragged. “My parents… they lied.”

Caleb paused, his hand resting on my knee. “I know, Liam,” he said softly, his voice heavy with regret. “I know.”

And something about the way he said it, about the pain and the understanding in his eyes made me want to cry all over again. Because he did know. He knew better than anyone the toll that secrets and lies could take, the way they could eat away at your soul until there was nothing left but a hollow shell of the person you used to be.

He knew, because he had lived it. Because he had been there, right by my side, when my world had come crashing down around me all those years ago. And now, here he was again. Still by my side, still picking up the pieces of my shattered heart and helping me put them back together.

I didn’t deserve him. Didn’t deserve his kindness, his compassion, his unwavering loyalty in the face of all my flaws and failings.

CHAPTER 22

Holding On

CALEB

As I drove through the quiet streets of Oakwood, the only sound the rumble of my truck’s engine and the soft, even breathing of the man beside me.

Liam was passed out in the passenger seat, his head lolling against the window and his face slack with exhaustion. He looked so vulnerable like this, so lost and broken. It made my heart ache, made me want to wrap him up in my arms and never let go. But I couldn’t do that. Not now, not after everything that had happened between us.

I still couldn’t believe how the night had turned out. I had been just about to head to bed when I got the call from Jake, telling me that Liam was in trouble. That he’d gotten into a fight at the bar and needed someone to come pick him up.

I hadn’t hesitated. Had thrown on some clothes and raced out the door, my heart pounding and my mind racing with all the worst-case scenarios.

But nothing could have prepared me for the sight of Liam in that alley, his face bloody and his eyes wild with a pain that went so much deeper than the physical.

It had taken everything in me not to break down right then and there. But I couldn’t do that either. Couldn’t put that burden on him, not when he was already carrying so much on his shoulders.

So I had just held him. Had let him cling to me and sob into my chest, had murmured soft words of comfort and reassurance until the shaking subsided and the tears ran dry.

And then I had bundled him into my truck and driven him home, my heart heavy with the knowledge that this was just the beginning. That there was so much more healing to be done, so many more demons to be faced.

I pulled up to Liam’s house, the big two-story structure looking warm and inviting despite the late hour. The fresh coat of paint gleamed in the moonlight, a testament to the renovations I knew Liam had been pouring his heart into.

I cut the engine, the sudden silence deafening in the stillness of the night.

For a moment, I just sat there, staring up at the house and trying to gather my courage. Trying to steel myself for whatever came next.

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