Page 58 of Heatwaves

Carter is the first to stand. “Of course, Lila. We’ll give you all the time you need. Thank you for allowing us to explain the situation to you. No matter the outcome, I’m glad we were able to speak to you. I’m glad you’re okay after the accident. We were worried.”

Oliver and Aidan push to their feet, reaching down to pull Ty upright. If not for their hands, he would’ve fallen back down to the couch. He’s no longer crying, but his eyes are glazed over as if he’s not really here.

“It was good seeing you again, Lila,” Oliver says, tears in his eyes as he forces a smile. “Wyatt has our numbers whenever you’re ready to talk about—ifyou’re ever ready to talk again.”

Aidan lifts his hand in farewell before he and Oliver drag Ty out of the room with Carter at their backs. Carter pauses just inside the hallway to glance back at me. I don’t know what he’s looking for, but the corner of his mouth turns up slightly before he nods. Then he’s gone, the door closing behind the four of them, and for the first time since arriving home, I feel like I can breathe.

“That was a lot,” Wyatt says, scooping me into his arms and heading toward my bedroom. “How are you dealing with all of this?”

I scoff. “Badly.”

“That’s okay, babe. We can talk it out like we always talk things out. I’ll help you figure out what’s going on inside that beautiful head of yours.”

I cuddle into his chest, so grateful that he’s still here for me. How I haven’t pushed him away is a miracle. Any other man would’ve abandoned me long before now, but not Wyatt. Never Wyatt.

He sets me on the bed, and I immediately miss his heat. I smile when he pulls off his shirt before clambering onto the bed beside me and wrapping his arms around me. “So, what are you thinking?”

“Honestly? I’m not sure. My head is a mess. Part of me doesn’t want to believe what they told me, but I know they’re not lying. Am I even allowed to be mad at them if they spent the last ten years saving the realms?”

Wyatt kisses the top of my head before meeting my gaze. “Of course, you’re allowed to be mad at them. They might have had a good reason for ghosting you, but that doesn’t erase the ten years of pain you’ve had to deal with.”

A sigh of relief whistles from my lips as Wyatt says just what I’ve been thinking.

I hate that I feel split in half, with one piece of me wanting to forgive them immediately while the other piece isn’t sure if we should ever forgive them.

Having a good reason for disappearing doesn’t make any of what I dealt with disappear.

“And they’re my fated mates?” I bury my head in his chest. “I want to call them liars, but it makes sense, doesn’t it?”

“It does.”

“I just don’t know what to do, Wy,” I admit.

He hums. “And that’s perfectly fine, babe. You don’t have to decide right now, but it’s clearly weighing heavily on you, so spill. Tell me everything you’re thinking and then we’ll go from there.”

So that’s what I do. I tell him every thought crossing my mind and how I’m feeling about all of it.

We’re all silent on the car ride back to our place. It’s nothing special, just a place to lay our heads until we’re able to win Lila back.

If we’re able to win her back.

Ty is practically catatonic as he sits beside me in the backseat. He’s not handling this well.

Not that I expected him to. Not after the way he fell apart over the last few years.

Especially not after how broken he was when Bria told us that Lila was our fated mate.

I just wish I knew what to do to make this better for him—for all of us.

Carter pulls into the driveway and turns off the car.

None of us move.

Likely, they all feel as I do. We don’t want to enter the empty house before us.

“We need to get Ty inside,” Aidan finally says, openinghis door.

That gets me and Carter moving. I lean over Ty to open his door, helping Aidan maneuver him out of the car before following suit. By the time we shuffle up to the house, Carter is holding the door open for us.

---