Page 72 of Between Brothers

I nodded and swallowed hard. With his unpredictable nature, that seemed to be a tall order, especially after the savagery I’d seen him show just hours ago.

“He loves you, as much as he’s capable of it, Hayley,” Blue said and I cuddled into his arms. “He really sucks at showing it, but I swear to you, he does. He would have taken those boys out regardless for their actions but not because it was the right thing to do, more because he loves a good fight. The fact that he took them apart as hard as he did and with that level of heat means he was pissed they touched you.”

“Will I ever understand him?” I asked.

“Probably about as much as I do, which isn’t as much as you’d think.”

“I can pretty much forget ever hearing it from him, can’t I?”

“What? That he loves you?”

“Yeah.”

He held me tighter and said, “Yeah… but that’s what you got me for.”

It was surprisingly a lot more comforting than I think Blue realized. I needed him and his softness. I needed that reminder that I was loved and Blue made me feel that. I held to him tightly and he eased us down, so that we were more comfortable and for sleep, pulling the blankets and quilts on my bed up over us.

“I love that you love us,” he murmured against my ear just as I was on that first edge of sleep.

I loved that, too. I loved that I took the chance, faced down the risk, and dared to love them both… they completed me.

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