Reid sank lower in his chair. “I’m perpetually late, scattered, unable to focus unless I’m interested, and completely unlovable as far as my family’s concerned.”
My heart ached as I stared at the younger man. Was this how Finn saw me? As someone who was suffering because they viewed themselves through the filter of others? Of those who’d abused them? Who’d beaten them down again and again until they truly believed this was who they were?
Fuck. Talk about a wakeup call.
Well Finn didn’t seem like he was giving up on me, so I wasn’t going to give up on Reid either.
Walking over to him, I put my hands on both of his shoulders. “Right, you listen here, Reid Clarkson. I know you’ve been told a lot of bullshit about yourself, and not just by your family, but now I’m going to tell you some stuff.”
A little smirk ghosted his lips. Nothing like the one he usually wore, but it was a start. “Because you’re more worthy of listening to than them?”
“Yes.” I nodded for good measure. “I am, because I’mgoing to tell you the truth. You, Reid, are caring. You refused to give up on trying to get me out of my shell despite all my grumpiness.”
“You were very grumpy. I get it now though. I should’ve been tempting you with bears instead of twinks.”
Reid’s attempt to derail what I was telling him suggested he responded to kindness about as well as I did. But, just like Finn, I wasn’t giving up until he heard me. “You’re tenacious. You don’t give up on anything. If a design isn’t going how you pictured, you don’t throw it out, you keep working at it until it’s just right.”
Reid was blushing now, but I pushed on. “You’re ridiculously intelligent. You might think your brain is scattered, but I wish I had a tenth of the knowledge you do. And you’re kind.”
I crouched in front of him when he ducked his head, refusing to let him escape this. It was too important for him to not listen.
“Most importantly, even if you werenoneof these things, you still wouldn’t have deserved what you were put through as a child. No one should be abused. No one, Reid. Including you.”
A single tear rolled down his cheek.
“I’m sorry that happened to you,” I continued. “I’m so fucking sorry, Reid. It’s not your fault though.”
“But I was born human.”
“So fucking what?” I said hotly. “You didn’t choose who or what you were born as. No one does. You were a goddamned child, Reid. Achild. What they did wasn’t okay. It’s never okay to abuse or manipulate someone the way they did you.”
As I said those words to Reid, it was almost as thoughthey were echoing in my mind, coming back to me in a different voice.
Not Matt’s though.
Finn’s.
You didn’t deserve it.
It’s never okay to abuse someone.
What he did was wrong.
It’s on him.
Not you.
“And you’re not unlovable,” I said. “Your family are the ones incapable of love. That doesn’t make you incapable of being loved. You deserve it, the same as anyone else does.”
Reid used the sleeve of his hoody to swipe at his eyes. “Thanks, Chester. You don’t know how much I needed to hear that.”
Neither did I.
“You’re welcome,” I said roughly, getting to my feet. “You’re also one hell of a florist. Something you should remind yourself of by getting started on these orders.”
Reid hiccoughed a laugh. “Aye, aye, Captain.”
He was all the way to the cooler door before he paused and spoke over his shoulder. “You know, if I’m deserving of love, that means you are too. Right?”