Page 34 of Beyond Repair: Part One

Nibbling on my lip, I glance at Kai who gives me the courage to respond. "M-me too." I'm not talking about my laugh. I mean the big grin he always used to flash at me when he got his way.

Before I know what's happening, Ridge kisses my knee and spins around to restart his racing game. He used to love the zombie one, but he mumbled something about it being too gory to play here, and that's the last I heard of it.

"Mmm, that feels nice."

It's Ridge's moan that makes me realize my fingers are running through his hair. My belly sinks and I go to yank my hand away from his blond locks, but a firm grip stops me.

"He likes it," Henry whispers in my ear, having come from out of nowhere. I shiver and a blush heats my cheeks. He guides my hand to the top of Ridge's head again. "And you want to touch. So do it, pretty girl."

Once Henry has me petting his friend again, he releases me and takes a seat by Kai. They share a kiss and soft words. My eyes start to burn and I don't think I could get a word out if I tried. Instead of paying attention to Henry and hisfiancé,I focus on making Ridge feel good.Someone should.

At least nobody's pushing me to answer questions I really don't want to answer. I'll take the win even if it hurts.

Chapter 28

Henry

"It's been a week. We need answers." Trevor looks so damn determined it makes me want to avoid challenging him. Especially while he's driving.

While I agree with his desire to know what happened the day we found Nina shaking on her living room floor, I don't think forcing her to tell us is appropriate. At least not a week later.

Since then, we've gone over there every day in between looking for a house to rent. It's been nice. Nina's slowly but surely coming out of her shell. I hate to say it, but I think her panic attack last week brought us closer.

It doesn't sound like much, but she's starting to touch the other guys a little. I've heard that beautiful giggle a few times, and we even got a snort yesterday when Ridge fucked up boiling noodles.

"What kind of answers, Trev?" Kai asks from beside me in the back of the SUV. "I don't think she's gonna want to talk about last week."

"Isn't it obvious what happened?" Ridge honestly seems confused. Glancing between the three of us from the passengerseat up front, he frowns. "Will and Meg hadjustleft; officially leaving her for the first time ever. The TV wasn't on, which left her in silence. And she was on the ground."

Trevor narrows his gaze on the road as he thinks through the meaning behind his cousin's words. "But why was she on the ground? Why were the drapes closed?"

"She was back there..." I whisper, the realization truly dawning on me for the first damn time. "Oh god. She was alone, her parents getting further and further away. The house was silent, and the sun didn't fit the scenario she was stuck in."

Kai grabs and squeezes my hand. "Nina was back in the basement."

Ridge nods in the front seat. "She was triggered, Trevor."

"Well, then we need to know what her triggers are!" Trev snaps, white knuckling the steering wheel.

Scowling, Ridge throws his hands in the air. "There's a high probability that asking her could be a trigger.Andshe might not evenknowwhat they are! Let her open up in her own time."

"I agree," I add, trying my best to meet Trevor's intense gaze in the rearview mirror. Luckily we're almost at Nina's house so I can make a quick escape. "Let her open up in her own time."

Grumbling and scratching at his neat beard, Trevor gets us into Nina's driveway safely. Excited to see my girl, I'm out and closing the door immediately. Then the strangest fucking thing happens. The garage door opens, which it never does.

I knew Nina had her own car because Ridge went snooping one of the first days we came to see her, but we've only seen her in her living room, in the kitchen or out on the patio.

My heart thunders in my ears as Nina reverses her cute white Jeep Compass. Ever so slowly, she inches her way down the driveway, being exceptionally careful of the four of us now standing in her driveway.

When Nina comes to a stop beside us, she rolls down the driver’s side window. Her light brown waves are messy, like when we were kids, and the freckles on her nose and cheeks stand out beautifully in the natural light.

"Hi," she says, offering us a shaky smile. Unfortunately, that's common. I hate how unsure my pretty girl is.

We each say our hellos, but Trev asks, "Where are you off to, baby?" I can practically see the vein in his neck pumping. We've all gotten used to Nina being at home where we know she's safe and comfortable. This is new territory for us.Why is she leaving now?

Nina's face falls, and she glances around nervously. "Oh. I-I'm sorry. I just...I have an appointment."

"What kind of appointment?" Ridge cocks his head, his messy hair flopping over his eyebrow.

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