Page 11 of Silent Verity

“Jesse?” I looked up through my tears at the sound of Dalton’s voice. He was coming into the living room, and the moment his eyes met my teary ones, his expression fell. “Oh, baby,” he whispered, rushing forward. He sank onto the couch beside me, sitting sideways, then dragged me between his spread thighs, wrapping his arms tight around me all while he tucked my head beneath his chin.

I sobbed, my fingers curling into his shirt, clinging to him like he was my lifeline. My life raft in the middle of the ocean of pain I was drowning in.

“Let it out, baby. I’m here. I’m always here, and I’ve got you.”

I finally allowed myself to completely fall apart, my agonized cry muffled by his chest.

10

Dalton

I jerked awake, my heart slamming against my chest bone at the sound of someone banging on my bedroom door. What the fuck was it with people in this house slamming their fists on my door like we didn’t have cellphones? Or you know, like people didn’t fucking sleep?

Snarling, I threw the blankets back, then shoved to my feet. Storming to the door, I flung it open, my mouth open to snap at Spike, but he beat me to the punch.

“Jesse needs you.”

Those three words sucked the fight out of me as if a vacuum cleaner had been put to my emotions. Immediately, I pushed past him into the hallway, heading for Jesse’s room. I wanted to know why Spike knew before me when he didn’t even live in this part of the house, but before I could ask, Spike gripped my arm and steered me toward the end of the hall. “He’s in the living room. His…” Spike blew out a harsh breath. “His mom passed, Dalton.”

Oh, no. Fuck.

I quickened my pace. I hated that fucking woman, and I wouldn’t miss her at all. None of us would. But Jesse’s relationship with her was different, even if it was toxic as fuck. He would be gutted.

When I stepped into the living room, my eyes instantly landed on my sobbing boy. His face was pale and stained with tears. He was curled into a ball, his face buried in his knees. “Jesse?” I called, my heart in my throat. He lifted his head, looking up at me through teary eyes. My heart broke for him. Fuck that bitch for once again hurting him.

“Oh, baby,” I whispered, rushing toward him. The moment I was on the couch, sitting sideways, I tugged Jesse between my spread thighs, then wrapped myself around him, cocooning him in my embrace just like I used to when he would show up at my house in the middle of the night, falling apart over the same fucking woman.

I tucked his head beneath my chin and stroked my hands up and down his back. He twisted his fingers in my shirt, clinging to me. “Let it out, baby. I’m here. I’m always here, and I’ve got you,” I soothed.

His broken wail fucking shattered me. I buried my face in his hair, clutching him to me tighter, wishing I could take his pain and make it my own. He clung to me tighter, sobs wracking his chest, and his breaths wheezed from his lungs.

“She overdosed, Dalton,” he choked out. “I don’t even know why I’m crying. She was worthless and a shit mom, but it still hurts.”

“I know, baby,” I rasped. “I know.” I didn’t know how her loss could hurt him, but I wouldn’t say that. I would just try to understand, just as I always had when it came to his relationship with her. But at least now she was gone, and she’d no longer be able to hurt him or manipulate him.

Our friends suddenly flooded into the living room, looking half-asleep. Kalin slipped onto the couch in front of us, and he joined in on the hug, the two of us squishing Jesse between us. I swallowed thickly, so fucking grateful for all of them.

Thank you, I mouthed to Kalin.

He just nodded, both of us just silently holding Jesse while he continued falling apart and purging his mother from his system. Tor sat on the floor in front of the coffee table, working quickly to roll six blunts. Salem and Spike collected bottles of liquor and glasses, setting them on the coffee table as well.

Getting high and drunk wasn’t a healthy way to cope with Jesse’s loss, but it was our way to cope. And we weren’t doing it alone. We were together, just as we’d always vowed to be.

Once Jesse was a little calmer, Kalin moved back. Tor handed one of the rolled joints to Jesse along with a lighter. Without a word, Jesse lit it, then handed the lighter over to me as Tor passed me my own blunt. I did the same, then passed the lighter to Kalin. Salem poured two drinks, passing one each to me and Jesse.

Words weren’t needed. We all sat in silence, smoking and drinking. The only sound was the clinking of glasses as Salem poured more drinks and Jesse’s sniffling and someone’s occasional cough. Jesse stayed between my thighs, but eventually, he relaxed and turned so his back was to my chest, and he leaned against me, letting me support his weight.

I wrapped an arm around his waist and pressed my lips to the top of his head, silently reminding him I always had him, no matter how much distance he tried to put between us.

He wasn’t getting rid of me so easily.

“I told Delia we would all be unavailable for the next week,” Salem spoke up, breaking the silence. We all looked at him. “She’s not happy about it, but I threatened to contact Richard if she didn’t agree.”

I snorted. We were Richard’s pets. The man had already been rich and successful before us, but after signing us, he quickly became one of the richest men in the world. He’d do just about anything to keep us happy just so we stuck with him and didn’t move to another record company.

“Thanks,” Jesse whispered.

Salem just dipped his chin in a nod. I tightened my arm around Jesse and leaned my head back, feeling relaxed and like everything might finally be righting itself. It had to mean something that Jesse was letting me comfort and hold him like this, didn’t it?

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