Page 61 of There's No Us Without You
Maybe I can ignore her.
She’s a grown-arse woman, for Christ’s sake. I’ve had to deal with my own demons. It’s about time she learnt to deal with hers, too. It’s part of life, and all that.
When Eden lets out another ear-piercing scream, I squeeze my eyes shut and throw the pillow across the room. It hits the opposite wall before dropping to the ground with a soft plop.
My skin grows hot, a light sheen of sweat now coating my chest.
Breathe in.One.
Please fucking stop.
Breathe out.Two.
Please . . .
Breathe in.Fuck this.
How can I ignore her when there’s so much pain in her sobs I feel everything she’s feeling? Her cries crush my chest and squeeze my heart, my blood now a loud whooshing sound in my ears.
They’re familiar feelings that haunt my dreams more often than I’d like to admit, gutting me from the inside out. Those times I held my brother when he would wake up screaming fill my waking hours as well.
Not that anyone notices—I’m great at being an arsehole to keep most people at arm’s length.
Not even Emerson knows the extent of the abuse, nor will he.
Another sob seeps through the wall, and my skin now aches with the need to comfort her, to be close to her.
If I could wish for anything, it’s that someone would have held me when I was crying in my bed, left alone with a fuckwit of a father, and a younger brother to take care of.
I rub my eyes and climb out of bed, my bare feet sinking into the soft carpet as I head down the hall in quiet panic. When I reach Eden’s door, I pause, my hand fisted tightly around the doorknob. After a couple of deep breaths, I swing it open to find her curled into a ball on her bed, the sheets and quilt bunched in a pile at the end.
For a moment, I just stand there like an idiot, a lump in my throat. A bead of sweat rolls down my forehead and into my eyes as I take in the scene before me.
My mind is reeling with memories from my childhood.
Tyler screaming as our dad left his mark.
Me trying to stop him until I realised I wasn’t strong enough. I’d never be strong enough to stop him. Just like now.
My inability to forget keeps me frozen.
Fuck.
I’m so far out of my element here. Emerson is the one Eden needs right now. What I wouldn’t give for him to be here, not only to comfort Eden so I don’t have to, but also to pull me in for a hug and tell me everything is going to be okay.
Although, I’d never admit that to him.
With my hands fisted at my sides, I take one step towards the bed, then another.
I can do this.
When I finally reach the side of the bed, I do what feels natural and climb in next to Eden, wrapping her in my arms and pulling her to my chest.
Damn. Her soft skin rubs against mine, and my entire body relaxes for the first time in weeks as hers tenses. At first, she struggles, slapping my chest and kneeing my thigh as she pushes against me. I grip her tighter, making soothing shushing sounds because what the fuck else am I supposed to do?
It used to comfort Tyler after one of our father’s beatings.
When Eden’s eyes fly open, she takes a moment of fast blinking before she falls back onto my chest, burying her face against my neck. “Will?” Her voice is strained, deeper than usual, and eliciting unwanted reactions from my body.
