Page 79 of Pain
Matt reached out and grabbed hold of Xander's arm. "Thank you. I never heard her scream tonight."
"She didn't scream, but I heard her crying. She's okay. We have some good conversations. You needed your rest."
"Thank you." Matt leaned in and kissed Xander softly. "I never meant for you to get mixed up in all this."
"Hey…" Xander cupped Matt's cheeks, forcing him to look directly at him. "I'm where I want to be, okay? Don't ever think you're making me do anything. I'm worried about both of you. I'll do anything I can to make this easier for you two, for us."
The two of them had never really discussed what was going on between them, but Xander figured it was clear to both of them there was more than just casual sex going on. It was hardly the time to have this discussion, but it was one he hoped the two of them would have soon.
Matt closed his eyes, leaning in, wrapping his arms around Xander as he rested his head against his chest. "Thank you."
Xander kissed his temple. "You're welcome. Now go see your daughter. Find out when she wants to leave."
Matt nodded as he pulled back, giving Xander a long, tired look before he turned and headed out of the room.
As Xander watched him go, he wondered when his heart became so involved in everything that was going on, and why for the first time in his life, he was excited to see what the future held.
He sat on the bed, wondering if he should start helping pack a few things when Faith and Matt walked back into the bedroom. "Hi." He smiled, patting a spot on the bed.
Surprising him, Faith jumped up and sat right beside him.
"I was telling Faith that we can go to your place, but she has to understand there might be new rules there that she has to follow, and she needs to remember to leave your stuff alone." Matt sat down on the other side of the bed.
"Not a lot of different rules. You'll still have to help with the dishes and cleaning, just like you do here." He smiled when she moaned. "The only new rule I might have is I have been building a fire pit in the backyard over the summer, and if you're going to live there with me for a while, you and your dad are going to have to help me finish it, so we can have a barbecue. Oh, and when my friend Dyson comes over, you have to beat him in Mario Kart, because I've tried and can never win."
Matt laughed. "Leave it to you and Dyson to fight over Mario Kart."
"I don't like losing, especially to him. If Faith beats him, I won't feel too bad," Xander teased.
"I can do that." She glanced at her dad. "You're really not mad?"
"Not at all. I wish you'd told me sooner. I didn't even think about that bothering you, but it makes sense it would. We can find a new house somewhere and sell this one. We'll get a house that we both like." Matt reached over and ran his hand through her hair. "I want you to be able to talk to me about things like this. If I'd known this bothered you weeks ago, we could have saved you from being scared all this time." He gripped her knee. "I love you, and you come first. I'm not going to choose a house over you, Pumpkin."
Xander winked at her. "Told you he'd be just fine with it."
"Thank you for letting us stay with you."
"You're welcome. I think we'll have fun." Xander had no clue if Faith would like his house, but if it helped her feel safe, he'd sign the whole place over to her.
Matt looked over Faith and smiled at Xander. "Thank you," he mouthed.
Xander nodded back, hoping that Matt was really okay with them moving in with him. He'd just taken them from dating to living together in a matter of twenty minutes, and because it was what Faith wanted, Matt hadn't really had a choice. Maybe he should have talked to Matt before offering his place, but his first reaction had been to help Faith feel safe. It was something they were going to have to talk about.
One of many things they needed to discuss, because like it or not, things were getting serious, and if they didn't talk it over soon, they were both going to be lost in the roller coaster of emotions they seemed to be riding lately. No matter what the future held, he didn't want to see Matt or Faith hurt, and that meant things needed to slow down, or they were going to crash and crash hard, and as hard as it would be for Matt and Faith, Xander worried even more what would happen to him.
"So, when are we leaving?" Xander asked.
Faith glanced at her dad. "In the morning. I'll be okay tonight." She sounded braver than she looked.
"Okay, then in the morning, we'll figure out what you want to take. We don't want to clutter Xan's house with a bunch of junk," Matt said. "Once we get settled there, we can start looking for a new house that we both like. But I need you to be honest with me from here on out. If something bothers you, talk to me. I can't help you if I don't know."
Faith nodded. "I promise." She turned to Xander. "Do you have a dog?"
Xander shook his head.
"Do you want one?" She looked up at him, hopeful.
Matt laughed as he reached over and lifted her off the bed. "That's enough for tonight. Back to bed. If we're moving tomorrow, you're going to need your sleep."
