Page 64 of Push My Buttons
"No on the coffee," I reply, glancing at the ancient machine dubiously. "But I can handle the protection detail."
As Jace goes back to fussing with the coffee maker, I find myself staring at the bedroom door, thinking of the woman sleeping beyond it. The woman who's somehow managed to bring Jace and me—two men who've circled each other with competitive wariness for months—into perfect alignment.
Whatever's coming, whatever "soon" means, we'll be ready. Because Wren Maddox isn't facing it alone anymore.
She has us now. Both of us. And we're not going anywhere.
Chapter 24
Wren
"Iseehishandscoming toward my throat,"I sign, the movements jerky as the memory resurfaces."They're shaking. His knuckles are white."
Dr. Levine nods, her expression calm despite the violence I'm describing. After six weeks of therapy, I've grown to appreciate her steadiness—the way she creates space for my broken memories without pushing too hard.
"What else do you see?" she asks, her voice gentle.
I close my eyes, trying to grasp the fragments that have been slowly emerging during our sessions."His hair... wavy brown. He keeps pushing it back, frustrated."My hands form the signs with increasing urgency."He says I'm his. That I'm not going to leave him."
My throat tightens with phantom pressure. I can almost feel those fingers closing around my windpipe again.
"He says he did it for me,"I continue signing."So we could be together. That 'he' would never have let us be together if he didn't do what he did."
Dr. Levine leans forward slightly. "Do you know who 'he' is? The person your attacker is referring to?"
I shake my head, frustration building."Every time I try to make the connection, it slips away. Like trying to hold smoke."
"That's normal," she reassures me. "Memory recovery isn't linear, especially with trauma. You're doing remarkably well, Wren."
I manage a small smile at that. Six weeks ago, I couldn't even access these fragments. Now I have pieces—horrible, terrifying pieces, but pieces nonetheless. Progress, even if it feels glacially slow.
"The hair,"I sign, returning to the detail that feels most tangible."The way he brushes it out of his eyes. It's so familiar, but I can't place why."
Dr. Levine makes a note in her pad. "Sometimes our bodies remember what our minds can't access yet. That feeling of familiarity is significant."
I nod, having learned to trust these instinctive reactions. My body knows things my conscious mind hasn't pieced together.
"How are you feeling about your brother?" she asks, changing direction slightly. "It's been almost two months since his capture. Has that changed your sense of safety at all?"
I consider the question carefully. Lucien's arrest was splashed across every news outlet for weeks. The Reaper, finally captured after years of evading law enforcement. My brother, the monster who tried to kill me.
"Safer in some ways,"I sign."Knowing he can't reach me. But..."
"But?" she prompts when my hands falter.
"The stalker isn't him,"I continue."I know that now. Which means there's someone else out there who knows who I am. Who wants... something from me."
Dr. Levine nods. "And how are you managing that anxiety?"
"Better, with Jace and Theo."My hands form their names with a fluidity that speaks to how integral they've become to my life."They've been... everything."
It's an understatement. In the six weeks since that night at the studio, they've practically moved into my apartment. One of them is always with me—at the café during my shifts, waiting outside during therapy sessions, present but discreet during my cam sessions. Their protective presence has become my new normal, a safety net I never knew I needed.
"They complement each other in how they support you," Dr. Levine observes.
I smile, thinking of how seamlessly they've integrated into my life. Theo with his irreverent humor and fierce protectiveness; Jace with his quiet strength and methodical problem-solving. They should clash, these two opposite personalities, but instead they've found balance—with each other, and with me.
"It's more than just protection,"I sign, feeling heat rise to my cheeks."It's... everything. They see all of me. Accept all of me."
