Page 136 of Wicked Minds
One side of his lips twists in a wry smile. “I’ll be the shadow watching your back. The steady presence at your side.”
Frowning, I ask, “What do I give you?”
Giving the back of my neck another squeeze, he steps even closer, eliminating any space between us. “The question is, whatdon’tyou give me? You provide me with a purpose, pull me out of my head when I spiral. You’ve given me a reason to trust again. You keep the darkness at bay, and on days when itthreatens to overwhelm me, you simply sit in it with me. You don’t judge. Don’t ridicule or push. I can be myself around you—good qualities and the bad—which is something I haven’t been able to say in a long time.”
Leaning into him, I press onto my toes, wrapping my arms around his neck. “You give me all of those things, too.”
He presses his lips to mine in a chaste kiss. “I have no issues with you being with Logan. Or with Grayson. Logan has no issues with you being with me, and without having talked to him about it, I know he has no issues with you being with Grayson. Grayson… well, he can go fuck himself if he has any complaints.”
I snort, resting my forehead against his chest. “What happens now?”
“Now, you and Grayson need to have arealconversation.”
I nod, my face rubbing against the soft fabric of his t-shirt. I know he’s right. “He needs space first. Time to process.”
Lifting my head, I stare into Royce’s face. “I should go. Logan will be home soon. The three of you should talk. You’re his friends, you should be there for him.”
“What about you? Someone should be there for you too.”
I shake my head. “I’m not the one who just had their life ripped out from beneath their feet. Despite putting it off, I’ve known for a while that this day would eventually come. I’m fine, honestly.” Placing a hand on his chest, I finish, “Just be here for Grayson, please.”
Wrapping his hand around mine, he nods. “I will, but I’m driving you home first.”
I smile up at him before sliding past, heading up the stairs to get showered and dressed. I already know I’ll be spending the rest of the day in the dance studio until Royce or Logan—but probably both after today—inevitably sneak into my bed later tonight to keep my nightmares at bay.
41
GRAYSON
Under the guise of needing the bathroom, I slip from the room and sneak up the stairs. I need a moment to think. To breathe. To decompress.
Fucking hell. I came home figuring Logan would be back from his away game soon and hoping to talk to them both. To tell them everything. To admit that I know. That I believe Riley.
I’ve spent the last four days drinking myself stupid in my apartment in the city while I stared at Gran’s lockbox of horrors, reliving that moment in the food court when Riley looked like she’d been slapped. LikeI’dslapped her.
I can admit it to myself: After that, I believed her.
Jesus… how could I not?
The shit I found in Gran’s box… that was just the vomit on top of the cake.
Now, today…Fuck.I didn’t expect to find her in my living room on the phone to her daughter.
Mommy.
Fuck.I will never unhear that word.
Never forget the way it shuddered through me.
“Fuck,”I roar, pulling on the ends of my hair until the pain is unbearable enough to distract me from the chaos unraveling inside me.
Wiping a hand down my face, I pace back and forth across my bedroom floor. Riley’s words play on repeat in my head, a taunting melody that slices through me until I’m bleeding profusely.
It wasn’t just that I finally listened to her. It wasn’t even that she has a kid. It was… everything.
The self-harm.
The hollowness in her eyes.
