Page 24 of Devastation
"I don't feel worthy of being with you all again," I admit and shrug, bringing my hands together before continuing, "but I worry that I'm getting in the way of all of our happiness by punishing myself continuously."
Hale responds vaguely, "Trust. It's such a simple concept but one that is so hard to truly implement."
Confused by where he's going with that comment, I admit, "You lost me."
He swivels slightly on the bench to face me and explains, "So, you're trusting Lana and I to admit when we need help, and we're trusting you to do the same. We're all struggling with different things, but trust is at the center of all of it."
Understanding dawns on me and I nod along, "So what you're saying is that I need to stop being such a cry baby and move on with our lives?"
An honest laugh escapes him, causing me to crack a smile when he responds, "Those wouldn't have been my exact words, but essentially, yes. We all want the same thing—to be a family again and win this war so we can enjoy our lives together. So, let's do it."
Well...damn. Nodding my head after a moment, I slap my hands on my thighs and stand.
"Let's do it.”
Chapter Ten
Lana
My eyes flutter open and the light of a new day shines in, illuminating the serene bedroom. Immediately, I glance to the ceiling to see what kind of flowers bloom today, and am instantly enthralled. Yellow ruffled petals with a pink center stem protruding from it immediately makes me connect that they are hibiscus.
The bright color brings a sense of happiness into my core, and I smile like a lunatic at them.
I'm not sure if I'll ever get used to this home and its surprises.
Glancing over, I frown upon seeing none of my mates in bed with me. Did anyone else come to bed last night besides Zedd? Did Ash make it back safely?
My anxiety begins to spike, but just as I'm about to hop out of bed to search the house, a door clicks open from behind a wall of ivy, perfectly concealed by the plant. Steam billows from the open doorway and my twins walk out with towels draped around their hips.
Water droplets run down their smooth chests to their chiseled abdomens. My hungry gaze stalks the water drops as if I'll get the prize at the end of their journey.
"Well good morning to you too, Darling," Leo drawls in a fake southern accent, amusement dancing in his eyes.
Realizing my mouth has dropped open a bit, I shut it quickly and grin sheepishly while tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "Morning. Where is everyone else?"
They move in tandem to the dresser closest to the bedroom door and drop their towels, displaying their naked backsides to me. Toned asses stare back at me, and my brain short circuits momentarily, completely missing what Luke says.
Coming out of my daze as they shrug on fresh cream linen drawstring pants, I muse, "What was that?"
They chuckle good naturedly, knowing exactly what they did to me, the little devils.
"Zedd is cooking up breakfast while Hale and Ash are talking outside. Go shower and come to the kitchen when you're done," Luke repeats himself now that I'm functioning properly.
Leo opens the door for Luke to walk out of and turns to me before following to say, "Zedd told us you found out a lot of information in the journal, and we all want to help you work through it and plan this morning."
With that, he closes the door behind him, leaving my mouth hanging open for an entirely different reason. That felt like one of the most mature and productive conversations I'd ever had with the twins.
Damn, we'd been through hell, but I'm proud of who we've all become.
Zedd's words from last night echo in my head along with my own thoughts. His insistence that I love myself burns brightly in my mind, and Iwantto feel that for myself. It will take time, but I think I can get there.
"I'm proud of myself," I proclaim out loud, wanting to hear the words.
Damn, that felt good to say and actually mean.
A true smile crosses my face as I toss the sheets aside and head for the slightly ajar door behind the ivy wall. Stepping through the steam still lingering from the twins' shower, I close the door behind me and marvel at the bathroom before me.
The walk-in shower spans half of the room with many different ledges to lounge on and the entire ceiling covered in overhead faucets like a rain shower. But the craziest part is the walls are entirely made of glass, allowing me to see the gorgeous landscape of the forest around us.
