Deserted - Cara Dee Page 0,71

old. Well, to Darius, it probably was. Gray hadn’t been quite as outdoorsy growing up.

It was a good thing Darius had thought about removing Jayden’s knives from his backpack, though. Gray sure as hell hadn’t remembered—until he’d seen the knives on the living room table in the cabin. Darius had cleaned and sharpened them for the kid. He’d also rounded the tips, which Gray thought was brilliant.

Gray had just taken the cinnamon rolls out of the oven when he heard a short, terrified scream coming from outside. His heart jumped up into his throat as he bolted out of the kitchen and toward the entryway, where he tore open the door and ran out barefoot.

The first thing he saw was Darius carrying a crying Jayden toward the cabin with brisk steps and a grim expression.

“What happened?” Gray jogged down the steps, ignoring the cold mud he landed in, and closed the distance.

“He wanted to see if his Aquaman figure could swim and fell in,” Darius replied.

“Oh God.” Gray was glad it wasn’t worse than that, but the worry lingered. Even though the stream was shallow, perhaps three feet at most, it would be deep enough to scare Jayden, who probably couldn’t swim.

“I don’t think he’s soaked through.” Darius climbed the steps and headed inside, kicking off his boots in the entryway. “I pulled him out the second he was down—I managed to grab his arm.”

Gray followed them toward the bathroom and tried to get his heartbeat to calm the fuck down.

In the meantime, Jayden wouldn’t stop crying.

“I got you. We’ll get you dry and warm in a minute.” Darius pressed a kiss to the side of Jayden’s wet hair and sat down with him on the closed toilet. “Let’s get these off, yeah?”

Gray grabbed a fresh towel from the cabinet under the sink before helping with the clothes. Jayden’s jacket was heavy and drenched, as were his jeans and boots. The top of his head wasn’t wet, so he couldn’t have gone under completely.

“I don’t know w-why I’m crying,” he sobbed. “I’m not a c-crybaby.”

“Oh, sweetheart. It’s okay. You got scared.” Gray threw the wet clothes into the shower while Darius got rid of his hoodie and tee. The latter was almost dry. “Do you think a hot cocoa with extra whipped cream might help?”

“Maybe,” Jayden cried. “We should t-try.”

Gray suppressed a pinch of mirth and wiped the boy’s cheeks with his thumbs. Sweet kid, tears were really streaming down. “We definitely should. Do you wanna help me, or should I meet you and Darius in the living room?”

Darius cleared his throat. “I don’t think he’s letting go anytime soon.” He winced slightly, and Gray saw that Jayden was digging his fingernails into Darius’s neck.

Gray offered a look of sympathy and wrapped the towel around Jayden’s shoulders. “Maybe if you get comfortable on the couch.”

Darius inclined his head and rose from the toilet.

Gray helped him get rid of his leather jacket, which had gotten properly wet. “Go. I’ll hang this to dry for you.” When he was alone, he blew out a heavy breath and shook his head. Part of him felt guilty for enjoying normal, everyday hurdles. For weeks, everything had been recovery this, recovery that. Nightmares, panic attacks, and anxiety. But with Darius and Jayden, he was given glimpses of what people went through on a daily basis.

He’d missed it so much.

After hanging Darius’s jacket on a towel rack, Gray picked up the wet clothes and threw them straight into the hamper. Then he washed his feet and headed to the kitchen.

It seemed Jayden was beginning to calm down, though he still wouldn’t let go of Darius. It was a precious sight, despite it all. Darius sat in the middle of the couch with Jayden on his lap, and he was murmuring something to the boy that was too quiet for Gray to hear.

He gathered the fixings for hot cocoa near the stove and poured milk into a saucepan.

“I’m not letting you go, buddy. I promise.” Darius was bringing Jayden’s hands from his neck to his sternum. “See? You wouldn’t be able to get away even if you tried.” He proved his point by wrapping his arms around Jayden and hugging him to his chest. “I’ve got you.”

Jayden sniffled and hiccupped on a whimper. “Okay.”

Gray knew firsthand the comfort provided when Darius promised that he “got you.”

“I wonder if the levees broke,” Darius murmured.

Gray understood what he was talking about right away, and it didn’t seem implausible at