was all there was to it. She hadn’t been here that long, and she’d already turned me inside out.
But when I thought about it, I’d always loved her a little bit. All those years ago, I hadn’t looked at her like a girl I wanted. She’d been young, and sweet, and innocent. Older or not, I’d been all wrong for her as a boyfriend. Still was.
But as a friend, we’d shared something special. That was how I’d loved her. With music. With songs and harmonies and the sound of my guitar.
The bedroom door whispered open. It was dark, but I could see Callie’s outline as she padded down the hallway. She hardly made a sound, turning the corner into the kitchen.
Without really thinking about what I was doing—or the fact that I wasn’t wearing anything except underwear—I tossed the blanket aside and got up. I found her at the sink, filling up a glass of water in the dark.
“You all right?” I whispered.
She turned around, still holding her glass, and even in the dim light, I could tell she wasn’t.
“No.”
I took the glass and set it on the counter, then brushed her hair back from her face. “What’s wrong?”
Her voice shook. “I woke up after a bad dream and now I can’t calm down. I keep remembering things, but they’re all confusing flashes. It’s like suddenly my brain wants to replay all the worst moments of my life, but none of them make sense.”
Slipping my hands around her waist, I drew her close. Kissed her forehead. “Nothing can hurt you here. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
She leaned on my bare chest and I hugged her against me. I had no idea what I was doing. Comforting someone wasn’t exactly in my skill set. But this seemed simple enough. Wrap my arms around her and hold her tight.
The best part was, it felt really fucking good.
There was so much happening inside me. My chest felt warm and full, like I might burst. Her hair smelled like heaven and the feel of her in my arms was so right. Perfect, even. Like the roads we’d both taken had always been leading to this.
Was this what love felt like? A rush of euphoria and affection mixed with a healthy dose of terror? Had my brothers been through this? I’d never bothered to ask. Hadn’t thought it would apply to me.
Callie wound her arms around my waist, her body trembling. I rested my cheek against her head and rubbed slow circles across her back. Right now, in this moment, I wanted nothing more than to make her feel better. To make things okay again.
“Let’s go back to bed,” I whispered.
“I don’t want to be alone.”
I kissed the top of her head. “Don’t worry. I’ve got you.”
With an arm around her, I led her back to my bedroom. She crawled into bed and I slid beneath the covers beside her. Gathered her in my arms so she could rest her head on my chest.
I took slow breaths, feeling her body gradually relax. She stopped shivering. Her arm draped across my rib cage and she tucked her leg over mine, nestling in closer. I traced my thumb over her soft skin and breathed her in as she sank into me.
I hated that she was scared. That her father had hurt her so badly, the pain echoed in her dreams even now. But holding her like this—warm and comfortable in my bed—felt so good, I couldn’t help but smile. That was something I didn’t do very often.
“Gibson?” she whispered.
“Yeah?”
“Thank you.”
I squeezed her tighter. “Feel better?”
“So much better.”
“Good.” I kissed her head again.
She was quiet for a long moment and I wondered if she’d fallen asleep. “Everything is different now, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, it is.”
“Does that scare you?”
I thought about it for a beat. It did scare me. Didn’t seem like there was any reason to keep that from her. “Little bit. You?”
She nodded, her head moving against my chest. “Little bit.”
Oddly, that seemed like a good sign. I didn’t know what I was doing, or where this was headed. But at least we were on the same page.
“Do you think you can sleep now?” I asked.
“Will you stay with me?”
I squeezed her again. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“Good.”
The last of the tension seemed to melt from her body, her limbs going languid. I closed my eyes, drifting in the warmth of her skin, the feel of her soft breathing. And I couldn’t remember the last time I’d