comfort him. He sensed their concern and felt their sympathy. But nothing eased the numbness spreading through his body.
His only blood tie had been severed, leaving him more alone than he had ever felt in his life.
= ♥ =
Bull shut the door of his SUV and made his way toward the back door of Halfway House. For the last hour, he couldn’t shake the weird feeling that something was off. You’re nervous. He scoffed at himself and the silly thought. He wasn’t shy, didn’t embarrass easily, and sure as hell wasn’t the nervous type.
The rear door opened just as he stepped up onto the back porch.
A wash of coldness blanketed him at Julian’s expression. “What’s wrong?”
“Ben’s sister stopped by.”
Bull stilled. Maddy had been a recurring subject during their video chats. Ben had texted her every week since his release even though she hadn’t responded to a single message. Her lack of visits while he’d been inside and unanswered texts had always been a tough subject for Ben to share.
“Calvin let her in. He knew Ben was going out tonight, so when she showed up at the door, he thought Ben was leaving with her. He didn’t know about the strain in their relationship.” Julian trailed off as he rubbed his shaved head. “I was upstairs, and Matt was in the kitchen. When Cal said someone was here, we just thought you had gotten here early.”
“Excuse me.” Bull left the rambling version of Julian behind as he pushed through the back door. Quickly scanning the room, his breath froze in his throat when his gaze landed on Ben sitting on the living room couch.
It was Ben, but it wasn’t.
The usual nervous and curious energy that thrummed through his body were on hiatus. There wasn’t a single twitch or shift of movement in his body, only the slight rise and fall of his chest and blink of his eyes, proof his Ben was still present.
“Do something,” Calvin said, his voice hard and strained. “Please.”
“Do you mind giving us a few minutes alone?”
“Bull—” Matt said, shaking his head. He glanced at his partner, his eyes pleading.
Julian walked over to Matt and extended his hand. “C’mon, give them a few minutes.”
“He’s been through so much tonight, J.”
“And if it were you, would you listen to anyone but me right now?”
With a defeated sigh, Matt took Julian’s hand and stood. They left the living room and headed upstairs with Calvin trailing behind them.
Bull waited until they disappeared from sight, then stepped around the living room furniture and between the couch and coffee table to stand in front of Ben. He slowly knelt on the floor, lowering himself one knee at a time. Ben had been evasive the last two days, even during their video chats he seemed a little closed off and nervous. But this…this was different. Those green eyes were distant and vacant, absent of the usual wonder and curiosity.
He tucked his finger under Ben’s chin and nudged his face up, drawing his attention.
Those green eyes filled with tears the moment their eyes met.
“It hurts,” Ben signed as the faint sound of a sob tore from his lips and echoed through the quiet living room.
All the emotions packed into that barely audible sound were a wrecking ball to Bull’s heart. “I know,” he signed, not voicing the words as he spoke, wanting to keep this conversation as private as possible.
“She didn’t want me anymore. So I let her go,” Ben signed as the tears spilled. “She was supposed to be permanent.”
Bull swiped his thumb across Ben’s cheek. “Blood doesn’t make a connection permanent,” he signed. He knew that fact far too well. The strain between him and his father was a lead weight in his stomach.
“She threw away Bunny.”
Bull ducked his head, begging for an extra dose of patience to work its way through his system. During their chats, Ben had mentioned that his sister and the one gift she had given him were the two things he had thought about most during his time inside. And now, all in one fell swoop, both had been ripped away from him.
A tap to his forearm pulled him from his thoughts.
“Are you leaving me too?”
“Why would I leave you?” he signed with a frown.
Ben chewed his bottom lip as the tears pooled in his eyes again. “I lied to you.”