Page 114 of Stolen Dreams

Pausing, I close my eyes. Tucker is not going to let me leave. Regardless of how much I feel like an outsider right now, he will find a way to keep me here.

Sweet, sensitive soul that he is, Tucker has tethered my heart without effort. I love him for that.

“It’s been a long day,” I say. Opening my eyes, I meet his anxious gaze. “I’m tired.”

“Can I sleep with you tonight?” Anticipation glitters in his eyes as they dart between me and Ray.

“I don’t?—”

“Of course, bud,” Ray cuts me off as he rises with Tucker in his arms. He rounds the other end of the couch and blocks my path. “Kaya and I need your snuggles, too.” He sets Tucker on his feet. “Go brush your teeth. We’ll be up in a minute.”

Tucker wraps his arms around my waist and squeezes with all his might. Then, just as quickly, he releases me and heads for the stairs. “Don’t take long.”

“We won’t, bud.”

“’Kay.”

The moment Tucker is out of earshot, Ray invades my space and hauls me to his chest. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you.” He tucks his face in the crook of my neck and inhales deeply. “I reacted without thinking.” On the exhale, he leans back and cups my cheeks. “All I want is to protect him. Please tell me you understand.”

I rest my hands over his and meet his veiny, tired eyes. “I do.” Twisting, I kiss his palm. “But protecting him isn’t always shoving the bad stuff in a box and burying it.” Meeting those wary brown eyes once more, I lean into his touch. “You asked him if he wanted to talk about it. When I nudged, you punished me.” I drop my chin to my chest, count to five, then continue. “Although it’s hard, talking about it safeguards his mind and liberates him from guilt or shame. It gives him the chance to let go of the pain.” Reaching up, I take his face in my hands. “Yes, he needs to feel physically safe. But he also needs validation. Heneeds to know any time he has a nightmare or flashback, it’s okay to talk about it without feeling like an imposition.”

“I would never make him feel like a burden,” Ray says, defensive.

“Not intentionally.” I shake my head. “But if you tell him he doesn’t have to talk about the hard stuff every time it comes up, you’re inadvertently saying to keep those things to himself.”

His brows pinch together as he mulls over my words.

“You love Tucker more than anything. I know this. But loving someone also means letting them share their pain.” A corner of my mouth curves up in a sad smile. “It’s how we heal and move forward.”

Ray leans in, runs the tip of his nose along the length of mine, then claims my mouth with his. The kiss is slow, deep, a brand on my soul. And all too soon, he breaks the kiss to rest his forehead on mine. “You have no idea how much I need you.”

My breath catches in my throat as my pulse soars. “I need you, too. Both of you.”

His calloused thumbs caress my cheeks. “Love you, Fire Eyes.”

I gasp as my heart stutters. My vision tunneling as I wobble in place.

He loves me?

I try to wrap my head around his confession. Question if it’s real or a proclamation fueled by fear.

“If you’re not ready, you don’t have to say it,” he says after a moment. “But after today, after all I’ve been through, what we’ve endured, I need to say it.” He drops a chaste kiss to my lips. “I love you, Kaya. More than I’ve loved anyone.” He pulls back then kisses my forehead. “It scares me to death, but that’s how I know it’s real.” His hands on my cheeks tremble. “Let’s try to get some sleep. Tomorrow will be another long day.”

Slipping my hand into his, he guides me up the stairs and to the bedroom. We take turns changing in the bathroom, then crawl into the bed with Tucker between us.

And until I drift off to sleep hours later, his confession replays in my head.

“I love you, Kaya. More than I’ve loved anyone.”

THIRTY-SIX

RAY

I spearthe last piece of fruit on my plate and force myself to eat it.

The last time my appetite was this absent was the first time Brianna ran off with Tucker. I ate maybe once every few days and only because someone insisted. Mom would shove a piece of peanut butter toast in front of me and say,“How will you find Tucker if you keel over?”

Tucker sitting within arm’s reach is the only reason I can stomach food this morning. Seeing him in the flesh, hearing his sweet voice, hugging him to my chest and breathing in his outdoorsy smell, knowing he is home and safe… soothes my soul in a way nothing else does.