Page 66 of Finding a Melody

Paxon was hugging me. His arms were wrapped completely around me as he squashed me into his chest. I was washed in his scent, a mild smell that made him up perfectly. It was mellow with a hint of sweetness. I swallowed hard as he gave me so easily what I didn’t know how to ask for.

“We’ll figure this out and we’ll keep you safe.”

“I don’t want someone getting hurt because of me,” I said, resting my head against his shoulder.

“And we want to make sure no one hurts you.”

Slowly, I responded, wrapping my arms around his waist and turning my head so it was tucked into the crook of his neck. I closed my eyes and sighed, relaxing into him, letting go of some of that fear that had kept me stiff ever since the attack.

“How did you know?” I asked.

“Know what?”

“That I needed a hug.”

“I’m an awesome older brother,” he said a little confidently.

I giggled. “You are not my older brother.”

“No, but I’m Calvin’s, and he has trouble asking for hugs too. I know the cues.” He pulled back so I could look at his face. “You looked like you desperately needed a hug, and I love giving them. Are you feeling better?” His right thumb ran along my cheek as he tried to find an honest answer in my expression, his eyes practically stormy with how concerned he was.

I nodded, having a hard time looking at him. Why was he being so amazing? How?

The rest of the ride was pretty silent but comfortable.

When Paxon pulled up to my house, I sighed as I stared at the big emptiness that seemed to loom over me.

“You don’t have to stay here,” he said.

“I do.” I tapped on my knee. “I can’t keep going to Seth’s whenever something bad happens. It’s not right.”

“It is right. You need to feel safe. And be safe. If that means going to Seth’s, then go there. He won’t mind.”

I closed my eyes and shook my head. “No. I’ll stay here tonight. I need to start making the place my own again. And Bryan put in that awesome security system. Now it’s time for me to trust that he knew what he was doing when he got it installed.”

“Bryan is really good at setting up security. He did our places, except Seth’s.”

“Really?”

Paxon smiled. “Bryan can be obsessed with security, and the break-in would have really hit a nerve with him. Don’t ask him how much it cost, you won’t like it.”

“That much?” My eyes widened as I stared back at my house thinking about all the features Bryan had installed in my home. I didn’t know anything about security to be able to accurately guess the price tag.

Massive alarm system, all entryways covered, including windows, and even my garage door. And the passwords. There was the normal one to turn off the whole system, and another fake one if I needed help that would alert the emergency. There was even an ‘oh shit’ button in my bedroom, by my bed, another in my studio, and one in the kitchen. Each floor was covered. I felt like there were more features, but so much was thrown my way during the tour that I only remembered what I knew I needed to remember, like the codes and oh shit buttons. Those seemed pretty important.

“Bryan will always make sure we’re taken care of.” Paxon fought with a thought before brushing it off and smiling at me. I wanted to ask him what it was, but felt like I couldn’t.

“Right.” I reached for the door. “Thank you for the ride.”

It was easy. All I had to do was open the door and climb out. That’s all there was to it, but why was it so hard?

“Cadence,” Paxon said in a tight voice. I looked over at him. He was gripping the gear stick hard as he glared at the house with steel gray eyes. “You really don’t have to stay here by yourself.”

I reached over and rubbed his tense shoulders. “I’ll be fine. I promise. And like you said, Bryan is good at security. He wouldn’t leave me open to be hurt.”

“Maybe I should come in with you? Check the place?”

I sighed. “How about you wait out here and if I go in and feel unsafe, you can drive me to Seth’s?” I asked. “If I feel fine, I’ll wave goodbye.”