Page 53 of Darkened Promises

Footsteps rush into the room, and Nate’s scent reaches me through my cries. He tugs me onto his lap, surrounding me in his thick arms.

“Rosy,” he croaks, his voice still thick with sleep and probably guilt over seeing me like this. Because not only am I broken, I’m fracturing everyone else, too.

“S-sorry,” I splutter. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

His chin nuzzles my head. “Should’ve woken me sooner, little tease,” he scolds without much heat to his words.

More footsteps echo, then Noah and Bry rush through the doorway. The once reasonably sized bathroom suddenly feels small with the four of us in it.

“What happened?” Noah asks, dropping to his knees beside us, his work satchel thumping on the floor.

Bry crouches too.

All of them are here to witness my low, loathing point.

I can’t respond. All my energy is going into containing the sob lodged in my throat. I’m worried that if I open my mouth, everything tainted and coarse will rush out instead.

None of them push. They just sit and wait with me as the tears keep sliding down my face. The hiccups start, and my body slowly stops trembling.

I’m not sure how long it takes, but it’s likely an embarrassingly long time until I’m able to speak.

“You’re supposed to be at work.” I sniff, closing my eyes as Bry makes another pass over my face with the towel, collecting any remaining tears.

“It doesn’t matter,” Noah reassures, squeezing my hand.

“It does. Please don’t be late and get in trouble for me. I’m okay. I just had a moment. It’s not important,” I reply, my thoughts swarming with worry over him losing his job.

If they fire him for being late for me, he’ll be devastated. I know how much he loves what he does, how important those students are to him. I can’t ruin that for him.

He raises my hand to his lips. “Rosy, it’s okay. It’s just work. You’re more important.”

My head shakes, and I hold back the wince at the sluggish ache the movement evokes. “No, it’s not. You need it. Work puts a roof over your head, pays your bills, pays for food. Don’t risk all of that for me. You already took time off last week.”

“I can get a job wherever. It doesn’t matter to me. There will always be other jobs, but there’s never going to be another you. You make me happy, and that’s more important than any other materialistic thing,” he admonishes, bringing my palm up and placing a kiss in the centre.

“Oh.” I sag, too weighted and enveloped in his sweet words to be able to say anything as nice in response.

He smiles, placing another kiss on the inside of my wrist.

“Thank you,” I say through all-too-loud sniffs.

“If you thank us after every kiss, you’ll spend all your time saying thank you.” Nate chuckles. The low, rumbling sound eases some of my tension, and I lean more into him.

“You sound like Max.”

“Take it back,” Nate huffs at me. The playfulness of it, and the comfort of having the three of them here, manages to draw a small laugh from me.

“Come on, let’s get you off the floor,” Noah says, offering a hand for me to take as he stands.

“Okay, but I do want you to go to work. Please?” I request. I don’t want the guilt of him taking off more time for me.

His brows crease. I’m not sure if he’s trying to gauge how fragile I am. In case it’s what he’s looking for, I fortify everything I have and try to look as strong as they want me to feel.

“If you’re sure?”

“Definitely, and I’m not alone.”

“Okay…but you’ll call me if you need anything?”