Page 62 of Sleeping with the Dark (The Righteous 3)
“Then don’t. I don’t want you to leave me yet.”
There was something in the phrasing that caught Trev’s attention. He slowly retreated and bit his lip hard to keep from yelling. He was so sensitive. Once free, he knelt on the bed and forced Cody to sit up. Like himself, he was slow with his movements and groaned as he repositioned himself.
Gripping Cody’s chin in his hand, he forced him to stare him in the eyes. “I’m not going to leave you.” Cody’s eye flicked away, and he squeezed his chin a little firmer until Cody looked back into his eyes. “Do you hear me? I’m not leaving you. I want us. I want you.”
A lone tear slowly slid down Cody’s cheek, his eyes saying more than any words could portray.
“Come on, let’s go get cleaned up.” Trev kissed Cody’s lips softly, offering the small piece of comfort he could at this moment. Standing, he held out his hand to Cody.
Dark scars etched their souls, and yet as Cody’s eyes found his own, the realization hit him—the darkness was no longer his soul’s only companion.
Trev’s eyes snapped open with the sound of his door banging against the wall. He’d normally grab for his concealed gun, but he recognized the high-pitched wail of excitement as J.J. ran across the room. Cody sat up just as J.J. made his superman leap and landed on the bed with a bounce.
“J.J.,” Arek called out from the hall. His feet could be heard as Arek pursued the pint-sized intruder.
With some effort Trev pushed himself up into a sitting position and let J.J. take in the scenario—his inquisitive eyes looked first at Cody and then to himself. He could see the wheels turning in his head as he tried to process the situation. He wouldn’t lie to him. He wouldn’t make up some story that was unhealthy, and if he and Cody remained together, J.J. would see them as any other couple.
Panting Arek burst through the door and took in the odd moment. “J.J., you can’t go running into Uncle Trev’s room like that without knocking.”
Pulling himself up into a cross-legged position, J.J. looked over at Arek. “Why?”
Arek’s mouth dropped open, closed, and then opened again, his face going red as he genuinely seemed at a loss for an explanation. Trev loved seeing his brother off-balance, but today he would come to his rescue.
“Because sometimes J.J., I am doing things that are private and for adults only.” He crossed his hands, laying them on his stomach. Cody seemed frozen in place, Trev glanced to the side, and the man hadn’t so much as blinked except for his eyes bouncing between his little brother and back to Trev.
“You mean like having sleepovers?” J.J. finally asked.
“Yes.”
“Like Nae Nae and Arek?”
“Yes, sometimes just like that.”
His cute chubby finger pointed to Cody and then to him. “So you two were having a sleepover?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, we were.”
“Oh.” J.J. grabbed at the soft comforter, running his finger over the pattern. His big brown eyes found his, and he smiled. “Are you going to marry my brother like Arek is marrying Nae Nae?”
Trev looked over at Cody and couldn’t hold back the laugh at the slack jawed, wide-eyed expression. “I don’t know yet J.J., but we certainly like one another. Would Cody and I being together be alright with you?”
His small shoulders lifted and dropped. “What would I call you?” Trev twisted his head as he pondered that question, not sure what he meant. “Would you be my brole or my uncler?”
Trev looked around the room and couldn’t stop the hysterical laughter that bubbled to the surface. Of all the things he thought would be J.J.’s concern, this was not it.
“Did he just sort of ship us?” Cody panted out between the bouts of laughter.
“I think he did.” Trev reached down and grabbed the adorable child under the arms. J.J. squealed as he lifted him above his head like a small airplane. There was a slight twinge of pain, but to see the smile on J.J.’s face made the pain worth it.
Placing him down between himself and Cody, he tickled his sides until he was gasping for breath through the giggles. “J.J., you can call Cody or me whatever you like. The point is we are family. That’s all that matters. Do you understand?”
“Yeah. I can’t wait to tell my teacher that my brother and uncle are getting married.” J.J. crawled off the bed and bounded away past Arek.
“Well, that should be an interesting conversation for his teacher,” Trev smirked at Arek. “Good luck explaining that one.” He smiled at his own joke as he waved Arek back out the door. “Make sure he stays out a little longer. I have some…” Trev looked over at Cody’s smiling face. “Unfinished morning business to attend to.”
“That kid is going to give me grey hairs,” Arek muttered as he closed the door.
“You’re really okay with him thinking we might get married?” Cody asked. “I mean, after everything with Mel…”
