Page 23 of Trashed to Treasured
I hung up and silenced my phone, grateful I wasn’t actually at my house. My instinct was to tell Aaron what was going on, but what if he tried to go over there and do something?
Geo carried a knife on him at all times, and he’d owned guns in the past. What if he tried to hurt Aaron? I couldn’t risk it. I needed to make sure Aaron never found out that Geo was back. If I just avoided my house for a few days, he’d get bored and move on. He didn’t know anybody else in town that would deal with his shit like I did, so once he realized I wasn’t going to give in, he’d go harass someone else.
Aaron came back and slid into the bed beside me, then pulled me against his chest. “Are you okay, sweetheart? You seem a little tense.”
I hated to lie, by omission or otherwise, but I couldn’t tell him the truth. “I think I might’ve eaten my pie too fast. I have a bit of a tummy ache.”
“I’m sorry, baby. Would you like me to get you some ginger ale? I think I have some in the fridge.”
I shook my head and pulled his arm tighter around my chest, holding it against me. “No, I don’t want you to get up again. Just hold me while we watch the movie.”
I couldn’t concentrate on the movie, but it was one I had seen ten times before, so that was okay. My mind was racing with thoughts of how to avoid Geo and make sure Aaron never crossed paths with him.
Just imagining them having some kind of confrontation made my heart pound in fear.
15
AARON
Brody seemed to curl tighter and tighter into himself as the night progressed. By the time the movie was finished, he was cool and clammy to the touch and looked pale as a ghost.
“Baby, you’re shivering.” I pulled the blankets up over him. “How long have you been feeling like this?”
He closed his eyes and turned into me, burying his face in my chest. “About an hour. I don’t know what’s wrong, but I don’t feel good.”
“Sweetheart.” I shifted his weight so he was cradled in my arms with the comforter tucked tightly around him. “You should have said something earlier. I could have gotten you some juice or medicine. What can I do to help?”
“Just this.” He slid his arms around me and held on to me like I was his lifeline. “Just stay right here and promise you’ll always be safe.”
Safe? That didn’t make much sense, but he was half asleep and maybe a bit delirious. I pressed my lips to his forehead and he didn’t have a fever, so I decided to let him sleep for a bit before getting up and finding something that might settle whatever was going on with him. “I’m safe, baby. We both are. Just sleep for now. If you wake up and need anything, I’ll be right here.”
“Mmm…” He was mostly out, so I didn’t expect an answer. But I also didn’t completely buy his story. As soon as I returned to the room, he was different. Maybe he’d been feeling bad all day and it finally hit him.
Either way, this was my opportunity to show Brody that I could not only take care of him when he needed me, but that I wanted to be needed by him. Always.
* * *
Brody slipped out of my arms at around three in the morning to go to the bathroom, and when he slid back in beside me, he seemed to be feeling better. “Are you awake, Daddy?”
I grinned and wrapped my arms around him so I could pull him closer. “I am. And how are you feeling?”
“I’m fine.” He kissed my shoulder. “Oh, you mean earlier…” His voice trailed off, as if just remembering how ill he was a few hours ago.
“Yeah, you were in rough shape, but you seem better now.” I pulled his forehead down to my lips to test his temperature. It was a move my mom used to do, so it just felt natural. “You don’t have a fever.”
“No, no fever. I’m fine. Just…” He rested his head on my chest and sighed. “I don’t know what that was. It hasn't happened in a long time.”
“When?” If Brody had some kind of chronic condition, I needed to know about it so I could support him.
“When I was younger. Like, when I was really stressed at school or…when my grandma died. Anyway, I’m fine. It probably won’t happen again.”
“What triggered it tonight?” Now I was really concerned. If his reaction was the result of anything I’d done, I would never forgive myself. And Brody shouldn’t forgive me so easily either. “You promised to be honest with me.”
“I’m trying to be honest, but I can’t explain it.” His shoulders slumped, and I felt his whole body melt against me. “I keep thinking that something bad might happen to you, and then I get scared and sad. But mostly scared…which is probably why I was so upset.”
“Baby.” I kissed him tenderly, sliding my hand up and down his back and resting on the underside of his ass where it connected to his thigh. “I promise to always be as safe as possible. You don’t have to worry about me. As long as you want me around, I’ll be here. Remember, I’m the Daddy. I’m supposed to do the worrying.” I kissed the tip of his nose. “You’re supposed to let me hold that burden for you.”
Brody nodded against me, and a warm tear landed on my arm. “I’ll try, Daddy. I promise. I just…won’t ever stop worrying about you too.”
