Chapter 30

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WARD

WARD GOT ambushed the moment they stepped inside the store.

“So,” Dakota began in a sly tone, “you and Charlie and Sky, huh?”

Ward felt himself blushing. “Uh…” Shit . This was Charlie's big brother. His protector. Ward had a feeling he was in for the classic what-are-your-intentions conversation. He rubbed the back of his neck and tried to find something to say.

“I'll be honest,” Dakota went on before Ward could reply, “I wasn't keen on Sky at first. I mean, I was fine with him when they were kids, but once they started fucking? We all knew what Sky did for a living. He outright admitted it to us after Charlie decided they needed to be more than just friends. I hated the idea of my baby brother sleeping with a guy who sold himself. Although, Sky was man enough to tell us because he wanted to protect Charlie. I totally had to give him props for that.”

Ward tensed. “You know why–” he began.

“Yeah, I know why he does it,” Dakota said, his voice taking on a tone of genuine concern. “And I accept it now. I didn't back then. I mean, he has a point. He does make more money doing what he does than he would at a normal nine-to-five. And his health insurance sucks, so he really is going to have to pay for most of the surgery himself. Truthfully, it wasn't until Ryder came into our lives that I really began to understand it. He's trans, too. You knew that, right?”

Ward barely got a chance to nod in response before Dakota continued.

“Ry's pretty comfortable in his body,” Dakota went on, “but he still has the occasional day when the dysphoria hits him hard. He still has to go to the gynecologist every year for an exam, and that appointment absolutely wrecks him.” Dakota paused, grabbing a bottle of mustard and dropping it into the basket on his arm. “Seeing that, it made me finally appreciate what Skylar feels. How desperate he is to finish his surgeries so he can be comfortable in his own body. So, yeah. I still don't like it, but I accept it. And, really, when it comes right down to it, Charlie trusts him. He loves him. There are so few people about whom I can say that, and that trust matters more than anything.” Dakota paused again and gave Ward a direct look. “He trusts you, too.”

Ward couldn't help smiling at that.

“Come on,” Dakota said. “Let's get his soup.”

Ward followed, feeling dizzy with relief. Dakota hadn't outright said it, but after that speech, Ward felt the boy's acceptance. Biting back a grin, he trailed after Dakota until they found the soup aisle, then waited as the boy scanned the shelves.

“Ah. Here it is.” Dakota snatched up a can and held it out for Ward to see. “This is hungry soup. It has to be this flavor. And not the low sodium or low fat version, either. He'll know the difference.”

“Got it.”

Dakota dropped the can into the basket, muttering something about getting Charlie a snack for the ride home. They stopped in the produce section and grabbed a bunch of bananas, then headed for the checkout lines.

Back outside, Ward immediately looked for his truck. He spotted Charlie in the front seat, bouncing with excitement as they approached. Ward couldn't help grinning. Charlie was probably only eager for his soup, but Ward couldn't help thinking the boy was also happy to see him. And as he got closer, he saw the same look on Skylar's face. Geez . He just couldn't get enough of these boys.

They got into the truck, and Dakota immediately pulled out the can of soup, showing it to Charlie.

Charlie snatched it out of his hands and hugged it to his chest. Hungry soup! Hungry soup! He bounced and squeaked, looking adorably excited.

Ward's heart clenched, seeing the boy so happy over something so incredibly simple. It was beautiful to behold.

It took a moment for Dakota to get the can back from Charlie, and he handed his brother a banana instead. “Eat that on the way home. Just to hold you over until we get there.”

“Smart,” Skylar whispered.

Charlie eyed the banana, tilting his head, then must have decided it was acceptable because he peeled it open and began to eat.

The drive back began in silence. Charlie munched away happily at his banana while Dakota and Skylar gazed out the windows. Ward watched them all and couldn't stop smiling to himself. Simple as their outing was, it felt good. So cozy and domestic. Like he was part of the family.

Which was really getting ahead of himself, but no matter how much he tried to force the idea aside, it persisted.

Charlie finished his banana, then sat there, staring at the peel, looking lost.

“Shit,” Dakota muttered. “I didn't think about that. Charlie? Just hang onto it until we get back, okay? We'll be home in a few minutes.”

“ Hhnn .” Charlie frowned.

“You can set it on the floor, if you want,” Ward suggested. The mats were rubber, so it wouldn't hurt anything.

Charlie eyed the mat, then scowled and shook his head.

“Or you can throw it out the window.”

Charlie tipped his head.

“The critters will eat it,” Ward explained.

Charlie took a moment to consider that. He eyed the banana peel, then scanned the endless fields that flanked the road now that they were outside the city limits. Charlie hesitated, rocking in his seat.

“Here, Charlie,” Skylar said, reaching around the seat. “I'll take it.”

Charlie handed it over. Skylar put his window down and flung the peel onto the shoulder of the road. Charlie looked back, sitting eerily still for a long moment. But he must have decided that was okay because he finally turned back around and quietly squeaked to himself.

Ward bit back a grin.

They were a mile out from the house when Ward's phone vibrated in the center console. He glanced at the screen, seeing a new text from his brother. Ward picked up his phone and braced it against the steering wheel, eyeing the road ahead as he swiped to open the message.

He barely registered the movement out of the corner of his eye before Charlie snatched the phone from his hands.

But the boy grabbed the wheel as well. It wrenched to the right, sending the truck careening towards the shoulder.

Ward yanked his foot off the gas pedal and grabbed the wheel with both hands. He carefully slowed and corrected course, making it just in time before the tires caught the dirt. Ward's heart thumped wildly in his chest as he slowly pressed on the brake pedal, steered onto the side of the road, and came to a stop.

He paused to catch his breath. “Everybody okay?” He twisted in his seat. “Sky? Dakota?”

“We're fine,” Skylar said between panted breaths while Dakota nodded.

“Charlie?”

Charlie sat hunched in on himself. He covered his eyes and started rocking while making soft, frightened whimpers.

“Charlie?” Ward repeated. “Are you hurt?”

The boy didn't answer.

“Charlie?” Ward tried again. When the boy still didn't respond to him, Ward set the emergency brake, threw off his seatbelt, and checked for traffic before he got out of the truck and walked around to the other side. He opened the passenger door and leaned in, trying to get a look at Charlie's face. “Hey, buddy. I need to know you're okay.”

Charlie shook his head. No look! he signed, keeping his eyes squeezed shut and covered with one hand. No look!

“What's he saying?” Dakota asked.

“ 'No look,' I think,” Ward told him. “Charlie? Are you hurt?”

No look! Charlie repeated. No see dead!

“No see dead?” Ward asked.

“Oh shit,” Dakota gasped as his face drained of color. “Charlie?” He threw off his seatbelt and leaned forward, grabbing his brother's arm. “Hey, Charlie? It's okay. Nobody's dead. We're fine.”

No look! No look! No look!

“Oh,” Skylar whispered, then looked at Ward with wide eyes. “He's saying he can't look. He's afraid to look.”

“Charlie,” Ward murmured. He carefully cupped the boy's face with both hands. “We're fine. Everybody's fine.” When Charlie shook his head, Ward tried again. “Charlie, you can hear my voice, right?”

Charlie paused, rocking a few times before he finally nodded.

“Look at me, buddy,” Ward gently ordered. “Put your hands down. Come on. It's safe. Look at me.”

It was a long moment before Charlie slowly lowered his hands and opened one eye, peeking up at him. Charlie shivered and grabbed Ward's wrists.

“See? Everything's fine.”

Charlie kept rocking. He made a sign that Ward didn't recognize.

“I don't know what that means,” Ward said, then looked at the other boys. “Something with a letter D , I think.”

“That's my name sign,” Dakota said.

“Charlie? Dakota's fine. You can hear him, too, right?”

The boy gave a tiny nod, then scrunched up his face, hunching his shoulders like he was bracing for pain. My Sky?

“Sky's right here. He's okay, I promise. Charlie? I swear. He's fine.”

Skylar got out and wedged into the space at Ward's side. “Charlie? I'm right here. We're safe. Everything's okay.”

Charlie hesitantly looked. He choked out a cry of relief and threw himself at them, then flailed an arm towards the back seat, reaching for his brother.

It was several minutes before Charlie showed any signs of calming down. Then it was several more minutes before they could convince him to continue the drive home. Ward had to go slowly, keeping both hands firmly on the wheel. He felt Charlie's gaze fixed on them the whole time.

When they got back to the house, Charlie had to touch all three of them again, making sure they were safe. It was all Skylar could do to steer the boy inside, insisting they go up to the room for a while to have some quiet time.

Charlie refused to go without Ward.

“He'll come in a minute,” Dakota said. “I need to talk to him first.”

Ward's heart sank. Shit . So much for that acceptance he'd felt earlier. He was pretty sure he'd just ruined it.

Charlie hesitated, but when Dakota insisted, Charlie let Skylar take him inside, looking back over his shoulder the whole way.

Before Dakota could say anything, Ward blurted out, “I'm so sorry–”

Dakota waved a hand. “It's not your fault. Well, not entirely. I'll need to have a talk with him about how dangerous it was to grab at you like that.” He paused. “But you shouldn't have touched your phone while you were driving.”

Ward winced. “You're right. I'm sorry. It was stupid and dangerous.”

Dakota swallowed hard. “I told you my sister died in a car accident.”

Ward's heart clenched. Shit . “Yeah.”

“She got hit by a drunk driver,” Dakota explained, “but she was also texting while driving, so she wasn't paying attention, either. If she had been…”

Ward felt his whole body flush with guilt. This just kept getting worse.

Dakota sniffed, and tears began to show on his eyelashes. He dashed them away and added, “The part of that story that we never tell anybody…is that Charlie was in the car with her.”

“Oh god,” Ward gasped.

“Physically, he got lucky. Walked away basically without a scratch. But his door got smashed, so he was trapped in the car—frantic, as I'm sure you can imagine—until they were able to cut it open to get him out. So in the meantime, he was stuck there, with his big sister…”

Holy shit . “I am so sorry.”

“That was why he couldn't look. He was afraid to see any of us hurt.” Dakota paused. “Especially you, I think.”

Ward blinked. “Me? Why?”

“Purely as a matter of context, because you were in the driver's seat, just like Sabrina. But also, because he cares about you. I think he cares about you a lot more than even he realizes yet.”

Despite the guilt raging inside him, Ward felt a rush of joy at that pronouncement.

“Now would you please go upstairs and show him that you're okay?” Dakota said. “I'll be up in a few minutes with his soup.” With that, Dakota turned and headed into the house.

Ward watched him go, feeling dizzy with relief once more. Dakota could have easily sent him away with threats to never go near his baby brother again.

He took a moment to compose himself, then hurried inside and went to check on the boys.

Charlie stuck near him the rest of the day. When it came time for Ward to leave, Charlie spent several minutes making Ward promise not to touch his phone on the drive home. Then Ward had to promise to send him a text, saying he'd arrived safely, but only after he was inside. With the door locked. And his shoes off.

Ward promised. And he did everything Charlie asked.

The next day, Ward got similar messages in return, first from Charlie, then from Skylar, letting him know they'd gotten back home safely. The intensity of Ward's relief took him by surprise.

He had it bad for these two boys.

Now the next two weeks really couldn't go by fast enough.