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“This will all be over very soon.” His fingers thread through my hair. “We’re a team.”
There was a knock on the door.
“Millie, are you here?” Theo’s voice drifted from the other side.
“Yes, Theo, come inside.”
“Mills…did you…” Theo started saying and then he looked at Castle.
Castle pulled away from our embrace and turned his attention to his brother. He dug his hands in his pockets.
The posture. The stance. It was a dead giveaway.
“How have you been holding up, Little Booger?”
I thought Theo had stopped breathing for a moment.
He kicked the door shut with his foot and exclaimed, “Fuck!”
And for the first time, I saw the strong, foul-mouthed Theo, who had far too much pride to show tears was sobbing uncontrollably without caring that I was standing right there. He ran into Castle’s arms, who wrapped him in an affectionate brotherly hug, more like squeezing the life out of him.
He’d remained strong for too long.
“I never thought I’d get such a warm welcome.”
“Fuck you! You took too long,” Theo said. “You almost fucking died!”
Castle looked at the both of us. His expression was now serious. “Not a word about this to them, alright? I’ll handle the rest.”
“So good to have you back,” Theo said, wiping his snot on his t-shirt sleeve.
“Now,” Castle said, his face readGame on.“I want you two to listen to me very carefully.”
THIRTY-SIX
The plan wasfor me and Theo to do nothing.
Yeah, you heard me. Castle did not want us to be involved while he did whatever that he had planned to do, and so Theo and I didn’t know what was going to happen. He said it was better this way. Devin wouldn’t suspect anything and there were zero chances of a fuck-up.
I felt bad for Castle. It’s been like a few hours that he regained his memories and he was thrust head-first into these responsibilities of trying to save himself from being killed while also protecting me and his brother. He didn’t have the luxury to be relaxed. He needed to be on his toes every second of every minute.
The dinner table had the most epic silence.
Castle didn’t take his position at his usual place; he was seated at the head table where he could analyze everyone from his seat. I wasn’t stressed any longer. I was content with this new controlled version of my husband. He was someone literally out of a fairy tale story. I’d assumed my position beside him.
His eyes met mine, and he caught me staring. I looked away at once, color rising to my cheeks. He leaned in and I got a whiffof his intoxicating cologne. “I don’t mind if you keep staring at me.”
I laughed, “I’m sorry. It’s just…I’m still trying to get used to you being like this.”
Castle nodded in understanding.
Chandler was texting on his phone; I didn’t really understand why an eleven-year-old kid was having more liberties than I did. I sneaked a peek at the screen and saw him typing a text to someone under the table.
Love you too
I stared at him with my mouth hanging open. Chandler had a girlfriend in school. I wondered what they did as a couple exactly? Compare their Candy Crush scores? Collect bugs together?
When Devin entered the room, he looked at Castle and something flickered in his green eyes