Page 39 of As They Are (Strawberry Springs #2)

HENRY

Strawberry Springs Neighborhood Watch

Kerry Winsor: The fence DID NOT work! I put my clothes out to air dry in this beautiful weather and a deer ATE MY UNDERGARMENTS

Comments:

Jade Clark : Which undergarments?

Kerry Winsor: DOES IT MATTER?

Jade Clark : Very much so. Bras could be dangerous. Panties on the other hand ...

Kerry Winsor : I will ban you from the group.

Jade Clark: Don’t make me tag Marjorie.

Kerry Winsor : Don’t you DARE.

Marjorie Brown : You called?

Marjorie Brown : I’d make a joke here, but this one writes itself.

Mollie Wilson : Did you say “Oh, deer” when you saw it?

Kerry Winsor : MOLLIE

The room was dark and the house was quiet. Usually, I didn’t wake up in the middle of the night, but one sound pulled me from sleep.

A soft moan from Wren.

There hadn’t been much distance between us when we fell asleep. Mere inches, if anything. But the little space there had been was gone, and her back was pressed tightly to my front.

I was still groggy, but I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I was hard, and I was pressed between her thighs. Only her thin sleep shorts and underwear separated us.

Before I knew she was upset earlier, I’d nearly lost it at the sight of her slightly tanned skin, dotted with freckles, all on the curve of her shoulder. I hadn’t even been sure she was wearing shorts , and it was tempting to throw her onto the bed.

And then we’d talked, and I pushed all thoughts of that away. I needed to again.

But she made the sound again, arching back into me.

“Wren,” I managed to say. “What’re you doing?”

There wasn’t a response. I sat up on my forearms, barely able to make out her face. Her eyes were closed, and when I put a hand on her cheek, she didn’t respond.

She was asleep . Asleep and grinding against me.

I grabbed her hip to still her, head swimming from the friction alone.

“Wren, buttercup. Wake up.” I tightened my hand. She didn’t stop. “Wren.” My voice was louder, bordering on desperate.

“Huh?” she said, her voice low with sleep. “What’s happening?”

“You must have been having a very good dream, and it woke me up.”

“Shit. I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t be. This is an incredible way to wake up.”

“I tried to stay in my space, but I guess my brain did its own thing in my sleep.”

I buried my face in her neck, picturing what it would feel like to be inside of her again. The thought of her pussy quivering around me was almost enough to make me say yes.

But I didn’t. We were in my mother’s house. In a bed I’d grown up in. I’d already made so many mistakes with her. I was letting her get way too close. Even sleeping in the same bed was pushing it, no matter how much I wanted it.

And as tempting as it was, she was leaving. We’d go from seeing each other every day to only seeing each other when she visited Mollie.

If I went down this road where she was in every part of my life, it would never be enough.

My spiraling thoughts were interrupted as I felt her shift against me once more.

“Wren, I can’t . Not here.”

She stilled, going silent. It killed me to tell her no, but it was the right choice.

“Okay.” Her voice was quiet. “I get it.”

“When we’re back, I’ll make it up to you.”

“We do have a library desk calling our name.”

The thought made me have to resist the urge to press into her again. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. There are some rules that shouldn’t be broken.” She angled her hips away. “Do you want me to sleep on the floor?”

“No.” The words were immediate. “No, please stay here.”

“I can’t complain about that. You’re not a bad cuddler.”

I huffed out a breath, tightening my arms around her midsection. “You’re better than any pillow.”

“Happy to be of service,” she said before yawning. She fell asleep not too long after, and I lay awake, wondering if I’d made the right decision.

I woke up alone with the sun streaming through the curtains onto my face. I blinked with a groan. Mom never let me sleep in this late. She always woke me when she got up for the day, usually insisting that we spend time together before I left. I put on my glasses and slowly climbed out of bed.

The earplugs were still on the nightstand. It was tempting to say I didn’t need them, but they helped so much .

I’d always prided myself on acting normal, on hiding the things I struggled with every day.

But I didn’t realize how much easier life could be if I allowed myself to have just a little help.

I grabbed them and put them in my ears in case Mom was waiting for me. I shaved and got ready for the day.

As I walked down the short hallway, I heard Mom’s voice. “Good grief, you’re strong! How are you managing that?”

“Years of practice,” Wren said, her voice tight. “There, is that what you were hoping for?”

“This is incredible!” Mom clapped, a sound that would usually set me on edge. I came around the corner, jaw dropping when I saw the scene before me.

Nothing was where it was before. The love seat was on the other side of the room, and the TV was on the wall. Mom’s bookshelf had been shoved in a new location and Wren was in front of it.

“Hi!” she said when she saw me. “What do you think?”

“I think you’ve been busy. How’s your ankle holding up?”

She rolled her eyes. “I’ve done more on worse.”

“Do I need to once again remind you of how that’s a terrible idea?”

Wren laughed. “Nope. But it’s seriously fine. This is nothing for me.”

“What a woman she is. I only asked if Wren had any ideas on how to set up the living room better so I could get another couch, and here we are.” The look on Mom’s face was one of pure joy.

“Using the space wisely is key in smaller homes,” Wren said. “And it’s better to see it too.”

“Now we’ll all have space to sit when you bring this one back.”

Guilt clogged my throat at the sight of them getting along so well. I would have loved to have Wren back here, but I didn’t know if it would happen before our arrangement was over.

Mom was completely oblivious to the silence that stretched between us.

“Oh! And Wren offered to go to breakfast with me! I know you always have a hard time with brunch on a Sunday. She’s so good at explaining things.” Mom threw an arm around her.

“I-I’m fine,” I said. “I’m well rested and I have the earplugs.”

Mom gasped. “So, you’ll go?”

“Yeah.”

Wren’s eyes narrowed on me, and I knew she would notice if it were too much, but I laced my fingers through hers and walked out the door.

“Are we taking your car?” Mom asked. “The back seat is bigger.”

“Yeah, I’ll—” I paused when I saw a couple walking down the road hand in hand.

Ace and Norah hadn’t changed that much since graduation. He still worked out every day, and she was as slight as ever.

I paused, waiting for the usual pain to hit.

It didn’t.

“Is that—” Wren began, but was interrupted.

“Oh! Ace! Norah!” Mom waved at them. “Nice morning, isn’t it?”

They both paused and waved.

Norah saw me first. The color on her cheeks was apparent from this far away as she tugged Ace’s hand.

I waved back, hoping it didn’t look as awkward as it felt.

“Henry,” Ace said. “You’re looking good.”

“He’s on TV!” Mom said, patting my shoulder. “Can you believe that?”

“No,” Norah said immediately. “I can’t.”

A hand curled on my shoulder and warmth pressed against my right side.

Wren.

“He’s great at it,” she said. “He’s great at anything he does when he has the proper support.”

The message was clear.

Norah appraised Wren, eyes wide. I was sure she saw what everyone else saw—that she was effortlessly gorgeous. Bright, and the light of every room.

“Oh yeah,” Mom said. She was completely oblivious to the tension that had settled on us all. “Wren got him something to help with his ears. Isn’t that great?”

Should I have been embarrassed? Once upon a time, I would have. I’d wanted their approval. I’d wanted to be a part of that group.

But I had new people I surrounded myself with. Over time, Ace and Norah had become an unpleasant memory. Not people that I cared about in the same way.

“Yeah, sure.” Ace gave us a smile. “As long as he’s not still bossy as hell.”

It was meant to be a joke. Ace was always kidding around, but it hit right in the center of my chest.

“Some people like that,” Wren said. “Henry is exactly as he should be.”

The pain turned into warmth. What had I done for a woman like Wren to be in my life?

And what had I done to deserve the fact that she was leaving?

“I’ll let you guys get back to your walk,” I said. “We’re on the way to breakfast anyway.”

I could tell both Ace and Norah were shocked I was even going out to eat when it was busy, but they knew a different version of me. They were people who knew my past, not my present. Wren had that sole honor.

I’d let what happened with them dictate so much of my life, but they had been young too. Kids could hurt one another. It was easy to.

And now we had gone our separate ways.

“Are you okay?” Wren asked quietly when we’d gotten in the car.

“Yeah, I am. They’re just people.”

“They’re quiet,” Mom complained. “It’s like they’re guilty of something.”

“It doesn’t matter,” I replied. “What happened is done. I have other things to focus on.”

My eyes landed on Wren, who gave me a bright smile.

It was four by the time we were getting ready to head back, much later than usual. My ears weren’t ringing, and for the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel totally wiped at the end of the day. Having Wren here helped more than I could say, even if she tried to steal my keys and drive back.

Her stubbornness about driving delayed us from leaving. The keys were firmly above my head while she tried to grab them. My slight height advantage worked against her, which was obviously something she wasn’t used to.

Wren’s body was pressed against mine as she tried to grab them from my hand.

“This. Is. Ridiculous!” She fumed.

“It is. Are you ready to admit defeat yet?”

“No,” she huffed.