Page 121 of Tangled Hearts

“Of course he does,” Holden says from the bedroom doorway.

Eli pulls himself from my arms, rasping out Holden’s name in a broken whimper. Holden is across the room in a heartbeat, climbinginto our bed and pulling Eli into his arms. “Oh, my little bestie. I’m okay. I promise.”

Eli sobs, and before long, Holden is too. The two of them cling to each other like they’re the only things tethering each other to reality. “I’m so sorry I scared you, Eli.”

Eli shakes his head violently. “We—I triggered you, Uncle Hold.I’mthe one who’s sorry.”

“No,” Holden whispers. “No. It wasn’t your fault at all, I promise. You know trauma has a way of sneaking up on us. You didn’t do anything wrong. Either of you.”

“Okay,” Eli says, voice shaking.

Holden lets out a broken laugh. “I hear you punched Julian.”

“He wouldn’t stop,” Eli sobs, breaking my heart all over again. “You told him no, and he wasn’t—he wouldn’t stop. He wasn’t listening.”

My chest aches watching the two of them. For once, I don’t feel like an outsider. I feel lucky. So fucking lucky. To have them. Both of them. My family.

“Julian would never hurt me,” Holden murmurs. “He was trying to help me. I scared the shit out of him too.” He lets out a choked laugh. “You were really gonna beat his ass, huh?”

Eli nods, laughing a bit himself. “I was.”

Eli drops his arms, and Holden sits back, smiling softly at him. “Brave kid.”

“He’s not mad at me, right?”

Holden shakes his head. “Not even a little. He said it was the coolest thing you’ve ever done.”

Eli giggles, wiping at his tear-stained face. “Punching him?”

“You stood up for me, little bestie. You were ready to fight for me. That’s brave.” He leans forward, resting his forehead against Eli’s. “And Jules is very proud of you for that.”

Eli nods, and Holden sits back with a sniffle. “What time is it?”

I glance at the clock. “9:30.”

He climbs off the bed. “Okay. I have to go. I have another appointment with my therapist at ten. But I want you both to come over tonight, please? Beck’s mom and dad have the kids. I’m a fucking mess right now and I don’t want them to see that. Hell, I didn’t even want you guys to. But, uh—” He looks around, like he’s trying to keep himself from falling apart again. “I need you guys. I’m sorry I ghosted everyone, but Ro and Beck are coming too, and I really want you guys there. Please?”

I look at Eli to see what he thinks, but I already know I want to be there. He nods. “We’ll be there,” I answer. “You just let us know when you’re ready.”

Holden slams into me, hugging me so hard I almost can’t breathe. “Thank you. I’ll text you both later, okay?”

After giving Eli another hug, he tears out of the room. A few seconds later, the front door slams shut, and as soon as it does, Eli breaks down. He buries his face in his hands as sobs tear through him.

There aren’t any words to help. There’s nothing I can say that will make him hurt less, so I don’t even try. I just climb into bed with him and pull him on top of me, holding him in my arms as he cries.

Chapter 38

Eli

Nic and I walk in the front door of Holden and Julian’s house holding hands. It feels a little strange, since I’ve gotten so used to not being able to touch him like this, but it’s a relief.

My head still hurts, and my eyes are still a little puffy, but as soon as I see the setup, a smile tugs at my lips.

There are blankets piled up all over the floor, from one side of the room to damn near the other, with pillows and even a couple of stuffed animals. “What’s all this?” Nic asks, giving my fingers a little squeeze.

“Comfort,” I reply. “Holden-style, if I had to guess.”

The door to Hold and Julian’s bedroom opens, and Julian walks out. He stops short when he sees us, and for a second, I worry he’s going to be mad. He’s the only person we haven’t told directly that we’re together. Surely to God he’s not going to be the one with a problem, though. Not if everyone else is fine with it.