Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 110671 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 553(@200wpm)___ 443(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110671 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 553(@200wpm)___ 443(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
“What’s wrong?” Gray asked.
Darius shook his head and grabbed two plastic containers from a cupboard. “We can talk about it later. But I checked us out for tomorrow. We leave at first light.”
As Gray watched the food getting the brunt of Darius’s anger, he rushed over and decided he could get answers later. “Here, hon. Let me do that. I’ll grab the food and wait for the bread. Jayden can help me. You can go out to the cabin.” And calm down.
Darius’s jaw ticked with tension. His hands were balled into fists along his sides, and when he unclenched them, they trembled.
“I mean it,” Darius gritted under his breath. “We leave tomorrow.”
“Okay. We leave tomorrow.” Gray put a hand on Darius’s arm. “I’ll pack the rest of our food too, all right? And I’ll make sure we didn’t forget anything downstairs.”
Darius dipped his chin and drew in a breath through his nose. “Just like that?”
Gray’s gaze softened, and he slid his hand down to give Darius’s hand a squeeze. “I trust you with my life. I think I can save a discussion for when you’re ready.”
That seemed to work. Darius leaned in and pressed a firm kiss to Gray’s temple, and then he nodded once and walked out.
Gray exhaled heavily. Whatever had transpired between Darius and Leah hadn’t ended well, but before Gray got to the bottom of things, he’d be what Darius needed. It was the best way to carry his burden. Or share it. By trusting him and letting him lead.
By the time Gray and Jayden returned to the cabin with their arms full of food and leftover gear from the gym, Darius had retreated to the loft. A trail of wet footprints led from the bathroom to the stepladder near Jayden’s bed. Darius must’ve washed up using only the sink in their half bath.
Gray cranked up the entertainment for Jayden’s sake, and the two heated up dinner in the microwave and ate in bed. In front of them, they had Darius’s laptop and a funny movie playing.
Jayden was in high spirits once Gray had assured him Darius would feel better soon.
After the movie, Jayden was feeling chatty and had a million questions about Camassia, so Gray took him on a tour around the town through tales and trivia while he started packing their bags. Jayden seemed to struggle the most with the concept of Camassia’s different districts. He knew neighborhoods and bus zones but couldn’t grasp that you had to drive through a forest to get from Cedar Valley to Camas and Downtown.
“But they’re the same place?” Jayden questioned. “A forest in the city?”
Gray chuckled and set one of their bags by the door. Since they’d picked up a fair amount of clothes and other things, their number of bags had increased. “On a map, Camassia looks pretty big. The districts are spread out. Then each district has its own set of neighborhoods—like you have in Philadelphia. So, I guess you can say it’s five tiny towns that make up one bigger town. But we don’t have many people, not like you’re used to.”
“Cool,” Jayden replied, sliding onto a chair at the table. “You said there are mountains, right? I like mountains.”
Gray smiled and gathered some of Jayden’s shirts to fold. “Plenty of mountains, plenty of forests, right by the water, beautiful waterfalls, nice beaches. I think you’ll like it.”
Jayden nodded slowly and fidgeted with his action figure. “And you live there,” he stated.
“I do.” Though, Gray didn’t quite know where at the moment. Mom had told him in Florida that, in order to make rent, the guys Gray had shared an apartment with near the college in the Valley had had to find another roommate. All his stuff had been moved to Mom and Aiden’s house in Ponderosa, which was pretty close to where Adeline’s facility was located. “I’m gonna crash at Darius’s house for a bit before I get my own place.” At least, that seemed like the most reasonable plan. He had to find a new job too… He used to work part time at a bookstore, which had been just enough to pay rent and utilities in the past. He’d need something more stable now.
Mom and Aiden had offered to pitch in with whatever he needed, but they’d already done too much.
School didn’t appeal anymore. Gray couldn’t imagine sitting down in a lecture hall with a bunch of students his own age.
Hmm. Maybe Gray could move in to the cottage behind Mom’s inn. He’d called it home before. Once Gage had gone off to college in Seattle, Mom hadn’t renewed the lease for the apartment they’d rented in the Valley at the time. She, Gray, Gabriel, and Gideon had instead crammed themselves into the tiny two-bedroom cottage. They’d spent a summer fixing it up. And once Mom met Aiden—or rather, after they got married and moved in to a big house up in Ponderosa—Aiden had used the cottage for work until his home office was ready. As far as Gray knew, the cottage stood empty now.