"My turn, bro. You've had her for half an hour."

I opened my eyes and turned toward the voice. Trey was standing there, arms crossed over his wide chest and a stony expression that rivaled Tripp. 

I didn't like that expression on his face. 

The apparent half hour I'd spent on Theo's lap was shockingly silent. Especially for Theo. He just held me tightly to his chest and gently rocked me until I ended up falling asleep. It was odd, but comforting. 

So to show my gratitude, I placed a gentle kiss on Theo's cheek. 

I could feel Theo's arms tighten around me, giving me one more reassuring squeeze before releasing me. Trey did not waste any time scooping me up and plopping us both on the couch, being careful not to jostle me. I wasn't sure why; most of the injuries had been taken care of. I did have a full-body ache, but that might've been from the Beefies and subsequent escape. 

I stopped my thoughts right there. That wasn't a path I wanted to wander down. 

A finger gently pressed under my chin, lifting until my eyes met clear blue. The expression on Trey's face was an unsettling mixture of determination and trepidation. 

Man, that was a lot of ations…go me and my biggie brain. 

"Harper. I'm so sorry we weren't there earlier. The thought of you in the hands of that…" His hands balled into tight fists, white knuckles and all, and his jaw clenched. 

"You have nothing to be sorry about. It's not your responsibility to keep me safe. But," I placed a palm on his cheek. "You all saved my life. More than once. And I can't begin to tell you how grateful I am."

Trey pressed his cheek into my palm as his expression changed to anger. Well, as much anger as I had ever seen on the calm brother's countenance. 

"Do you think we saved you out of a sense of responsibility?"

I furrowed my brow. "Why else would you?"

I couldn't tell which emotion was stronger on Trey's face, sadness or righteous indignation. 

"You really don't get it, do you? I can't imagine what your life was like up until now to make you completely forget your worth, but trust me when I say that it will be corrected. But before we start that, answer a question for me. When that shot fired and Thane reached you, why were you fighting him?"

It was an odd question, one that my brain immediately rejected. I didn't want to think about that. Any of it. Why was he bringing it up?

"Harper, answer the question."

I curled into myself slightly and inspected my knees. "She was still inside."

"Who was?"

Tears started welling up in my eyes. "Ava."

"So you wanted to go back to save her?"

I couldn't do anything but nod. 

"I'm assuming you only wanted to go back because you felt responsible?"

My gaze shot to Trey, tears forgotten. I ripped my palm off of his cheek and crossed my arms in front of me. "Of course not?! How dare you? She was my best friend for YEARS! And I left her there!! You made me leave her there!"

"You wanted to go back because you cared for her?"

"Of course I did! Why would you even thin-"

The corner of Trey's mouth lifted as realization set in. 

"You are able to care for others, but can't understand why they would care for you? That is a horrible view to have, considering it basically warps your view of everyone around you. No one gets a fair shot at getting to know you because you are assuming there is an ulterior motive. Is that really the kind of person you think that I am?"

My first instinct was to tell him he was wrong. Trey was one of the most beautiful humans I had ever met. But that was the whole point, wasn't it? If I was always waiting for them to get sick of me or to toss me aside for something better, that meant that I assumed that was the type of person that they were. 

What type of person did that make me?

Warm lips pressed against my forehead. "The only thing we can do is show you everyday that you're important to us. One day you'll believe it. And that, my little Spitfire, will be a beautiful day."

I wrapped my arms around Trey and buried my head in his neck. "I can't even begin to understand how I'll ever be worthy of you."

"It's simple, really. Be your gorgeous, amazing self. That's all I need."

I backed away enough to be able to see his kind eyes. His palm settled on my cheek as his head lowered, warm lips pressed softly against mine. 

It was probably supposed to be a brief peck. But once his lips touched mine my hands grabbed a handful of his shirt and pulled him close. His arm snaked around my waist and held me close. 

There was no sense of urgency. Just a slow, gentle kiss that made me feel incredibly safe and cared for. 

I felt like something precious. Something worth protecting. 

A throat cleared, bringing me back to the present. I had a strong urge to toss a throw pillow full of rocks at that throat. 

Thane stood in the doorway, his hip against the frame and his hands in his pockets. 

"As much as I hate to interrupt, it's my turn."

Apparently the rounds weren't over yet.