CHAPTER 23
LUCA“Stop it!” Mae sobbed, her voice piercing through the walls. “Stop, please!”
Recognizing the sound of rejection nightmares, I shot up in the bed, tugged on a pair of gray sweatpants, and jogged through the apartment toward her bedroom, my thoughts racing as she yelled louder and louder and louder. Shoving open her door, I hurried in and scooped her sleeping body up in my arms.
“Mae,” I cooed, lying down and resting her on my chest, “it’s just a nightmare.”
Mae curled her fingers against my chest and rested her head on my shoulder, still twisting and turning. She buried her nose in the crook of my neck and whimpered against me. “Please, make it stop,” she whispered.
I gently stroked her hair and held her close. “It’s okay. I’m here for you.”
Body relaxing slightly, she
