Broken Souls

Chapter 22 - Logan

My alarm signaled it’s 6:00 am. I turned it off and turned back around, draping my arm over Bailey. “Good morning, Angel. We need to get up for work.” She groaned and pulled the covers over her face. I started tickling her, and she let out a squeak before shouting, “Okay, I’m up—just stop whatever you’re doing!” I snuggled into her neck and kissed her cheek. Her smile is so damn beautiful that I want to see it all the time.

We both got up, preparing for work, and headed out to grab our morning coffee. As we walked to the kitchen, she jumped on my back. I really enjoy how things are now. Before, it all felt wrong like we were missing something in our lives. We were a couple of miserable bastards but ever since Bailey came into our lives, it feels like we’ve found that missing piece. She’s like the sister the guys never had, and for me, my heart started to feel something other than the darkness.

We walked into the kitchen, turning on the coffee pot with Bailey still on my back. Suddenly, there was a loud smack and Bailey yelped. I turned around to see Justin grinning at us. Bailey quickly jumped off my back and punched him in the stomach, causing him to wince. They continued giving each other s**t as the rest of the group joined us. She might be a lot smaller than us but she doesn’t back down easily.

“Angel, you’ll be driving the SUV today,” aware that the tinted windows would keep anyone from recognizing her in the car. “But my car is in the garage.” Not wanting to explain further, “Please, don’t argue with me on this.” Fortunately, she didn’t press for more details and agreed, which eased my mind.

We all commuted together, with her driving the SUV while we followed on our bikes. We were driving two at the back and two on each side of the car. We arrived at work and I walked her through to the office, telling her to use my desk for the day since I would be assisting in the shop downstairs. "I’ll order another desk to put in the other corner so you can have your own space." She suddenly wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me, catching me off guard, but I quickly deepened the kiss.

Once she was settled in and I handed over a list of parts that needed to be ordered, I went back to work getting my hands dirty since I no longer had to handle all the office tasks. A few hours later, she came down to let us know it was lunchtime and that she had ordered food. We tidied up as best as we could and then all gathered in the office.

After lunch, we returned to work. It was a fantastic day, and I haven't felt this happy in a long time or to be more accurate ever. While there's still much for us to learn about each other, which I'm open to, there are certain things I can't share with her—like the basement. Maybe someday, but for now, I'm enjoying how things are.

We were all so engrossed in what we were doing that we didn’t notice it was already dark until Bailey came downstairs to let us know it was time to go home. After changing our clothes and heading out, I noticed the same black car from the other night parked down the street without license plates. I couldn’t see the person inside, but it was clear they wanted to remain unnoticed. I gave Brian a quick glance and a discrete signal so Bailey wouldn’t see, and he responded with a nod, as usual, understanding our silent communication. Before we locked up, I pulled my bike into the shop. “What are you doing?” Bailey asked, surprised as I emerged. “I’ve decided to ride with you; I’ll get my bike tomorrow,”

She didn’t say anything more; she just handed me the keys. We got in and drove home. As we passed the car, I tried to catch a glimpse of the driver’s face, but he turned away. I couldn’t stop, or Bailey would notice something was up. I know I should tell her what’s been happening, but I’m afraid she’ll run off again, so I need to keep this under wraps.

When we got home, we decided to order in since it was already late. After dinner we all gathered in the living room, chatting, but my mind kept drifting to the unknown person. Bailey is sharp and might notice something is off, which I can’t let happen. “What’s your take on it?” she asked, snapping me out of my thoughts. “Oh, sorry, I wasn’t really following.” She gave me a glance, “Is everything alright?” I assured her I was fine, though I lied, saying I was just exhausted. She stood up, gently guiding me toward the room, saying goodnight to the guys and giving each of them a kiss on the cheek, which was sweet. It’s evident they are like the siblings she never had.

We walked into the room, and she shut the door, then guided me toward the bathroom. She adjusted the shower to the perfect temperature before turning to me and pulling my shirt over my head. "What are you doing, Angel?.” She shrugged nonchalantly, as if this were entirely ordinary. With her hands on me, it only intensified everything else. "I may be a nun, but I'm not ignorant. I know what a man’s body looks like . Besides, you always help take care of me, so let me do this for you."

She helped me out of my clothes and guided me into the shower. The water felt incredible, as I stood there with my head tilted forward letting the water run over my face, I felt her hands wrap around my torso, causing me to freeze for a moment. She asked me to stay facing away from her, which stirred a sense of anger in me—I didn’t want her to feel self-conscious. Despite my feelings, I respected her request and stayed as she asked. She reached for the sponge and soap and began washing my back, which felt wonderfully soothing. I had never shared a shower with anyone before, but this experience made me feel something I can’t even explain. As she turned me gently, I couldn’t help but let my eyes wander over her body while she continued to wash me. Her hands were so small. When she finished, I told her it was my turn. She didn’t resist, and I began to wash her. Her delicate figure seemed fragile. After rinsing off, we stepped out of the shower. She wrapped a towel around herself, she took my towel,and dried me off, handing me my sweatpants while she got dressed. We climbed into bed, and within five minutes, we were both asleep.