She nods, her eyes now focused on the floor. I shift my body, sheltering her from Micah’s gaze. He growls, and I shoot him a ‘shut the fuck up’ scowl over my shoulder. Holly’s quiet voice brings my head to hers.
“I’m so embarrassed.” I can hear the tears in her voice, and I feel so fucking angry at the piece of shit that hurt her.
“You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for, you hear me?” My voice is firm. Sure. “Look at me, Holly.” I wait until her eyes meet mine. “You are not to blame for this reaction. It’s instinctive. You were triggered. The only thing you have to do is breathe and find your balance. However you need to do that is fine.”
I can sense Micah’s anxiety behind me, but I don't want to take my attention off Holly. I'm so angry that she has to deal with shit like this, but I know she's on a long road to healing, and triggers are gonna happen for her no matter what.
"Holly, it's really okay," I tell her. She nods, sniffs, then smooths down her dress. Her hands come up and quickly wipe away the moisture on her face. She takes a deep breath, then gently nudges me away.
“Micah, I apologize,” she says, looking up at him. “My reaction was uncalled for.” Micah’s features are tight. He puts his fist on his chest and makes a circular motion. “You have nothing to be sorry for, Micah. You didn’t do anything wrong. Thank you for making sure I didn’t fall.”
Wait. What?
“What do you mean he doesn’t have to apologize? He apologized?” Micah’s eyes are as wide as mine. Holly smiles at me and makes the same circular motion over her chest.
“That’s ‘sorry’ in ASL.”
Well, fuck me sideways.
“Holly, how did you know Micah uses ASL? I didn’t tell you! I’m still trying to learn, and I didn’t want to overwhelm you.”
She shrugs. “One of my best friends as a child was deaf. I started learning in elementary school.” She looks at Micah again, her color still high. “I haven’t used it in a while, but I’ll make sure I brush up, okay?”
Micah nods, eyes still wide. “Okay…Holly.” They just stand there staring at each other, and I’m left feeling like a third wheel.
I clap my hands. “Okay…Holly, let’s head back to the office so we can start training.” Micah tears his eyes from Holly’s, nods, and crouches back to the wheel well.
I lead Holly back to the office. She heads to the drawer with her purse and pulls out a compact to check her face. She’s avoiding my eyes. I watch her fuss for a while before confronting her. “What happened in there?”
“Can you be more specific?” she asks, still not looking at me.
I chuckle. “Holly and Micah sitting in a tree, K-I-S…” I’m belly laughing as Holly’s small hands press against my mouth.
“Shut your big fat mouth, Becca!”
I pry her hands off my mouth, still laughing. “Okay. Okay.” My giggles fade along with my smile. “But seriously, Holly, what triggered you?”
She crosses her arms over her chest, rubbing her biceps. “I didn’t realize he was so big…I got startled.”
“And that’s it?” I think there’s more to it.
She sighs, “Well when he…wrapped me up, I panicked.” I nod, giving her the space to say more if she wants. “My…husband…he used to pick me up and…” Her voice trails off.
I have to struggle to keep my anger for her out of my voice. “Got it Hol. Thank you for sharing with me.”
She nods and drops her arms. “Okay, what do I need to learn first?”
21
KADE
“Kade! Hold Up.” Declan’s voice stops me on the way to my office.
I swing around and head into his cave. When Ransom bought this building and turned it into the Brash Auto compound, he insisted that we all have an office here. He put a fancy desk and chairs in every office, but that’s where the similarities between them end. Ransom and I have kept our offices pretty simple and client-ready. Micah’s has never been used.
Declan’s though?
It looks like the fucking bat cave. He keeps his blinds down and has a six monitor setup going. I don’t know what the hell he needs with six monitors, but when he explained to me what they were all for, I zoned the fuck out. When I walk in, he’s kicked back in his chair, feet on the desk, keyboard on his lap. He’s wearing his usual jeans, so old they’re almost white, a grey T-shirt, and a plain black hoodie. He’s been wearing a variation of that outfit for the last twenty years.