His Lost Trouble

Chapter 14

"So peedy Mommy," Iris smiled as she rushed over to her. Amy picked her up and hugged her tightly.

"I'm so glad you like it Baby Girl," Amy smiled as she picked her up and placed her on her hip. "Did you have lots of fun with Luke?"

"Yep," She giggled. "All messy wats bun!"

"That sounds like so much fun," Amy smiled solely focused on her daughter. "I'm so glad you had fun with him. Did you tell him thank you?"

"She did," Luke smiled.

"Mommy weepy," Iris started to whine and rub her eyes.

"Alright Sweet Pea," Amy said moving her to her chest and started patting her back. "Let's go lay in Meanie's super comfy bed and take a nap."

"Mommy nap?" Iris asked and Amy nodded.

"You know what? That sounds like a perfect idea," Amy kissed her nose. "Mommy and Baby Girl naps are the most perfect thing in the world."

"Come on Trouble, I can get you something comfy to change into," Gabe said placing his hand on her lower back and led her to his room. "Here you go," He handed her one of his shirts and some pj pants. Then brought a bag out of the closet, "And here is something for Sweet Pea."

"Yay!" Iris bounced up and down seeing the Care Bear pajamas. "Taint too Me Me!"

"You are going overboard with all this spoiling," Amy smiled as she came out of the bathroom a few moments later. "But I have to admit we are really enjoying it. Makes us feel special."

"Get use to it," Gabe chuckled, "It's not going to stop. I told you, I'm never losing you again. You are stuck with me and my family forever now."

"Keep telling me," She hugged him, "and one of these days I may just believe you."

"Sweet dreams Girls," Gabe said tucking them in then kissed both of their foreheads.

"So what happened earlier?" Silas asked as Gabe came into the living room and sat down next to Luke.

"What do you mean?" Sean asked.

"So, as you already know, Trouble and I were best fucking friends for five goddamn years. From the time she was seven until she was fucking twelve. I am a year older than her. She had fucking abusive as hell parents. She was fucking starved and emotionally fucking abused. I'm pretty fucking sure she was physically abused as well at times."

"I was."

Gabe looked up to see his muse standing in the doorway nervously while playing with the bottom of his shirt. "Trouble."

"Meanie," She whimpered and held her arms out. He quickly picked her up and she sighed in content wrapping her legs around his waist and laid her head into the crook of his neck.

"I thought you were laying with Sweet Pea," He spoke softly.

"Max kicked me out of the bed," She giggled softly. "Iris said she wanted to lay with him and watch cartoons so I went to find you. Are you telling them our secret code?"

"Is it alright if I do?" He asked sitting on the couch and she nodded softly.

"They are your family so if you trust them then I will," She whispered softly.

"Color?" Gabe asked softly ignoring the confused looks around the room.

"Eight," She mumbled into his neck, "Sea green."

"That's fine," He nodded as he gently ran his fingers up and down her spine lightly. "It's okay to feel that way. You don't have to explain anything, I will. They won't judge you one bit, I promise. We all have messed up pasts, it's one of the fucking reasons why we get along so fucking well."

"No bad words," She gently scolded making him burst out laughing.

"I'll try," He kissed the top of her head. He felt her shift until she could hear his heartbeat then started running his fingers up and down her back again. "Just listen to what my heart's telling you Trouble."

After a few moments of silence Luke smiled softly, "She's asleep holding onto you for life."

"What just happened?" Kota whispered, "What's with the numbers and colors?"

"She has severe anxiety as you already fucking know," Gabe whispered while still rubbing her back gently. "When we were goddamn kids, I discovered she was so fucking fascinated with all the various colors I was constantly fucking using in my artwork. She had trouble talking a lot of the goddamn times and so we developed a secret fucking code just for us. She wanted to test my goddamn knowledge of colors at the same time so she started off giving me the amount of fucking letters in the color and then we developed our own fucking color system depending on her fucking emotions. It changed over time of fucking course but it mostly stays the same. It helps me know where she is at mentally and emotionally."

"So when she had her panic attack earlier?" Nathan asked. "You counted to six."

"Orange," Kota said and Gabe nodded. "So orange represents panic or anxiety."

"Kind of," Gabe whispered, "It's my color so it means she needs me. Most of the time to help ground her or just to help her feel safe. Orange means me."

"Teal?" Silas asked. "When you asked her after she calmed down, she said four then teal."

"Confused."

"But I thought blues and greens were soothing colors," Axel said confused.

"Water can be soothing," Gabe nodded, "but it can also be tumultuous and chaotic also."

"So when she said sea green she meant nervous or anxious?" Brandon asked and Gabe nodded.

"But she said six again at the salon and then purple," Nathan said and Gabe nodded.

"That's why she gives both, sometimes the numbers are enough for me to figure out but she gives the colors to help when they have the same amount of letters."

"Purple is a broad color though," Victor said and Gabe nodded.

"It's her happy color."

"So that's why she said it after you asked if she needed some Meanie and Trouble time," Silas said and he nodded. "And when she said it was amethyst after seeing her hair, that's her excited color, she didn't even give a number then."

"It's a special color that doesn't need a number," Gabe explained. "She very rarely ever gives that color."

"Interesting," Owen said, "We will learn as it happens but I think for right now it still needs to stay a you and her thing. We don't want her thinking or feeling like we are trying to butt in when it comes to the special bond you two have."

Gabe looked at him and smiled softly, "Thank you."