Find me

Chapter 34

Gabriel POV

My heart was beating like crazy.

What the hell did she dream about?

I was holding her as tightly as I could, trying to stop her from shaking.

Dad was looking at her worriedly. He was running his fingers through her hair, and he kept telling her that she was home and that she was safe.

What did she dream about? Was it a nightmare, or was it a memory?

“Henry.” I heard sheriff Rivers’ quiet voice.

Aria flinched hard. She snapped her head up and almost jumped out of my arms.

“Shit.” the sheriff mumbled.

Dad and I reacted immediately.

“Hey, hey, hey.” I said, grabbing her tighter. “It’s sheriff Rivers. It’s just sheriff Rivers. It’s okay.”

“It’s okay, baby.” dad said, leaning in and kissing her temple. “You are safe.”

I looked at her tear-strained face. She was staring at the sheriff wide-eyed. The fear I saw on her face made my stomach twist painfully.

I lifted my hand and placed a finger under her chin. I turned her head gently so that her eyes would be on me instead of sheriff Rivers.

“Look at me.” I said softly. “You are home. You are safe. No one is going to hurt you here.”

Her eyes were still wide and filled with fear.

“Take a deep breath, come on.” I said, caressing her cheek.

She listened to me and took a deep breath.

From the corner of my eye, I saw my dad stand up and walk away. I heard the door close. Aria and I were left alone in the room.

I never looked away from her. She continued taking deep breaths until she calmed down a little.

I smiled at her and leaned in to kiss her forehead.

“Do you want to talk about the dream?” I asked her softly.

She shook her head, burying her face in my neck.

“Okay.” I mumbled softly, kissing the top of her head. “Can I ask just one question?”

I ran my fingers up and down her back. I could feel her spine under my fingertips, and I didn’t like it. She was too fucking thin.

She nodded, and I placed another kiss on the top of her head.

“Was it a nightmare or a memory?” I asked, my voice laced with fear.

She lifted her head and wiped her cheeks.

“Something in-between.” she mumbled.

I nodded my head and caressed her cheek.

“You are safe here, you know that, right?” I asked her.

“A part of me does.” she mumbled quietly. “That other part believes that this can’t be true. That other part is telling me that I will have to go back to my parents soon.”

Anger rose inside of me, and I tried my best not to show it to her. I didn’t want to scare her.

“They are not your parents.” I said. “And even if they were, we would never let you go back to them. Even if that test came back negative, dad would adopt you. We would never ever let you go back to those monsters.”

Her eyes searched my face. I guessed that she was searching for a sign that I wasn’t telling the truth. She could search forever and still not find it. I was so fucking sure that my dad would take her in. He fell in love with her as soon as he saw her. Even if by some miracle she wasn’t his daughter, he would still want her.

I would still want her. I felt something for her the first time I saw her, and I didn’t even know that she was my sister.

But even if both dad and I didn’t feel anything for her, even if we didn’t want her after the DNA results came back negative, we would never let them take her back. Dad would make sure that she went to a nice family.

She was safe with us in every possible scenario.

But I was so fucking happy that the scenario we were in was the one where she really was my sister.

“I keep thinking that I don’t deserve this.” she said after a few silent moments. “I keep thinking that I don’t deserve you or your dad. I’ve done nothing to deserve you.”

My heart clenched painfully.

I lifted my hands and cupped her face.

“You don’t have to deserve us.” I told her, looking into her eyes. “You have us. You’ve always had us, and we’ve always had you. Just like you don’t have to do anything to deserve food or clothes, you don’t have to do anything to deserve me or dad.”

A tear fell on her cheek and slid down to my hand.

“You don’t have to do anything to deserve my love or dad’s love.” I continued softly. “You don’t have to do anything to deserve my protection. I will always protect you. You are a part of me. You have me. You don’t have to deserve me.”

A sob escaped her, and I moved my hand from her face so that I could pull her into my arms.

“I love you.” I said softly.

I kissed her temple and leaned my head on hers.

“I love you too.” she said quietly, making me freeze.

Did she just tell me that she loved me?

I let her go and looked at her.

“Can you say that again?” I asked softly.

“I love you.” she said, giving me a small smile.

My grin was so big that my face hurt.

“I can’t wait to tell dad that you said it to me first.” I said, grinning even wider.

Aria chuckled, making my heart swell.

“You are safe, Aria.” I said, getting serious again. “You are back with your family. Your real family. I know that it will take a while for you to start believing that you are safe, wanted, and so fucking loved, but I will be here every step of the way, repeating it to you until you do believe it.”

She smiled and wrapped her arms around me.

“Thank you so much.” she mumbled quietly. “I couldn’t have asked for a better brother.”

I smiled and kissed the top of her head.

“I am the best brother.” I said smugly. “I am the best, the prettiest, the most protective, and the most awesome brother ever.”

Aria chuckled and let me go.

I gave her a small smile and ran my fingers through her hair.

“Can I ask you something?” she asked as the smile disappeared from her face.

“Anything.” I said softly.

“Are your uncle and your cousins as nice as you?” she asked quietly. “Will they be nice to me?”

My heart tugged in my chest. She sounded so scared.

I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her closer to me.

“They are really, really nice.” I said. “They will adore you. They would never hurt you, I promise.”

She took a deep breath and nodded.

“You don’t have to meet them until you are ready, okay?” I said softly.

“I know.” she mumbled.

To be honest, I didn’t want her to meet them. Not yet. I wanted time with her, and I knew that they would want it too, especially my uncle. He was my mom’s older brother, and I knew that once he saw my mom in Aria, he would never want to leave. I was already annoyed, and he wasn’t even here. She was my sister, not his. She wasn’t my mom.

“Whatever you decide to do, dad and I will be here for you.” I said softly, pulling her into another hug.

She leaned her head on my shoulder and wrapped her arms around me.

“Thank you.” she mumbled quietly.

I kissed the top of her head and took a deep breath.

I finally had my sister back. No one would take her away, not even my own family.