For Her, He Will

Chapter Sixteen - Only she can heal her boys.

Kayce opened the door for Oakley and Tate once they got back to the foreman's cabin that night. Oakley grabbed Tate's coat from him as he walked inside while Kayce locked the door.

"Bath, Tate," Kayce called out after him.

"I'll pull the bed down for him if you do wash duty tonight?" Oakley looked up at Kayce.

"He's on the couch tonight," Kayce hung up his coat next to Oakley's.

"Kayce..." Oakley frowned. "He can sleep with us...I'll be careful of my side with him next to me."

"Oaks, please," Kayce sighed. "I've spent the last week with my son almost twenty-four hours straight...at night he was right by my side...and I've wanted that, we've both needed that. But for tonight...I just wanna be with you."

"Kayce," Oakley started.

"Please," Kayce whispered. "I just wanna hold you tonight, okay? Can you just wait and take care of Tate tomorrow morning? He'll be passed out in no time and he won't know if you're next to him or not...but I've needed you next to me for over a week now...I'm about to go insane, please?"

Oakley thought Kayce looked like he was about to break down and cry in front of her. She smiled softly up at him, reaching out to hold his arm. 

"Okay," Oakley nodded. "I'll make up his bed on the couch."

While Kayce sat with Tate, Oakley set up the couch. She was slower than normal, her body and mind exhausted from today. But she was so happy to be home, the fire going in the corner, her two boys in the cabin...but then she felt incredibly guilty for all those things in an instant.

It was like a knife slicing through her happiness as if it were saying how dare she get to feel that? She sat down on the couch when Tate walked back into the living room with damp hair and his pajamas on.

"Hey, Tot," Oakley smiled as Tate crawled on the couch with her.

"Dad said I have to sleep out here tonight," Tate frowned.

"Are you okay with that?" Oakley pushed his hair back.

"I wanna sleep with y'all," Tate mumbled.

Oakley took a deep sigh. While she wanted Tate with her too, she also knew Kayce needed her attention too. And while Kayce was the dad in this situation, he needed Oakley more tonight. She let Tate crawl under the warm blankets and lay down on the pillow.

"Has your dad been taking good care of you the past week?" Oakley asked Tate softly.

Tate nodded his head yes.

"Has he loved on you some?" Oakley asked and once again Tate nodded his head.

She looked at Tate, resting back on his pillow.

"Have you loved on him?" She asked.

Tate looked up at her for a few seconds before his head started to shake no.

"He's the dad though," Tate tried to reason with his ten-year-old mind. 

"I know he is the dad, buddy," Oakley tucked the blankets under Tate's chin, smiling when she realized that Tate thought she was questioning Kayce. "But you know, Tate...your dad is also grieving too."

"He is?" Tate looked surprised.

"Of course," Oakley rubbed Tate's arm. "Not only was he sad, he was also worried about you and me. Your dad is the strongest man I know, but even he gets sad sometimes."

"I know," Tate's voice was barely above a whisper. "I heard him crying once."

Oakley felt her heart clench up.