Letting Hearts Heal by Luna Jensen Read Free Book Online Page A

and took in the scene in front of him. Mason and Wyatt were seated at the table, both giggling and eating what looked like pea pizza, of all things. Between plates, milk glasses, and pizza trays—it appeared there was enough pizza for the entire ranch—they were having a race with the toy cars Wyatt was so fond of.
    “Hey, guys,” Dean said and shuffled over to sit down.
    Wyatt sent him a rare smile, and Mason jumped up from his seat. “You’re up. How are you feeling? Do you want some pizza? Or maybe something more soothing for your stomach? I can make tea.”
    “Thanks, Mason, but I’m fine. Well, except for feeling like I’ve been run over by a truck. But at least that’s improvement from how I was feeling before. Sit down and finish your dinner.”
    “Okay.” Mason sat back down. “As long as you’re sure.”
    Dean smiled, oddly at peace. “I’m sure. Thanks for taking care of everything.”

Chapter 5

     
    A FTER HAVING slept for two days, Dean kept tossing and turning until he finally got out of bed just after two in the morning. He was restless, even though he felt weaker than a newborn. After checking on Wyatt, who was sleeping peacefully, Dean went down to his office. If nothing else, there were always e-mails to catch up on. Even if the world ended, e-mails would still keep coming.
    It took almost two hours in his overflowing inbox, but eventually Dean did feel tired enough that he thought he might be able to fall asleep. Maybe. He turned off the computer and the lights and went back upstairs, through the quiet house. He was a little surprised at how tidy and clean everything was, even though it wasn’t very flattering to Mason. There was no mountain of laundry, no dirty dishes in the sink, no collection of toy cars or Legos spread out over the floor.
    A cry from Wyatt’s bedroom distracted Dean from his musings. He hurried down the hall, but before he reached his son’s door, Mason was there too. Clad only in boxer shorts. Dean’s attention wavered for a moment. Then Wyatt cried out again, and he followed Mason into the room and flicked on the light.
    Mason stopped a few steps away from the bed and moved aside for Dean, who sat down and reached for Wyatt. That just made him bawl even louder, and Dean leaned back like he’d been burned. What the hell was wrong with the kid? The burn became as painful as the real deal when Wyatt reached his arms out for Mason.
    “Sorry,” Mason mouthed to Dean.
    Dean shook his head—Mason had nothing to be sorry for—and moved out of the way. Mason sat down and picked Wyatt up. The boy stopped crying immediately, which was both a relief and another stab in the heart.
    “Shhh, it’s okay. It was just a bad dream.” Mason rocked the hiccupping boy gently. Dean felt like he was intruding on a private moment between two people who had some kind of connection—the kind he’d been searching for with Wyatt. He wanted to leave the room, but he was supposed to be the parent, so stalking off in a huff to lick his wounds probably wasn’t the best idea.
    After a few minutes of rocking and whispering, Mason gently laid Wyatt back down and tucked him under the blankets. He was fast asleep. Feeling drained himself and not having a clue what to say to Mason, Dean quietly walked out of the bedroom. He’d almost reached his own door when Mason caught up with him.
    “I’m sorry. I didn’t know what to do…. I couldn’t just let him cry.”
    Dean sighed tiredly. “It’s okay, Mase. Thanks for calming him down.”
    “Maybe it’s just because it’s just been him and me for the past few days.”
    “Really, it’s okay. I get why Wyatt wanted you instead of me.” And he did. Mason had always been the charming one, the reachable one. He’d lost some of his openness in the past decade, sure. But if Dean had the choice, he’d do what Wyatt had done too. So he understood. And even though he could still feel the sting of rejection—and probably would for a