Small

Safe

I was starting to feel more at home the longer I was with Darren. I didn't mind playing alone in my room while he worked in his office or cooked in the kitchen. I wasn't as... jumpy as I had been.

I still had trust issues that I needed to work through with myself. I still needed to know what my boundaries were with everyone and everything around me. I didn't know what was safe and what wasn't. So it was still a learning process along with everything else I didn't know about the world.

I appreciated that Darren was patient with me. He didn't judge me for being so dumb and innocent. He didn't make me feel little or dumb or anything. It was more appreciated than I probably let on.

He even gave me time to process the fact that he was Owen's brother. I knew he wanted to talk about it and figure out how I was handling the news but I wasn't ready to talk about it just yet.

I'd just come to trust him and he dropped a bombshell on me. I wasn't sure how I was supposed to take the news or how he wanted me to. Maybe he wanted me to act like it wasn't a big deal and that it didn't bother me.

I at least hoped that wasn't the case because I was definitely upset about the news. It wasn't like he could control who was and wasn't his family. I was sure if he had any choice, he wouldn't want somebody like Owen to be related to him.

Though... maybe he felt differently about Owen than I did. He played the tough guy role when Owen came around and tried to take me with him but that didn't mean he wasn't civil with Owen without me there.

I needed to ask him about it.

I was just about to set Ted down with my other toys and go talk to Darren when he appeared in the doorway.

"Hey, what are you up to?"

I looked back at my toys, suddenly nervous about asking him my question. "I... I wanted to ask you something."

He walked into the room and sat down on my bed. He patted the spot beside him. "Okay. Come here and talk to me."

I picked Ted back up and held him against my chest as I sat down beside him. I folded my legs under me.

"What did you want to ask me?"

"I know that he's your brother but... do you like... do you two get along?" I stuttered.

He let out a breath. "I take it you mean Owen."

I nodded, trying not to let just his name, the word, trigger me.

"We're not close. Not like me and Ethan. I don't keep in contact with him at all. Before he talked to me about you we hadn't talked in maybe a year or more."

"Why?" I asked softly. I didn't understand why they were close or why they didn't like each other. I knew why I didn't like Owen but that didn't mean he wasn't different around Darren and their family.

"Why don't we?"

I nodded.

"We're different people. Like two sides of a spectrum. He thinks and acts differently than I do and I don't care for his way. We've just... avoided each other over the years."

"Is that the same for Ethan and your mom?"

"Pretty much. My mom knows what he did to you and I suspect Ethan knows enough. We're all pretty distanced from Owen."

"Does that make you sad?"

He shook his head. "It is what it is. I'm much happier without him around so I try to think of it positively. Plus, I still have Ethan to hang out with so it isn't like I'm alone."

I set Ted in his lap and turned to face him. "You have me and Ted too."

He smiled. "You're right. How could I forget about you two?"

I smiled.

He looked down at the toys I had gotten out to play with. "Were you and Ted playing with the other toys?"

"We wanted to play house but I'm missing a baby."

"There's not a baby at all?"

I shook my head. "Nope."

"Well, you could be the baby."

I scrunched my nose at the thought. "I can't be the baby. I'm the mommy."

He nodded his head slowly. "Well since I'm already the daddy, why don't we have Ted be the baby?"

"I guess that would work." I walked over to the toys and sat back down. I pushed some of the toys aside so we would have room. "Do you think I could get a baby?"

He sat down on the floor a few feet away from me and put Ted in between us. "I could get you a baby doll if that would work."

I nodded. I'd always wanted a baby doll but it wasn't something Owen ever got me.

Darren watched me as I played and directed him to put Ted to bed. I had a small blanket with me that we covered him with. I told Darren to be quiet so he could sleep. It wasn't quite the same as a baby doll but Ted worked until then.

"Aly, can I ask you something?"

I looked up from Ted and nodded.

"How are you handling all of this?"

"All of what?"

"What I told you about me and Owen."

I shrugged. "I don't know. Fine, I guess."

"It doesn't... bother you?"

I ran my fingers over the blanket covering Ted. "It does but... I don't know."

"What about it bothers you?"

"Just that you're... he's not nice but you are. I didn't think people like that would be brothers."

"A lot of families have siblings who aren't alike or don't get along. It's actually better that siblings aren't so alike. I think that would be worse." He laughed after he spoke but I wasn't sure what the joke was.

"That's normal?"

He nodded. "Totally normal. It's actually very common."

"I guess that... it's not so bad now."

He leaned down so he could see my face. "Aly, I promise you I'm not like him. I would never do what he did. Not to you or anyone else."

I looked at him and bit my lip, holding back some of the anxiety I could feel bubbling to the surface.

"You're safe here."

---

Edited 5/29/2022