At Peace (The War Trilogy #3) Read Online Free PDF

was dead. At least Dennis let me comfort him a little bit. It felt so good to have him in my arms again, even if it was for only a short amount of time. 
     
     
    ~ Dennis ~
     
    After having to tell Lizette about our dad - which was as fun as you’d expect - I just don’t have the energy to deal with everything going on between Tucker and me, so I stay in my room after I hang up the phone.
    That little hug earlier has me wanting to forget everything and go running back into his arms, never to leave again. But I’m so afraid to trust him. I’m afraid he’s going to decide that this isn’t what he wants and then leave for good.
    I lie back on the bed and stare up at the ceiling. My thoughts start drifting toward my dad and all of the shit he’s done to me in the past. All of the times he would come home after being at the bar all day and come to my room just to kick the shit out of me because he could. All of the times I sacrificed myself to save Lizette from getting beaten. All of the times I had to try to find something for Lizette and me to eat when there was nothing. I can’t tell you how many times I went to the grocery store and stole a loaf of bread so we would have something to eat.
    My mother was usually passed out by mid-afternoon. She’d wake up around eight in the evening, order out food for herself, eat, drink, then go back to sleep. Sometimes, Lizette and I got the leftovers.
    Fuck, my entire childhood was a nightmare. And my father, the man who caused me the most pain, the one man in this world who was supposed to love me unconditionally and take care of me, is now dead. He’s dead. I will never earn his approval or pride. He will never tell me that he loves me. Not that any of those things were something that I ever expected from him, but now that he’s gone, it’s so final.
    Tears well up and spill over, sliding down my temples and into my hair. The tears aren’t for my dad, but for everything I’ve lost. Everything I never had. I mourn the childhood that never happened and what it could have been like if I had different parents. Of course, all of those things made me the man I am today, but I still wonder.
    I end up falling into a fitful sleep. I’m plagued by continuous nightmares of my father chasing me around the house, of him trying to get to Lizette, and of my mother doing nothing to stop him.
    I’m startled awake. I look around wildly, my chest heaving as I try to catch my breath. It’s then that I realize that Tucker is next to me, his hand on my shoulder, my hand wrapped tightly around his wrist.
    “Hey. Hey, it’s just me,” he says in a soothing voice.
    I blow out a breath and let go of his wrist. I shove the heels of my palms into my eyes.
    “You were yelling,” Tucker says quietly.
    I drop my hands away from my face and look over at him. He’s in nothing but his underwear. I look past him to the clock on the nightstand. 3:36 a.m.
    “Sorry if I woke you,” I mutter.
    Tucker shakes his head and smoothes his hand up and down my arm. “I haven’t been sleeping great, so I was kind of awake already.”
    Dammit, why does that make my heart hurt?
    “What were you dreaming about?” he asks, his hand still moving on my arm.
    It feels so good to have him touch me again and it’s helping calm my nerves.
    “My dad.” I sigh.
    He nods solemnly.
    Tucker gives my arm a squeeze before making the move to leave. “I just wanted to make sure you were alright.”
    I grab his hand before he can get off the bed. “Wait.”
    He looks over his shoulder at me. I can tell that he’s trying not to get his hopes up. His eyes search mine. “Yeah?”
    “Stay?” I ask softly.
    It may be a stupid idea, but I need him. I need to feel his body against mine. I want my best friend back. I want the guy who would cuddle and soothe me whenever I had a nightmare. I fucking need that guy.
    Tucker swallows hard and nods. “Of course,” he whispers.
    I lie back down as Tucker gets under the covers. I