I came back to my hotel room, feeling more defeated than ever. I’d been crying all the way back to the hotel. I couldn’t believe this happened. Just when I thought that things were finally improving, this terrible news came, and now I had no idea what to do.

My grandmother had fallen at rehab, and now she needed some additional help. She was okay, but they planned to move her to a different facility, and this made me panicked. Our insurance wouldn’t cover it, and we were still dealing with the mess from the fire.

On top of everything else, I was jobless, and now I seriously considered working as a waitress, because there was no other way to pay off our debts.

I was too lost in my gloomy thoughts when I heard the knocks on my door. I jumped from the bed and wiped off my tears. One quick look in the mirror told me my eyes were puffy and my face pale. I debated with myself whether I should just ignore the person on the other side of the door, but then I heard Trent’s say, “Bree, it’s us. Please, open the door.”

Oh God. I rushed and opened it, feeling even more emotional now that they were here.

“Guys!” I threw myself into their arms, needing their nearness and comfort more than ever. They wrapped their arms around me and pulled me closer.

“Hey, Bree. We’re here now.”

I broke into tears, burying my head into Caleb’s shoulder. I didn’t want them to witness me at my worst, but at the same time I didn’t want them to go. Their presence felt soothing, and it helped me get over the mess that was my life.

“I’m so sorry. I just... I just couldn’t hold it in anymore.”

“It’s okay, baby. Cry as much as you want. We’re here to help you.”

I let them inside and sat down on my bed.

“What happened?” Trent asked.

I stared at my hands on my lap as I tried to figure out what to tell them. “My grandmother fell, but thankfully she didn’t break anything. They have to keep monitoring her, though, so she needs to go to another facility.”

“Bree, we’re so sorry to hear that.” Trent caught my hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “It will be okay.”

“I’m not sure about that, Trent.” Another tear escaped and slid down my face. “We don’t have enough money. While I took some time away from you I was desperately looking for a job, even though I want to go to college, but now I’m forced to accept any job because that’s the only way to deal with this situation...”

“It’s not the only way,” Caleb told me, looking at me with serious eyes. “We can help you cover the costs.”

“What?”

“Yes. Think about it,” Trent added. “It’s not a big deal for us, but for you it would mean a lot.”

“No. You can’t be serious. You can’t offer to help me with money just like that.”

“Why not?”

“Why not?” I looked at them shell shocked.

“Yeah, why not? As I said, it’s not a big deal. Besides, we can’t just stand aside and do nothing to help you. You’re struggling, Bree, and we can’t be happy when you aren’t, you know?”

Oh God. I began crying again, experiencing some tightening feeling in my chest that was spreading through me fast. I couldn’t believe how good there were to me.

“Yes. We want to help you as much as we can. We care about you, and we don’t want you to go through this alone.”

“And not only that. You haven’t taken us up on our offer of coming to stay either. There you could be rent free while you go take classes and figure out stuff with your grandmother.”

“You guys, this is too much! I can’t accept this kind of offer.”

“But you can,” Trent said.

“And you will,” Caleb added.

“Are you both absolutely sure?”

“As Caleb said, we care about you. We care about you a lot, and we don’t want to be separated from you anymore. You make us so happy.”

He wiped off my tears. They were so kind and supportive, and I had no words to express how I felt about them. Still, there was that suffocating sense of guilt that was getting stronger. I sobbed loudly, pressing myself against Trent as I cried into his shirt.

“But you don’t know everything about me!” My wails were loud, showing the despair that filled my being at the thought of all those people displaced because of me.

Caleb’s eyebrows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

I had to tell them. I couldn’t keep it a secret from them.

“I started the fire. I think I left a pot on the stove, and I forgot about it.” I couldn’t look at them in the eyes, so I closed my eyes, but Trent cupped my chin gently and made me look at him.

“Hey. Don’t say it like that. It’s not your fault.”

“But it is my fault! I was careless, and now I can’t get over my stupid mistake...”

“You’re wrong,” Caleb told me and placed his hand on my back. His caress awoke desire in me, despite my crushing emotions. “It wasn’t your fault.”

“There was a faulty wire in the basement,” Trent said. “That was the reason for the fire.”

For a moment I wasn’t able to breathe as their words sank in. “So it wasn’t my fault at all?”

They cracked smiles, bringing me a huge wave of comfort, and there was no more heaviness inside of me.

“Not even a little bit. Though we’re going to have to work on your fire safety when you come live with us.” Caleb smirked at his own joke.

“Oh God.” I burst into tears again and covered my face with my hands. I was shaking, trying to process the truth. It wasn’t my fault. I was elated that it hadn’t been me that caused the fire since I’d been carrying so much guilt. “Oh God. I can’t believe it! I’m so happy right now. All this time I blamed myself, thinking the worst...”

Caleb pulled me into his arms and placed my head on his shoulder. I closed my eyes and inhaled his scent. He smelled so good, creating a potent rush of lust that demanded to be satiated.

“Everything is going to be okay, Bree. There is nothing to worry about anymore. So do you accept our offer? Will you allow us to help you with the expenses?”

“And do you want to live with us?”

I took their hands and smiled at them. I’d fallen so hard for them that there was no other way for me. I needed them as much as they needed me.

“It’s a double yes.”

“Yeah!” Caleb exclaimed and kissed me.

His lips slid over mine before he pushed his tongue inside my mouth, and I felt feverish, instantly drowning in pure pleasure. I jumped onto his lap, straddling him, and grinded against him. He sucked my tongue into his mouth, making my pussy throb with desire, and I wanted all our clothes gone right away.

Just as I reached for the top button of Caleb’s shirt, he stopped me. “Not here. We want you to come with us to our place tonight.”

Oh. “Now?”

“Yes. We’ll help you with packing.”

I shook my head, feeling bitter at the reminder that I actually didn’t have anything. “There’s no need for packing. I’ve lost all my things, so...”

“Oh shit,” Trent hissed. “That’s right. I’m so sorry, Bree. What a dumb thing to say.”

“No, that’s okay. It’s understandable.”

“Anyway, we’ll help you with checking out.”

Their enthusiasm was contagious, and I found myself smiling like crazy at them. “Okay then. Let’s go.”