Somniphobia

Chapter 46. Opening up

Caleb POV
We finished eating dinner. I walked us more down the path where I set up pillows and blankets in the grass. "Come lay down princess." I motioned for her to lay on the blanket.

I laid next to her laying her head on my chest while we looked up at the starry sky. We laid in comfortable silence enjoying our time together.

Her fingers tracing the tattoos on my neck while she looked up at the sky. "D-daddy." She called out for me. "Yes princess." I answered giving her my full attention.

"H-how m-many t-tattoos d-do y-you h-have?" She asked her eyes full of curiosity. "I'm not really sure. Wanna count them out for me?" I asked taking off my shirt.

I laid back down waiting for her to start. She took a moment to look at all my tattoos I knew she was going to notice something new that I added. "I d-don't r-remember s-seeing t-this o-one." She pointed out. I smiled knowingly at her.

"That's because it's new princess." I explained. She looked up at me shocked but confused. "I-is t-that f-for m-me?" She asked leaning down so she could get a better look at it. "Yes princess it's for you."

I got a tattoo of Aurora sleeping peacefully because sleeping beauty was her favorite movie to watch and it represented her for her phobia of sleeping.

"Do you like it?" I asked worried she might not like it. "I l-love I-it!" She replied happily looking up at me so I could see how happy she was with it.

"I was trying to save this surprise for when we got home." I watched as she leaned down kissing the tattoo softly. She laid her head back down on my chest looking up the sky.

"I l-love y-you d-daddy. Y-your t-the b-best p-person I h-have e-ever m-met." Her voice trembling like she was about to cry.

I got up from my laying position sitting up so I could see her face. "I love you too princess." I pulled her into my lap kissing her cheek.

"Y-you l-looked s-so m-mean w-when I f-first m-met y-you." She explained talking about when we first met.

"B-but y-your e-eyes w-were s-so c-comforting t-to l-look a-at." I kept quiet listening to her talk. "I t-think I f-fell I-in l-love w-with y-you t-the m-moment I l-looked I-into y-your e-eyes."

"A-and t-then I f-fell e-even d-deeper I-in l-love w-with y-you w-when y-you l-let m-me s-sleep i-in y-your a-arms."

She looked into my eyes hers already a little watery as she spoke. I knew better than to interrupt her.

"I r-remember f-feeling s-so a-alone a-and t-thought a-about h-hurting m-myself t-to s-stop t-the m-misery I w-was g-going t-through."

I n-needed s-someone t-to s-save m-me a-and y-you d-did t-that C-Caleb. I w-would h-have n-never t-thought s-someone w-would s-save m-me e-especially s-someone l-like y-you."

"I h-hated h-hurting m-myself b-but I-it w-was t-the o-only t-thing k-keeping m-me s-sane. W-well t-that's w-what's I t-thought a-at l-least."

She was opening up about what she was keeping bottled up and I was so proud of her. She had tears rolling down her cheeks and I could tell her stuttering was frustrating her but I just comforted her encouraging her to keep going.

"I s-still d-don't u-understand w-why t-they h-hate m-me s-so m-much. I r-really t-tried t-to m-make t-them h-happy b-but I-it w-was n-never e-enough."

"W-why c-couldn't t-they l-love m-me? I-if y-you c-can l-love m-me h-how c-come t-they c-can't? P-please h-help m-me u-understand C-Caleb."

She was crying her heart out to me. I had tears of my own forming. Seeing her go through so much to make them love her and care for her was so heartbreaking to watch.

I knew she tried I seen it when I lived there with them. She was more than broken but she was strong and she was healing herself each day.

"You were never the problem princess. They just weren't capable enough to love you. You are the most lovable person ever and they couldn't stand it. You didn't deserve any of that abuse or treatment."

"You deserve to be treated like a princess. You didn't need them then and you don't need them now. Don't let them get to you and ruin your life because they don't know how to handle or love someone like you."

"Your beautiful inside and out I love everything about you. Your more than perfect in every way and I know when our child is born and the many more that will come after will all love and cherish you forever."

"Your doing great, your doing amazing. Don't let them stop you from having a good life baby I'm so proud of you for letting everything out that was really brave of you to do. I never wanna see you cry about them anymore."

"You will always be more than enough for me and I know for a fact our children too. I love you more than anything in this world and our children will too.

I wiped her tears away kissing a few tears away. She was quiet but I could feel that she was relieved now. She was calm and happy now. "I'm so proud of you princess." I praised her rubbing her back soothingly.

She stopped crying after a while we ended up laying back down silently staring at the sky while I ran my fingers through her silky hair. "You ready to go home princess?" I asked kissing her head. "Mhmm." She mumbled.

We both got up she held her arms up silently asking me to pick her up. I carried her towards my car buckling her up in her seat.

As I was about to move away to close her door she pulled me by my arm giving me a kiss on my lips." T-thank y-you f-for e-everything y-you've d-done f-for m-me." She whispered against my lips.

I tilted her head up a bit leaning my forehead against hers while looking into her eyes with both my palms cupping her face to make sure she was looking into my eyes.

"You don't have to thank me for anything I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat if I had to. Just so I could be with you again. I never wanna hear you thank me for anything I've done for you. Do you understand me princess?"

Her eyes began to sparkle with a smile. "I l-love y-you." Was all she said before kissing my lips again. "I love you more princess." I told her against her lips kissing her again.

I pulled away from her before we got too carried away giving her cheek one last kiss before I closed her door getting in the driver seat so I could drive us home.