In Her Dreams by Bolryder, Terry (the reader ebook .txt) 📕

for too long—because we wanted to fix that car a long time ago.”

“Who’s we?”

“Tess and me and anyone else who gives a crap about you. That thing is unsafe!”

“It saved me just fine,” I mumble. Today, my head feels like I’m in a fog, like I’m trapped in a memory of something awful even when things seem to be going well.

“Back then,” Sandra says. “But now you can afford a better car, or if you can’t, you know you have friends who can help.”

I frown. “I don’t know.”

“Look, I love you, girl, but you have always had a problem with trust and being too self-sufficient. I get that it comes from trauma, but if you’re going to let it ruin things with Reve, I would really see a therapist.”

“I’m fine. At least, I was before all of this happened.”

“Were you, though?” Sandra asks, making a good point. “You woke up alone and went to bed alone, you don’t date, and you only get a babysitter for girls’ nights. It’s like you’re shutting yourself off from life. So now Reve is trying to open life back up again, and you’re shooing him away because he scares you.”

“Reve said as much,” I say dully. “But how do I know this is going to be different? I loved Mark. I thought he was my ticket out of a dead-end life, and he caused so much misery I’m still cleaning up his mess.”

“Only because you won’t move on and let someone make things better for you. You’ve done awesome, Jen, on your own. Survived things some of us can’t imagine. But that strength can also keep you from letting other people in where they can use their own strengths to help you.”

I sigh. “I suppose.” My heart clenches, trying to let warmth out when right now it’s so cold. Things have been wonderful with Reve. He’s been giving me a life that I only thought possible in my dreams. But… “It’s just… if I make another mistake, choose the wrong man and make Joey pay for it…”

“Oh please,” Sandra says. “Joey is a great kid, but it’s not like he has ever fit into this world well either way. He’d probably love going to the dream realm or whatever it is.”

“What are you going to do about Jerrek?”

Sandra snorts, but I can hear embarrassment in her voice when she talks. “I have no idea, but that is another topic in itself. You need to decide about Reve. You two are already crazy about each other. Everyone can see that.”

“But… the fae realm, how can we live there when we have always been here?”

“What’s so good about this place?” Sandra asks. “If you ask me, I’d love to go the dream realm as soon as possible.”

“No, you wouldn’t. You care about your clients.”

“I don’t know,” Sandra says. “But look, Reve is a really good guy. It’s so obvious he might as well be wearing a sign on his back that shouts, ‘I’m a good guy! I won’t hurt you!’ I would think being with someone like that, who wants you as well as your son, who wants you to be happy, is worth a little relocation.”

“To another planet.”

Sandra is quiet for a moment. “So what, you’d rather stay here? Alone forever? What about when Joey is grown? What does he have to say about all of this?”

“I don’t know.” I put a hand to my face. “He knows a few things like he’s a dream fae and they have whips.”

“Seriously?”

“He’s been using it at school,” I say, fighting back a snicker, realizing for the first time how funny that is. “He was defending another student.”

“Of course he was,” Sandra says warmly. “He’s a fighter like his mother. Strong and tough. And who better to guide him on how to be strong and gentle at the same time than Reve?”

“Seriously?” I ask. “A fairy?”

“It’s apparently what we are,” Sandra says. “Even if we have no idea. But think about it. Tess is super strong, I can sense things about people or read thoughts sometimes, and you…”

“Yeah, what’s my superpower?” Jen asks.

“Being strong?” Sandra says. “Being able to survive anything, I would think. You pulled yourself out of such a rough situation, made things so good for you and your son. And I’ve never heard you complain even as you try to mother both Tess and me and help us with our lives.” Sandra sighs. “So it’s time we helped you by ignoring your pride and telling you the truth. That you so deserve all the goodness Reve is bringing to you, and I hope you won’t turn it away just because you don’t think you can trust him.”

I suck in a breath because she is totally right.

I’ve only trusted myself for so long that I don’t know how to trust a man anymore.

It was so easy when we were just meeting in my dreams.

But in the real world, I have to trust him with my and Joey’s health and safety. I don’t know if I can.

I mean, everything I know about Reve so far shows him to be amazing. But how does anyone ever truly know?

“I mean, what do you have to stay here for, honestly?” Sandra asks. “Joey just started a new school, and it sounds like he’s already in trouble now.”

I snort. “He is.” Even though, to be honest, I really don’t think he should be.

“You might really like the place.”

“But what if they’re scary?” I ask, knowing that now I sound whiny. “What if they don’t like us?”

“They raised Reve, so they can’t be terrible, right? Besides, you have your own kingdom, right?”

I think of the castle, so overgrown with vines and greenery now that I don’t know if anyone could live there.

“I suppose.”

“You just have to decide if you trust Reve,” Sandra says. “And I know that doesn’t seem fair, that you have to decide so early, but men like that don’t come around every day.”

I blink, trying to remember my life