Tessa Keene was a sweetheart through and through- pure-hearted, kind, and incapable of cruelty. She didn't have much, but she had Robby, and that was all she needed. He was her rock, her safe place, the one person she could always count on. But when...
Johnny had been up before the sun. Not because he wanted to be, but because sleep had been nothing but a few restless hours of tossing and turning. So, instead of lying there, drowning in thoughts he didn't want to deal with, he got in the car and drove to see Pastor Bobby.
The guy had been good to him over the years—one of the only people who gave a damn even when Johnny didn't deserve it. Bobby never judged, just listened. And this morning, Johnny had talked to him about Miguel and Robby. Bobby reassured him that it wasn't too late to make things right. And, for once, Johnny didn't argue. They agreed to meet at the detention center the next morning, with Bobby there to accompany him. He even got the phone number for the detention center, not just for himself, but for Tessa. He figured the least he could do was give her a way to talk to Robby.
Now, back at his apartment, he sat at the dining table, a pen in his hand, circling job listings he wasn't really reading. Every few minutes, his eyes drifted toward the hallway, to the door that hadn't opened all morning.
Johnny drummed his fingers against the table, letting out a sharp exhale. He wasn't the type to hover, never had been. But the longer the silence stretched, the harder it was to ignore the urge to check on her. Should he wake her? Let her sleep? He couldn't shake the feeling that he needed to do something.
His gaze drifted toward the hallway again. He stayed there a moment longer, wrestling with the thought, but the discomfort in his gut won. With a deep sigh, he pushed back from the table and stood.
His steps were slow, almost reluctant, as he made his way down the hall. He stopped at her door, rubbing his hand over his face. Maybe he was just overthinking things. Maybe she'd be annoyed if he woke her.
He knocked lightly. "Tessa?"
Silence.
His frown deepened, and he knocked again, firmer this time. "Tessa, you awake?"
Still nothing.
He stood there for a moment, unsure whether to leave her be or check on her. His hand hovered over the doorknob for a moment before he finally twisted it and pushed the door open. The room was dim, the blinds barely letting in any light. His eyes landed on the small figure curled up on the bed, her back to him.
"Tessa?" His voice was softer now.
No response. But as he stepped closer, he heard it—the unsteady, hitched breaths, the way her body trembled.
She was crying.
Johnny didn't know what the hell to do.
He sat on the edge of the bed, watching Tessa curl in on herself, looking so damn small in that oversized hoodie. Robby's hoodie. She hadn't moved, hadn't looked at him. But when she spoke, her voice was barely above a whisper. "It's not fair."
Johnny swallowed hard. "I know."
She sniffled, her fingers tightening around the sleeves of the hoodie. "He's all I had."
And fuck, that hurt to hear. Because he knew—he knew—that was how she saw it. Robby had been the only constant in her life. He was the one who looked out for her, protected her, made sure she had someone when no one else had bothered.
Including him.
And now Robby was gone. Locked up. And in Tessa's eyes, the people she thought she could trust had put him there.
Johnny let out a slow breath, rubbing a hand down his face. "Tessa, I—" He hesitated. "I know you're mad. I know you feel like everything just got ripped out from under you. And I can't fix that. But you're not alone. You got me."
Her breath hitched, her shoulders trembling. And then, before Johnny could even process it, she was moving—shoving herself up from the bed and into his chest, her small frame shaking as more tears broke free.
Johnny froze.
He felt her fists clench into his shirt, felt the way she pressed herself against him, like she was desperate for something solid, something real. And for a second, he didn't know what to do—because shit, he wasn't used to this. But then his arms moved on their own, wrapping around her, pulling her in. Tessa let out a choked sob, burying her face into his chest, her whole body trembling. And Johnny just held her.
He didn't say anything. Didn't tell her to stop crying or that everything was gonna be okay—because right now, it wasn't. Right now, she just needed someone.
So he sat there, one hand resting on the back of her head, the other around her shoulders, holding on as she fell apart.
And all he could think was, I'm not gonna screw this up again.
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authors note!
Johnny trying to be a father???
Sorry this chapters short! I'll try to make the next few longer!!
