Page 115 of Beautiful Forever
My world freefalls into a black abyss. Because of my big fucking mouth, I not only ruined things with Syn, I ruined everything with him. “Tristan, I’m?—”
He cuts me off before I can finish. “It’s about fucking time you told her. Get some rest. Dinner will be ready soon.”
He’s already gone by the time my shock wears off.
Forty-Eight
Thanksgiving
November 28
Constantineand I catch the pillows Hendrix dumps over the second-floor balcony. “I thought living room campouts were a Christmas tradition.”
“They can become a Thanksgiving Day tradition too. You can always sleep upstairs in an empty bed if you want,” I reply sweetly.
I duck out of the way when he tosses a pillow at my head. “I thought tryptophan was supposed to mellow you out, not turn you mean.”
“Urban myth. But because you cooked the best Thanksgiving meal I’ve ever eaten, you get to sleep next to me.”
Because Aleksander is staying with us and still on bedrest, we kept Thanksgiving small. Alana and Cillian left an hour ago to head back to Boston.
“Under, not next to. Preferably with my dick snuggled inside your snatch.”
“That’s just nasty,” I reply through my laughter.
Constantine glares at him with disgust. “No one says snatch. It’s as bad as saying moist.”
“What’s wrong with moist?”
“Somany things.” I take my bundle of pillows into the living room and deposit them on the armchair next to the couch where Aleksander is propped up on a mountain of cushions. His bruising looks so much better. His ribs will take time to heal, which means no sleeping on the floor.
He glances up from the e-reader he’s holding, and I wouldn’t be surprised if I start panting like a bitch in heat. He’s wearing his reading glasses again. I didn’t know he wore glasses until he put them on the other day. But holy hell, Aleksander in a pair of black-rimmed readers is panty-melting and hazardous to my libido.
“I can help,” he offers for the third time.
Every time he opens his mouth, I hearI love you. I hear it in my sleep and when I’m awake. And every time I look at him, I have to stop myself from saying it back.
I hyper focus on plumping the pillows before tossing them onto the blankets Tristan laid out on the floor. “You need to rest and not move around too much.”
“I have been resting for days. And I was able to walk down the stairs with no problem.”
“And almost gave me a heart attack. I’ll let you pick out what we’re watching. What was Aleksei’s favorite movie?”
I know holidays are hard for him just like they are for me. Two of the people we each love—Mama and Papa, and Aleksei and his mother—can’t be here to share those special days with us.
Dimples pop in his cheeks when he smiles, the same ones Tristan has. “You wouldn’t be able to guess in a million years what it is.”
Constantine adds more blankets to the ones already on the floor. “What are we guessing?”
“Aleksei’s favorite movie.” Tapping a finger to my chin, I try to think of what genre he would like. Probably something action-packed and bloody like me, and I’d probably be wrong based on Aleksander’s daring smirk. So, I go in the opposite direction. “Is it a rom-com?”
“No—” Aleksander’s mouth skews to the side. “Well, maybe. It does have some elements of romance in it, but it’s not that type of movie.”
“Spaceballs?”
“I’ve never seen that one. Is it good?”
Jaws dropping open in synchronicity, Constantine and I wear matching shocked expressions.
