Page 62 of Forever Always

“Where are we going, Becks? You wouldn’t let me eat and I’m starvin’.”

“Don’t worry, I’m feedin’ you.”

Riley stopped walking. “Becks . . .”

I huffed, trying not to get frustrated. I got why he was so fuckin’ worried, but it was killing the mood.

“I’m not spendin’ money. Does that make you feel better?”

His shoulders, that were all the way up to his ears, came down just a little. “Nothin’ at all?”

“Nope,” I replied, popping the P. I took a couple steps toward him, and started to massage his shoulders until the tension was all the way gone. “Let me take care of you, butterfly. I need this.”

Riley exhaled. “Okay.”

I grinned. “Yeah, so you’ll stop freakin’ out?”

Riley shoved at my chest. “Oh, shut the fuck up, Becks. I’m not freakin’ out.” I gave him a look. “Okay, not that much. But I trust you. So I’ll let it go and just enjoy the morning.”

“Thanks, that’s all I ask.” I tipped his chin back and kissed him until he was all breathless and no and stopped thinking altogether.

He was still a little dazed when I took his hand and started to walk down the street again.

I stopped in front of a warehouse. I knew Riley thought I was fuckin’ crazy. There was nothing about the place on the outside that gave any indication of what it was

.

“Becks, are you takin’ me to an abandoned building? Been there, done that, and don’t wanna relive the memories.”

I shoved him lightly with my shoulder. “No, you little shit. Why the fuck would I do that?” Those three months we squatted in that building were some of the most terrifying days of my fuckin’ life. I didn’t sleep more than a few minutes at a time, terrified someone was gonna grab Riley if I let my guard down. That was the second time I went back to Mr. Chase . . .

I swallowed down all that shit. No. Today was supposed to be fun. It was about showing Riley how much he meant to me, not any of the dark crap.

“C’mon.” I nudged him in through the unlabeled door.

I’d texted the owner before we’d left, so he was waiting for us in the empty lobby. Seriously, Ri had a point. What the fuck was up with the decor in this place?

“There you are, Cooks. I wasn’t sure if you were going to show up.”

Henry was one of the regulars at Walter’s and had owned this place for years. He’d always told me I could stop by and use the facilities whenever I wanted for free, but I never had. I didn’t wanna feel like I ever owed him something. But it was worth it for Riley.

“Henry, thanks for lettin’ us stop by. This is Riley.” My brother? My boyfriend? My fuckin’ everything. I didn’t elaborate.

Riley gave me some serious side eye, but he held out his hand and smiled at the guy. “Nice to meet you.”

“Yeah, you too. Cooks here has been rambling on about you for years.”

I glared. “I don’t ramble.”

Riley just laughed. “I can’t decide if I should be scared or not.”

Henry grinned. “Oh, you should definitely be scared.” He turned toward me. “So there’s some forms you need to sign. You might be my guest, but I’m still not risking getting sued.”

I nodded. “Fair enough.”

“Normally, I have a safety spiel and you need to pass the closed course before you can touch any of the real weapons, but I’m trusting you two not to kill each other. Don’t fuck it up.”

I grinned. “We won’t. Thanks again.”

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