Page 67 of Forever Always

Jay snorted and stretched out. “Fuck that. Nothin’ you do would make Beckett hate you. You could fuckin’ stab him and you’d still be his favorite fuckin’ person. And by a landslide.”

I flipped to my stomach, ignoring the way it went woosh as I turned, so I could look at him. “He said the same thing. Well, he said I could shoot him, but same idea.”

Jay waved his hand as he fell to the side. “See! Told ya, kid. He more than loves you. He’s consumed by you.”

I snorted. “Consumed. That’s a funny word. You make him sound like a cannibal.”

“If you asked him to be a cannibal, he probably would be.”

“Why the fuck would I want Becks to be a cannibal?”

“I don’t know. Just sayin’ he don’t hate you, even if you were a dick to him.”

“The biggest fuckin’ dick. Oh! I need to apologize.” I pulled myself up to my hands and knees and crawled on the floor until I found my phone.

“Riley, honey, Beckett’s on his way home. You can tell him in person,” Dakota said in that reasonable tone that grown-ups used on kids.

I shook my head. “Can’t wait.”

“You already texted him earlier, remember?”

I did? I didn’t remember that. That was okay. I’d tell him again. Somehow, Dakota had my phone in his hand, so I crawled up and rested my chin on his knee, takin’ it so I could type.

“Beckett.” I talked out loud because the screen kept moving on me. I wasn’t sure if it was helping, but I thought so. “I’m sorry I was bein’ such a big, veiny dick. I love you. I’d choose you over my fake new dad every fuckin’ time. Don’t hate me.”

“I could never hate you, butterfly. You gotta know that by now.”

I blinked and was looking right in Beckett’s face. “Beckett! How’d you get here?”

“Holy shit, kid! Your phone is magic!”Jay called out from . . . somewhere.

“C’mon, butterfly, let’s get you outta here before I murder Jay’s boyfriend for touchin’ you.”

I frowned. “His leg was my table . . .”

Beckett’s eyes were shiny, and I thought he was trying not to laugh as he bent down and scooped me up into his arms.

“Oh! Oh, I’m not on the ground anymore. Jay, look, I’m flyin’!”

“Babe, can I fly too?”

From somewhere behind me, I heard someone laugh. Dakota! “Yeah, no. I can’t pick up your big ass, sorry.”

“See, bein’ small ain’t the worst!” I shouted toward Jay because he was getting farther and farther away.

“Where are we goin’, Becks?”

“Shower first, butterfly. You smell like a distillery.Then, I’m puttin’ you to bed. Heard you dug out the vodka.”

“Was that bad? I keep fuckin’ up, don’t I?”

I was flying again as Beckett put me on my feet. Why was the room spinning’?

“Why the hell would you think you fucked up?”

“First ‘cause I yelled at you and pushed you away and was mean. But I don’t want you to go away. I want you close always. And then I drank your ‘fuck you, Dad’ vodka.”

Becks’s lips tipped up in a small smile. “My what vodka?”

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