Page 109 of Corrupt Me

I shrugged. “This can be your redemption arc.”

He looked pained. “I don’t want to hurt you. You’ve had enough heartache in your life. I can’t promise a life with me will be easy. But I want you. I want all of you. Your laugh. Your pain. Your tears. Your anger. Your kindness. Your strength. There’s no part of you I don’t love.”

My blood buzzed in my veins. “Are you saying…” I started to whisper, unable to get the words out. I was afraid to hope, but damn, if the emotion didn’t find its way into my heart.

He placed his hand over mine on his chest, lacing our fingers together. “Come back to bed, Shortcake. Stay.”

Every inch of me rejoiced, but I had to be sure. I needed him to say this wasn’t temporary or until the next bad thing happened. I needed to know we’d face it together. “For how long?” I whispered, staring into his eyes and seeing a different future for myself but one I desperately wanted.

His fingers squeezed mine. “Forever.”

The declaration made my fucking heart soar. Forever with Tristan. “Forever sounds nice,” I replied softly, trying my hardest not to cry. This was a moment I wanted to remember for a lifetime. I wanted to bottle up this feeling and keep it. Tears of happiness pricked at the corners of my eyes.

The hand he had on my thigh traveled up to my waist, the other joining it as he pulled me into his lap. “I’m going to remind you of that every damn day,” he said right before leaning in and kissing me.

thirty

“You and Tristan? Together?” My best friend blinked wide eyes at me with doubt written over every feature on her face.

I just finished breaking down the last twenty-four hours, and after getting over the shock, her biggest hang-up was me telling her Tristan and I were dating.

I nodded.

She wrinkled her button nose. “Tristan? 30A’s playboy?”

I swallowed the piece of chicken I’d been chewing on for too long. “Stop. Those days are behind him.”

Sam and I sat on my bed, eating Chinese takeout from white cartons. She raised her brows over a pair of chopsticks. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. He’s not Preston.”

“He also has never been someone’s boyfriend before.”

“Valid point.”

“Speaking of the ex-boyfriend, when are you going to tell him you’re dating his brother? He was released from the hospital, right?” she asked, lifting a piece of honey crispy chicken into hermouth. Her hair was secured into a messy bun on the top of her head, keeping it from falling into the sticky carton.

I dug my chopsticks around in my container of kung pao chicken. “Yeah, yesterday.” It had been three days since the incident. Tristan had picked him up and driven him home to their parents’ house. It just so happened to be the week of Thanksgiving, and despite Tristan wanting me to join him for the holidays, I thought it best this year to give the Malone family time alone. They would have plenty to digest without adding my relationship with their eldest son. We’d tell them eventually, but for now, we were keeping it to ourselves…and Sam, of course.

“You still want to come to my house for the holidays?” she asked.

I stuck my chopsticks into her carton, stealing a piece of chicken. “If your mom won’t mind.” My dad, like usual, was working. He texted me he would be in Milan and offered to fly me out, but that sounded as fun as swallowing glass.

I didn’t want to spend the time off alone in my big, empty house. I thought about staying at school, but Sam wouldn’t have it.

“Are you kidding? Pretty sure my mom loves you more than me.” She tapped her chopsticks together in the air. “There are worse things than a sober Thanksgiving.”

Scooping rice out of the carton we were sharing, I brought it to my mouth. “Is Veda coming?” I asked. I’d only met Veda, the girl Sam was seeing, briefly, but she seemed good for my best friend.

“Not this year. It’s too new, and I don’t want her meeting my mom and running for the hills.”

A knock sounded on my door. Chopsticks halfway to our mouths, Sam and I glanced in the direction of the three thudded raps. “Are you expecting someone?” Sam asked.

“No.” The delivery guy had already come. “Not unless you ordered more food.”

Sam shook her head. “Stay here. I’ll see who it is.” My protector. She climbed off the bed, setting her food on the desk, readying to screen and shield me from whoever lingered on the other side of the door.

I was all too happy to let her handle it and went back to my food, shoving another pile of rice into my mouth.

---