Page 94 of The Game

Bobbing my head, I dive deep into thought, into myself, and my next words are meant to be kind, but Teddy can always pick apart my brain and see through me to my core.

“Are you two…involved?”

“That’s not what you want to ask, Alice.”

Glaring at the twigs we ramble over, I give him the truth, humbled instantly.

“Do you have feelings for her?”

“Beyond friendship, no. Normally, Alice, I’d tell you to mind your own business, but considering what we’ve gone through…I promise to always be honest with you on that.”

I don’t know why that makes me want to cry. Maybe the thought that one day I really will lose him to another. At the same time, I am eternally grateful he knows me well enough to understand how far a head’s up will go to keep me sane and prepared. He slows, and it forces me to stop, my eyes bouncing up to his.

Softly, he smiles, laugh lines growing. Reaching up, he pinches my chin with his thumb and forefinger, his eyes gracefully tracing my face, leaving nothing but love in their wake.

“In another lifetime, Alice, we are soulmates. I believe that with everything I have in me. But this…this lifetime is forthem,” he says softly, jerking his head back toward our house. A few tears gather, wavering before they spill over my cold cheeks. In that moment, his eyes gloss over as well, and his smile grows more prominent. “And in that lifetime, we have like, eight kids.”

I crack with a laugh, my nose running profusely as he pulls me into a hug, cradling my head, resting his chin on my hair as I listen to the thump of his heart and breathe in his comforting scent.

“You deserve the world, Teddy. You’re going to get it in this lifetime. I can feel it,” I whisper hoarsely against him. He squeezes me tighter.

“I know it, too, bunny. Speaking of which…I have a present for you.”

Pulling away with furrowed brows, I glance around for whatever it is he seeks to give me, my chest fluttering. He rubs my arm, jerking his head back toward the house, and biting my lip, I follow. The grumblings of my twins are heard before the dark edifice of our home even looms into view, but when my eyes grace their muscled backs, Jameson turns, arms encircled around a white ball of fluff.

Eyes jumping to Teddy’s in astonishment, he grins down at me and quirks his brow. “A bunny for my bunny. They aren’t too excited, but—”

He’s cut off as I jump at him, wrapping my arms tightly around his torso as another wave of tears washes over me. I know in my bones this is it, the end of us, the beginning of another chapter of my life with my twins, hopefully filled with peace, and so I cling to him, still not quite ready to say goodbye.

Jameson meanders down to me, scratching between the rabbit’s floppy ears, the little thing all white, save for the two black circles around each eye, its pink nose twitching as a breeze drifts lazily by and ruffles the pines. He gently holds out the bunny to me, and with one last look into my favorite shade of teal, I grin at Teddy, releasing him and anchoring myself once more to Jameson, Tristan stomping down the steps to stand on my other side.

The little bunny kicks its back legs against my arms as Jameson hands it over, and I gently cradle it to my chest, pressing my lips to its fluffy head. My twins surround me, Tristan with an arm around my shoulders, Jameson with a hand on my back, and when I raise my eyes to Teddy’s, his hands are shoved into his pockets, his eyes blazing as they hold mine.

“Only one condition, Alice,” he says, smirking gently. Sniffing, I nod, rubbing my thumb along the bunny’s chest, the erratic thumping of its heart calming with each pass of my finger. His smirk widens. “His name is Chucky.”

Tristan is quick to snort while I grind my teeth.

“Seriously? From that stupid movie?”

Teddy grins as Tristan cuts in.

“What is wrong with that,babochka? If that thing is to be in our home, at least give it a cool name.”

I can only manage to roll my eyes before the crunch of gravel along the driveway alerts me to incoming guests. Teddy turns, prepared to receive the news as well about Oksana’s daughter, but as one car rolls to a stop, another behind it, and then a third, something akin to dread pools in my gut, Jameson’s fingers curling against my back into a fist, Tristan’s arm tightening across my shoulders.

“It’s never a good thing when Fordson shows up unannounced…” Tristan mutters.

And as the beast exits his car without Ellie, his eyes locked on me, the icy fingers of death I’ve familiarized myself with grip at my heart and refuse to let go.

CHAPTER 47

Alice

The scent of my freshly baked cake permeates the living room. Everyone stands around the island or seats themselves on the couches and talks, an air of nervousness surrounding us all. I’m biting my lip as I flip the charcoal-black cake out, satisfied nothing stuck to the pan, when Teddy comes up next to me, resting his forearms on the cool concrete countertops. Jameson’s eyes swish to us from the sitting area while mine single out Oksana, who’s seated and rocking a sleeping Alina while speaking with Doctor Johnson. Nick stands off to the side, arms crossed as he converses lowly with Corey; he said he’d wait to speak with me until after we revealed the results, which comforts me. Whatever he has to say must not be that pressing…but it’s still Nick, and he’s always scared the shit out of me.

“Gonna warn Oksana that this shit kills birth control?” he teases. Rolling my eyes, I slather on some icing before I snort. At least he can find humor even in the darkest of situations.

“I doubt she has any inkling to sleep with any of the men here,” I mutter. He chuckles, rubbing his face.

---