Page 85 of Cruel Devotion

Eli would be able to graduate as planned, and our futures were still ours to enjoy and plan on.

“Thank you,” he told Nat after hugging her. “Thank you for having my back.”

“I’ll admit it did pay off for me as well.” She smiled. “Greg and I are officially dating,” she told us when Grayson ran off to go to the bathroom. “And he is wonderful with Grayson.”

I couldn’t have been any happier. For all of us. For Grayson to have a good male role model in his life. For my sister to open up and find love. For Eli to be able to graduate and not have to pay back his funding. For Aunt Cindy to see our family grow.

And I was completely content to lower the last of my guard and have faith that with love, with this strong man at my side, my future would be brighter than ever.

All we had to do was make it to the end of the month and graduate.

“Will you tell your parents?” Aunt Cindy asked once we cleaned up the living room before calling it a night.

“No.” Eli shook his head. “They don’t deserve to know about my success.” With a long, sincere look at me, he smiled slowly and let me see the love he felt and needed. “I’ve got my family right here, and that’s all that counts.”

30

ELI

One month later…

“Rebecca Warner.”

Applause followed the emcee’s monotone announcement.

Finally, they were getting to the end of the alphabet.

I wasn’t sure we would make it to the graduation ceremony. Not with Haley puking her guts out all morning. I hated every day that started with her morning sickness, but per the doctor she had her checkups with, everything was going smoothly. After the first trimester, we were supposed to count on her morning sickness easing up, and according to Natasha, who swore that it would get easier, the later heartburn that would come in the third trimester would be worse.

I didn’t see how. As much as I hated that Haley would suffer at all, I knew she was tough enough to grin and bear it. That didn’t mean I’d stop pampering her and catering to her every need, though. I would never let her think she couldn’t count on me.

Like the trooper she was, she was here, come hell or high water, or the nausea and the need to vomit. Further up in the rows of gowned and capped classmates, right next to Davina, she stood with the tassel on her hat swinging as she laughed at something Davina said.

“Walt Wagon.”

I sighed, impatient for them to get to my name. I didn’t really care about this ceremony. All I wanted was the diploma and to get out of here. This was moving day as well, so the sooner they could wrap this up, the better.

Aunt Cindy wouldn’t hear of us skipping this day. She was back there with Natasha, Grayson, Greg, and Finn’s family. She insisted that we not deprive her of taking all the pictures she wanted to capture this day.

I cared more about it being a day of moving forward, not partying or celebrating what had happened in Marsten.

As I stared at Haley’s back, she turned to give me a sweet smile. Her glasses slipped down her nose a little, but she didn’t stop her smile for me to push them up yet.

That was how it was, and how I hoped it would always be between us. One little look, and we would both know that all was right in the world. So long as we had each other, everything would be perfect.

“Preston West.”

I lost my smile at that announcement. Haley rolled her eyes and faced forward as that rich asshole’s name was called.

Boos came with the applause, and I smiled.

“I see you smiling at your little whore,” he taunted as he passed me in the row.

I set my foot out and tripped him, keeping a straight face.

He fell forward, almost toppling over the students standing in front of us. A couple of chairs folded and fell with a loud clatter from the ruckus.

I didn’t turn, keeping my face forward as he righted himself and turned to glower at me. “You stupid loser?—”

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