Page 97 of American Beauty

And in the middle of it all, Tyson lies sprawled on the floor, looking like he just got drop-kicked by karma wearing steel-toed boots.

Karma––she’s a salty bitch, that one.

“Ty, you need to go to the hospital.”

He coughs, then groans, rolling onto his side. “I’m fine.”

A short, sarcastic laugh slips from my lips. “You are most definitely not fine. Your nose is not even in the center of your face anymore.”

He drags in a slow breath, wincing as he props himself up on an elbow. “I’ve had worse.”

He inhales before reaching up and gripping his nose between his fingers.

“Oh my God. Don’t do it.”

An unmistakable crunch reaches my ears as he shifts it back into place.

I close my eyes, a full-body shudder racking through me. “Jesus, Ty.”

He exhales, then grins through the blood. “Well, that was unpleasant.”

“You should leave.” Now. While Alex is catching his breath. I’m not sure he’s finished with you.

Tyson pushes to his feet with a groan, wiping more blood from his face as he straightens. He’s slower now, stiff, and favoring one side as he makes his way toward the door.

I step ahead of him and pull it open, gripping the knob. He stops just shy of the threshold, looking down at me. There’s no smirk, no cocky gleam in his eye. Just something tired. Something raw.

“Pick… me… Magnolia.”

My chest tightens. Despite everything, despite the lies, despite the chaos, I can feel the truth in his voice. He means it.

He loves me.

But my answer is still the same. It’ll always be the same.

“I choose Alex… every… time.”

A beat passes before he nods, slow and accepting, like he already knew what I’d say. “If you ever change your mind, one call. That’s all it’ll take for me to run to you.”

“Wow.” Alex lets out a dry chuckle, pure revulsion in his voice. “Didn’t think you could be more pathetic, but here we are.”

Ty’s jaw tightens, his eyes flicking to mine before settling back on Alex. “You’ve won. For now.” His voice is low, edged with something dangerous. “But one fuck-up, Sebring—just one—and I’ll be there to catch her when she falls.”

Alex leans forward, resting his forearms on his knees, blood still smeared across his knuckles. His eyes burn with absolute certainty. “That’ll never bloody happen.”

Ty holds his gaze for a moment longer, his expression unreadable. Then he turns back to me. “Until we meet again, Mags.”

Chapter 27

Magnolia Steel

The door clicks shutwith a finality that echoes through the apartment. I press my forehead against the cool wood for half a second before turning back to the man still sitting bloodied on my floor.

Alex leans back against the couch, his broad chest rising and falling in deep, measured breaths. He keeps his hands braced on his thighs, fists still clenched. His knuckles are raw, his lip split, and there’s a deep, angry cut just above his eye.

I go to him, lowering myself to the floor. Neither of us speaks for a long moment, the weight of everything that’s happened pressing down on us. Everything we’ve been through. Everything we haven’t said.

“I was afraid you were going to kill him.”

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