Page 301 of Boys Who Taint

Penelope’s tears move me enough to make my eyes tear up too, but suddenly she falls to the floor too and wraps her arms around me, crying into my shoulder, and I don’t know how to respond.

Neither does anyone else in this room.

I pat her on the back, and she slowly leans away again. “Thank you.”

And it means the world to me that her mother is finally allowing me to repent.

“So you’re just going to forgive him now?” Felix growls.

“What’s the point in keeping this rage locked in my heart? What purpose does it have except for ruining more lives?” she asks. “When is it enough?”

“It’s enough,” Alistair says, placing a hand on her shoulder. “You’ve grieved enough.”

She pulls away to hug him tightly, and I get back up on my feet.

Aspen stands beside me and entangles her fingers through mine. “Forgive him. Please. And stop the fighting.” She swallows when she looks around at all the adults who seem more than happy to enter another brawl. “Mavis would never have wanted this.”

“She’s right,” Alistair says. “Mavis deserves better from all of us.”

“All right, I’ll start too, then,” Milo says. “Sorry I tried to kill y’all. I was just doing as I was ordered by my queen.” He grabs Lana’s hand and places a kiss on top.

“I’m sorry too,” Alistair says. “For the same.”

“I’m not sorry,” Dylan says. “I tried to protect my daughter because I didn’t want her to suffer the same fate as Felix’s daughter. If that makes me a villain, then so be it.”

“You don’t have to protect her against my son,” my dad growls. “He’s never had bad intentions.”

Dylan’s eyes twitch. “You call fucking with her ‘good intentions’?” He makes quotation marks with his fingers.

“Dad,” Aspen says. “I always had a crush on him.”

Everyone stares at her like it’s new information, and it makes her blush.

“Wait, what?” her mom mutters as she sits back down again. “How did I not notice?”

“Because we were friends,” Aspen says, squeezing my hand. “I hid it well.”

“Too well,” I add, winking at her.

“No,” Felix says, narrowing his eyes.

“What do you mean ‘no’?” Aspen retorts, frowning. “You think I’m going to let any of you interfere?”

Her mom chuckles as Alistair nudges her. “Reminds me of someone who wouldn’t let anyone else decide who she loves,” he says.

Her mom wriggles around on the couch. “I guess we shouldn’t be too quick to judge. We’re all human.”

“I don’t know how you’ve done it, but you did it,” Felix says, glancing at Penelope before he gazes at me. “You convinced your mom.”

Aspen snorts. “But did I convince my dads?”

She looks them all in the eyes, and Dylan folds his arms and looks away.

“I can’t believe this. That fucker’s son …”

“What?” my dad says. “My son deserves happiness just like anyone else. Besides, you stole my eye, so it’s only fair my son steals your daughter.”

“You motherf—”

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