Page 175 of Treason's Temptation
“The best I ever had,” I smiled, enjoying the gentle sparring more than Sloane.
“Ew! Tre is like my brother. That’s gross,” Rayven squealed, covering her ears.
“Please, I know you’re not a virgin,” she laughed, then turned to Rayven, “Are you?”
My expression stilled and grew serious. It was the one topic we never really discussed, and now I was curious too. Rayven’s face grew red, and I knew the answer despite shifting the conversation.
“Don’t change the subject. Are you running a lick on Jaleb?” Rayven asked.
“It’s not like that.”
“It’salwayslike that with you. What makes him so special?” I asked.
“What makesTreasonso special?” Sloane countered.
“Tre is patient with the parts of myself that I hate. On my worst days, his eyes still see me at my best. Being with him gives me the peace I thought only existed in my dreams. That’s what makes him so special. It shouldn’t be that hard to answer when youreallylove someone.”
“Aww, Vie. That’s so sweet. I hope I find a love like that one day.”
“If there’s hope for me, you’ve got it in the bag, Squirt.”
“Stop saying stuff like that!” Rayven fussed, shoving my arm.
“I’m honest,” I replied, while Sloane stared out the oversized window like she was frozen in time.
“It doesn’t matter now. All that love made Gummy Bear! I can’t wait,” Rayven cooed in baby talk, rubbing my stomach.
“Would you stop?”
“No, I won’t, so get used to it.”
“Alright, since y’all are so pressed about me and Jaleb, let me tell you. I realized he was different when everything was falling apart, bills piling up, and the car acting like it wanted to die on me. I was ready to fight the world.”
Rayven smirked. “So… a regular Tuesday?”
Sloane shot her a look but couldn’t hide her laugh. “Anyway, I’m sitting inside this diner trying to figure out how I’m going to pay the mortgage and private school for two ungrateful ass kids. Jaleb walked in, but I was too stressed to pay him any mind. Turns out he paid me plenty, but instead of giving me some corny line, he sat down, slid a milkshake across the table, and said, You look like you need something sweet.”
I raised an eyebrow. “That’s it? He won you over with a fuckin’ milkshake?”
Sloane was materialistic to her core, and men were only as good as their bank accounts allowed them to be. The idea of the only man she ever loved winning her over with a five-dollar dessert blew everything she’d taught us out the window.
Her expression softened. “It wasn’t about the milkshake. It was the first time somebody didn’t try to fix me, didn’t tell me to calm down, or make me feel like I was too much. He just sat there, quiet, letting me be mad and rant. When I finally shut up, he made me laugh like I was belly laughing. It cracked something open I didn’t even know was locked up.”
Rayven nudged me, grinning. “She’s blushing. Look at her, Vie!”
Sloane rolled her eyes, waving her hand. “Whatever. The point is, that day, I saw him differently. Not as the man with a good family and a bright future. He was consistent from that day on. He kept showing up. He remembered the smallest things about me—things I didn’t even remember saying.”
Rayven tilted her head. “So why’d you take the payout from his parents?”
Sloane’s smile slipped, irritated that I shared her secret with Rayven.
“Because he loved me enough to throw his whole future away for me, and I wasn’t about to let him do that. Taking that money was the only way I knew to protect him, even if it meant losing him. I didn’t do it for me. I did it for him.”
Silence settled, heavy but honest.
“You had sex with him, didn’t you?”
“I’m already going to hell. No need to deprive myself now.”
