You Will Be Mine (Forever and Ever #7) Read online

  I stared at it and tried not to laugh. “Nice wrapping.”

  “Shut up,” he snapped. “It was hard.”

  “You could have just used a bag…”

  “I wanted to put the effort in and make it look like a real Christmas gift.”

  “Real?” I asked. “That’s the word you’re going for?”

  He snatched the gift away. “Forget it.”

  “Whoa…hold on.”

  He kept it out of reach. “No, you blew it.”

  “I’m sure the gift inside is better than the crappy wrapping.”

  “Crappy?” he snapped.

  “I mean, amateur.”

  He still looked mad.

  I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him. “You’re so cute.”

  He softened up. “Really?”

  “So cute…” I kissed his chin then his neck.

  He lowered the hand holding the gift. “That’s better.”

  “It’s adorable that you tried to wrap a gift for me.” I snatched the package out of his hand then ripped it open.

  A book was in my hands, a hardback. When I turned it over, I recognized it. It was The Odyssey. But it was a cover I didn’t recognize. The pages were old and yellow. When I opened it, the pages were a little dusty. I flipped to the front and looked at the date. “This is the first edition…” My heart stopped beating and I froze.

  Slade watched my reaction.

  “How…how is that even possible?”

  He continued to stare at me, his mouth shut.

  I couldn’t wrap my mind around it. “How…how?”

  “I spent six months tracking it down…and paid a small fortune for it.” He swallowed the lump in his throat. “But I knew you would love it.”

  Tears sprang into my eyes and fell. “I don’t know what to say…”

  “I know it’s an epic novel about war, revenge, and adventure, but it’s also a story about love. No matter how long they’re apart, they come back to each other, even if they don’t recognize one another.”

  I held the book in my hands and wiped my tears away so they wouldn’t stain the book. “I…Slade.”

  “You don’t have to say anything. Seeing how much you love it is enough.” He rubbed the back of my neck then pressed his lips to my hairline.

  “You’re so…wonderful. I didn’t think we’d make it because our relationship had such odd beginnings but…we’re meant for each other.”

  “You think so?” he whispered.

  I nodded. “I do.”

  He pressed a kiss to my forehead. “I’m starting to think it too.”

  I left the book on the bed then circled my arms around him. My face moved to his chest and I inhaled his scent. He was the greatest thing that ever happened to me, the sweetest man in the world.

  And I was so grateful he was mine.

  Chapter Nine

  Trinity

  “You really should eat something.”

  Skye stared out the window. Her eyes were glued to something only she could see. The sun was setting over the horizon, and the lights from Manhattan were starting to burn in all their glory.

  “Skye?” I set the pizza box on the table. “I got your favorite.”

  She didn’t look at me. “I’m not hungry right now.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and continued to look like a ghost.

  “You haven’t eaten all day and you didn’t eat yesterday…come on. Just a few bites.”

  She didn’t move. She sat on the floor and stared out her floor-to-ceiling windows. Skye was practically dead. She didn’t speak unless spoken to, and she walked around like she didn’t understand where she was. She pretended she was fine around everyone else, especially her parents, but it was all act. I knew the break up with Cayson would be hard, but six months months had come and gone and she hadn’t improved. I could only imagine how Cayson felt.

  I abandoned the pizza box then sat beside her on the floor. “Skye?”

  “Hmm?” She finally turned to me like she noticed me.

  “Why did you stay in California so long?” I kept my voice low so she wouldn’t get upset. Anything could set her off.

  She pondered my question for a long time before she looked away. Her hair was oily from not showering, and the weight had left her hips and legs quickly. She was starting to look less like the girl I knew. “He…he’s over me.”

  I didn’t see how that was possible. “Did he say that?”

  “Well, no.” She touched her hair again and stared at the hardwood floor.

  “Then why do you think that?”

  She closed her eyes as the tears started to bubble. When she opened them, the droplets slid down her face. “When I showed up at his apartment…some girl answered the door wearing one of his shirts…and nothing else.”

  The words washed over me like a cold rain. They burned my skin and made me breathe hard. “But, are you sure? There could have been another explanation.”

  She shook her head. “Like what? His heater was broke so it just kept going on full blast?” Bitterness was in her voice. “We’d only been apart for a few weeks and he was with someone else. How could he do that?”

  I tried to be gentle with her since she was so frail. “Skye, he thinks you cheated on him. He’s entitled to do what he wants…”

  “But that’s not Cayson…he wouldn’t do that.”

  “Maybe you’re right. Maybe he didn’t. There could be a reasonable explanation.”

  She shook her head. “There isn’t.”

  I hated seeing my best friend like this. She was a mess. Since she was the strongest woman I knew, it scared me. She’d completely fallen apart into a million pieces. She didn’t even work because she was so distressed. She had no reason to go on. She walked the earth like a ghost.

  Her agony was killing me. “Skye, I think you should call Cayson and tell him the truth.”

  “No.” Her words held her hostility. “Then this will all be for nothing. He belongs at Stanford…even if he isn’t with me.”

  “But—”

  “There is no but,” she snapped. “This is what I set out to do. I knew how much it would hurt before I did it. Now I have to see it through.”

  “But you did change your mind,” I reminded her. “You did go back to him.”

  A dark laugh escaped her lips. “And look where that got me…”

  I held my breath for a moment as I gathered my words. “I think you’re just scared to call him…because you think he’s already moved on.”

  She looked out the window and watched the sun as it finally disappeared over the horizon.

  “Skye?” I pressed.

  “Perhaps.” She pulled her knees to her chest. “But what’s done is done. It’s been six months. I’m probably just a memory to him. He hasn’t called me or—”

  “You haven’t called him either,” I reminded her.

  “Because I didn’t want to make it harder for him. But now if I called…he probably wouldn’t even want to talk to me.”

  “You keep making assumptions,” I said firmly. “Just talk to him.”

  “No.” She stood up then walked into the bathroom and slammed the door.

  A moment later, I heard her crying.

  ***

  Slade demolished his food, his attention focused on his burger and fries. Whenever he was hungry, I didn’t exist. His mouth was big so he could shove a lot inside.

  I sat across from him and didn’t touch my food. I wasn’t hungry, and my appetite was non-existent. Skye was sleeping so I decided to go out. It was difficult to be around her because she made me depressed. Seeing my best friend suffer like that was agony.

  Slade focused his eyes on me. “What’s your deal?”

  “My deal?” I asked.

  “You’re all quiet and moody.”

  I sighed then picked at my fries. “Just tired.”

  He kept eating then glanced at his watch. “I have to get back to work soon—and scrub a few toilets.” He
rolled his eyes. “So lame.”

  I stared at my food and felt my mind race.

  “Are you sure you’re all right?” he pressed. “When you’re tired, you usually lay on me. But right now you’re distant with me.”

  I pushed the tray aside, the smell of the food making me sick. “Have you…ever made a promise to someone?”

  He shrugged. “No. I don’t think so.”

  “Well, if you made a promise to your best friend, would you ever break it?”

  “No.” He said it without any hesitation.

  “What if it was the best thing for them?” I pressed.

  “A promise is a promise.” He sucked on his straw even though his cup was empty. It made an annoying slurping sound.

  “Can you knock it off for a minute?” I snapped.

  “What?” he said, offended. “I’m trying to eat. It’s not my fault you’re moody.”

  I rubbed my temple because he drove me crazy sometimes. “If Cayson made you promise to keep a secret, but that secret was hurting him, would you still do it?”

  He shrugged. “He’s never asked me anything like that before.”

  “Hypothetically,” I said.

  “I don’t know.” He sucked the straw again and made the same annoying sound.

  I snatched it away. “Knock it off.”

  He grabbed my soda and drank that instead.

  At least it wasn’t making a noise.

  “Why are you asking?” He put the drink down when it was empty.

  Should I tell him? I promised Skye I wouldn’t say anything, and I hated the idea of betraying her trust. But my gut was telling me to come clean, to take the hit and do the right thing. How could I live with myself if my two best friends walked away from each other? How could I sit by and watch Skye cry all day and night?

  “Trinity, is there something going on?” Slade directed his full attention on me.

  I knew Skye would hate me if I confessed her secret. She would never trust me again. Our friendship wouldn’t be the same. And I wouldn’t blame her for feeling that way. I was the one person she trusted with this, and now I was going to go against my word.

  Slade studied my face, concern coming into his features. “Why are you being so cryptic? If there’s something going on, you can tell me. But don’t expect me to read your mind.”

  I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. When I felt calm, I opened them again. “Okay, I need to tell you something.”

  He scooted closer to me and rested on the edge of his seat. “You want to have a threesome?”

  I gave him a look of hate. “Slade, I’m being serious.”

  “Oh, sorry. What?”

  “Skye…didn’t actually cheat on Cayson.” I watched his face when I finished my sentence, looking at his reaction.

  Instead of relief or surprise, he was just confused. “What?”

  “Skye didn’t cheat on Skye. That was all a lie.”

  His eyes narrowed. “But I saw her with that guy. I walked in on them.”

  “It was staged,” I said simply. “We paid the guy to play the part and I tricked you into walking in there. If Skye just told Cayson she cheated on him, he wouldn’t believe her. So we had you do the dirty work.”

  He slowly leaned back in his chair and his mouth was wide open. He seemed speechless, completely caught off guard. He leaned forward again to speak but shut his mouth instead. “I…what?”

  I gave him a moment to process it.

  He finally found his voice. “Why the hell would she do that? Is this some sick joke?”

  “No,” I said immediately. “She needed Cayson to go to Stanford. The only way she could get him to go was if she broke his heart.”

  He rested his face in his hands and sighed. Then he slowly lowered his hands. “That is the most fucked up shit I’ve ever heard.”

  “I know…” I was guilty and I knew it.

  “Do you have any idea what he’s been through?” His eyes burned in hate.

  “After being around Skye, I can imagine…”

  “No,” he snapped. His eyes bored into mine. “It’s totally different. Cayson thinks she betrayed him and their entire relationship. He’s been questioning everything ever since. The guy is a damn mess. It’s not the same thing at all. If Skye thinks she knows pain, she’s wrong.” He shook his head, his jaw clenched tight. “I think I hate her even more now.”

  “Don’t say that…”

  “It’s true. This is worse than cheating on him. She put him through pain on purpose. Who the hell does that?”

  “She did it so he would go to Stanford. If anything, she was selfless so Cayson could keep his dream.”

  “What’s the point of him having his dream if he’s totally miserable?”

  I didn’t have a response to that.

  He covered his face again. “Fuck, I can’t believe this…”

  I stared at the table.

  He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. “Why are you telling me now?”

  I grabbed the wrapping from the straw and fidgeted with it in my hands. “Because I can’t stand to see Skye like this any longer. And I can only imagine how Cayson must feel. They should be together, not going through the worst pain possible apart.”

  He stared at me, still pissed off. “You want me to tell him.” It wasn’t a question.

  I nodded slightly.

  He stared out the window.

  “Don’t you think he’ll be happy?”

  He laughed in a sad way. “It’s been three months, Trinity. That’s a long time.”

  My heart fell. “You think he’s over her?”

  “No,” he said immediately. “Definitely not. Cayson forgives Skye for everything because she can do no wrong in his eyes, but this…this is different. It’s a lot of agony to just forgive.”

  I hadn’t thought of that. “I know Cayson loves her. He’ll take her back.”

  He shook his head. “I really don’t know, Trinity.”

  “Well, you need to try.”

  He looked into my eyes for a moment while he rubbed his knuckles. “I will. But I have no idea how that conversation will go. He might hate her even more.”

  “He won’t,” I said firmly. If I believed in anything in this world, I believed in Cayson and Skye.

  “And what will Cayson do even if he does take her back?” he asked. “Move back here and act like nothing happened?”

  “That’s for them to decide, not us. He needs the truth.”

  Slade glared at me. “He wasn’t entitled to that before?” He’d never been this angry with me before. “You and Skye played him like a damn puppet. He’s the best guy I know and doesn’t deserve to be treated like that.”

  “I know—”

  “No, you obviously don’t.” He stared me down, the rage burning in his eyes. “How would you feel if this was reversed? If Cayson did this to Skye?”

  I wouldn’t like it at all.

  “Answer me.” He smashed his fist into the table.

  “I wouldn’t be happy about it.”

  He clenched his jaw and sighed. “This is so fucked up.”

  “Just talk to him, okay?”

  He was quiet for a long time. “Why did you wait so long to tell me? What’s changed?”

  I shrugged. “It’s been three months and she’s still a wreck. She originally went back to tell him the truth, but when she arrived on his doorstep, some girl opened the door wearing his t-shirt.”

  Slade’s eyes narrowed. “What?”

  “She was so hurt, she left. She just told me that a few days ago.”

  Slade shook his head. “Cayson hasn’t slept with anyone.”

  “You know that for a fact?”

  “I do,” he said defensively. He stared out the window again. Then he turned back to me, his eyes bright. “He has a roommate, Mitchell. It must have been one of his girls.”

  I breathed a sigh of relief. “I hope you’re right.”

  “I am,” he said firmly. “I
know my best friend.” He rubbed the back of his neck.

  We sat in silence while people around us kept eating. Slade wouldn’t look at me. Anger still burned in his eyes. He was tense and uncomfortable. I could read him better than anyone.

  “Are you going to call him?” I asked.

  “Why doesn’t Skye tell him?” he demanded. “She’s the one who pulled the trigger. She should clean up the mess.”

  “She won’t do it,” I said. “I already tried.”

  “Fine,” he said through ground teeth.

  I was anxious for him to make the call. “When are you going to call him?”

  He glared at me. “You think I’m going to tell him this over the phone? How cold do you think I am? I’m not just dropping a bomb on him with no warning.”

  He had a point. I stayed silent.

  He shook his head with disapproval. “I can’t even look at you right now…” He rose from the booth.

  I stayed in my seat and didn’t chase after him.

  He walked out without looking back.

  Chapter Ten

  Theo

  Christmas was over and it was back to reality. My jeans were a little tighter from all the pie I ate. When my mom put delicious food on the table, I had a hard time saying no. Anyone would.

  Returning to Cambridge was always hard. I had to return to work and school, both of which were boring. But now it was more unbearable because I’d have to see Alex. She turned my world upside down and made me loathe my job.

  Our last conversation wasn’t pleasant, and I somehow made our relationship more strained. I shouldn’t have been such a dick in the locker room. I was normally a nice guy but she brought out the worst in me.

  I should just make nice with her and apologize for my behavior over the past few months. That would make the most sense and make my life easier. But for some reason, I was undeniably stubborn around her. Just looking at her ticked me off.

  And now she challenged me in front of all my coworkers. I was certain I’d win this time. I was prepared and I wouldn’t go easy on her.

  I was sitting in the library thinking about it when Conrad sat across from me.

  “I wish the break wasn’t over,” he said with a sigh.