Chapter 16

 

I’m still confused. Trick has lost his mind, or maybe he never had one, to begin with.

“You really think he should be patched?” Devil points over his shoulder where Trick just was. Everleigh and Aria come into the room smiling and looking beautiful.

“Hey.” Aria smiles before moving into Roc’s arms. I love seeing those two together. Everleigh sits next to me, not touching me at all. It hurts that she’s still torn.

“So, Haylee and I had a talk about Christmas and Santa. Needless to say, it was awkward as fuck for me.” Ev and Aria both laugh.

“I haven’t explained to her that we will have to wait on Santa this year—I’m sorry,” Ev says. I shake my head when I grab her hand. I bring it to rest in my lap when I look up at Aria.

“You two are in charge of a tree, and whatever shit goes on it. We’re goin’ to meet Santa.” Ev’s hand grips mine tighter before I smile over at her.

“You don’t have to do that. She will understand,” Everleigh says. I hear Roc and Aria talking amongst themselves, so I know they aren’t listening to us.

“Yeah, I do. She deserves some sense of normalcy. I’ll make sure she has a good Christmas, Ev.”  Everleigh looks pissed before she pulls away from me and stands. She swallows hard before she says, “No. You can’t do that Dragon! This isn’t your responsibility!” She turns to walk away, my heart going with her.

“Fuck that, Everleigh!” I snap as I shove off the couch and head toward her.

“Excuse me?”  She says spinning around to pin me in place with her glare.

“You heard me! Fuck that, Everleigh! You aren’t my goddamn boss, and you know what? I’m fuckin’ sick of dancin’ around what I fuckin’ feel toward you two. If I want to fuckin’ spoil her for Christmas? I’ll do it! You’re done with this victim bullshit. I’ve shown you my heart; now you need to decide if you’re takin’ it!”  

***

I left her standing in the lobby.

“You told her didn’t you.” Angel walks next to me down the hall.

“Had to. She is pushin’ my buttons.” Angel laughs before I turn to face her.

“You think I went too far?” I ask, feeling like shit now.

“No, Dragon. I don’t. You know what you want. You’ve handed her the cards—now she has to play them. I think it’s great that you found her, though. It may have only been a few weeks, but you spend every day with her. She’s been next to you every single day. You learn a lot about someone being that close,” she says, making a lot of sense. She just might be right.

“I feel like I’ve known her forever, Angel. It’s like she’s meant to be here with me. I don’t fuckin’ know how to explain that shit.” Angel smiles when I hear Nessa.

“You don’t, Dragon. That’s the beauty of love. You can’t explain it; it just shows up.” Nessa moves in closer.

“You two gangin’ up on me?” Looking at the two of them, they laugh.

“Never. We just want you to be happy. She seems to make you smile; we like seeing you like that.” Pulling the two of them into my chest, I hug the hell out of them.

“You two troublemakers are the best,”  I say when my eyes lock with Ev’s. She stands at the end of the hallway, watching.

“You’re a good guy, Dragon. We know your past was shit like the rest of ours. You deserve to smile, hell—you deserve far more than that.” Ev’s eyes fill with tears. I can see them sparkle from here.

“I’m glad we got you, girls,” I say before releasing them. They both turn to head down the hallway when they see her. Glancing over their shoulders, they give me a smile before Ev walks toward me.

Her hands land on my chest, heat’s filling my body.

“I haven’t felt alive in a long time. I haven’t felt cared about since Luke, and I first started dating. The first time I looked into your eyes—I felt content. I don’t know what that means. I don’t know if I’m stupid for moving on so soon or not, but I can’t shake how I feel around you either.” Everleigh’s words fill me with hope. Hope isn’t something I’ve always had a lot of. Reaching up I wrap my hands around her wrists.

“You were never his, Ev. You never belonged to him. He used you for what he wanted. You never truly belonged to anyone, but you do now. Make no fuckin’ mistake about that. The moment I saw into your soul, I knew who you belonged to.” Her eyes burn into me.

“Who do I belong to?” As if she still needs that reassurance, I give it to her.

“Me. You belong to me. Everything about you, your heart, your body, your mind, and your soul. It’s all mine.” Crushing her lips with mine, I let her lead. I let her take all of me.  I want her to have me. I want her to have every last piece of my being. There is no one else I’d want to give it to.

My hands snake around her waist, pulling her into me. Her fingers tangle in my hair until I lift her in my arms. Pressing her back against the wall, we kiss with such a passion that it almost chokes me. My lips travel down her chin, to her neck.

“Now, we need to go see Santa.”