Eternal Love: (The Cursed Series, Book 4)

by Kara Leigh Miller

  He tangled his chubby fingers in my hair, just like he always used to do, and pulled a little too hard until his face was inches from mine. “Low-ees back.”

  “Yeah, I’m back.” I fought against the tears forming and disentangled his fingers from my hair, then I ruffled his and stood.

  Little Frank tugged on my jeans. “Up.” He held his arms over his head.

  I picked him up and held him on my hip. He wrapped an arm around my neck and rested his head on my shoulder. Then he shoved his thumb into his mouth.

  “It’s almost nap time for him,” Larissa said, rubbing his arm. “He’s been asking for you since you left, you know.”

  Raw emotion stole my ability to speak. I’d intentionally kept my distance from Little Frank while I lived here because I knew I wouldn’t be staying, and getting attached to him was going to make leaving that much harder.

  For so many years, I’d wished for a sibling, and now that I had one, I really didn’t have much of a relationship with him. I probably never would, either, now that I was planning to become a vampire.

  “I can take him upstairs,” I offered, mostly so I could set him down and have a few minutes to compose myself.

  Larissa picked up my bag. “C’mon. You can lay him down, and then I’ll show you both to your rooms.”

  Nodding, I followed Larissa upstairs, Trent right behind me. My father still hadn’t shown his face, though I didn’t know why that surprised me. Even when I lived here I barely saw him. Why did I think a week-long visit would be any different?

  Larissa stopped in front of Little Frank’s room and opened the door.

  By the time I laid him down in his crib, he was sound asleep. I studied him a moment, smiling. An intense longing unfurled in my stomach and spread outward, clinging to every thought and emotion I possessed. I wanted this. A child of my own. A family. A home.

  Turning away from Little Frank’s crib, I whispered, “He’s out cold.”

  I tiptoed out of his room, refusing to meet Trent’s gaze, not wanting him to see what was written all over my face. He knew me too well; he’d be able to see the pain and longing, and I didn’t want to make him feel bad because he couldn’t give me what I wanted. I could give it to him, though. All I had to do was call Ivy. Isach had already said he’d talk to her, too, because he was curious what she’d want in return.

  “You didn’t forget where your room was, did you?” Larissa teased.

  I forced a laugh. “No.” I swung open the door.

  Everything was exactly as I’d left it. Clearly, the room had been cleaned and the bed had been made, but what little stuff I’d left here was still here. Memories of how unhappy I’d been bombarded me. I took my bag from Larissa and set it just inside the door.

  “Your room is here, Trent.” Larissa nodded toward a room two doors down from mine. She opened it for him and smiled.

  “Thank you,” he said.

  “Of course,” Larissa said. She rocked on her heels. “Look, I know you two are adults, and I’m guessing you aren’t saving yourselves for marriage but—”

  “Larissa!” I could not believe she’d just said that.

  Trent covered his laugh with a cough. This was so not funny.

  Larissa held her hands up in a show of surrender. “I’m just saying, if you’re going to do that, please be safe. And discreet.” She raised a brow, pinning me with a motherly stare.

  Oh, my God. Kill me now.

  If she knew we were having sex, and she didn’t have an issue with it, then why put us in separate rooms? It was on the tip of my tongue to ask, but I refrained. This conversation was already painful enough. The sooner it was over the better.

  “Okay.” She clapped. “You two get settled. I’m going to go find your father.”

  “Thanks,” I said to her retreating back.

  Trent moved behind me, and I stiffened. “Chloe?” he said softly.

  Taking a deep breath, I turned to face him. “I’m so sorry about that. I can’t believe she said—”

  “Stop.” He dragged me into his room and flicked on the lights.

  The room was arranged identically to mine, the only difference was the color scheme. My room was creams and browns. This room was dark blues and greens. I think I liked this décor better.

  “What’s going on?” he asked.

  “What do you mean?” I tried to go for ignorance, but I still hadn’t mastered the art of lying. Even if I had, it wouldn’t matter. Trent could read my emotions too easily.

  “You’ve barely looked at me, and you haven’t spoken to me since we arrived. What’s wrong?”

  “It’s just weird being back here. That’s all,” I said.

  He crossed his arms and raised a brow. He didn’t believe me. Well, that was too bad. I wasn’t going to tell him I was debating making a deal with Ivy and Isach so we could conceive a child together, or that seeing Little Frank was tipping the scales in favor of making a deal that would probably blow up in my face.

  “And I’m tired. Traveling is exhausting.” I unfolded his arms and wrapped them around me.

  He immediately tightened his hold around my back.

  “Thank you for coming with me,” I whispered.

  His answer was a tender kiss. “I don’t want to be anywhere else.”

  “We should probably head back downstairs, see if my dad decided to show up,” I said. Leave it to him to disappear the day he knew his daughter was arriving for a visit.

  Trent laced our hands, kissed my knuckles, and together we walked downstairs. With him by my side, I could handle anything.

  “Oh, good. I was just going to come get you,” Larissa said with a bright smile. “We have a gift for you.” Her eyes twinkled. “C’mon.” She motioned for us to follow her into the attached garage.

  Dad stood in front of a red SUV with an oversized silver bow strapped to the hood. “Merry Christmas,” he said, holding out his arms and stepping away from the car.

  I stood there, frozen, unsure what to do. “You bought me a car?” I asked, stunned.

  Larissa laughed as she went to stand next to my father.

  Dad nodded. “I talked to Beth and Dean, and they said you’ve been getting rides with Abby and your friends. But you’re an adult now. You need your own car.”

  When his words sunk in, my excitement skyrocketed. “Oh, my God.” I dropped Trent’s hand and dashed toward the car. I walked around the entire thing—twice—running my hand along the shiny metal. “Thank you.” I gave Larissa a hug, then my dad. I fully expected him to abruptly pull away, but he didn’t. “I love it,” I said.

  “Good.” Dad released me and then handed me the keys. “Because you get to drive it home when you leave.”

  I let out a shrill squeal. I was spending way too much time with Abby. Opening the driver’s side door, I slid in behind the wheel and inhaled the combination of leather and new car smell.

  “Trent. Good to see you.” My father shook Trent’s hand. I watched closely to see if Dad showed any signs of fear. If he was afraid, he hid it well.

  “Mr. Lawton.” Trent nodded. “Thanks for allowing me to visit.”

  How did Trent know my father’s last name? Had I ever told him that Dad took Larissa’s name after they married? I couldn’t remember, but Dad smiled broadly when Trent used the correct name.

  “Of course.” Dad cleared his throat. “We made dinner reservations for tonight.”

  I got out of my new car and closed the door. “What time? I’d really like to shower and change first. I feel gross.”

  “Seven. You have plenty of time to get cleaned up,” Larissa said, leading the way back inside. “I figure we could go dress shopping tomorrow.”

  “Yeah, that’d be great.” I was actually looking forward to shopping with her. “Okay, I’m going to go shower.” I hooked my thumb toward the stairs and waited to see if Trent was going to follow. But he’d disappeared into the living room with my dad.

  “Trent came to see us a couple of mo
nths ago,” Larissa said.

  I nodded. “Yeah, he told me.”

  “Did he tell you why?”

  “Yes,” I said.

  Why was she asking me all these questions? Had she and Dad changed their minds? Did Trent and I no longer have their blessing? Panic clutched my gut.

  “I can’t help but notice there’s not a ring on your finger.” Her gaze lowered to my hand, then back to my face, her expression compassionate. “Did you say no?”

  “What?” My eyes widened. “No. He just hasn’t asked me yet. He said he wants to surprise me.” I laughed, tension easing from my body.

  I couldn’t talk about this with Aunt Beth because she didn’t know Trent planned to propose, but Larissa did, and it was nice to be able to talk openly about it.

  “When he does, I’m going to say yes,” I said emphatically.

  Larissa smiled. “I figured you would. He seems like a great guy.”

  “He is.” I glanced over my shoulder, hoping I’d find Trent behind me. No such luck. I sighed. “All right, I need to go change. Flying makes me feel gross.”

  Larissa’s light laughter filtered behind me as I made my way upstairs. When I stepped into my room, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I’d hated it here so much, but now it wasn’t so bad. Maybe because I knew I wasn’t stuck here, that I could leave whenever I wanted. Having Trent here helped, too.

  THE FOLLOWING MORNING, I awoke to an empty bed. I groaned. Trent had slipped into my room in the middle of the night, and apparently, he’d slipped back out at some point. I had no idea why he was sneaking around. Larissa already told us she didn’t care what we did.

  I quickly showered and dressed, then headed downstairs. I reached the last step when I heard Little Frank’s giggle. I smiled. He giggled harder.

  What was he doing? I crept into the living room, not wanting to disrupt whatever was going on, and I stopped cold. Trent was on the floor with Little Frank, who was sitting in the midst of a pile of toy cars and trucks.

  Little Frank made a truck noise, then rammed the toy into Trent’s stomach. Trent made a fake explosion sound, groaned, then fell to the floor as if he were dead. And Little Frank giggled so hard his face turned red.

  Arms crossed, I leaned against the wall and watched as they did the same thing over and over again. And every single time, Little Frank laughed harder.

  “They’ve been at it all morning,” Larissa whispered.

  I gasped at her sudden nearness. “Looks like they’re having fun.”

  I couldn’t stop smiling at them, but despite my outward happiness, there was a heavy boulder in my gut, weighing me down. I wanted Trent to have this, the unfettered joy of being a dad, the love and stability of a family.

  “Trent volunteered to babysit today so we could go shopping,” she said.

  “What?” I whipped around to stare at her. “Seriously?”

  Larissa nodded. “We gave the nanny the week off, and your father got called into work this morning.”

  “Low-ee!” Little Frank stood, and Trent angled his body to look at me.

  “C’mon, buddy. Let’s go get dressed.” Larissa intercepted Little Frank before he reached me, and then she carried him upstairs.

  I approached Trent and crouched in front of him. “If I knew you liked toy trucks so much, I would’ve bought you some for Christmas,” I teased.

  Smiling, he swept his hand alongside my neck and drew me toward him for a kiss. “I like you better,” he said, his eyes sparkling.

  “I can’t believe you’re babysitting today.” I stood and held my hands out to him. He took them, and I pulled him to his feet.

  “I’ll be fine.” He enveloped me in a hug. “Besides, it’s good practice for when we eventually adopt.”

  His words landed hard in my chest, cutting off my breath. I knew he meant what he said with nothing but love and the promise of a life together, but I wanted more. I wanted everything we weren’t supposed to be able to have. I rested my head on his chest, fighting to keep my emotions in check.

  “You all right?” he asked, his hands coursing up and down my back.

  “Yeah,” I whispered.

  “Okay, Little Frank is in his room playing with his stuffed animals,” Larissa said. She had her purse slung over her shoulder. “And he’s asking for you.” She looked at Trent and laughed.

  Trent eased back, dropped a lingering kiss on my lips, then said, “I’m being summoned. Have fun today.” And then he dashed up the stairs.

  “Ready?” Larissa asked, still smiling.

  “Yeah.” I waited for her to lead the way, and then I pulled my cell phone from my pocket. My hands trembled as I sent a message to Isach.

  Me: I THOUGHT ABOUT IT. I WANT TO TALK TO IVY.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE:

  Heartfelt Confessions

  LARISSA HEADED UPSTAIRS TO GET LITTLE Frank ready for bed, and Trent followed, offering to help. Trent was so good with Little Frank—it kind of surprised me, though I wasn’t sure why.

  He had admitted once that if he hadn’t become a vampire, he would have had kids. And he did say he wanted to adopt, but I honestly thought he only said that because he knew I wanted to be a mom. I never stopped to consider it was something he really wanted, too.

  I was more convinced than ever that making a deal with Isach and Ivy was the right thing to do. If only Isach would answer the message I’d sent a few days ago.

  Dad was on the couch, and I sat on the opposite end, tucking my legs beneath me. “What’re you watching?” I asked.

  He and I hadn’t spent any alone time together, so we hadn’t talked much. And I was leaving in two days. There was so much I wanted to ask him, but I hadn’t quite worked up the courage.

  “Some show about haunted abandoned places. It’s not too bad.” He glanced at me. “Where’s Trent?”

  “Upstairs helping Larissa with Little Frank.”

  Dad grunted but didn’t say anything. I tilted my head, studying him. Was he mad that Trent was helping with Little Frank? Why would Dad be mad about that?

  “Thank you for letting him come,” I said, my tone cautious.

  The last time I’d been in my father’s house, we’d argued, and I’d walked out. This was the first time I’d been back since, and I didn’t want to cause another argument.

  Dad nodded. “He’s good with Little Frank.”

  I nodded.

  “He’s good with you, too.” Dad once again glanced at me, but this time his gaze lingered heavily. “You’re happy?”

  “Very.” I smiled. I wasn’t about to launch into some long explanation about how happy Trent made me or how he’d helped me get through the dark times after Mom died. “And thank you for giving us your blessing. That means a lot to me,” I said.

  His gaze darted back to the TV. “Your mother would’ve liked him.”

  I sucked in a sharp breath and bit the inside of my cheek so I wouldn’t cry. “You really think so?”

  “Yeah.” Dad muted the television, then tossed the remote on the coffee table. “You were your mother’s entire world. She would have done anything for you, and all she ever wanted was for you to be happy.” He smiled wistfully. “Even a blind man could see how happy Trent makes you.”

  I blinked, but the tears fell anyway. When would I be able to talk about Mom without crying? There were times I could, but there was something in Dad’s tone that tore at my heart. Regret, maybe. Or guilt. I wasn’t sure, but there was a softness to his voice that I rarely heard.

  “I don’t like what he is, but there’s not much I can do about that.” Dad sighed.

  “He’s a good guy, Dad. He doesn’t hurt people.” I gently placed my hand on his arm. “And he would never hurt me or anyone I love.”

  With a small smile, Dad placed his hand over mine. “I know. We had a very long talk when he showed up here a few months ago. He was clear about his intentions with you, but I have to wonder… What’re your intentions?”

  “What do you
mean?”

  Dad patted my arm, then pulled his hand back. “I’m sure you know he plans to ask you to marry him?” He raised a brow, waiting for an answer.

  I nodded in response.

  “And you’re going to say yes?”

  I nodded again.

  “Then what? Are you going to become what he is?” he asked.

  I swallowed hard and averted my gaze to my hands that were now in my lap. I picked at my fingernails. Having this type of conversation with my father was all sorts of weird. Not only because he was asking me something personal, but because he knew everything—things my best friends didn’t even know—and he spoke about all of it like it was totally normal.

  “Yes,” I finally said and looked up. “I want to spend eternity with him.”

  Dad’s shoulder rose and fell with a heavy sigh, and hurt flashed across his face. Guilt stabbed at me. Despite everything, I didn’t want to disappoint my dad, but this was my life. Not his. I needed to do what was right for me, and becoming a vampire so I could spend eternity with Trent was right.

  “When?” he asked, his voice low.

  I shrugged. “I’m not sure yet. We haven’t really talked about when, only that I wanted to.”

  “And this is your choice, right?” He raised a brow again, giving me that stern, fatherly look.

  “Yes. He would never force me to do this.” I paused and ran my finger along the seam of the couch arm. “Does Larissa know about any of this?”

  Dad shook his head. “No, and I’m not sure I want to tell her.” He stood and paced toward the picture window that overlooked the PCH.

  Even from where I sat, I could see car headlights zooming by.

  “I spent so much of my life trying to keep my family away from all of this. I failed with you and your mother.” His voice cracked. “I won’t fail with Larissa and Little Frank. I don’t want them involved in any of this.”

  “Dad.” I approached and stood next to him. “You didn’t fail. You did what you thought was right at the time. I’ve forgiven you for leaving.”

  I didn’t realize just how much I meant that until the words were out of my mouth. A weight lifted from my shoulders.