Love Lives On (Forever and Ever #24)

by E. L. Todd

  “But I was a brat…”

  “I’m not saying you weren’t,” he said with a laugh. “But I was a jerk to my dad too. When I became older, he and I were a lot closer. I started to realize I had the best dad in the world—he’s still the best dad. And our relationship changed. We started to become friends as well. Things change as you get older because the dynamic changes. And that’s what’s happening with us.”

  “No…nothing has changed. Only I’ve changed.” I looked my father in the eye and saw him in a different way than I used to. There were no words to explain it. It was just there. He was my role model, the man I looked up to and strived to be more like.

  “Now, let’s end this soap opera and go inside.” He gave me a smile.

  I laughed. “Dad, I’m pouring my heart out here.”

  “I know,” he said with a chuckle. “But you don’t need to. I see it every time you look at me.”

  ***

  Heath was nervous at first but he loosened up as the night went on.

  “This casserole is pretty good,” Mom said. “What’s the crunchy stuff?”

  “Deep fried onions,” Heath answered.

  “Delicious,” Mom said.

  “I like it too.” Dad ate his whole helpings then scooped more onto his plate.

  It was nice to have dinner with my family and have it feel like a normal night. My parents were acting like I hadn’t told them I was gay at all. Everything was exactly the same.

  Mom finished her food then sipped her wine. “Can I ask you guys some personal questions?”

  “Sure,” Heath said.

  “When did you fall in love?” There was a smile on her lips, like she thought our relationship was cute.

  “Uh…I’m not sure,” I said honestly. “It kind of just happened.”

  “I remember,” Heath said. “But I fell in love with Roland long before he even knew he was gay.”

  “When?” I asked.

  “When you started working in my cubicle,” I said. “You kept emailing me jokes and throwing stuff at me when I was on the phone. I’m not sure why it happened then…it just did.”

  “You don’t know when it happened for you?” Mom asked me.

  “No,” I said. “There was no specific time or moment. It just formed and it grew bigger and bigger until I couldn’t deny it anymore. But I guess it was the night when Heath went out with some guy. I saw them together and…it hurt.”

  Heath’s eyes softened when he looked at me.

  “I guess that’s when I knew,” I said quietly.

  “Do you guys think about marriage?” she asked.

  “Baby, you’re interrogating them,” Dad said gently.

  “I’m just curious,” she said.

  “The questions don’t bother me,” Heath said. “And yes, we think about marriage. I don’t know when it will happen but…it’s on both of our agendas.”

  “Please tell me there are kids in this future.” Mom could barely contain her excitement.

  “We want kids,” I said. “We haven’t talked about that in detail but it’s on the schedule.”

  “I can’t wait to have little kids running around again,” Mom said with a sigh.

  “We can make another one,” Dad offered.

  “God, no,” Mom said. “We just got rid of Roland and Skye. I want to have a baby to run around sometimes—not all the time.”

  “So, you’ll babysit?” Heath asked with a smile.

  “I’ll babysit every day,” Mom said. “Our house is perfect for kids. There’s so much to do.” She suddenly became sad, like she was thinking about something painful.

  Dad caught the look but didn’t say anything.

  I didn’t ask her about it. It seemed personal.

  “So, the gang is having fun in Las Vegas,” Dad said. “But Slade got arrested.”

  “What?” I dropped my fork onto my plate. “Explain!”

  “This story sounds good,” Heath said with a laugh.

  “You won’t believe it,” Dad said as he shook his head.

  “Tell us,” I said anxiously.

  “He took a shit through the sun roof of an expensive Lamborghini.”

  Mom started laughing.

  “Why the hell would he do that?” I asked.

  “I have a feeling alcohol was involved…” Heath sipped his wine.

  “Heath is right,” Dad said. “But a lot of alcohol was involved…”

  “Man, he’s an idiot,” I said. “I’m going to give him shit the second he comes home.”

  “You along with everyone else,” Heath said with a laugh.

  “Poor Trinity,” I said. “At some point, she’s going to get thrown in jail alongside him.”

  “And that’s where she should be.” Mom rubbed Dad’s shoulder. “Right by his side.”

  I hated it when my parents were overly affectionate. It was annoying.

  “So, have you told anyone else about your relationship?” Mom asked.

  “Just Skye and Conrad,” I said.

  “You should tell the rest of your friends,” Mom said. “I’m sure they’ll be just as supportive.”

  “They are the least of my worries,” I said. “You guys were the only ones I was stressed out about.”

  Mom and Dad exchanged a look.

  “And I assure you, none of your aunts and uncles will care,” Mom said. “Otherwise your father and I will make them quickly change their mind.”

  I turned to Heath. “Can I meet your friends now?”

  “Sure,” he said. “They’ve been eager to meet the infamous Roland.”

  I nudged him in the side. “You talk about me?”

  “Only good things.”

  Mom leaned toward Dad and whispered. “They’re cute together.”

  I heard what she said but I didn’t acknowledge it.

  After we finished dinner, we moved into the living room and opened up a board game.

  “Not Monopoly,” I said. “Skye would be mad if she knew we played her favorite game without her.”

  “What about Cranium?” Dad asked.

  Heath silently watched us discuss the board game. His eyes watched my dad closely and the he looked at my mom.

  “Cranium is cool,” I said. “But I’ve never been good at trivia.”

  “Your father knows everything,” Mom said. “It’s a bit frightening, really.”

  “Maybe he just cheats,” I said.

  Heath kept watching my family, a deep look in his eye.

  “You okay?” I asked. “We don’t have to play Cranium.”

  “No,” he said quickly. He snapped out of his trance. “It’s just…this is really nice. I never thought I would have this.”

  Dad placed his arm around Heath’s shoulders. “You always have a home with us.”

  I never realized how much it bothered Heath that he didn’t have a family of his own. But I should have noticed the second I looked at that painting of the family standing in front of the tree at Rockefeller Center, or the image of his home in Ireland. Now I understood why he needed our relationship when he didn’t want to. He was searching for more than just someone to love. He was looking for a new future, a family of his own.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Slade

  I would never shit in a car again. I learned my lesson.

  Thankfully, my stupid stunt didn’t ruin what was left of Trinity’s bachelorette party. The weekend seemed to drag on forever, and I had more liquor than my body could tolerate. Trinity was drunk all the time, even during the day. It was like her body was made of alcohol.

  I pulled the curtains apart and let the light in. “Time to get up.”

  “Muh.” Trinity rolled out of bed and landed on the floor.

  “Come on. It’s our last day here.”

  “Sun…too…bright.” She covered her face.

  I pulled her from the floor and set her on the bed. “Don’t you want to go to the pool?”

  “Maybe in twelve hours…” She pulled her ha
ir out of her face. It was a tangled mess. Her make up from the previous night was smeared across her face.

  “No. Once you’re in the sunlight with a drink in your hand you’ll be wide awake.”

  “Muh,” she said again.

  I appealed to her superficial side. “Don’t you want to get some color before the wedding?”

  “Yeah…”

  ‘Then come on.” I opened her suitcase and searched for her bikini. It was skimpy and purple. “Put it on and let’s go.”

  She moved to her feet then stretched her arms over head. “I’ve never had this much alcohol in my life.”

  “Then you need to get out more.”

  She groaned again.

  ***

  When we got to the pool, all the girls were walking zombies. Thick sunglasses covered their eyes and their movements were sluggish. It looked like they wanted to crawl to a spot of shade and pass out.

  “Yours is pretty bad too,” Cayson said when he came to my side.

  “Skye looks…dead.” There was no other way to describe it.

  “I miss sober, responsible Silke,” Arsen said. “What was she like again?”

  All the girls made incoherent noises of rebuttal.

  “Let’s get them some chairs,” I said.

  We grabbed a few lounge chairs and helped the girls sit down. Once they peeled their clothes away they lathered themselves in sunblock. Even though Trinity was hung-over, she looked sexy as hell in the skimpy purple bikini. Now I wish she’d worn it at the room.

  But then I noticed Skye.

  She had a large scar on her right shoulder. A noticeable line moved through the skin, and it was slightly puckered from the bullet that pierced her skin. I tried not to stare at it. Whenever I did, it made me sad.

  “Let’s hit the pool,” Cayson said, trying to relieve the attention off Skye.

  We pulled our shirts off then headed to the pool toy line. Cayson and I both glanced at Arsen, who was packed with muscle and looked ready for a boxing match. I never had a problem with my body. I was lean and tone, showing the muscles of my body. But they didn’t bulge in strength like Arsen’s. Cayson eyed him as well.

  “Maybe you should put a shirt on,” I said. “You know…too much sun exposure.”

  “Yeah,” Cayson agreed. “You should take that seriously.”

  Arsen eyed us suspiciously. “Why are you guys being weird?”

  I glanced at Trinity, and to my dismay she was looking this way. “Just cover up, dude. You’re killing me here.”

  Arsen had a blank expression on his face.

  Cayson turned to Skye and released a sigh. “She’s looking too.”

  Arsen looked over his shoulder then turned back to us. Then he chuckled. “I’m sure they’re looking at you, not me.”

  “Uh, no,” I said. “They’re totally checking you out. Now cover up. I can’t even eat enough calories to get to your size. And that’s saying something because all I ever do is eat.”

  Arsen turned and looked at a group of girls nearby. They were giggling and looking this way. “I just heard them say they like your tattoos.”

  “Yeah?” That changed my attitude real quick.

  “People are looking at you, not me,” Arsen said. “So chill out.”

  “I still think you should put on a shirt…” Cayson rubbed the back of his neck.

  Arsen laughed. “You guys are ridiculous.” He reached the front of the line then grabbed an inner tube.

  “We’re just trying to keep our wives around,” I said. “And when you parade around talking about motorcycles and jail time it makes our ladies consider trading in a nice guy for a bad boy.”

  “When have I ever done that?” he asked incredulously. “I never talk about my time in jail.”

  “But you’re the strong and silent type,” Cayson said. “Girls like that.”

  He shook his head. “You seem to think your girls are attracted to me when they aren’t.”

  “But they always say how great you are.” I rolled my eyes. “It’s so annoying.”

  “Maybe because they like me for Silke,” Arsen said. “And that’s the only reason.”

  Cayson and I weren’t buying it. “Put on a shirt,” we said at the same time.

  Arsen shook his head and walked away.

  “At least he doesn’t wear his leather jacket anymore,” Cayson said.

  “And he doesn’t drive a motorcycle anymore,” I said.

  “And at least he doesn’t have ink. Then we’d be really screwed.”

  I sighed. “I think we’re already screwed.”

  We took our tubes to the large slide and rode all the way down to the bottom. The nice thing about this hotel was there was stuff to do other than bake in the sun. We found a Nerf ball during our adventure then played catch in the pool for a while. And then we moved to the volleyball net and played two on one.

  “Hey, can we play?” A group of three girls approached the edge of the pool, all wearing bikinis that barely covered anything. They were the same girls we saw earlier. None of us knew what to say. Of course, our ladies wouldn’t like us hanging out with other attractive women.

  “It’s more of a three person game,” I said.

  The girl in front put her hands on her hips and tilted her head to the side. “I really like your ink. I wish I could get a closer look.”

  One girl had her eye on Arsen. She stared at him like he was a painting.

  And the last girl moved for Cayson like she’d done this before.

  “Thanks,” I said. “I’m a bit of a canvas.”

  “I can tell,” she said. “Can I touch them?”

  “Uh…I’m married.” It was the only excuse I could think of.

  “You are?” she asked in surprise. “Well, that doesn’t bother me.”

  Girls were getting sluttier every day. “Well, it bothers me. Take a hike.”

  Three bodies jumped into the pool and made a splash. Arms hooked around my neck and legs moved around my waist. Trinity hugged my body to hers, claiming me. She gave the girl a dirty look. “Why don’t you go shopping or something?”

  The girl turned to the other three. “I told you they were way too hot to be single. They walked away in their heels, strutting.

  “Geez, I can’t leave you alone for even a second,” Trinity said. “You get into trouble no matter where you go.”

  “It’s not my fault I’m beautiful,” I said.

  “This ink is ruining my life.”

  “What’s wrong with my tattoos?” I said in offense.

  “They’re too distracting,” she said. “They are like a beacon to attract slutty girls.”

  “Why do you think I got them?”

  She narrowed her eyes in irritation.

  “I mean, I got them because they’re artistic and expressive…” Did that salvage anything?

  “Just mind your own business and don’t attract anymore whores.” She moved off of me and to the pool’s edge.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” I snatched her and dragged her back to me. She was even lighter underwater. “Play with us.”

  “I’m not good at volleyball.”

  “So?” I asked. “You think we are? It’ll be fun.”

  “Fine,” she said. “How else am I going to keep the nats away?”

  I shrugged. “I think it’s impossible.”

  “And Cayson and Arsen aren’t helping…”

  “What did they do?” I demanded.

  “They’re attractive too,” she said. “You guys can’t go anywhere alone.”

  “No need to be jealous. My cock is yours, baby.”

  “Not just your cock. All of you.” She moved off of me and took her spot in the pool.

  “Let’s play,” I said.

  Arsen shrugged. “I guess we can play two on two.”

  “Two on two?” I asked. “There’s six of us.”

  “Not anymore.” Arsen nodded toward the corner of the pool.

  Cayson had
Skye pressed against the wall while they made out. It didn’t seem like they noticed us or the rest of the world. I decided to cut him some slack since he just got engaged. “Two on two, it is.”

  ***

  We were gambling in the casino, and Cayson and I were at the blackjack table. I was two hundred bucks in the hole. Cayson was about even.

  “Hit me,” I said.

  The dealer turned the card over. And I hit twenty-three.

  “Dammit. Let’s go again.” I put more chips in.

  “Be careful,” Cayson said.

  “Are you an old man?” I asked. “Because sometimes I can’t tell.”

  He ignored the jab. “Just don’t lose all your cash. You’re getting a wife soon.”

  The dealer flipped the cards over.

  “Hit me.”

  He turned mine over and I got twenty-one.

  I shot Cayson a smug grin. “Now look who’s up by two hundred bucks.”

  “For now…”

  We continued playing and my pile of money only grew.

  “Any wedding plans?” I asked.

  “No,” he said. “Skye doesn’t want to plan anything until you guys tie the knot.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Do it anyway and just don’t tell Trinity.”

  “It’s important to Skye,” he said. “Believe me, I want to get married as soon as possible.”

  “You knock her up?”

  He shot me a glare. “No, Slade.”

  “I won’t tell anyone if you did.”

  “I didn’t,” he said quietly.

  “So, you still won’t give it to her in the ass?” I blurted.

  Cayson eyed the dealer then gave me a look that said, “Shut the hell up.”

  “What? You think he hasn’t heard worse?” I asked. “And it’s not like we know the guy.”

  “I’m like a priest,” the dealer said. “Your confessions are safe with me.”

  “See?” I said. “Now, why won’t you fuck her in the ass?”

  Cayson put more chips into the pile. “I did the other night.”

  “Yeah?” I grinned then nudged him in the side. “Awesome, right?”

  “Definitely,” he said.

  “Then why were you being a pussy about it?”

  “Because that isn’t something you do with your wife. It’s something you do with the girls you’ll quickly forget. I’ve done anal a few times, and I honestly can’t even remember who it was with.”