With You: With you, I am who I want to be.

by Jensen Kristyne

  The second we were alone, he quickly filled me in on the truth behind his father’s plan to have me killed. A stupid ruse in order to get him on board to kill, and overthrow, the Dallas crime boss, Giuseppe Russo. Which, now that he knows, Theo says that it makes sense he would want him dead.

  Russo had just named his underboss, who would eventually take over in his stead, as none other than Alec Figueroa. Son of the man who despises Theo’s father for marrying Theo’s mother—his daughter. The second Alec has any sort of power, Gerald Wescott is a dead man. So he figures, take out Russo, take his empire, and eliminate the problem.

  But like Theo told his father, going after Russo is a suicide mission. Unfortunately, that leaves us here. Stuck at a crossroad, with two endings in sight. Theo can marry Katrina and join arms with his father. Or he can face Giuseppe Russo and pray he’s in a forgiving mood.

  "What are we going to do now?" I ask, knowing he’ll have an answer.

  "I'm not sure. I’ll do whatever you want to do, I guess."

  I look around the scene and bite my lip. My eyes find Wes, who’s holding a very emotional Becks in his arms. It's more emotion than I've seen her show since the night Mason was murdered. A night, much like this one. I watch until I notice they begin loading Luca into the ambulance. He's wearing a neck brace, and they have him connected to multiple small boxes by a bunch of tiny wires.

  Whatever I want to do?

  I don’t want to do any of it.

  I want a third option!

  I don’t want to ever feel like this again.

  "I don’t want you to marry Katrina, Theo because I’m hoping that someday—not now, but someday, we can. I can’t lose you again." I say, fully expecting Theo to come unhinged but he doesn't. He just smiles and reaches out to brush the back of his fingers against my cheek.

  "Good. Then we agree because I want to marry you too.” He smiles. “I promise I’ll fix this. I’ll do whatever I have to in order to get out. To be done, for good. But first, I think we need to focus on what happened tonight. And making sure our friends are all right."

  My heart contracts for a million different reasons, but for the moment, all I can think about it is . . . "So you want to marry me, huh?" I feel my eyes welling at the sound of it.

  “Someday," He says, leaning over to press his lips to mine.

  “Excuse me, Sir?” the paramedic who assessed Theo’s shoulder interjects. “We’re ready to transfer you now.”

  We stand up and I turn my eyes back to Luca and the ambulance he’s in. He has no one to go with him. His parents are out of town.

  "Go."

  Go?

  I turn around, confused by what Theo has just said. He tilts his head toward Luca’s door. "Go with him. I'll be fine."

  "Wh- what? Are you sure?"

  He leans forward and grabs my arm. "Yes."

  His lips close over mine as he kisses me. The kiss itself is quick, but I can sense something more behind it—a sense of longing and finality that scares me. It's the kind of kiss you give to someone whom you know you aren't going to see for a while.

  "I love you."

  With worried eyes, I take a step, but my hand refuses to let go. I'm afraid of what it might mean if I do.

  "I love you, too," I whisper, then walk to join Luca in the ambulance, making sure to keep my eyes fastened on Theo until the doors shut, and he disappears.

  epilogue

  THEO

  I love you too . . . I hear the memory of Brielle’s words, and that night, echo inside my mind as I lean into the pavement, press my weight over my heels, and stand to my feet.

  It’s close to midnight and Brielle’s probably worried sick since I should have been home hours ago. I was only supposed to swing by and check on Luca, while she studied for her upcoming English exam. But as I stand here—outside our flat, in Dallas, I can’t seem to get my feet to work long enough for me to make it upstairs.

  Never in my life have I felt such pain—such helplessness as I did the night of the All Hallows Eve Ball. From the moment that Wes told me Brielle was missing, every second that followed passed in a manic blur until my father had gone, and Hurst's body sat barely a hundred feet from me.

  His blood forever a stain on my hands.

  I used to think I knew what it felt like to lose Brielle, but I was wrong. Fuck, was I wrong. Nothing could have prepared me for what I felt hearing Hurst's name leave my father's lips. The instant fear that this time I might not be able to save her, stripped me to my core. And the real fear of who would I become . . . what would I have done . . . if I never got to see my blonde-haired, green-eyed beauty again, has haunted me every day for the past three weeks.

  I was just glad that Giuseppe Russo had bigger fish to fry the day I went in to plead my case. Because not only did he grant me a full exoneration for killing Hurst. He released me from having to have anything more to do with them, and their world, for good.

  When I told Brielle the news, she nearly fainted. There’s just one thing left I had to do . . . my final task before I can truly claim to be the luckiest man alive. Something that until now, the idea wasn’t even a possibility. Merely a dream that could never be. My one final task, and the only reason I’m even still standing here, when I should be upstairs with Brielle, making up for time lost.

  I need to officially claim Brielle as mine.

  But what if she doesn’t want me?

  Okay, yes, she briefly mentioned the idea on the steps of the manor. But the fact still remains whether or not she could really see a life with me. A future. For real. Crazier things have been said in the wake of a traumatic event, much like the one we experience. But I’ve been hoping to God that she actually meant it.

  When I spoke to Luca today, he all but guaranteed me that she did . . . meant it that is. But it’s Luca. And that asshole, although slowly coming around to the idea that I’m not going anywhere, still likes to push my buttons when he can. The only reason I even asked him in the first place is because, while in the hospital, there are some days where he sees her more than I do.

  I swear, if he hadn’t taken a beating trying to save her, I’d kick his ass for keeping her away from me as much as he does. But as he did, I made the decision not to stand in the way of their friendship anymore.

  “Ah, fuck it.” I shake my head.

  There’s no use stalling any longer. I’ll only ever know what Brielle wants, if I ever make it up these damn stairs and work up the courage to ask her

  I reach into my pocket and finger the velvet box Brielle’s ring is in, ready to see it on the girl who’s going to wear it for the rest of our lives. If I get to be so lucky. Because who I am with her, is who I want to be.

  acknowledgments

  I am so excited to finally be releasing With You. This book has been a work-in-progress for years now, and it wouldn’t have been possible without the help of so many people!

  Firstly, I’d like to thank all of my #THIELLE shippers. You guys have been here since the beginning, and the amount of support I see daily is still so insane to me. I love each of you so much. Every time I receive a comment or a message on Wattpad or Instagram, it makes my day.

  Vince and my mother are next, of course. Your constant support, critiques, hours of read-throughs, and laughs truly made this possible. Without it, With You would still be another manuscript left unwritten on my computer. I love you both to the moon and back! I am eternally grateful to the both of you.

  I want to thank my amazing editor, Rosanna Aponte, who is the best I could have ever hoped for. Your comments throughout the book always made my day. You have been so helpful and made this such a smooth and quick transition and journey.

  Natasha Makensie for her amazing cover, and to Carson Lakey for the excellent proofread and edits. You were with me from the start and I am so thankful for all you did.

  To Tori, London, and to all my beta readers; for being amazing friends and supporters. You put up with hours of e-mailing, late-night phone call
s, laughs, and so much more. You guys are simply the best!

  And, of course . . .

  Thank you to my handsome hubby, Jeremy, and my beautiful children, Rhydian and Caelynn; you are the light of my life! Jeremy, you gave me the time to help make my dreams come true, and you put up with my endless hours of writing—even when the craziness ensued. You only complained a little when I kept asking you to read the same paragraphs over and over again. But you were always there for me when I needed the extra push.

  about me

  Jensen Kristyne is a twenty-something year old mother of two and three fur babies. When she’s not reading and writing, she enjoys playing video games with her husband, traveling, and spending time with her family. She and her family live happily in a small town in North Texas where they plan to remain. She began writing on Wattpad, the reading and writing multi-platform for original stories, where With You first took off. You can find Jensen at Jensenkristyne.com, on Instagram, Wattpad, and on You Tube at @JensenKristyne!