She looked up at me with tears in her eyes and I took a deep breath. Her words pierced my soul, and I felt like I was bleeding out onto the floor. A mistake? I could never regard what happened that night as a mistake. All the dreams and all the wishing and all the pining had culminated into one moment where our bodies had been fused together.
She could never be a mistake to me.
But I was a mistake to her.
We all were.
“What happened was unexpected as fuck,” I said. “But I could never regret it. And you shouldn’t either. You took what you wanted, Kyra. Just like we’ve always known you to do. We’re grown adults who gave every ounce of consent we could. We all wanted it and there’s no reason to be ashamed for getting what we wanted.”
Her bottom lip began to tremble and I pulled her into my arms. I couldn’t stay angry at her anymore, not like this. I tucked her head underneath my chin and felt her trembling against my chest. I felt her sobs staining my shirt while I ran my hands up and down her back. What had been running through her mind the past couple of days, I couldn’t even imagine. Sex was so fucking different for women than it was for men and we were idiots for not seeing that sooner.
“You mean the world to me. To all of us, Kyra. We’d never do anything to hurt you and we’ll always be here to protect you. Even if it’s from yourself.”
“I’m so… confused,” she said between her sobs.
“I know,” I said.
“I have no idea what to do,” she said breathlessly.
“I know. You don’t have to make any decisions today, all right?”
“He told me Christmas,” she said.
“What?” I asked.
She sniffled and looked up at me, her reddened eyes gripping my soul as I drew in a deep breath.
“He said he needed an answer by Christmas,” she said.
“Well, Christmas isn’t today,” I said. “So, my statement still stands.”
I grinned down at her. She snickered and shook her head. I raised my hand up and brushed her hair from her face, admiring how beautiful she was, even when she was crying. I ran my thumb across her cheek, watching the flush of her skin take over at my touch. You couldn’t fake shit like that. Not in a million years. Even now, as she struggled between her bullshit ex and myself, her skin was flushing underneath my soft touch.
I wondered if her skin had ever flushed underneath his touch.
“Thank you for being good to me, even though I know you’re angry,” she said.
“Do you understand why I’m angry?” I asked.
“I do,” she said, “and I’m so—”
I put my finger to her lips before she could finish her statement.
“No apologies. Don’t be sorry, Tinkerbell.”
“Be better,” she said, grinning.
“There’s that beautiful smile,” I said.
She threaded her arms back around me and tucked her head up underneath my chin. I slid my hands through her hair, feeling its silky softness against my skin. I didn’t know if I was ever going to get the chance to feel her this way again. I didn’t know if I was ever going to hold her in my arms like this, or call her beautiful like I had, or ev
en look into her eyes as closely as I could now.
But just as I closed my eyes to take in her warmth, someone burst into the kitchen and ruined our fucking moment.
CHAPTER TWELVE - CHANCE
I busted into the kitchen and found Ethan holding Kyra tightly. I felt a flare of jealousy fire in my gut at the sight, one that trickled all the way up to my brain. I felt light-headed at the sight of them, more than I knew I should feel given our situation. But I’d always had issues with Ethan. Issues with him getting whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted, because he was the baby of the family.