Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 62811 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 314(@200wpm)___ 251(@250wpm)___ 209(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62811 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 314(@200wpm)___ 251(@250wpm)___ 209(@300wpm)
“I’m sorry, Cleo,” he finally says.
“What the hell happened to you?” Talon asks, just as surprised as I am.
“I went to talk to Dad.” A hint of anger appears in his irises. “I confronted him about what he did to Cleo.” Tristan scoffs inwardly. “He denied it, of course, but I knew he was lying. Fucking bastard.”
To hear Tristan, of all people, validating my truth and believing me, almost brings tears to my eyes. This whole time, I thought he’d be the one who refused to believe me. As the oldest son, I always knew how important his father was to him and how he’d practically idolized him. It feels so good to finally be heard and understood after hiding for so long.
“Like I told Talon, I should’ve told you guys sooner. I was just scared.”
“After the way we treated you.” He pauses. “After the way I treated you, I don’t blame you. I probably would’ve held that kind of secret close to my chest, too.” He sighs softly. “I truly am sorry, Cleo. I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but I hope I can earn it one day.”
“You will. I just need some time after today.” Guilt and shame move over his features. I give him a small smile. “A lot of these things could’ve been avoided had I been honest from the beginning.”
“Please don’t do that. Don’t take any more blame upon yourself. Today shouldn’t have happened. It’s all my fault and not yours.” I nod at Tristan’s words.
“Can we start over?” Talon asks. “The right way this time?”
I nod. “I’d like that a lot.”
He returns my smile. “Cool.” He moves over to where Tristan is standing. “We’ll let you get dressed. We’ll be in the living room.”
They step out of the bathroom and close the door behind them. A soft smile settles on my lips as I slip my clothes back on. With my secret out in the open, I no longer have to hide anymore. I can have them in my life without having to worry about being forced to be around their father. It’s comforting to know that I’ll have some kind of family, someone to navigate through life with so that it’s not as lonely as it was when I had to fend for myself.
I thought I was cursed when I stumbled upon the guys at the club, but maybe it’s just the start of something even more beautiful for our future.
Tristan and Talon are sitting on the couch when I enter the living room. Talon gasps and gawks at me with wide eyes. “Is that Cleo?” he exclaims. “You remember Cleo, right? She used to live with us when we were kids.”
Tristan looks up from his phone and stares at me for a brief moment before looking back to his phone. “Nah. She’s too scrawny to be our Cleo.”
Hearing him call me “our” Cleo makes me feel warm all over. “You two are idiots,” I say with a giggle.
Talon smirks at me. “Hey, we said we were starting over, didn’t we?”
“Do one of you guys mind giving me a ride to my hotel room?” I ask. As much as I’d like to stay here and continue bonding with them, I’m beyond exhausted and just want to sleep. They look at me like I’ve grown another head. “What?”
“I don’t think we can do that,” Tristan says, shaking his head.
My face falls flat as I regard them both. “Um, okay then. I’ll order an Uber.”
“What we mean,” Talon says, giving Tristan a knowing look. “Is that you’re not going back to the hotel.” He stands and walks over to me, taking my hand in his. “We’ve let you walk away one too many times. You belong here with the both of us, so we’re not letting you go again. Not this time.”
“What are you saying?” I ask slowly, my heart skipping a beat.
Tristan joins him, taking my other hand. “We love you, Cleo; always have. And if you’ll have us, we want you to stay with us for good.”
I gawk at the both of them, my heart so full that I can’t stop the tears that burn my eyes. Their declaration is like a balm I didn’t even know my heart needed.
“I love you guys, too,” I say as happy tears roll down my cheeks. “But are you sure this is what you want? What about your father?”
“What about him?” Tristan asks with a frown. “We’re choosing you; the question is whether or not you’ll choose us.”
I smile and bounce up on the tips of my toes to press a kiss to both of their lips. “And I choose you,” I murmur. “So yes, I’ll stay.”
And for the first time in a long time, I finally feel like I’ve made the best choice.
EPILOGUE - TALON
Three months later…