Shattered Dreams (Boys of Bellerose, #3)(13)

“Christmas,” Gray replied with a one-shouldered shrug. “Last night, with lots of hard work, Rhett and Vee, and because you deserve it.”

Well. Ask a silly question, get a silly answer. Not that his answer was silly, but it was definitely lacking in meat.

Rhett elbowed Grayson, then turned back to me. “Babe, we know that Christmas used to be a big thing in your family. We just wanted your first Christmas in our family to be something really special.”

Oh fuck, he was going to make me cry.

I wrinkled my nose and swallowed, trying to hold back the tears. It was incredibly sweet of them, but… “My dad was the one who decorated for Christmas,” I told them in a hoarse voice. “He loved the magic so much, and it was easily my favorite time of year. Everything glittered, everyone smiled. My parents always seemed like they were extra in love at Christmas… but since they died, I haven’t—”

Wait.

“How did you know that it was my favorite—”

My question got answered before I even finished saying it out loud because the front door opened and in walked the boy from next door. My first love, my oldest friend, and now my arch-nemesis. Jace.

Sucking in a sharp breath, I glared daggers. “You.”

He lifted his chin, his eyes meeting my gaze unapologetically. “Me. Merry Christmas, Bellerose.”

Anger bubbled beneath my skin, and my fingers curled at my sides. The urge to punch him right in the smug face was so intense I was nearly choking on it. But before I could act on that desire, I realized he hadn’t arrived alone.

Jace stepped further into the house, closer to me, and revealed his companion limping inside behind him, leaning heavily on a walking stick.

“Angel?” I squeaked in utter disbelief.

His sexy, lopsided smirk was perfection as he met my gaze. “Merry Christmas, Bella.”

With a cry I crossed the space between us and wrapped my arms around him as carefully as I could. He was in bad shape, covered in bruises and sporting a bandage on his head, so I didn’t want to hurt him more.

“Hey, Bella, don’t cry,” he whispered, wrapping one arm around my waist to hold me tight. “Precious girl, please don’t cry. I’m okay, I promise.”

I was sobbing against his chest, the uncontrollable kind of sobbing that came right from my soul and poured out like floodwater. Angelo just held me and whispered reassurances against my hair, and I forgot where we even were, until Vee gasped out Angelo’s name, and I jerked away like he’d electrocuted me.

“Holy shit, A!” Vee exclaimed, rushing over to him as I backed up quickly.

Angelo barely even glanced at his wife, though, his gaze locked on mine as embarrassment and guilt heated my cheeks and caused sweat to roll down my spine. What the fuck was that? I’d just thrown myself at him like we were lovers, and the way he’d held me back was more than old friends. Wasn’t it?

“Um, I’ll get coffee,” I mumbled, beating a quick retreat into the kitchen. Vee had already started making the coffee, leaving little left to do, but I needed a hot second to catch my breath.

“Hey, are you okay?” Rhett asked gently, having followed me. His hand stroked down my spine, and I leaned into the touch, soaking up his strength. “I mean, obviously you’re not, but is it something I can fix? Did this all miss the mark? Jace told us—”

My bitter laugh cut him off, and I spun to face Rhett. My protector. “Of course Jace told you about how we used to have magical Christmases together, because he was never around for the ones after. He didn’t see the Christmas I spent curled up on the floor of a church because my apartment had no heating and the taps had literally frozen solid. He didn’t see the way I mourned, thinking how it should have been our baby girl’s first Christmas. Typical fucking Jace never looks at the bigger picture.”

Pain and regret creased Rhett’s face, and I instantly felt like an asshole. It wasn’t on him or Gray to know those things. They’d wanted to do something sweet, to make our first Christmas together special. And here I was, wallowing in the past.

“Fuck, I’m sorry,” I whispered on a long exhale. “I’m being a bitch, and you went to so much effort. I just—”

“Stop it,” he cut me off. “You have nothing to apologize for. Nothing. We should have asked, instead of assuming.”

I scrubbed a hand over my face and groaned. “Can we start over? This is all… it’s a lot. Can I rewind and pretend I just came down those stairs again?”

Rhett smiled. “Of course you can. Merry Christmas, Tho—”

This time I cut him off by launching myself into his arms and crushing my lips to his. He barely even missed a beat, wrapping his hands around my ass to boost me higher and kissing me back with a low groan of appreciation.

My butt met the counter, and I spread my knees wide, pulling Rhett close as we kissed. His tongue twisted with mine, teasing and licking as his hands smoothed up my thighs. I was wearing a pair of loose boxer shorts, so there was almost no obstruction as his fingers found the edge of my panties.

“Fuck, I want nothing more than to rip these aside and fill you with my dick right now,” he whispered in a husky, sex-filled voice. “But I suspect we would have an audience.”

“Good guess,” Grayson agreed from somewhere behind Rhett. I peeled myself away just far enough to see him pulling a tray of pastries out of the oven. So domestic. “Rhett, put your dick away, and take the coffee through to the living room.”