Page 91 of Shattered Hate

“That was the hottest thing ever,” Daxton declares.

“It was.” I pant. “And you ticked off the first ten things on my list.” I smile.

“What were they?”

“The first nine was you counting each inch of me filling you.” Daxton bursts out into laughter, his eyes screwing tightly shut as his mouth opens wide. “Number ten was me making you come.”

“Well done for getting the list done.” Dax pats my chest.

“No, I still have ten more.”

“Ten? What are the last ten?”

“To tell you ten things I love about you.” I smirk as I sit up slightly, holding Daxton’s scarred arm up.

“I love your scars.” I kiss his arm.

“I love your freckles.” I place a gentle kiss against his nose.

“I love your eyes.” I kiss his eyelid as he laughs.

“I love your tattoos.” I kiss the tattoo he got on his arm on my twenty-first birthday.”

“I love your neck.” I place a gentle kiss against his neck.

“I love your dick.” I lean down, placing a kiss on his dick.

“I love your ass,” I say, turning him around as he giggles, and I kiss his bare ass, before turning him back around.

“I love your lips.” I place a long lingering kiss on his lips.

“Most of all. I love your whole heart.” I place a kiss on his chest.

“I love you, Daxton.”

“He so knows.” Kal bursts out laughing in the dark as we sit in Bohdi’s brother’s house, the anticipation thick, while Cash waits for Bohdi to show up with Brayden. There’s something in thefamily genes—Daxton’s eyes widened the moment Cash stepped through the door, and I nudged him hard. The nerve he has to look at someone like that. But then he grinned, and I got an elbow in reply when my jaw literally dropped. Jesus Christ, these guys look like they just stepped off a fashion runway ad.

They can’t hold a candle to my Dax though.

“Shut up, I’m already on Bohdi’s shit list,” I hiss, sparking a few snickers from behind. Just then, the key turns in the door, and it swings open. We all freeze for a heartbeat, my excitement ready to burst. I know today’s been rough on him. Celebrating your twenty-first birthday without your twin is a pain that’s hard to imagine. I texted him earlier, and although he tried video calling me and Kal twice, we both dodged the calls, feeling like absolute crap.

The moment the light comes on, we all leap up, yelling, “Surprise!” The shock on his face melts into a staggering smile, the one that lights up our world as his eyes well up with tears. Kal and I rush forward, scooping him up and taking turns wrapping him in tight hugs. Amid it all, I lean close to his ear and mutter, “I’m not fucking crying in front of these male models. Don’t make me cry, Brayden Quake Anders.”

He laughs into my ear, squeezing me a little harder. “Thank you so much for coming. I love you, Tray.” I step back as Daxton slips in beside us. “Why is Kal wearing a cap? He never wears a cap,” Bray whispers.

“I have no idea; he told me he wanted to wear it. He’s been acting weird since we got here, and Bohdi’s brother, Cash, keeps looking at Kal weirdly. Bray frowns at me, his eyes scanning the room, no doubt looking for Kal. Daxton pushes an envelope toward him.

“Happy Birthday, Bray,” Dax says with a warm smile, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. He’d already let the tears flow inmy arms earlier, talking about Bex and all the plans they once dreamed up.

Brayden’s lip trembles as Daxton hands him an envelope. We wanted to give him something with true meaning behind it.

He opens it slowly, unfolding the certificate. “Bex was a shining star in a lot of our lives,” the certificate reads, and Dax’s voice trembles as he explains, “Tray and I went to the lighthouse and found the perfect star in the sky. It’s the biggest one.” His voice cracks while I bite my lip to keep my emotions in check. Brayden’s eyes stay fixed on the certificate, silent except for the endless tears streaming down his face.

“And we picked out another star, right next to it,” I say, handing over another envelope. Brayden struggles to hold back tears as he opens it and reads the contents.

“Guys, it’s perfect. Thank you so much,” he says, choking up as he pulls us both into a tight hug. He grips the second certificate, smiling through his tears.

“What’s the second star called, Bray?” Bohdi asks gently beside him.

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