Page 110 of The Road Less Traveled By

“Exactly, and you wouldn't kill your best friend.”

I grab Bree’s chin and kiss her deeply before I pull back, my forehead against hers. “I’d make it look like an accident, baby.”

Her legs twitch. “Does that turn you on? Knowing I’d kill someone for looking at you the wrong way?”

“No,” she lies, her pink cheeks and shortnessof breath giving her away.

I kiss her again, this time pushing my tongue into her mouth, and she opens for me.Good fucking girl.“Take one of my shirts and head to your room. Turn your shower on, touch yourself, and wait for me.”

“I thought I was in control tonight.”

“Don’t worry, you are. I’ll let you grab my hair and drag my face wherever you want it, angel. I have to solidify something with Tristan about the wedding first.”

She throws her legs over my bed. “Please don’t mention my brother-in-law before you bury your face in my pussy.”

“Sorry. I’ll make you scream my name a few more times if you do as I ask. How does that sound?”

She only kisses me, one of my shirts falling to her knees like a dress, before she saunters out of my room. When I hear her shower turn on a few seconds later, I smile to myself, knowing that tonight is just getting started.

Chapter thirty-three

— SHAKE IT OUT BY FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE

“God, I’m so nervous,I might throw up,” my sister says as she paces back and forth in the West’s kitchen.

“Livvy, there’s nothing to be nervous about. All you have to do is go get married. It’s one step! It’s simple!” I say, trying to calm her nerves but knowing that nothing except seeing Tristan will probably help. I’m trying to make sure her dress doesn't get wrinkled or torn, but all her moving around is making my job impossible.

My sister looks absolutely beautiful in the dress. Her dark brown hair is curled down her back, her veil keeping her short framed locks out from her face. Her veil is almost as long as the dress, and the flower clips that trail all throughout her hair peek out just enough to where you can notice them. “Tristan is going to love the clips.”

“You think so? God, I’m definitely going to throw up. Tell Teags to grab a bucket along with that water bottle.” My sister continues to pace, her heels clicking across the floor.

“I have the water but no bucket,” Teags says as she comes back into the room, her pale orange dress fitting snugly against every curve of her body. I don't know if I’ve ever seen her in so much color, and she looks absolutely stunning.

“You need to wear more color, Teags. You look fucking amazing,” I tell her, and she cocks her head at me.

“Take a long and good look, because I have to wear black for the next year to combat this color. No offense, Liv.”

My sister is too busy panicking to pay attention to us, and when I look down at my pale pink dress—satin, with a bowknot at the neckline—I smile to myself. I love that Liv let us pick our own dresses. There was only one rule: pale colors only.

Teags adhering to that rule goes to show how much she cares about today being perfect.

Cassie and Parker slip inside through the doors to the backyard, and when they notice my sister pacing, they shoot me a look, and I tilt my head, signaling for them.

“Liv? Everything is almost ready; are you okay?” Parker asks, and my sister doesn't stop pacing. I have no doubt that Liv would never run out on Tristan, but something has her really up in arms, and I have no idea what it could be.

“Tristan looks absolutely stunning up there, Liv. Everyone does,” Cassie says, a slight shake to her voice. As Maid of Honor, I decide to step in and figure out what’s going on.

“Cassie, tell them to ready the music and grab the groomsmen. Pair up and get ready to walk down the aisle. Liv and I will be right back,” I say as I grab my sister's hand and drag her to the nearest bathroom so she can’t escape. We get inside, and I lock the door and turn to her. “Okay, today is supposed to be only happy emotions, so why are you freaking out? I know it’s not Tristan, so out with it.”

Liv takes a few deep breaths as she pulls at her dress, another nervous habit. As she opens her mouth, I find myself afraid of what she could say. “What if I end up like Mom and Dad in a loveless marriage with kids who hate me and no real love in my heart? What if this ends exactly likethem, Bree? What if Tristan and I turn into them years and years down the line? God, I’d rather die than have that happen.”

I sigh deeply as I let my sister's fears sit in the air for a few seconds before I can get them to dissipate. “You and Tristan aren't our parents. You're afraid of nothing, Liv. That could never happen. Do you want to know how I know that’s not going to happen?”

“Yes, please.”

I feel tears creep into my eyes before I answer. “Because that man out there looks at you like you’re the only person on the planet. You and Tristan have fought so hard to get here, Liv. You guys have been through hell and back, through some of the worst things two people can go through, and yet you made it.” I grab Liv’s hands in mine, staring directly into her eyes so my words sink in. “This is your finish line, Liv. This is your sunrise. One chapter of your life is ending, and with it, all the bad shit you two endured. This is the beginning of your new day, your next chapter, and I don't know two people more deserving of this than you and Tristan.”

“But we could turn into them in twenty years, Bree. They were happy at one point, and then they had us and—”

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