Page 115 of Redemption
“I never lose,” I say, pulling out of her hold and walking back to my wall. Looking over my shoulder, I chuckle because MJ still stands right where I left her, looking a little dazed. It’s the second time I’ve gotten to her today, and it feels good because I’m not the only one off-kilter.
Dipping my roller back into my paint, I feign innocence. “You can’t win by just standing there, MJ.”
I can feel the daggers she’s throwing at my back without even looking.
“Cheater,” she mumbles, going back to her wall.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Sure, you don’t.”
We spend the next half hour painting our assigned walls, each watching the other closely to see who will win. I know exactly what I will ask for if I win, but I’m almost tempted to lose to see what she will ask for.
“Done.”
I’m bending down to dip my brush in paint when MJ’s yell startles me.
“My goodness, woman. We are in the same room.”
Picking up the paintbrush off the plastic where I dropped it, I lay it on the paint bucket and stand back up. My heart nearly comes to a complete stop when I look at MJ. Her smile is radiant, lighting up her face and wrinkling her nose.
“But I won—for the first time, I won. So, ha—” she sticks her tongue out and scrunches her eyes.
I’m a goner—so, so far gone.
Crossing my arms, I lean my shoulder on one of the walls we haven’t painted and take her in. She’s my favorite thing to look at—no sunset, sunrise, or mountain view could ever compare.
“I think you cheated, but I won’t challenge it. What is it you win, MJ?”
Her smile brightens, showing all her teeth, and she repeats words I said to her years ago. “You, Hayes. I win you. Go on a date with me.”
And for the first time in six years, I finally have some sunshine back in my life.
Chapter 35
Mallorie Jade
21 years old
“Wake up. Wake up. Wake up.”
My bed feels like there’s an earthquake, and my brother’s voice sounds like he is screaming right in my ear.
Yanking my blanket up, I cover my head. “Go away.”
The blanket is yanked away, leaving my legs exposed to the cold. It’s summer, but in my mother’s house, it might as well be Antarctica. I think it’s how she keeps her heart a solid sheet of ice. Heaven knows that thing hasn’t thawed out in years.
“Not going to happen. Get up,” Langston says, going back to jumping on my bed.
A deep chuckle comes from the other side of the room, and I crack one eye open. Hayes stands in the doorway, one shoulder leaning against the door jam and amusement playing on his lips.
My heart ticks up ten notches as I take him in. He meets my gaze and gives me a secret wink while Langston’s back is to him.
Hayes and I have been dating for a year, and we’ve yet to tell my brother—or my parents, for that matter.
Mainly because, despite Langston’s cheery disposition this morning, it’s rare to see him this way. He’s always one slip away from a permanent downfall.
More times than not, he’s either angry or drinking—or worse, both. Hayes and I try to do everything we can to keep him stable, and sometimes, I can see the old Langston lingering around, like this morning—but it never lasts.
