Page 104 of Feels Like Love
“It will change everything.”
“Too late for that.” I patted his chest. “Everything has already changed.”
“You’re right.” He pulled me closer, his hands on my hips. “I know you’re right. Just…let me do this on my own terms.”
“Of course.”
“We’re supposed to meet at the gym tomorrow. I’ll tell him after that. Give him a chance to work out some of his aggression first.”
“Do you want me to go with you?”
He shook his head. “No. I appreciate the offer, but this is something I need to do alone.”
“Are you sure?” I asked, tossing the pillows from the bed and turning back the covers. I was just as responsible for the situation we found ourselves in.
“Positive.” He kissed me and we climbed into bed, but I felt far from reassured.
I laid my head on his chest while he rubbed my back. “What are you going to tell him?”
“That I love you.” He slid his hand down my shorts to cup my butt and pull me on top of him. “Which I do.”
His hard-on nudged my center, and I rocked against him. The friction felt so good, his hands sliding up my sides and over my rib cage. His kiss was needy and seeking, just like his cock. And when we made love, it was with a wild abandon that told me we were both running from our demons.
When I finally fell asleep in his arms, it was a restless night—a strange mash-up of dreams. Bennett sitting on my deck with Liam, but both of them completely ignoring me. Me trying to get Bennett to talk to me, but him refusing to listen, moving away, across the country to Florida. Never speaking to me again.
The following afternoon, I headed straight home from work, wondering how Bennett’s talk with Liam had gone. I hadn’t heard from either of them, which surprised me. No, actually, it terrified me. It was too quiet. Had my brother killed the love of my life?
I pressed down on the gas, anxious to get home. My mom was picking up River from school, and she’d drop him off later. I walked into the house and dropped my bag on the counter next to…a bottle of whiskey? I frowned then turned my attention to the living room. Bennett was sitting on the couch, head bowed over his phone. Shoulders slumped.
“Are you…” I rounded the couch to face him, but the moment I saw him, I knew everything was not okay. I found it difficult to breathe, let alone think. “What’s happened? Is this about Liam?”
He shook his head and held his phone up to me. The screen glowed,The Vine’sheader on display. His arm was limp, his eyes dazed. I frowned. How much had he had to drink?
“What’s this?” I took the phone from him and gasped when I read the first line. Then I scanned the rest of the article quickly, my heart sinking with every word. “How can this be?”
He shook his head, downing the rest of his glass. “I don’t know. Fuck, Wren.” His voice cracked, the pain spilling out of him. “Fuck.”
I sank down next to him on the couch, pulling him into my arms. I wanted to tell him it would be okay. That everything would be fine, but I couldn’t. Because Tessa—our sweet friend, the love of Tristan’s life, the mother of two young children—had a brain tumor.
A freaking brain tumor.
“I’ve known her my whole life,” he said. “And Tristan…”
“How is he? Have you talked to him?”
When he met my gaze, his eyes were shining with emotion. “He told us just before the story was posted. Liam and I never made it to the gym. I never got to talk with him about us.”
“Shh.” I rubbed his back. Suddenly everything seemed so…trivial in comparison to what Tessa and her family were going through. “That doesn’t matter right now. Let’s focus on Tessa. What’s going on? Why was this even posted onThe Vine? Isn’t Tristan furious that it’s out there?”
“I think he’s in shock. He acts calm because he has to. For Tessa, for the kids. She’s going to have surgery, but the prognosis isn’t good.”
I hugged him closer, my heart breaking at this news. At watching this wonderful man fall apart for his friend. I was almost afraid to ask, but I had to know. “How bad is it?”
“Bad. Surgery is the only option, and it’s dangerous. There’s a good chance it might not work.”
“Well…” I smoothed my hand over his back. “We have to be optimistic—for their sake.”
He shook his head. “You don’t understand. None of the outcomes are good. The tumor is large, and they may not be able to remove it all without damaging vital brain tissue.”
