“What was your favorite class?” I asked, eager to get a glimpse at this part of Trent’s life.
“Child psychology.”
I sat, momentarily speechless. I’d fully expected him to say history or something equally as boring.
“What about you?” he asked, his voice low and calm. “Got any plans for college?”
“Not really.” I sighed. “I mean, when Mom was alive, we talked a lot about me going to college. She had her heart set on me going to a college on the east coast so I could experience all four seasons the way they should be.” I smiled at the memory, at how her face would light up when we’d talk about my future.
“And now?” he asked gently.
“I have no idea. When I first moved to Keene Valley, I was adamant about going back to Florida as soon as I was old enough, maybe going to college there, but now…” I fidgeted with the front of his shirt. “Even when Mom and I talked about it, I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I still don’t.”
Maybe if I knew what the future held for me and Trent, I’d be able to make a decision about college. I shoved that thought away as soon as it entered my mind. I could go to college regardless of what happened with Trent. He’d support me in whatever I decided to do.
“You still have time to figure it out,” he said.
“If you hadn’t become a vampire, what do you think your life would have been like?” I asked, desperate to steer the conversation away from the future.
“I guess I would have taken over the family business.”
I twisted to look up at him. “You have a family business?”
“We used to. Sean was building a very lucrative handcrafted furniture business. He made ornate furnishings from wood he chopped himself.”
“Wait, so…” I sat up and glanced around. “All the woodwork in here and the furniture in my room? He made that?”
Trent nodded. “It’s pretty great, right?”
“Great? It’s amazing! Why did he ever stop?”
“It was time for us to move on.” Trent pulled me back to his side, and I cuddled up to him. “But if we hadn’t had to do that, I would’ve learned from him, made a career for myself. I probably would’ve met a local girl, fallen in love, gotten married, and had a herd of kids.” His voice dropped off at that last word.
My heart ached at the life he could have had. The life he could still have if I’d just change and end the curse. Not that that would make a difference when it came to having children. That was impossible for him, curse or no curse.
“So, you wanted kids?” I asked. Suddenly, his interest in child psychology made a lot more sense.
“Yeah, I guess.” His tone had turned to sadness and regret. “What about you? If things were different, where would you be right now?”
I shrugged. “Probably still in Florida with my mom. We’d spend our weekends at the beach, daydreaming about all the places we wanted to visit.”
“What places did you dream about visiting?”
“Egypt. I’d love to see the pyramids.” I slipped my arm across his stomach and settled my head on his chest. “Mom always wanted to go to Australia. She was a bigger animal lover than me, and she wanted to go see all the exotic wildlife. I used to joke that the animals she was so excited to see would probably try to kill her.” I frowned. “Who knew I’d be the one to kill her.”
“You killed your mother?”
I cringed. Apparently, that was another thing I hadn’t told him. I straightened and sat cross-legged.
“She got into a car accident because I was acting like a spoiled brat. I kept texting her and yelling at her for not getting home soon enough.” I lowered my head, my gaze trained on my hands. “She never saw the truck swerve into her lane. She was okay for a little while, and the doctors were going to send her home. And then she ended up in a coma that she never woke up from.” My voice caught, and I cleared my throat. “I took her off life support.”
“That’s not your fault, Chloe.” Trent reached for me, but I didn’t move.
The debilitating grief and guilt was back full force, and I was weighted down with it. “I know,” I whispered. “But if she had been paying attention to the road instead of her phone…” I shook my head.
“It still could have happened,” he said softly. “Your mom checking her phone had nothing to do with what that other driver did. If anything, blame him.”
I forced a smile.
“For what it’s worth, the Grand Canyon isn’t all that great.”
I laughed at his sudden but much needed change of topic. “You’ve been there?”
“It’s literally just a big hole in the ground. Not impressive at all.” He gently nudged me.
And with that, the sorrow over my mom dissipated. It never fully went away, but it was getting easier to handle, and being near Trent helped. I leaned against him, and he wrapped an arm around me.
Everything about him was safe and comforting, and I never wanted to leave him. Could I really become a vampire, though? The thought of drinking blood grossed me out and made me want to gag.
Then, of course, there was the issue of letting him claim me as his soulmate. That was a permanent decision, too, but that didn’t require immortality. Would he be happy with just claiming me, though, or would he want more once he knew the truth?
“What’re you thinking about?” he asked.
“You.” I kissed his chin. “If you had to make the choice again, would you still become a vampire?”
“Yes,” he said without hesitation.
Shock zapped through me like an electrical current. “Yes?”
“If it meant saving my brother’s life, absolutely.”
Right. Jax hadn’t really given Trent much of a choice about changing.
“Okay, what if Jax’s life wasn’t on the line? What if it was just you, and
