Whitney gave him a smile and draped her arm around his shoulder. “Someday, you’ll be CEO of the company. Just remember that,” she said.
“What are you two doing?” Ellie asked, her gaze lingering on Abby and Isach.
“I’m training to become a magician,” Isach said, his tone serious. “You know… illusions, sleight of hand tricks, sawing people in half… figured I can make a killing at birthday parties.”
Abby stared at him, eyes wide, slacked jaw. “You did not seriously just say that.”
I laughed, and Abby shot me a dirty look. Okay, apparently she didn’t think that was funny.
“Yeah, we talked about this, remember?” Isach said to Abby. “You’re going to be my assistant.”
Trent nuzzled his nose against my neck, his breath breezing across the bite mark. Heat spread through me, yet I couldn’t suppress the shiver that wracked my body. He had to know what happened every time he touched that mark, didn’t he?
“She’s gonna kill him,” he whispered in my ear with a soft chuckle.
After a moment, Abby playfully smacked him, and he laughed. Soon, everyone else did, too. “You’re such a jerk,” Abby said, rolling her eyes and turning her attention back to the fire. “I got into a couple of local community colleges.”
“You did?” I said, stunned. “You didn’t tell me that.”
She shrugged. “I’m not sure I’m going to go.” She picked up a twig and tossed it on the fire. “Honestly, I have no idea what I want to do now that high school is over.”
“Neither do I,” Jax said.
The sound of his voice startled me, though I didn’t know why. He now sat on the opposite side of the clearing next to Wyatt and Colt. His tone was sad and lost, and a pang of sympathy hit me in the chest.
Both Trent and Jax had lived a very long time, but through it all, they’d been together. Now, Trent was marrying me, and we were starting our life together. Where did that leave Jax? Granted, he’d always be Trent’s brother, but things were changing.
Guilt replaced sympathy, and now my heart just hurt. Not only had I broken Jax’s heart, I was now taking his brother from him. I was turning his life upside down in so many ways.
“Excuse me,” I mumbled and scrambled to my feet.
I’d barely made it a few steps before Trent was in front of me. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Nothing.” I shook my head. “I just need a minute, okay?”
He tilted his head, eyes full of concern. But then he stepped out of my way.
I swallowed around the lump in my throat and headed for the house, my steps slow. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Trent standing in the same spot, hands tucked into his pockets, watching me. I turned back and flung myself into his arms.
He caught me easily and buried his face in my hair, inhaling deeply. “What’s wrong, baby?” he whispered.
“Everything’s changing. Again,” I said, emotion making my words strangled. “I guess it just hit me harder than I expected.”
Releasing me, he cradled my face in his hands and peered into my eyes. “Are you having second thoughts about—”
“No, of course not.” I shook my head adamantly. “With as much as my life has been disrupted and I’ve had to start over, you’d think I’d be used to it by now. But it never gets easier.”
Trent kissed my forehead. “Well, this time, there won’t be any more starting over, okay? It’s you and me. Together. Forever.”
“For eternity,” I corrected him with a small smile. “But isn’t that exactly what we’ll be doing all the time? Starting over?”
“No,” he said. “Traveling doesn’t mean starting over. It means living life on our terms. Going where we want when we want. But no matter where we are, we will always be together.”
That did sound pretty incredible. I still couldn’t shake the guilt, though, knowing Jax wasn’t going to have his brother in his life like he used to. But he had Colt now, so that had to account for something, didn’t it?
“Hey, everything okay over here?” Ellie asked, bouncing over to us.
“Yeah, it’s fine. I’m just sad,” I said.
“Aww.” Ellie hugged me, which did not help keep the tears at bay. “Just because we’re all going different directions doesn’t mean we won’t still be friends.”
“I know,” I said, even though she was wrong.
Once I became a vampire, my friendships would be on a short deadline. I could stay in touch via phone and text, but moments like this—hanging out—would be over, because I wouldn’t be able to explain why I hadn’t aged.
“No sad stuff,” Ellie said, releasing me. “Tonight’s a happy night. We’re celebrating.”
I laughed.
“C’mon.” She looped her arm through mine.
Only then did I realize Trent wasn’t next to me. He was now sitting near Jax, the two of them laughing. I studied them a moment, my heart filling with more love than I could fathom—for both of them. For the guy I loved more than anything else, my soulmate and future husband. And for the guy I wanted to love but couldn’t, my friend and future brother-in-law.
As if they both somehow knew I was thinking about them, they looked at me at the same time. Jax’s eyes full of longing, Trent’s full of love. I turned away from them and sat down next to Ellie.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE:
Another Year
“ARE WE ALMOST THERE? THIS THING is driving me nuts.” I fidgeted with the blindfold Trent had insisted I wear.
Today was my nineteenth birthday, and I wasn’t expecting a party, or anything really, considering I was getting married in a little over a month. In fact, I didn’t want anything for my birthday. And I thought I might actually get what I wanted, but I should’ve known Trent wouldn’t let it slide by without doing something. He’d waited until dark, though, to tell me he had a surprise for me.
He chuckled. “Yes, now stop messing with it.”
Next thing I knew, his hand was wrapped around mine. I sighed with
