Carrie’s mask of confusion has Ryan briefly filling her in on his visit and admitting that he shot the guy who attacked me. Her face is ashen by the end.
“He doesn’t think,” Dad continues, “that there are many options for us to legally keep him away unless he specifically does something. The most we can do is hope he gets a clue and backs off.”
“And if he doesn’t?” Canyon practically growls.
I shudder at the thought of Colin visiting again.
“Alis is old enough,” Dad says, his voice hard. “An adult. Free to make his own decisions. If he doesn’t want to see Colin, he doesn’t have to. Ever.”
An adult.
Free to make my own decisions.
Canyon’s penetrating stare is on me, peeling me apart, stroking tender parts inside me, reminding me of our pillow talk last night and this morning. His promises. A future.
I don’t want to give up Dad to have Canyon.
I want to have them both.
Maybe it’s possible. Canyon makes me believe that it could be.
His foot brushes against mine beneath the table, sending electric currents rippling through my body. I’m momentarily transfixed by his hot stare, caught in a vacuum that’s nothing but him. His expensive, masculine scent that’s now marked all over my room and bed. The expressive, passionate glint in his powerful blue eyes. Full, sexy lips that quirk up on one side when he’s amused.
Soon, Dad and Ryan make it back to their favorite subject—the wedding. Carrie and Canyon remain quiet, both of them still stung by the idea of our parents marrying. For their sake, I wish it wasn’t happening, but I’ve never seen my dad so happy before. Selfishly, I want the Voss kids to soften to the idea of them getting married so the light, excited energy that radiates from my father these days continues.
Why can’t I have my cake and eat it too?
Leon watches me from across the table, a curious expression on his face. I try not to squirm under the intensity of it. He’s my closest friend, and yet I still haven’t told him about Canyon and me. But, because I know him so well, I can tell he suspects something. For one, a few weeks ago, Canyon wouldn’t be caught dead at my lunch table. Now, he’s sitting beside me, carrying on a lively conversation with Naomi, who’s seated across from him. Each time Canyon’s thigh brushes against mine, my dick twitches, and my face heats up.
“Motherfucker,” Canyon mutters under his breath. “I swear to God I’m going to put my fist through his teeth.”
I follow his gaze to where Damon, Gage, and Cain are sitting. Damon’s shoulders are hunched, like he’s a kicked puppy, while Gage laughs like an idiot. When Gage catches Canyon staring at him, he hooks a thumb in Damon’s direction and mouths something that looks a lot like, “He fucked your sister.”
Canyon starts to stand, but I grab the back of his shirt, yanking him back down. His head snaps my way, a murderous scowl twisting his features. For a second, my stomach does an uncomfortable flip, remembering that this look filled with animosity used to be pointed at me. A smile chases away his anger, and his eyes drop to my lips. I lick them, noticing how his nostrils flare in response.
“Are we going to talk about this?” Leon asks, humor in his tone.
“Nope,” Naomi says back, leaning her head against his shoulder. “We could talk about this weekend instead.”
Understanding washes over me as I take in how she smiles prettily up at him. Leon’s always been smitten with her, but something’s different. There’s a smugness about him that didn’t exist before.
“Are you two…” I trail off, unable to find the words.
“If we were, would that be a problem?” she asks, her brow lifting in the sassy manner she’s perfected.
Canyon is quiet beside me, which makes my nerves go haywire. Does he miss her? Is he jealous? I cast a quick glance at him, expecting to find him radiating with anger or jealousy, but instead, he’s smirking. That look on his face settles something deep inside me.
“Not a problem with me,” I assure her and turn my attention back to Leon. “Any problems with us?”
I don’t have to spell it out because Leon knows. His eyes dart back and forth. He makes a motion of zipping his lips. “Nope. I do wonder what your dad will think…”
I flinch at the reminder, but Canyon’s soothing touch on my thigh calms me.
“It doesn’t matter what our dads think,” Canyon says in a soft whisper. “And they’re not going to find out anyway.”
“Eventually, they’ll have to,” Leon warns. “It’s clear as day to anyone who looks at you two.”
Movement across the lunchroom catches my eye. Gage pretends to blow an imaginary dick, insinuating what I do with Canyon.
Canyon squeezes my leg with his reassuring grip. “Let’s just hope they’re not looking too hard.”
I didn’t realize we were that obvious, but maybe we really are. We’ll have to tone it down when around people so this whole thing doesn’t blow up in our faces.
“And when they finally see it?” Leon challenges, not letting the subject go.
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there,” I mumble out.
I just hope we never have to.
Canyon
Three Months Later…
Watching Dad press a kiss to Quinn’s lips over dinner at the resort should have me feeling annoyed or angry. But, having spent so much time with them now that Carrie and I live at Quinn’s with Dad, I’m used to their disgustingly sweet public displays of affection. Now that they’re officially married as of two days ago, they’ve added on a whole new layer of giddy love. If Mom wasn’t doing so well, I’d probably be able to focus my animosity on Dad. As it stands, though, I’m happy.
I owe every ounce of my happiness to Alis. As if he can sense that he’s on my mind, his hand sneaks over to mine beneath the table, giving it a squeeze. After a full day on the slopes, we’re all exhausted and ready for a relaxing night in. I’m eager to pull Alis into his bed, strip him down, and fuck him like there’s no tomorrow. The image of him naked and shivering beneath me has a filthy grin quirking up one side of my lips.
Alis shoots me a warning glare, but then the bastard brushes his palm over my dick as he pulls his hand away. I grip his wrist, not letting him escape, and bring it back to my dick so he can feel the steel straining in my pants. He rubs at it, his dark eyes lingering at my mouth.
My phone buzzes, and I let go of his hand to retrieve it. Seeing Mom’s name on the screen never ceases to bring a smile to my face.
Mom: We have an offer on the house!
A pang of sadness punches me in the gut.
Me: Great news.
Mom: The house is too big for us, Canny. Too many memories. It’ll be better this way. Fresh start for everyone.
Mom’s fresh start began when she left rehab. She moved in with Uncle Adam in Orlando. Since he works from home running an online marketing company, he’s able to keep Mom company. Plus, he was about to hire someone to help him with bookkeeping and filing, so Mom’s going to do it instead. It’ll be better for her in the long run, but it still makes my chest ache at the thought of our house selling.