Uncut (Unexpected Book 4) (47 page)

“I can feel your eyes on me,” he whispers on my lips and then takes them. The door of the bathroom closes right before Matt kisses me. He stops. “Coop, stay with us.”

He rubs the back of his neck, turning it from Matt to me and then gazing at the door. “I . . . Are you sure?” Tristan’s insecure voice is a different side I’ve never heard.

“Yes,” I whisper. “Would you stay for the night, please?”

He sighs, and the relief from his lungs fills the entire room. I don’t have to ask twice. The bed sinks over my side, where he slides next to me and covers the other side of my body with his strong arms. Matt kisses my lips at the same moment Coop kisses the nape of my neck. I turn to capture his lips, releasing the sadness and tension of the last twenty-four hours. As we finish it, he kisses Matt before we all rest in the same bed for the first time. At least for tonight, we’re in harmony.

T
his is the first year our grandparents spend Thanksgiving with us in Washington State. AJ decided to host, and include her father-in-law and his wife. Which is cool. Arthur Bradley has worked for my father for years and spent holidays with us more often than he did with his own family. However, having the wife is plain weird. Every time I say hello she looks at me as if I’m going to give her syphilis, and she does the same with Jacob. Not that it matters to us, but tonight her attitude is not flying well in my radar.

She’s staring at Thea’s hand, as if she might contract some deadly disease from her touch. I move my eyes from that to Arthur who is frowning at his wife.

“Arthur Bradley.” He shakes Thea’s hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

His wife gives him a petrifying glare and leaves us standing there. What the fuck just happened?

“Thank you for lending me your apartment, sir,” Thea says, giving him that sweet smile of gratitude that she’s so eager to share with everyone. “It was really kind of you.”

“No problem.” Arthur stares at her. “Do I know you?” She shakes her head vigorously as if that’ll convince him that they’ve never met before. He points at his eyes. “Sure? That eye coloring isn’t common.”

Thea lifts her hand where she’s carrying the vegan pie and I remember we’re heading to the kitchen to place all the food we’re bearing. When we walk around the dining room, I realize that each one has a name place. My sister needs a hobby, or another child. Name places?

“You like it?” Thea asks. “Pria, AJ, and I made the decorations—a new family tradition.”

Great, the crafty woman is bonding with the other two. We should run in case they have us cutting snowflakes before the night is over. The joke sounds great in my head, but before I open my big mouth, I notice Thea staring at one of the seats. Tristan. Just right next to Thea. Fuck, did I forget to tell my sister that my boyfriend isn’t coming? Or that maybe, we broke up with him?

“Hey, Mattie,” AJ greets me. “Umm, you never confirmed how many were coming.” AJ shrugs when I point out the extra plate in the table. “I thought . . .” She lowers her gaze, spins around, and leaves.

She doesn’t finish her sentence. Thea and I believed Tristan would be coming too. We’ve discussed Thanksgiving all week. Thea spoke over the phone several times with Pria and AJ about ideas and recipes for tonight. Yesterday afternoon he packed his shit, said goodbye, and left for fucking Connecticut.

“Matthew, I have to go. They’re my family,”
he said as he was leaving.

“I thought we were your family.” Thea’s small voice quivered. “The Deckers invited the three of us to share dinner with them. Because we’re—”

“Thea, I understand where you’re coming from, but this year I think it’s best if I spend it at home. My father has a load of issues that he needs help with and . . .” The dull tone enraged me, but I understood. His family might be different, but he loves them. “Next year. We can see where we’re at next year.”

“How about Christmas? Are you staying with us?” The rage building inside me could melt the snow falling outside.

“Damn, this holiday isn’t over and you’re already asking about the next. You sound like my mother. Give me a fucking break, Matt,” he’d growled. “One fucking break to enjoy the holidays without worrying about you two and this life I’m trying to mold to.”

“You need a break from us?” Thea got in his face. “Well, excuse me for being a supportive-understandable bitch that only asks for you to be with me.” The sweet one turned into a fire-breathing dragon. “I should be fucking done with you.”

“If that’s what you want, so be it.” He stormed out of the house and never said another word.

Thea and I chose not to discuss what happened. Not until Thanksgiving is over. We agreed to enjoy the holiday. Earlier today we went with Mason, Jacob, and Pria to the soup kitchen where they volunteer. AJ stayed behind to prepare the
real
turkey and tend to the grandparents. Tomorrow we’re going to empty a couple of toy stores and then donate it all to a couple of youth centers. An idea that the girls came up with a few days ago. It’s hard for me to understand that Thea has blended in with the Deckers, but Tristan switches from being part of them to avoiding them.

“What the fuck is that?” Pops stares at the tart I hold pulling me out of my trance. “It looks like you dumped a salad on top of the pie. You people are ruining Thanksgiving. I almost disowned AJ when she said the word
Tofurkey
.” He shudders. I bet he’ll die if he sees what I have inside the cardboard box. The Tofurkey my woman made. Fuck, Jacob is about to become the favorite.

“Hi, Chris. It’s a goat cheese tart with beets and arugula; you’re going to love it. Matt did.” Thea places the pie on the table, kisses Pop’s cheek, and takes the box from my hands. “Why don’t you two go and do your Thanksgiving male bonding thing. I’m heading to the kitchen.”

“Did you really love that thing, Matthew?” Pops’ scrunched nose and lip twist tells me he’s not going to try it. I don’t blame him; it’s disgusting.

“I want to think that I inherited my talent from Gabe.” I smirk. “Those Oscars, Golden Globes, and awards in his office are a pretty good testimony of his kick-ass acting skills.”

“Where is the other one of the set?” He narrows his gaze as he looks around.

Great, the grilling will start now. He’s going to tell me that maybe I should rethink my future, that choosing sometimes is better than trying to work overtime for something that isn’t worth it. Tristan isn’t something. He’s the man I love. I plan on waiting for him, like Gabe did with Chris. “With his family in Connecticut, and no, I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Chris isn’t good at hiding his feelings—he
hates
my Tofurkey.” Thea comes out to the patio. “The table is all set and we’re ready to say thanks and eat. You okay, Mattie?”

“Yeah.” I extend my hand, and when she takes it I pull her to my body and trap her inside my arms. “I just needed some quiet time. My family can be noisy while celebrating. We’ll have to schedule breaks during the Christmas week.”

Thea nods, burying her head in the crook of my neck. My pulse slows down with her breathing; having her this close is just what I need to recharge. “Sorry about yesterday, I shouldn’t have told him all that shit. Put you in the middle of a situation where you almost had to choose. I’d never make you choose between the two of us. I’ll leave before I do something that stupid—again.” She lays her hand against her chest. “Everything I said to him was stupid. I mean, I have no right to makes demands or tell him what to do. He has a family.”

Choosing? I don’t like that word. That’s close to making sacrifices. Do I sacrifice one because the other deserves more? I couldn’t. This has to work out, one way or another.

“You have the right to ask as much as you give, Butterfly.” I kiss her slowly and thoroughly, trying to take away the sadness she carries because of him. “Forget about him for the weekend. Sunday night we’ll reassess everything.”

If he comes home by then. I need to talk to him. Make sure he’s still on and doesn’t want me to “choose.” I doubt that’s the case. He wanted a break from me too.

“I love you, Thea Dennis.” I kiss her nose. “You’re
my everything,
Butterfly, so don’t leave me. That’ll be stupid. Some days I believe you’re the glue of this relationship.”

“Listen to him. We’d be lost without you, Butterfly.” I lift my gaze to find Tristan. He’s only steps away from us. He’s wearing yesterday’s clothes and looks like shit. “I’m so fucking sorry. For leaving, for yelling, mostly for being an asshole.”

“Thought you were in Connecticut,” I say, as Thea is chewing on her cheek while watching him. “Missed your flight?”

His mouth turns down, and his shoulders pull low. “No. I made it there on time, then I realized that I left my girlfriend and boyfriend at home.” His palms lift and he shakes them. “Obviously I had to take another plane back, but you know how fucking impossible it is to get a ticket during holidays? I had to pay a lot of money to your brother-in-law to find me a plane and a pilot that would do it.”

“Mason?” He nods at my question.

“I’m sorry, Thea,” he apologizes as he walks toward us and joins the hug. “I love you. More days than others you’re my rock. Some mornings I don’t know where I’d be without you . . . and maybe Matt.”

“Hey, asshole.” I push him lightly.

“I love you too, Matt.” He kisses my cheek. “You two are my world. This won’t happen again, I swear. From now on it’s Christmas with the Colthurst-Decker family—or wherever you two decide we should spend that day or any other holiday.”

His eyes hold my steady gaze. Whatever happened during his trip flippled a switch. Fuck, yes. We’re going to be all right. This is forever. My body relaxes shedding all the anxiety I had gathered.

“Good, the entire family is here.” AJ’s face peeks through the glass door. “Time for dinner. Pops is anxious to try the Tofurkey—not.”

“It was your idea. If no one wants it you’re going to have to eat it,” Thea jokes as she heads to where AJ stands. “Plus it’s yummy; your brother loved it.”

AJ bites the laugh, hugs Thea, and then pats Tristan. “Glad you made it. One more jerk-like action and you’re going on my shit list.”

Coop kisses her cheek. “Thank you for helping me.”