Chapter 29
While we had all been downstairs enjoying each other’s company, Myles was upstairs nursing his hangover, just as I figured. There were still the events from last night I had on my mind. Things I wanted answers to. But I needed to make a good impression in front of Paige’s family, and I refused to let a stupid feud between Myles and I get in the way of that.
I’d sit on the opposite side of the table from him tonight if that’s what it took to get my mind off everything. Out of sight, out of mind.
“A tradition in the Cooper household that we do every Thanksgiving is go around the table and say one thing we are thankful for. It can be anything big or small,” Mom said as we all passed around the various food dishes. Once we all filled our plates with turkey, mashed potatoes, casseroles, cranberry sauce and everything else in-between, Dad spoke up first.
“I’m thankful the Broncos won today. It’s a win for Colorado and a win for my fantasy football team. Win-win.” That got everyone to laugh. There was a lot to be thankful for, but Dad was a simple guy. His team winning would be just enough for him.
Lisa was up next. “I’m thankful for the Coopers. I really do appreciate you all having us here with you today. I know Thanksgiving is full of traditions and this isn’t your norm, so it means a lot.” She sounded a bit choked up, clearing her throat and taking a small sip of her wine.
“It’s our pleasure to have you all here with us today. Traditions are allowed to change and who knows, maybe this will be something that happens again for years to come,” Mom said, looking back and forth between Paige and me. Her approval of us all spending the holiday together felt like more than just that. She was accepting me and Paige as a couple, or whatever we were. I know my mom just wanted to see her kids happy.
She was like every other mom, just wanting her boys to get married and have all her grandkids before she left the world. But I could tell she had a soft spot for Paige and it made me happy that she accepted the person I was falling in love with. I acknowledged Paige sitting next to me when I gave her a small squeeze on her leg. Her family and mine, sitting together... It was the perfect tradition I wanted more of for years to come.
Mom cleared her throat before she told the table what she was thankful for. “I’m thankful my turkey didn’t burn this year. Last year, we had a tragic accident with the deep fryer. We had a Thanksgiving dinner full of sides, but we made the best of it.”
“Everyone knows sides are the best part of Thanksgiving dinner anyways.” I laughed, my mouth full of potatoes, hoping she wasn’t still hung up on our Thanksgiving disaster last year.
We continued to go around the table, spreading thanks for all the little things in life when it was my turn next. Everyone had kept it light so far. There were a ton of little things to be appreciative for, but all the little things I was thankful for had a much bigger meaning behind it. I just hoped the Wilsons would take what I was about to say well, especially Paige.
“I’m thankful for Anthony Wilson.” That got everyone’s attention.
Forks were dropped, all eyes on me as everyone waited to hear what would come out of my mouth next.
“I’ll always be grateful for Mr. Wilson. It breaks my heart that Paige and Chase have to go the rest of their days without a father,” I looked between Paige and Chase with a sympathetic look, “but if it weren’t for his tragedy, I don’t know if Paige would have ever come back home—if we would have had the opportunity to connect. If it weren’t for him, I don’t know if I would be as happy as I am today. Long story short, I will always be thankful for Mr. Wilson. It was him who brought us together and I’ll always make sure to thank him every Thanksgiving. Because of him, I found the one for me.”
Fuck, I was nervous. Why did I feel like I was proposing in front of both of our families? This whole being thankful for her dad thing went a lot smoother in my head. Now I felt like I needed to explain myself in order to get my point across.
I wiped my sweaty palms against my blue jeans and continued on. “Anthony’s loss has been tragic. It tears me apart to see the pain your family has had to endure. But with every tragedy comes a new beginning. I feel like I can be your new beginning, Paige.” My palms were still sweating when I let out a pent-up breath and looked Paige right in the eye. I didn’t know how I expected her to respond; I hadn’t thought that far ahead.
The table was silent. Everyone sat around, waiting for Paige to say something. When a lone tear escaped her eye, she quickly brushed it away, hoping no one would notice the emotion she was feeling. Her cheeks were tinted pink as she finally addressed me.
“Do you mind coming to the kitchen with me for more wine?” she whispered as she stood up with her empty glass.
Shit. Was she pissed? Had I said too much? Did I embarrass her? I already knew I had fallen for her, but maybe I was coming off too strong?
“Excuse us,” I addressed the table full of wide eyes. I wiped my mouth with my napkin and guided her toward the kitchen, my hand on her lower back.
When we turned the corner into the kitchen, she was still struck silent. There was an obvious dip in her brow that made her seem upset. The last thing I wanted to do on Thanksgiving was give her a reason to be upset.
“I’m sorry about that. I don’t know what got into me. I guess I was just speaking from the heart, and I apologize if I came off a little strong too fast.” I grazed her cheek with my finger as I slid a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
“No one has ever said anything like that to me before,” she let out in a soft whisper. “Did you really mean what you said back there? That you want this thing between us to be a new beginning for me?” She looked right at me, a gloss covering her beautiful green eyes.
“Paige, I’m falling for you. I think it’s obvious. I want to be your beginning; I want to be your end game and everything else in between.” Another tear rolled down her cheek.
“Relationships scare the shit out of me. I haven’t had many thriving examples surrounding me. Even the ones I thought I could count on, I couldn’t. My whole life I lived thinking my mom and dad had this endless love that was unconditional. But even that failed behind my back. But with you, it feels different. It feels like… like I’m falling for you too.”
Her vulnerable side had me choked up. Falling for someone was scary, she was right about that. I knew from day one that falling for this girl would be a risk. I couldn’t tell the future, and I had no idea what was to come, but I knew she had to be the one by my side.
“When I first came back to town, I wasn’t even thinking about a relationship. You came along when I least expected you. But you found me when I needed you most,” she added when I noticed the worry that was etched in her forehead had disappeared.
Her hands found my chest as her nails began to scrape down my shirt, inching lower and lower until she was grazing over my abs. Her hands were petite, but strong. She hooked her fingers on my waist band when she pulled me close to her. My breath hitched with the sudden change in mood.
“I’m fucking crazy about you, Paige. You flipped my world upside down when you came back. I never knew anyone could grab ahold of my heart the way you have,” I spoke softly in her ear.
Her lips crashed against mine with urgency. All the emotion she had been feeling was poured directly into her kiss. Her soft lips pressed into mine as her mouth parted, granting me access. My tongue swiped against hers, a soft whimper escaping her mouth. We were caught up in a frenzy of lust, forgetting all about being at my parents’ house. Little nips at each other’s lips and tongues tangled, hardly taking a second to come up for air. I was completely lost in her kiss. In her taste. I was gone for her. Refusing to break the state of desire we were consumed in, my hands connected with her waist as I lifted her up onto the kitchen counter until we were at eye level.
We were both panting as we stared into each other’s eyes when she had a moment of clarity. “Oh my God. What if someone walks in on us?” She looked around paranoid. “We should get back to the dinner table,” Paige said with her hands tangled in my hair.
“You really want me to go back in there with this?” I picked up Paige’s hand and placed it on my erection that wanted to escape from my pants.
Her eyes went dark, full of passion and desire, that lower lip being pulled between her teeth. “Think we can escape really quick? Go somewhere a little more… private? I remember you saying a while ago you wanted to properly claim my mouth,” she said with a smug look on her face. I didn’t think my cock could get any harder than it already was. The thought of her lips around me and my cock at the back of her throat had me begging to get out of these jeans for some much-needed relief.
She wrapped her legs around my back, pulling me in closer to her. My hardened length found her center. “Please? I’m asking nicely,” she whispered as she nipped at my ear lobe.
“Hold on tight.” I escaped the kitchen, going the opposite way of the dining room, where our families sat waiting for our return. Paige clung tightly to me as I made a dash for the stairs. I hadn’t fucked around with a girl under my parent’s roof since I was in high school. There was something about this situation that felt dangerous. It took me back to when I was a teenager, getting caught doing stupid shit and getting grounded for it. Even though we were grown adults, and I knew it wasn’t the most respectful thing to do, I couldn’t help wanting to risk getting caught with Paige. The thought of sneaking around turned me on so fucking much.
The second I was upstairs, I found the first door with a lock on it. The bathroom would work perfectly. Barging through the door with Paige still locked tight around me, I loosened my grip to set her down, her perfect tits sliding down my body.
“You’re going to have to be quiet. Think you can handle that?” I asked as I kissed down her neck.
“I don’t think it will be me that will have the problem staying quiet. You think you can hold back when I have your dick in my mouth?” she responded, her fingers finding the button to my jeans.
“You’re going to make this hard on me, aren’t you?”
“I plan on whipping out all of my best moves to test out how much self-control you really have.” A lust-filled grin found her lips.
She tore my pants down my legs, so they were pooled around my ankles, my boxer briefs along with them. She took a few steps back, taking me in as she raked her eyes up and down my body slowly.
“Fuck, Declan, look how hard you are. Begging for me to get ahold of you.” I loved the way she appreciated my body, and I was more than ready to spill my cum down her throat.
“Spit on it,” she ordered.
“Come again?” I asked in shock. Normally, I was the one to bark the orders, but my cock was fully responsive to her and throbbed at the idea of her being in control this time around.
“Spit on it and stroke yourself. I want to watch you before I take you in my mouth.” Doing as she said, I gathered saliva in my mouth and let it fall, coating my length in the clear liquid. I pumped once…twice… three times, as I watched her lick her lips and stare at me intently.
I’m not sure what was sexier, her on her knees, watching me touch myself, or that I was getting off on her just looking at my cock like it was her next meal.
“Time for you to show me how quiet you can be,” she whispered as she brought a finger up to her lips letting out a shhh noise.
My cock was in the palm of her hand as she stroked me up and down, my eyes rolling into the back of my head in response to her touch. Lifting me up so my length was pressed against my stomach, her warm tongue reached out and found my sack. A hiss escaped my mouth in pleasure when she sucked my balls into her mouth, one at a time. A loud pop echoed off her lips as she released me.
I could bust right here right now, and she hadn’t even taken me all the way down her throat yet. “That feel good, babe?” she asked, licking her lips like she couldn’t get enough. I was having a hard time accepting we needed to be quiet. Every thought that ran through my head had my control flying out the window.
Making her choke on me. Tearing her mouth off my cock and taking her from behind. Making her scream my name.
I turned the faucet on, creating some noise that would hopefully help drown out my heavy grunts.
“I love the way your mouth feels on me, baby girl,” I murmured as I gathered her hair in my fist and guided her mouth back on me.
Her mouth opened wide in response, tongue hanging out like she was a dog begging for a treat. I fisted my cock, sliding the tip around her lips before I let it glide all the way back in her mouth. Her lips closed around me, encompassing me with her warmth. Fuck, she felt so good. I wanted this moment to last forever, but I knew we needed to be quick.
I tugged her hair, guiding her mouth up and down my shaft at a speed I knew would bring me to a climax. She continued to suck, hollowing out her cheeks as I thrusted in and out of her mouth.
“Such a dirty fucking girl, letting me fuck your throat,” I grunted. With every time my head hit the back of her throat, I was that much closer to spilling over. We were both failing miserably at being quiet. Between her gagging and my grunting, everyone downstairs had to know by now that we snuck off because we couldn’t get enough of each other.
Paige bobbed up for air, continuing to fist me, both hands pulling me into a moment of ecstasy.
“I’m so close, baby. Take me back into your mouth so I can properly claim you like the good girl that you are.” She didn’t hesitate as she fit her mouth around me once more.
“Eyes on me, baby girl. I want to look in your eyes and watch you take every drop of my come.” Her gaze found mine, tears building every time she took me as deep as possible. Sharp fingernails dug into the back of my legs as she sucked continuously. My body was tingling all over, my balls throbbing and tight.
“I’m coming, baby. Fuck, you feel so good.” Another grunt slipped out.
“Fuck. Your mouth was made for me.” I felt limp as she sucked me dry—like she just sucked the life out of me. I slipped myself from her lips, feeling sensitive as fuck.
Nothing could happen tonight to ruin the best blow job of my life.
I looked down at her on her knees, looking as perfect as ever. Her lips red and swollen, cheeks rosy, makeup slightly running and eyes glossed over. I reached out my hand to help her off the hardwood floor. As we both stood there, looking at ourselves in the mirror, there was no way we were getting away with this. The look we gave off was a dead giveaway.
“Is there any mouthwash in here?” she asked, looking around in the various cabinets.
“Even if there was, I’d rather you keep me on your tongue so you can taste me the rest of the night.” Her cheeks were already tinted from the last few minutes but turned an even darker shade of pink.
“It’s a good thing I like how you taste.” She bit her lip, looking up at me like she was ready for round two. I trailed kisses up her neck, finding her jaw and kissed up to her lips.
“Good girl. I promise to repay the favor later when I have more time to worship your body. But we should probably make our way back down there before they think we ditched them.”
“Would that be the worst idea? To ditch them? I mean, we can make an escape now and explain later.” The sweetness in her eyes twinkled, making her offer tempting as all hell.
“Can’t do that, baby girl. I will not have your mom thinking I’m an asshole. I’m a gentleman, remember?”
“Oh, I’m sure everyone can see what a gentleman you are after that speech you gave at the table before you whisked me away to fuck my mouth.”
“Okay, so maybe I’m a kinky gentleman then,” I teased with a wink pulling her toward the door.
“Wait! I need to touch up my makeup first!” She blotted at her eyes with a tissue and combed her hair with her fingers, trying to appear as presentable as possible.
“You’re beautiful, Paige.” I stared right into her eyes through the mirror. She really was beautiful. The most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on, and she deserved to be told that, every day, with the utmost sincerity. It didn’t matter if she had no makeup, runny makeup or the perfect makeup on for a night out. She would be beautiful, no matter what.
I cupped her chin in my hands and gave her a long kiss. No tongue. Nothing that would lead to anything more. Just a long kiss that told her how much I appreciated her and how strong my feelings really were. I knew I loved her, and I’d let her know soon, I just needed to find the right moment.
I loved her so much it was crazy.
We finally made our way back down to the dining room and took our seats when five pairs of eyes gave us the look like they knew exactly what we had been up to. No one was brave enough to say it out loud, but we had definitely been caught. I wouldn’t be surprised if my mom said something to me later in private.
It was better to ask for forgiveness than permission, right?
We picked around at our food and jumped back into conversation like we hadn’t missed any time at all.
“Myles, honey, you never said what you’re thankful for,” Mom said to my brother. He found my gaze from across the table when a mischievous grin found his face.
“Hmm… There is so much to be thankful for. I don’t know if I’ll be able to top Declan’s declaration of love, so I’ll just keep it simple. I’m thankful for the new friend I made at the bar last night. When Declan bowed out early, my friend was kind enough to offer me a ride home.” That fucking asshole. He was being vague when it came to everyone else sitting around the table, but he knew he was getting under my skin on purpose. Even after our argument and him acting like everything with Logan was no big deal, he still got a ride from him instead of getting an Uber like any other normal person.
“Oh Myles, how wonderful! Both you and Declan have new friends,” Mom said friends like it was something more. With me it was, but obviously Myles had her thinking something else entirely. My fists were clenched tightly underneath the table—crescent shapes etched into my palms. If Paige and her family weren’t here, I’d launch across the table and let my frustration out on Myles. He was fucking asking for it lately.
“Pumpkin pie, anyone?” I asked as I stood up with my empty dinner plate.
After we finished up with dinner, we gorged ourselves on some pumpkin and apple pie for dessert. Made from scratch, of course, because my mom was a pro around the kitchen.
Paige’s mom and brother left a few moments ago and we were about to head out ourselves. I was eager to get back home and spend the rest of the night tangled in my bed sheets with Paige wrapped in my arms.
“I’m going to use the restroom before we head out. Be right back, okay?” I kissed Paige on the cheek before heading for the bathroom.
“Okay. I’ll grab the leftovers from your mom and get everything ready to go.” I gave her a nod and made my way down the hallway.
When I turned the corner, a noise caught my attention. Myles popped out of the restroom clapping his hands together slowly.
Clap… Clap… Clap.
“Bravo, brother. Good performance tonight. I’m surprised you controlled the urge to beat my face in. You didn’t even take the bait,” Myles slurred. Not surprised he was drunk on Thanksgiving, since this was pretty on par for him, especially lately.
“What the fuck is wrong with you? You’re getting under my skin just as much as that prick friend of yours.” I shoved him back into the restroom so we could have a private chat.
“Dude, he’s not that bad. You just hate him because he dated that girl of yours.”
“Paige,” I cut in. “Call her by her fucking name and have some respect.” My face burned red.
“The guy is a low life, a drunk and off his fucking meds. If you keep hanging around him, you’re going to fuck your life up even more than it already is. Do you want to be thirty years old and a nobody like that guy? What’s it going to take to wake you up?” I gripped his shoulders and gave him a strong shake.
“There’s no point in waking up when that’s your cue to face reality,” Myles mumbled with his head hung low.
“What the fuck is going on man? What is wrong with you lately?” I leveled with him, asking in a serious tone, trying my best to throw out the anger in my voice.
“ Ugh !” he grunted, pulling on the back of his neck in frustration. Maybe something really was going on with Myles. Something more serious than him just drinking too much and partying. He’d been pulling away from me lately and his habits had only gotten worse.
What could have happened in the last few months that had him off his rocker?
Suddenly a pang of guilt hit me. I was hanging around Paige so much lately and letting our relationship consume me, I hadn’t been paying close enough attention to what was going on with my brother.
“I can’t fucking talk about it, man. It’s bad. I fucked up. And you’re the last person I could ever tell.” Tears started to form in his eyes. I don’t remember the last time I saw Myles cry. He was a drunken mess right now. Something was tearing him up so badly inside, he was finally breaking down. But why couldn’t he talk to me about it?
“You can always talk to me, Myles. It may be rough between us right now but you’re still my brother. I’ll always be here to talk to you. What kind of shit storm do you need my help getting out of?” I came to his defense. He looked up at me with bloodshot eyes, his mouth opening and shutting like he was trying to form the right words.
“I fucked up,” he admitted again. I stayed quiet in hopes he would continue to get what he needed to off his chest.
“Remember when I said I drove Logan home from a party a while back?”
“Yeah?”
“Well…” He struggled to get this next part out.
“You were right. He convinced me I was less drunk than him, and the drive wasn’t far. He said I just needed to worry about getting us both back to his house and I could crash there. But I don’t remember anything that happened that night. I’m pretty sure I fucking blacked out.”
“Okay, so what’s up? I know you didn’t admit this last night but it’s over with. That was in the past. You don’t have to keep partying with him and hanging around him.”
“That’s not the point…” He looked up to the ceiling, trying his best to hold back the tears that escaped anyways. He let out a sob and slid from my grip. He was now sitting on the cold hard tile, with the wall supporting his back. His head found his hands as he let out sob after sob.
I knelt down in front of him trying my best to get some answers—doing my best to control his drunken emotions. “Myles, talk to me,” I whispered.
“Logan hasn’t stopped texting me. He’s trying to blackmail me. He said if I don’t tell you, he will go to the police. He cornered me at the bar last night and told me I had a week to admit what I did.” His head found the wall after he leaned back, giving it a hard knock in frustration.
“Hey, man. Come on, don’t do that to yourself.” I cupped the back of his head so he wouldn’t bang it into the wall again.
“What does Logan want you to tell me that you’re struggling to say right now? This doesn’t make any sense... And what the fuck would he go to the police for?” Myles looked me in the eyes, all emotion gone, like his soul had left his body. He was no longer there.
“I blacked out behind the wheel on October 8th.” His stare didn’t budge. He was waiting for my reaction to what he admitted. It took me a minute to make sense of the significance of that date.
Paige.
Her dad.
The hit and run.
My face paled as realization washed over me and my thoughts ran a mile a minute. How could this be? Was he saying he killed the father of the girl I loved? I swallowed the lump in my throat, trying to figure out what to say or do next.
I reared back, my heart feeling like it had dropped into my stomach. We both sat there in silence. Him in shock of his admission and me trying to take in everything that was just said. What the fuck was I going to do?
I told Myles I would be there for him. I told him we would fix this shit storm. Together. But how could I do that when Paige was on the other end of it? I was torn between two people I loved. I had to tell Paige. She deserved the truth. Her and her family deserved closure. This couldn’t be fucking happening.
“I have to tell Paige,” I whispered.
“You can’t, Declan. Please,” he pleaded. “I’ll go to fucking jail. Our family will be ruined ,” he added selfishly.
“Fuck, Myles. I’m put in an impossible position. What the fuck am I supposed to do? Continue to play house with Paige and act like I know absolutely nothing? Listen to her talk about how much she misses her dad and how she wishes she knew who fucking killed him?” My voice rose in frustration.
“I’ll do better, I swear,” he begged. “I’ll go to fucking AA or rehab. I’ll stop drinking and sober up. I’ll make this right. Please!” His cry was desperate.
“Fuck, Myles. Don’t you see that either way, I’m fucked here? I’m fucking heartbroken either way. I love that girl. Why would she want to be with me, knowing her father’s murderer is my brother? How can she even look at me without seeing you?” I said in disgust.
“I fucked up. I know. I will never forgive myself for this. Why do you think I’ve been losing it the last few months? I can’t handle how I feel inside. Every morning when I wake up, I’m faced with the decision I made. Logan won’t let me forget it. I don’t know why he cares so much when it’s my life here at stake and not his. Sure, he knows about it because he was with me, but it wasn’t him behind the wheel,” he goes on as a light bulb goes off in my head.
“Wait… you said you were driving his car, right?” I asked.
“Yeah. The accident was right down the road from his place,” he answered in defeat.
“It was a hit and run, Myles. How did his car get home? Has he been hounding you to pay for the damages?” Suddenly, so many questions were running through my mind at warp speed.
“I asked him some of the same questions. I blacked out and couldn’t remember anything he was saying. I’ve hounded him with questions every day, trying to force any bit of information to come back to me. None of it makes sense. Even in my drunkest state, I’m not an asshole at heart. Drunk or not, I could never leave someone there to die.” He took a deep breath to try and calm down.
“What did he say happened to his car then?” I questioned.
“He said it was drivable. Fucked up, but able to drive. I clipped the other car just right to where it was sent skidding into a tree. Apparently, I was still able to drive away. He said he’s been hiding his car in the garage ever since. He didn’t want to draw attention to his vehicle while the police have an open case against the hit and run. He didn’t want anyone asking questions. That’s why he’s been pressuring me to tell someone. I guess he figures if I tell you, then you’ll tell Paige and he doesn’t have to get his hands dirty by telling the cops.”
“Well, he’s a fucking idiot because there is no world in which I wouldn’t let that guy go down for what he’s guilty for. It’s his fucking car and he deserves to be held responsible just as much as you would. He pushed you to get behind the wheel, man.”
“I know… I just wish I could remember how this all went down. It just doesn’t feel right. Fuck!” He let out an aggravated grunt.
“You’re not wrong. Something definitely feels off about this. I’m going to figure this out, okay? You need to trust me and don’t do anything stupid in the meantime.” I stood up, trying to compose myself. Reaching out my hand, I gave him a boost up.
I gave him a hard pat on the back to try and shake him out of it for now. “Come on, man, just go up to your room and sleep this off. Don’t risk Mom or Dad prying and asking what’s up. It’s best not to get them involved right now.”
I stretched out my hand to grab the doorknob when I was unexpectedly greeted by Paige standing on the other side. The look on her face told me everything I needed to know.
She heard everything.