I'll Always Be His

Chapter 6

HARDIN

I can’t believe she finally opened up. If she only knew how I felt. I didn’t mean to hurt her. I can’t believe she felt that way. That was never my intention. If she would only open up this damn door so I could tell her the truth. She’s angry and she’s hurt. Understand why she told me to go away. It was killing me to know how bad she was hurting but I think I should give her the space she asked for. I’d try to talk to her in the morning when she had a chance to calm down.

I went back to Sylas's room and took to my bed on his couch. I couldn't sleep. All I could see was her crying when I closed my eyes. I had to tell Sylas how I felt first thing in the morning. I loved her too much to stay away. Knowing how I was tormenting her made me sick. This wasn’t a crush on her end, at least not anymore. There were real feelings there. Now that I knew it was on both ends I was determine. It was time to make her completely mine.

TESSA

I stared in the mirror. I had virtually no sleep, my eyes were all puffy and swollen from the crying, my hair was a mess. I turned the shower on and climbed in. I had no idea how I was going to face him today. It was Sunday and I had invited Nick to family dinner so I couldn’t just not go. I had no way of getting out of it either since it was being hosted at my house tonight. My parents wouldn’t accept any excuse. I was doomed.

I thought I’d be able to sneak out of the house and avoid him until dinner. Nope that wasn’t on the agenda apparently. He was sleeping outside my room. The opening of my door woke him up and he fell backwards into my room.

“Good Morning!” He said groggily.

“What, are you guarding my room now? Have you been out here all night?” I snapped at him.

“Keep your voice down. I haven’t been out here all night but I couldn’t sleep and I knew you would try to sneak past me to avoid me but I need you to listen to me.” He got up off the floor and shut and locked the door behind him.

“Sit down Tessa.” When I sat down he continued. “Tessa, I have loved you for years. That summer when I brought you that cake for your birthday, Sylas made me promise to keep you off limits. I don’t know why I made the promise. I knew then that I loved you but I didn’t think you felt the same way. I dated Hannah for years as a distraction and I never realized that I was hurting you when I did that. I thought you didn’t feel that way about me. I ended things with Hannah so she could find her true love. Mine is staring at me and I don’t want to let her go. Seeing you with Nick, his hands on you, his lips on you, it makes me sick. I’m going to tell your brother today how I feel and I will deal with the aftermath later. I love you Tessa. It has always been you. It will always be you. You are my alpha and omega goldilocks. You were the beginning of me and you’ll be the end of me.”

He got down on his knees in front of me taking my hands in his. We were eye level now and I was staring at the vastness of his deep blue eyes. “You are mine goldilocks. Forever.”

He was staring at me waiting for me to say something. My brain was mush and my mouth wouldn’t cooperate. Finally I found my words, “I’ve been in love with you all my life Hardin. Nothing feels right unless it’s with you.” He bent down and kissed me sliding his tongue in my mouth swirling it sensually with my own. He broke apart and looked me in the eyes. “Tell me Tessa, tell me you are mine.”

“I am yours. Only yours.”

He kissed me again. This time with more want and need. He was on top of me in an instant. His body slid between my legs and I ground my core against him. I wanted. I needed him. Then he stopped.

“What are you doing?”

“I want it as badly as you do but this can’t happen right now. I need to do this the right way and that means I need to talk to Sylas first. I’ve got to run home and help mom and then I’ll be back to talk to him. I’ll see you at dinner.”

I knew I had to call and break things off with Nick. I’d rather do it in person. He texted and said he couldn’t make it to dinner tonight so I would do it tomorrow. Time was passing so slowly and I hadn’t heard Hardin come back yet. Sylas was still holed up in his room. It was almost time for dinner and I could smell the roast in the air. Cole showed up with his parents and there was still no Hardin. Sylas came down stairs, alone, and took his seat at the table.

I tried to think of a sly way to ask about Hardin without drawing attention. I figured it was best to go through Cole. He was sitting next to me making this easy, “Hey, where’s your brother?” he replied with, “He should be here any minute. He was right behind us.”

I went in to help mom get all the dishes of food to their place on the table. We were walking back to the dining room with the last dishes from kitchen. I came through the door way and Hardin was in his usual seat next to Sylas but next to him was the she devil herself. Kendra.