It's been exactly one week since that night. Tristan has been able to recover from most of his injuries, but his ribs will take longer to fully heal.

I was at the hospital, sitting in the chair I had been in most days of the week. I hated hospitals, they just lingered with sickness and injuries and misery.

Dad came home and Carson and I had come clean with the news of what happened with Braedon. Well, almost clean. We may have had to work around the whole illegal underground fighting thing, and the hostage thing, and the guns out and swinging thing.

And that's how the four of us ended up here in the hospital. Me, dad, Carson, and Braedon.

Braedon was still recovering from his bullet wound. If it had hit exactly two inches to the right, the bullet would have gone straight through his heart.

The story was that we all went to the city for a night out. We were separated and the boys got jumped. They were fighting back when one of the robbers pulled a gun on them and that's how Braedon ended up shot.

Dad bought it and so did the hospital workers when both Tristan and Braedon needed medical attention.

Lachlan's men stayed tucked away in the hole they crawled out of when he was officially announced dead. We don't expect to hear from them again. Especially from Nolan.

I was sitting with Tristan in his hospital room about two days after that night when the mood shifted.

"Are you sure you're not tired of the same TV? I could bring you a book if you want." I said to Tristan who was making a face at the show they were playing re-runs of.

"That doesn't sound so bad." He eyed the book I brought with me, bringing his fingers over the top to get a better look at the cover. "Read it out loud to me?"

"Mmm.. how do you feel about a fantasy romance?"

"I don't care, as long you enjoy it and it's you reading it me."

So I humored him. I started at the beginning of the chapter I was on, reading the words off the page and telling the story to the both of us.

This chapter wasn't action packed, it wasn't sad, wasn't stressful, wasn't anything that brought about any anger or negative emotions.

So why was the hell was Tristan looking at me like that?

I looked up from my book when I realized it. He wasn't looking at me exactly. His steady hard gaze was locked directly on the spot of my face that I applied extra concealer to. The same spot Nolan had hit me.

My makeup must have smudged. He reached a hand up, gently rubbing his thumb over the concealed area to get a better look. I winced a little at the pressure and he stopped.

"What happened to your face?" He asked slowly, his voice sounding impossibly calm.

"I'm fine, Tristan."

"That's good Adelaide, but that's not what I asked," he said, his tone sounding more tense. "Tell me what happened to your face."

I took a deep breath and struggled to start, but after all the lying I had to do with my father, it felt like a relief to let it all out to him. His gaze never once left the bruise.

His eyes went darker at the mention of Nolan's name. As I was explaining, I noticed his chest was falling deeper and rising higher in his attempt to keep his breathing steady. He didn't say anything for a moment when I finished. Then suddenly I saw the unease behind his look as a thought seemed to occur to him.

"Ada did he-" he started slowly but I didn't let him finish. I know exactly what he was about to ask.

"No," I shook my head. "No he didn't. Lachlan of all people came to stop him." The words were bitter on my tongue. I looked up at him. "But like I said, I'm okay."

"Well that makes one of us," he replied and in that small statement he didn't bother hiding just how angry he was.

Tristan was going to storm out of his bed and discharge himself that day so he could go after Nolan. I couldn't let him though. I told him he needed to stay in bed and get himself recovered. I also said that I would never let him fight again.

But the day he was officially discharged I found out through Tate he went after him anyway. He had re injured his ribs in the process and landed himself back in the hospital overnight.

I couldn't stay mad at him for long, considering he did it for me. Hearing that someone handed Nolan's ass to him also just made me feel good on the inside. I just wish that Tristan hadn't hurt himself again.

Hearing Carson's voice interrupted my thoughts then, "why couldn't they have given you the green Jello today? I hate orange." And then he snatched it from Braedon's lunch tray.

"I was going to eat that."

"Hey you screwed up big time you ass hat. I don't care that you got shot, you owe me all your Jello for the rest of your life."

Braedon looked at me then and I knew what was coming next.

"I really am sorry." He must have said for the umpteenth time and I knew he meant it. He just wanted the big fight that was going to get him more recognition. Lachlan had said to him that using me was all for show and just for the one fight.

He had realized what an idiot he had been when Lachlan told Tristan that he wanted to keep him long term, but his pride stopped him from speaking against it.

Then when Carson came, he said he actually did manage to knock some sense into him. Nolan was never supposed to do what he did, starting with the knife to my throat and on to the mark he left on my cheek. Lachlan told Braedon I wouldn't get hurt but failed to keep a tighter leash on Nolan. Braedon said all he thought about after that was the money.

Then the guns were pulled and it was harder to think about the paycheck. So, when he saw Lachlan had pulled a gun on Tristan, he knew exactly what he was planning and Braedon didn't think twice about doing the right thing for once.

"Yeah I know," I responded to his apology and reached over to take the next thing off his tray, "but you can save your apologies now and instead spend the rest of your long life proving it. Like buying me things, and driving me places, and," I held the small bowl of mashed potatoes up so he could see, "letting me steal your food."

Carson gave me a satisfied grin and then stuffed his mouth with a spoonful of Jello.

"Actually Adelaide," Braedon continued. "I um- I didn't want to tell you before because I didn't know if it was guaranteed after Lachlan died but... I'm not keeping the money."

"Hm?" Was all I could manage in my confusion.

"It's your money now Ada. You can keep all of. Well not all of it because a huge chunk of it got lost in everything moving around, but it's still a good amount. I shouldn't have trusted him, I know that now. Actually, I knew it the moment Lachlan didn't say anything the second Nolan pulled that knife to your throat. So it's yours. Take it as my official apology for everything you've gone through."

I was thrown off guard. The only thing I could think to ask was, "How much is it?"

"25,000 dollars."

I may have choked on my mashed potatoes. Carson may have choked on his jello.

"Go on a shopping spree, buy a car for when you finally get a license, but you'll probably be smart about it and save it for a college fund. I don't care what you do with it. But ... maybe cut Tristan a small share for the hospital bill or some shit like that."

I heard a small knock at the door and I thought maybe dad had come back from getting himself coffee. It wasn't dad though, it was Tristan.

"That would be great, thanks. I'll be taking that out of your pocket though, not hers." He said to Braedon.

"Well who's pocket am I taking money from? I went through shit too." Carson said.

"Hey man, If Lachlan hadn't planned for you to lose, you probably would've beat me in the ring." Braedon said to Tristan, completely ignoring my other brother. It's okay though, I would take care of Carson myself.

"I guess we won't find out now."

"Find out what?" a voice came behind Tristan. He moved out of my dad's way as he came in with a disposable cup of coffee.

"Racing, dad. He thinks he's faster than me, but we can't exactly find out now." He said and pointed to his bullet wound that was still covered in bandages.

"It's good to see you Mr. Beck." Tristan said politely.

My dad reached his hand out in a shake and said, "always a pleasure Tristan. What can I do for you?"

"I was just hoping I can steal your daughter for the day, if that's okay with you both." I smiled at him when he looked over to me in question.

And that's how we ended up in his car on our way to somewhere I couldn't pin point yet.

"Where are you taking me?"

"You'll see."

And I'm glad I was patient enough to wait because I knew exactly where we were when he pulled up into a parking spot. It was Eastwood's City park. AKA the place we practically lived at when we were kids.

The sun was hanging low in the sky as we walked along the tree's. Beams of sunlight escaped through the cracks of the branches and autumn colored leaves.

I hadn't even realized Tristan was holding something off to the side. I craned my neck to get a better look at it and he pulled it farther behind his back.

"Why are you being so secretive with that?" and when he didn't reply I pushed further, "what's in the bag grumpy?"

"You're really impatient, you know that?"

I just smiled innocently at him until he pulled the bag open, "This is for you." He said and pulled out a bag of our favorite gummies. I gasped and took them from him in a flash.

He just chuckled at me and then pulled something else out that was wrapped in brown paper.

"and this is for me, but it's wrapped for you." He said and I think he almost confused himself with the statement. "Just open it, you'll see."

I looked at him skeptically and slowly tore the wrapping paper apart.

I looked down at a book. It was a simple book with an untitled cover. And then I flipped it open and my heart did a complete somersault.

Because inside this simple book was a doodle. The very first doodle I had made for Tristan during one of our first detentions together. This was the one with Mr. Pinn Head drawn in it with me and Tristan sitting together for the first time.

I looked at him in disbelief, "You kept this? I just assumed you had tossed this out."

He nodded his head and said, "I kept more. Keep going."

I flipped to the next page and it showed a gorilla with steam coming out of its nostrils. Oh wait, that was just Walter, I forgot. Tristan was next to him getting ready to fight him at the party we all went to.

The next page I flipped to was my doodle of the bee in the tree with me and Carson. Tristan had his bubble butt gripped in his hands and was on the floor in pain. I laughed at it again before I flipped to the next page.

This was the memory I had when Tristan came to my window at two in the morning. I was in my bed and he was on the floor. This was the picture that he had made a little critique for. He had drawn himself a smile instead of my signature grumpy face I had always drawn on him.

The last one in the book was the one I drew of us at the gas station in the rain. We were both smiling this time because we had our favorite gummies with us. He had kept every single stupid doodle I made for him, and he turned it into his own personal picture book.

And that's when I looked up at him with a full heart and I couldn't help the big smile on my face as I tucked the book to my side and walked right up to him to plant a kiss on his own smile.

And while our mouths were moving in sync, I thought about how this moment was probably the happiest I had ever been in my whole life.

He pulled back and he suddenly had the most serious expression I had seen that day.

"I need you to know that every moment you were locked in that room, every moment I wasn't able to see you Ada, It had me so fucking worried and I couldn't stop thinking about you." His deep tone was laced with worry and I brought a hand up to stroke a lock of his dark hair that had fallen across his forehead, "I don't want anything like that to happen to you again, I won't let anything like that happen to you again. Because I love you and I always want you safe."

"You love me?"

He let out a short laugh like he couldn't believe I had to ask, "I've loved you since the first time I saw your eyes turn to honey in the sunlight. Like they're doing just now."

And then I kissed him again and I put my whole heart into it. Because I've known for a while now that I love Tristan Presley, even if my brain didn't process it, my heart always knew. So I pulled away then and I said it back, "I love you too Tristan."

"Good," he responded in relief, "Because it makes what I'm about to say next a hell of a lot easier."

I waited for him to go on and then he said, "Adelaide Beck, I dare you to be my girlfriend."

I laughed out loud as my chest almost exploded in happiness. Then I took a moment to gather myself and scoffed, "Tristan this isn't the fifth grade anymor-"

"Adelaide."

"Yeah, I'll be your girlfriend."

🙄✋🏽

❤️