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Beau's snoring wakes me up just after eight in the morning. Dragging myself out of bed, I gaze down at the beautiful guy in my bed. He's bruised and beaten up, but he looks better than before I cleaned him up. I wonder who the other guy is and what he looks like.
Tucking the covers back around Beau, I head to the bathroom to take care of business, and then I go down to cook a nice, greasy breakfast for him. I hear that greasy food is loved by people with hangovers. I stop what I'm doing and think,or is it loved by people who are still drunk? I shrug. Either way, I'm making my man some breakfast.
I'm just putting the plates on the food tray to take upstairs when my mother walks in the door. "Mom? What are you doing here? I thought you and Bain were leaving for your honeymoon first thing this morning."
She sighs, "Yeah, well, we are postponing it until tomorrow morning because of last night's incident."
Dread fills me, and I have to ask, even though I'm pretty sure what the answer will be, "W-What incident?"
Mom glances at the food tray and my attire, then quirks her brow. "Beau's here, isn't he?"
I nod.
"How is he?" she asks me.
I look at my mother for a long moment. "It was Bain, wasn't it? That's who Beau got into a fight with last night."
It's her turn to nod now. "But in Beau's defense," my mother hurries to explain. "All he was trying to do was go to his room. Beau was quite drunk and didn't want to talk to his father, but Bain kept at him. He pushed his son to the point that Beau had enough and took the first swing."
I close my eyes and take a few deep breaths. "Let me guess, Bain still refuses to let us be together…"
"I'm sorry, honey. I've tried to make him see that you are both adults and that it doesn't matter since you didn't grow up as siblings, but none of that matters to him. Appearances matter. His son and stepdaughter being together isn't a good image for Bellini Formal."
"How? How could you marry someone like that?" I ask my mother.
I'm not faulting her in any way. She loves him, as I do Beau, but I don't know if I could stay with someone like Bain with his way of thinking. Beau is his son, and he should want to see his son happy first and foremost. It seems like his company is more important to him than his own son.
"I truly thought he would change his mind, honey. Every time I tried to talk to him about it, he would smile at me and tell me that it would all work out." My mother's face screws up. "It wasn't until the reception that he told me he would never allow the two of you to be together as long as he and I were married, and that he wasn't giving me up."
"I understand…" I tell her and grab the tray to take upstairs.
"Ryan…talk to me, sweetie."
I look back at her. "There is nothing more to say. We will figure something out because, like Bain, I'm not giving Beau up either." I walk from the kitchen, fighting back the tears wanting to break free.
My mother didn't stay long. In fact, I didn't see her again after I left her in the kitchen. Instead, I remain with Beau as he eats his breakfast, not being very talkative. I'm not sure how to bring up the fight, so I'm hoping he will do it when he's ready.
"Is everything okay? The eggs aren't overcooked, are they?" I ask as I crawl back into the bed beside him.
"Everything is perfect, just like you, baby."
I watch him crunch down on some bacon and smile. "Do you need any pain relievers? I guess I didn't think about grabbing you any." I go to get back up, but he stays me with his hand on my hip.
"I'm good, I promise. Just stay here with me, okay?" His eyes plead with me, so I do.
Neither of us says another word as he finishes his breakfast with one hand because his other is still on my hip. I lace my fingers through his and lie here, listening to Beau chew his food. You would think it'd be weird, but it's very comforting.
Once he's finished, I let his hand go so he can move the tray from his lap and lay back down, facing me. I reach up and brush some of his hair from his forehead. It's not because it's long; he got it cut shortly after we returned from Florida, but it's just something I like to do. He sighs and closes his eyes whenever I play with his hair.
"You should move in with me," I blurt out.
His gaze is gentle as he shakes his head. "My father will never allow it. He's threatened to cut me off if I don't stop seeing you."
My eyes burn, and my throat clogs at hearing this.This is it; he's going to break it off with me. I think to myself, and suddenly, I find myself holding my breath while waiting for those exact words. It isn't until Beau's eyes widen, and he shakes me, telling me to breathe, that I take a huge breath. With it comes a big fat tear.
"No, baby. Please don't cry. We will figure something out. I don't care if he cuts me off, but I still own half of Bellini Formal. It was my mother's half that transferred to me when she left. It's all I have left of her," he explains. "I will talk to lawyers and see my options. I know I must finish college first. It's one of the stipulations."
"So we have to sneak around for four years?" I ask incredulously.
