Total pages in book: 147
Estimated words: 141556 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 708(@200wpm)___ 566(@250wpm)___ 472(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 141556 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 708(@200wpm)___ 566(@250wpm)___ 472(@300wpm)
“I know, and that’s why I love you. “
His hands tighten on me. “Even though I’m a bastard who kidnapped you?”
“Especially because of that.” I cup his face, forcing him to hold my gaze. “Yeah, you made a lot of choices that scared me and some that will haunt me for the rest of my life, but those choices were made in my best interests. They were made with the intent of surviving.”
He leans his forehead against mine. “How fucked up are we? None of this is healthy.”
“Oh, it definitely wasn’t.” I laugh, and it sounds almost normal. “But that’s behind us now. Things are getting better, and we’re working on it. Together.”
“Together,” he echoes, and something in his voice cracks.
We stay like that for a long moment, breathing the same air, existing in the same space. Two broken people choosing each other despite everything.
Maybe that’s not redemption. Perhaps that’s not healing.
But it’s honest. And right now, honesty is enough.
An hour later, the house fills with voices.
My father arrives first, hands full of flowers and wearing a careful smile. Elena comes with him, the two of them having formed an unlikely friendship over the past few months. Two people who understand what it’s like to survive in the shadow of the Bishop family.
Allie bursts through the door next, all wild copper hair and mischief, arms loaded with presents she insisted she wrapped herself, and it shows. I notice that there is still a ring on her finger. We haven’t really had the chance to talk about that yet. Sawyer trails behind her, his SUV parked next to Calder’s truck. Levi arrives last, an easy grin in place, though his eyes still hold a wariness when he looks at Calder. The betrayal cut deep. The weeks of lies. The FBI coordination that none of them knew about. Levi’s forgiven Calder, but trust is harder to rebuild.
I watch them all from my spot by the cake, and something warm and fragile blooms in my chest. These people. This gathering. I chose this. Not because I had to. Not because it was expected. But because I wanted them here.
“Happy birthday, Saintlyn.” My father pulls me into a careful hug. He still doesn’t know how to touch me anymore. Like I might break.
“Thanks, Dad.”
“Twenty.” He pulls back and studies my face. “You’re so grown up now.”
“I know.”
There’s so much we’re not saying. So much we can’t say with everyone around. There are questions in his eyes I’ll eventually have to answer. And I will. I’ll tell him the truth. It just won’t be right this second.
Allie swoops in, wrapping me in a hug that smells like expensive perfume and rebellion. “Twenty and hot. Look at you.”
“Stop it.”
“Never.” She pulls back, grinning. “I got you something amazing. Well, several amazing things. You’re going to love them.”
“Should I be worried?”
“Probably.”
Elena interrupts, her gray hair still pulled back in that severe bun she favors, but there’s a softening to her features that was never there before. She’s not broken anymore, but also not quite whole either. I have no doubt she’ll find some level of normalcy, but only when the time is right.
“Happy birthday, sweetheart!” She squeezes my hand. “You look beautiful.”
“Thank you.”
Sawyer and Levi wish me a happy birthday with easier affection. They might be Calder’s brothers, but they feel like my own in a strange way. I’m still getting used to having them around. Family members formed through fire and blood and choices none of us wanted to make. I catch Calder watching me from across the room. His gaze is all possession and adoration.
I smile at him. Feeling his love all around me.
He smiles back, and it transforms his whole face.
The party stretches into the evening. We eat cake and open presents, and everything feels normal. Like we’re a regular family celebrating a birthday. The thing is, we aren’t normal, and we never will be, and I think I’m finally coming to terms with it.
The front door opens, and Kade steps inside. He looks rough, real rough. His eyes rimmed with dark circles, and his jaw covered in stubble that looks to be longer than a couple of days. His flannel is wrinkled, and there’s a wildness in his eyes that makes my stomach tighten.
“Kade.” Sawyer moves toward him immediately. “You came.”
“Of course. I was invited.” His voice is flat, empty.
I keep an eye out in case I’m needed but I can’t help but notice, Allie is across the room also near the door, and the moment Kade’s eyes land on her, the air shifts. There’s something there. An eclectic current that’s charged and dangerous. She straightens, and green eyes widen with shock before narrowing with what looks to suspicion.
“Kade,” she greets him carefully.
“Allie.” He doesn’t move toward her, but I can see the resistance. The way his hands curl into fists down at his sides, the tension in his jaw. “Emma send you to check on me?”