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And although I know Anita won’t take kindly to me beating up her brother again, I know that she’ll understand. Given enough time, she’ll even forgive me. It’s what Anita and everyone else does.
I carry the empire on my back, and I’m giving a free pass to the amount of fuck ups I can get away with. It’s a system that works, or at least it used to.
With Daniel here calling in to question how I’ve been running things lately, I can’t help but wonder if he’s right. Out of everyone I know, he has the most experience, and he has enough Blackthorne blood for the others to embrace him wholeheartedly. Hell, I’m sure they’d even be happier with him, but there’s no denying the withdrawal symptoms I’m experiencing.
And I haven’t even walked away yet.
“You can’t solve everything by beating people up,” Daniel points out, pausing to give me a long look. “And we’ve already established that I can take you in a fight.”
I step out from behind the counter and flex my wrists. “You want to take this outside?”
“Both of you need to stop it.” Anita comes out of her room in a robe, with her hair piled on top of her head. “You’re family. You should be helping each other, not beating the shit out of each other, and definitely not in my kitchen.”
“I’m going back upstairs.”
Because I don’t want to do anything stupid.
Trying to put my violent tendencies behind me is hard, but not as hard as having to be away from Isabella. Each step I take up the stairs brings me one step closer to her. When the door creaks open, my dove is sitting up in bed with the covers drawn up to her chin and a book propped open. She glances up at me, and her smile nearly brings me to my knees.
I’d burn the whole world down for her if she asked me to.
Her smile grows wider as she places her bookmark and snaps the book shut. Then she pats the spot next to her, and I pause to kick the door shut with the back of my leg. Exhaling, I crawl onto the bed and bring my head to rest in her lap. She winds her fingers through my hair and massages my scalp.
There’s nowhere else I’d rather be in that moment. All I need to do is figure out how to keep us here, suspended in time, and we’ll be okay.
“I heard raised voices. Is everything okay?”
“Daniel is here.”
“You really don’t like him, do you?” Isabella’s small but deft fingers are still moving steadily, sending little pinpricks of pleasure throughout my skull. “Is it because he’s offering to take over, or is it something else?”
I pause. “I have this feeling about him. Maybe it’s because of Donahue. He’s made it fucking impossible to take anyone’s word…”
“Even your own uncle?”
I glance up at her and frown. “Especially my uncle. If he really means well, how come he hasn’t been around the past few years? Where was he when this war first started? Or when you got kidnapped? Where has he been all these years?”
I don’t mind a man who covets power so long as he’s upfront about it.
But there’s something unsettling about my long-lost uncle showing up when he did, and I can’t tell if it’s my own fears or if it’s my gut trying to tell me something.
“Didn’t you say he’s head of the Blackthorne family in Hong Kong? He was probably busy there or something.”
I cup the back of her neck and give her a deep kiss. “This is one of the many reasons why I fucking love you, dove. You always try to see the good in people.”
Isabella’s answering smile lights up her whole face. “It’s not always easy, but it makes life easier.”
I give her another kiss and linger. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
She sighs and wraps her arms around me. “Do you think you’ll be able to figure out how you feel about Daniel within the next few months? Maybe by spring.”
I draw back and study her face. “I might. Why do you ask?”
“Wedding invitations are supposed to be sent months in advance, and he is Anita’s brother and your uncle. I don’t want to exclude him, but I won’t invite him if you’re not comfortable.”
I pull Isabella up and smile. “Did you just say wedding?”
Isabella laughs, and it’s like music to my ears. “I know things have been hectic, but maybe this is exactly the right time to plan a wedding. I’ve been thinking about it, and I know it seems kind of silly, but I… I’d like to be married before our daughter gets here.”
