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Isaac shifted up onto his elbow, so he was looking into her eyes. “Hey, beautiful. It’s okay. We’ve been over that.” He lifted his hand from hers and stroked her hair back before he kissed her softly. “I forgive you,” he whispered.
She gave him what was probably a weak smile, but it must have been enough since he laid back down and put his hand back into hers.
“The blacksmith shop I was apprenticing in was Henry’s. Jack mentioned him the other night. Anyway, he’s an amazing man. He took me under his wing and taught me so much.”
She absently played with Isaac’s fingers as she thought about how nervous she’d been when Henry had first taught her how to use a forge. Just the heat from the fire was scary enough, let alone everything she had to learn.
“There were three other apprentices there—all men—and they believed a woman had no place being a swordsmith.” She snorted softly at the huge understatement. “I tried not to let their comments bother me, and I went every day to learn. But their derision and the tension it created was a constant stressor that was slowly eating away at my confidence. Some days it didn’t seem to matter how much I was improving, or the praise Henry gave me, because the snide and sexist comments were a continuous mindfuck.”
Isaac turned his hand over in hers and gave her fingers a gentle squeeze. His silent support gave her enough strength to continue.
“When I was in my fourth year at Henry’s and was about to receive my certificate of mastery, he hired a new swordsmith. Only one of the original three guys was still there. One had quit and the other had finished his apprenticeship and took a job elsewhere.
“I remember going into work one day and being totally relieved after hearing that one of the three sexist assholes had quit. Even though there were two left, my life got a little bit easier… anyway… the new guy was Ethan. He had studied under someone else, but Henry had seen some of his work and had been impressed. We had a lot of work, and Henry needed to bring on someone new, so he was going to take a chance on Ethan.”
Isaac never said a word, but every so often, she felt the heat he pushed into his fingers, giving her his warmth. They had the blankets pulled up around them, but their hands were exposed to the chilly air.
“Even though Henry is magic, it isn’t a requirement of working for him. Two out of the three condescending idiots were non-magic. The one that remained was magic, but I think that was just a coincidence. Ethan was magic too, and the first time I saw him, I was leery, considering everything I’d been through.”
Kate didn’t mention how attracted she’d been to Ethan, even while she was distrusting. Ethan wasn’t overly tall, but his shoulders were broad, and he carried himself with an air of confidence that she admired.
“He was charming and didn’t seem to have a problem with a woman in the trade. I was cautious around him at first, always waiting for a derogatory comment, but he wasn’t like that. And once I graduated from my apprenticeship, Henry offered me a full-time position, and Ethan and I began working on projects together.
“One night, after Henry and the others had left, Ethan asked me out for coffee. Normally, I would have gone home to shower, but with us both being magic, I didn’t have to worry about using it around him. Once we were cleaned and changed, we went for coffee, and that turned into a late-night dinner and then drinks.”
Ethan had been so easy to talk to, and having someone who loved swordsmithing like she did and who was magic? It was like a match made in heaven.
“It wasn’t long before we were dating and then sleeping together. I was so in love with him…” She let her voice trail off as she remembered how Ethan had made her feel, the attention he’d given her and what she’d thought was respect after being treated like an inferior for so long. She’d eaten that shit right up.
“We’d only been together for two months when he proposed. He was everything I thought I wanted and needed…” Isaac rubbed his thumb over her hand, and she knew he was letting her know she could tell him anything.
“Shortly after we were engaged, a client Henry had worked with before, came to him with a really big project. He wanted a custom sword to display in his office, and money was no object. The kind of sword he was asking for could take months to make.”
Kate felt her palms begin to sweat, even in the cool temperature of the room. Thinking back to Ethan’s betrayal and the embarrassment and shame he caused ratcheted up her anxiety every time. It didn’t matter how much time had passed.
Like before, Isaac’s thumb rubbed her hand, and then he turned her palm over and ran his finger along it. Such a simple gesture, but she got it. He wasn’t going to judge.
She wasn’t sure she could go into the details. Nor that they mattered. The outcome was what she needed to tell Isaac. The CliffsNotes version was going to have to do. “Henry asked both myself and Ethan to come up with some designs to present to the client. I was so excited. I had three final designs that I had worked on tirelessly and was so proud of.
“When the day came to present to the client, Henry, Ethan, and I went to the client’s office. Ethan said he was nervous and asked me if he could go first. I had seen his designs and although they were nice, they weren’t anything to write home about, so I said sure. Getting his presentation out of the way first was probably a good idea.”
Kate expected Isaac had already figured out where this story was going, but she needed to tell him the rest.
“When Ethan opened his portfolio, it was my designs he handed to the client. Henry looked at me; he knew Ethan had stolen them because I had shown them to Henry, but he didn’t say anything in front of the client. Henry’s reputation was being represented just as much as mine and Ethan’s. Anyway… the client loved the designs and when he asked to see mine, I opened my portfolio to see Ethan’s designs. There was nothing I could do but present them. The client was visibly underwhelmed, but he was at least professional enough not to say anything.”
To this day, the embarrassment of that moment felt like acid churning in her gut. “When we got back to the shop, I was sure Henry would tell me I could create the sword since they were my designs. But before he could, Ethan gave Henry his resignation. Said he was going to work at another shop and would be making the sword there. Then…” Kate took a big breath and let it out slowly. “Ethan said now that his career was set, he didn’t need me anymore and asked for his engagement ring back.”
Kate felt a burning behind her eyes, the stupid telltale sign of tears, but she was tired of crying because of that asshole. She blinked and then turned her head so she could look into Isaac’s eyes. He had said she was a coward for running away from her feelings, and she needed to prove to him she could face them. Even if she had to face his pity as well.
But it wasn’t pity she saw.
“Come here,” he said as he lifted his hand out of hers and wrapped it around the back of her neck, pulling her closer. He kissed her then, but it wasn’t sweet and soft. His kiss was like a forge’s flame, hot and intense, and she willingly submitted, malleable in his hands.
When they pulled back her heart was racing, but it wasn’t from anxiety. They didn’t resume their former positions, just stayed as they were, looking at each other, but she reached for his hand and linked her fingers with his.
There was one thing left to tell him. “I thought Ethan stealing my designs and telling me how he had used me was the worst thing that could ever happen to me. But I think maybe Ethan was worried I’d tell people the truth of what he’d done. After all, our trade isn’t super big. It’s a small community and mostly male, so all Ethan had to do was tell a few people I had tried to pass off his designs as my own. He spread the word that as a woman, I just couldn’t cut it in the trade.
“It wasn’t until a year later that the client Ethan was creating the sword for came back to Henry, disgusted with Ethan’s work and pissed because Henry had recommended him. I’m not sure what Henry said to the client, but he gave me a chance and I created the sword from my original design—it was beautiful.” She couldn’t help but smile when she thought about the sword.
