The house is quiet when we get back, Mason and Miles have probably gone back to the house and Declan disappears upstairs after mumbling something about needing a nap, which is bullshit, he just wants to get to Trixie.
My door's slightly ajar, light spilling out softly like she’s trying not to disturb anyone. I push it open and there she is, curled up in the middle of my bed, a paperback in her hand and her lip caught between her teeth.
I don’t even have to ask what she’s reading.
"What's your romantic porn book saying now?” I mutter, kicking off my boots and tugging my shirt over my head.
She peeks over the edge of the book, smirking. “Don’t judge. This one has a knife-wielding assassin who falls for the girl he’s supposed to kill. He feeds her strawberries in a blood-stainedbathtub.” She looks over my chest quickly, stopping at one of the scars.
I blink. “Right. That’s... romantic.”
“It is,” she argues, grinning now. “You just don’t get it.”
I drop beside her, my head resting against her thighs as she puts the book down and starts threading her fingers through my hair. The pressure of her touch is soft, grounding. Her nails trail against my scalp in slow, lazy circles.
“So, is it full of porn?”
She laughs, low and sweet. “It’s not porn. It’s literature... with spice.”
“That’s what people say when they don’t want to admit they’re turned on by blood and bondage.”
She flicks my forehead.
I close my eyes, letting her touch settle something raw inside me.
It’s quiet for a few minutes before she speaks again. “Can I ask you something?” I hum in response. “How come I never saw Cain back then? I mean, I basically lived in your house, and I never even heard his name.”
My eyes stay closed, but my chest tightens.
“That’s a long story,” I murmur. “And if I tell you, I’d have to tell you everything about the family too.”
She’s quiet, then leans down a little, her voice brushing my ear. “It’s a good job I love you... and your family.”
There’s something about the way she says it, like it’s the most obvious truth in the world. I don’t say anything, I can’t. So, I just keep my eyes closed and let her hands soothe the storm still lurking in the back of my skull.
But the words come anyway.
“I love you, Olivia.” She stills a little. Just for a second. “But the last time I said that to you,” I open my eyes and tilt my head to meet her, “I ended up in prison.”
She swallows, her smile fades, her body tenses beneath me.
“I get it now,” I continue. “I getwhyyou did what you did. I’ve had time to let the truth settle, and I don’t hate you. I want to, sometimes, because it would be easier... but I can’t. But I’m scared. Scared that if something like that ever happens again, if your world falls apart... you’ll shut me out. You’ll lie again. You’ll leave me in the dark.”
She goes still, the hand moving through my hair stops, and I place my hand on top of hers, which is placed on my chest.
“All I want from you,” I say, “is a promise. A real one. That if anything bad happens, anythingat all,you come to me. Not after, not when it’s too late, but the second it starts.”
She nods, eyes glassy, voice soft.
“I promise,” she whispers. “I swear to you... I will never hurt you again. I really am sorry Hayden. I would have done everything so different back then if I could.” Her voice cracks and she moves closer, both hands cradling mine.
“I promise I will never lie to you again. Not out of fear. Not to protect anyone. You’re my person, Hayden. You always were. I lost you once because I thought I didn’t have a choice, and I’ll never make that mistake again.” She presses her forehead to mine. “I vow, no matter what, no matter how dark it gets, you’ll be the first person I come to. You’ll never be in the dark again. You deserve the truth, always.”
I don’t say anything. But place my hand behind her neck to pull her closer to me as I kiss her, letting the vow sinks into me like a lifeline.
After a while, I pull back, resting back on her thigh, and her hand is moving through my hair again.
“You really want to know about Cain?”
