AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I walk past him, my shoulder hitting him as I go. My tears rain down on my cheeks.
Warmth circles my wrist before I’m being yanked backward with the force. Fin holds me in an embrace too tight for me to escape. My nose is pressed against his chest, his large hands rubbing my back. “If I had known, I would have tortured him. One shot to the heart was too kind. I would have cut him up one piece at a time and fed it to him. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you.”
My tears and mascara have stained his shirt. He kisses my temple, causing me to cry harder.
“You need to let me go. I’m too broken to be fixed.”
“You are the most perfect person I have ever met.”
I scoff. I’ve never been perfect. “Your sister is dead because of me.” I want him angry. I can deal with hatred. It’s the one emotion I can comprehend the best. Anger and greed drive the way our society works.
“That wasn’t your fault. My father is the one who pulled the trigger. Not you. I know you loved her. You both would do anything for each other.”
His hands pull the hair away from my face, revealing the mess it’s in. “Nothing in this world will make me stop loving you.”
“You don’t understand.” I manage to wiggle my arms up closer to me and try to pound on his chest. My strength has no comparison to his, but it feels good to do it. He needs to understand. He’s not listening to me.
“You need to get something straight. I like the darkness that’s in you. It settles me in a way nothing else has before. What you see as a flaw, I see as another reason to love you.”
“What are you getting from marrying me?” I ask.
“You.”
I hear a slight hesitation before he masks it. But it was there. He’s hiding the real reason. Just as I suspected, he needs me. He has to overlook my truth for what he sees as the greater good. Once he gets what he needs, I’ll be dropped like last time.
I take control of my breathing and wipe my eyes, wishing my mascara never left the proof that I broke down.
“Forgive me if I don’t trust you as much as you trust me.”
“I have all the time in the world. You are mine. You will believe that soon.”
His knees bend. “I love you,” he says, low and raspy.
I have a hard time believing it. After all of my truths, it’s impossible. I breathe him in. I want his words to sink into my heart and stay there, but they’re too perfect, bouncing off instead. Using all of my inner strength, I do what I do best. I lock everything down.
“Take me home.” I sound defeated, but I don’t have the energy for anything else.
Icrashassoonas I place my head down on the pillow. I’ve never slept so hard in my life. For the first time in years, nightmares don’t plague my sleep. When I wake, it’s still dark outside, even though it feels like I’ve slept twelve hours. The light on the alarm clock says 2:00 a.m.
Not twelve hours.
I can hear Fin’s low voice. It shouldn’t bring a smile to my face, but it does. My hand rests on my forehead to make sure I’m feeling okay. Everything would be perfect if he didn’t plan a wedding behind my back.
Can I even be one of those girls who marries? I don’t know the first thing about relationships. I like to fuck. But to be committed, where you would lie down your own life to make the other person happy…?
Standing, I go look for Fin. I tiptoe, wanting to spy on him. Coming to the bedroom doorway, I pause, hearing another voice I don’t recognize. Both are talking low, so I can’t hear what is being said, but the Irish accent is unmistakable. Peering out, I see the hallway is black. I continue on my way into the large living room until I come close to the kitchen. I can just see Fin’s back and a part of his uncle’s face.
“You’re taking your job very seriously.” His uncle laughs, slapping Fin on the arm. “Who would have thought you would actually marry the girl?”
Fin holds himself rigid—nothing like the relaxed posture of his uncle.
“I would have shot your father years before if I had known you would turn out three times the man he was.”
“It would have saved all of us a lot of headaches.” Fin’s voice is tense, but his uncle doesn’t seem to notice or care.
“Did you find the information I was looking for?”
“Uncle, I thought you wanted to celebrate my engagement. Business can wait until tomorrow.”
