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“What’s going on?” I ask. It’s not like Celine to give in to sudden bursts of emotion. Not anymore, anyway.
“I just wanted to say thank you,” she says with a small smile. “For bringing them back.” She releases me, but takes my hand instead. “You should have told me you were still looking.”
I shrug stiffly. “I didn’t want to get your hopes up.”
Her smile gets a little wider. “Sometimes, I think I don’t deserve you.”
Before I can figure out how the fuck to respond to that, we hear Adam giggle from the pool, and her head swivels in the direction of the sound.
“I’m an aunt,” she says longingly.
“He’s a sweet kid.”
“He’s wonderful.” Her voice is soft with love. I’m not a sap, but I get it. Adam has that effect on people. I’m no exception. “A real little heartbreaker. And he and Mila are already thick as thieves. I didn’t seethatcoming.”
“Where’s the old man?” I ask.
Her smile curdles into a frown. “Myfatheris sitting by the deck, watching Adam in the pool.” I don’t miss the light scolding in her voice, a subtle reminder to show respect for her family. I guess it’s only fair, at least for her sake. “And I hope that the fact that he’s here means that you’ve decided to let bygones be bygones?”
When I hesitate, she squeezes my hand and pulls me into the adjoining room. It’s still open to the garden, but the pool is hidden from view.
“You made me a promise,” she reminds me in a lowered voice.
Fucking hell, what is with these women? “He’s here, isn’t he?” I snap. “Unhurt and all limbs accounted for. Walking around my home freely without any consequences for his betrayal.”
“That was the deal.”
“There was no ‘deal,’ Celine,” I remind her. “You begged, and I agreed. That was all.”
She arches a delicate brow. “Sure sounds like a deal to me.”
“Then you can go ahead and explain to my men why a fucking traitor is having tea and cookies in my goddamn garden.”
I don’t usually snarl at Celine; she’s too gentle for that. But this is really grating on my nerves.
She frowns. “Are the men unhappy about it?”
“Wouldn’t you be?” I ask. I have to admit—at least to myself—that she deserves some credit. She cares about my men, my brotherhood, with the same dedication as if they were her own. In a way, they kind of are.
She shuffles on her feet, her eyes darting toward the garden. “I know I asked a lot of you. I know I’mstillasking a lot from you. But—”
“He’s your father.” I nod. “I get it. As I said, I made you a promise and I intend to keep it. I just assumed that you trusted me.”
She drops her gaze. “I do trust you.” She clears her throat and shuffles her feet before she speaks again. “I know it sounds ridiculous. I know you’re not one for emotion. But you’ve been so wonderful to me. You’re always wonderful to me.”
She takes my hand again. But this time, there’s a new softness in her touch. An intimacy that makes me want to redraw the boundary between us and remind her that this is crossing it.
“Anyone ever tell you that you shouldn’t settle?” I ask, only half-joking.
She smiles shyly. “I’m not in the habit of giving up on people. You might think that’s naïve—
“I don’t,” I say. “I think it’s foolish.”
She cringes for a moment before composing herself. “Maybe I am,” she admits. “But I believe there’s hope, Ilarion. I look at our future and—”
I pull my hand out from under hers. “I have to go,” I interrupt. “I’ve got work to do.”
She doesn’t bother to hide her disappointment. She used to in the beginning, but I think she’s figured out that I’m actually affected by her sadness. It’s so much harder to ignore than indifference.
