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“Parking,” Iz says, inching along the curb. She puts the car in park, and turns to me. “No brooding tonight, okay?”
I attempt a smile for her sake, but can’t quite make it work. Her humor fades as she studies my face.
“Hey,” she says gently. “Look at me.”
She unhooks her seatbelt and shifts toward me. I have no defense when she leans across the console and tugs my shirt until I face her. She traps my face in her palms and forces my gaze to hers.
“No matter what happens, remember that we’re not fighting for anything you don’t deserve.” Her thumbs run over my cheeks as she searches my eyes. “Even if you argue that the time you served was your fault since it was your choice,this, what’s happening now, is not. You don’t deserve to go back, okay? Youdodeserve to have someone on your side for once, so promise me you won’t sabotage this.”
“Sabotage it?”
She gives me a stern look. “You know what I’m talking about. No more,This is my life now. I’m not worth the pain. You are, Tristan. You aresoworth the pain.”
She leans in, and I breathe in her kiss like it could be enough to survive another day. My hands instinctively thread into her hair, igniting the air around us. She climbs over the console to straddle me, her eyes soft and searching when they meet mine in the silence. Light fragments from the nearby security gate flicker over her irises in a mesmerizing display. I could sit here for hours gazing into her beautiful, complex soul.
But we don’t have hours. We don’t have minutes. Time has never been a game we could win.
Her expression is somber as she traces my lip with her index finger.
“I can’t lose you again,” she says quietly.
My heart clenches at her soft plea.
“You won’t. I promise,” I say, pulling her closer.
I see the fear in her eyes before she adjusts to rest her head on my shoulder.
“You can’t promise that,” she whispers.
Her arms tighten around me, and I shiver through another stab of pain. She’s right, I can’t. Not only that, it almost seems certain I’ll be dragged back at some point. We’ll fight, but the cards are so stacked, there’s no chance we’ll win.
“Well, then how about we go storm this castle and recruit our army,” I say in a teasing voice.
She straightens with a weak smile, and I brush the stray hair from her face. We stare in silence, the seconds ticking by like we know fate is about to choose our next path and we can’t trust its decisions.
With a deep breath, she leans her forehead against mine and closes her eyes. I do the same, absorbing the steady rise and fall of her chest against me. For this brief moment, at least, we’re alive and free. We can breathe the same air and feel the heat of each other’s skin. We still have a sliver of hope.
Who knows about the next one?
After another soft kiss, she returns to her seat, and I text Ashton to let him know we’re here. A short while later, the gate clicks and creaks open.
“You ready?” I ask.
Isabel’s brows knit as she scans the ornate metal barrier.
“Yes,” she says with resolve. “Let’s do it.”
We climb out of the car and inch toward it like we’re approaching Heaven itself. Compared to the gate I just came from, we probably are.
Isabel takes my hand, and I squeeze as we start toward the house.
“Geez. How long is this driveway?” she asks.
“We probably should have driven up.”
“You think? Pierce’s family never wanted other people’s cars on their property. I always parked on the street when I went over.”
“Please tell me you’re joking.”
