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“I see a sweet person who just needs to find the right guy to love. I think that’s Tylik.”
“What if he leaves me like my dad did?”
“You mean emotionally abandons you like your mom.”
“Yeah, she did that.” I knew this; my friend was only naming it, bringing it out into the full light. “What if I get pregnant and he says, oh, hey, it’s time for that divorce? Here are the papers; sign here.”
“If he doesn’t see who you really are by then, good riddance.”
“I’ll be hurt.”
“Won’t you be hurt if you don’t try?”
That made me pause. Tears sprung up in my eyes. “You’re making me examine my heart too closely. I don’t like it.”
She shrugged. “Then you’ll always be lonely, and that’s a true tragedy, because the Kate I know deserves the best in life. That’s Tylik. You just have to meet him halfway.”
“I’m afraid.”
“Your family did a number on you. Are you sure you want to let them continue to control your thoughts and actions?”
“They aren’t.”
“If they weren’t, you wouldn’t be afraid. You’d shed them like a snake with an old skin and slither away from them straight into Tylik’s arms.”
Turning to face her, I gave her a watery smile. “I hate how you make me think all the time.”
“And that’s why we’re best friends.”
Chapter21
Tylik
Iwas playing with fire, and its name was Kate. But she was moving in with me today.
Naturally, I’d barely slept last night.
Rising early, I’d washed my bedding and cleaned my home from the top to the bottom. It was only when I was weeding the flower beds that I realized what I was doing. I wanted everything to be perfect so she’d have no reason to reject me.
Because I loved her. I’d slipped into the emotion easily, yet it felt right. She was the one I would adore for the rest of my days. If only she could feel the same.
Soon, we’d put our relationship to the final test.
After cleaning, I paced in my home. I’d offered to help Kate bring her things over, but she’d insisted she’d already packed the SUV and would drive over herself. Vrok would follow her in his own vehicle to ensure she arrived safely.
Before the wedding, I planned to extract my aunt’s promise to make my sister a duchess, relieving me of a cursed dukedom.
Everything was coming together. In two days, we’d marry and begin our new life together.
The only thing left was for Kate to fall in love with me.
Tonight, we’d lie in the same bed. My body throbbed for her. My soul craved her like no other. My heart had been rent asunder and only Kate’s love could fuse it back together.
“I won’t push her for anything she doesn’t want to do,” I said softly. “I’ll sleep in the loft tonight. She can have the bed.”
I paced some more, my footsteps dull thuds on the floor.
Crossing to the fireplace, I stared at the logs in the grate. Should I light a fire? It was hot outside, but I’d read on the line—no,online—that humans enjoyed fire, that they found a sense of security in the flames. Some still used it for heat, but the majority lit fires for aesthetic reasons. Hence the pit the builders suggested I place in my backyard. I had yet to use it because I wasn’t sure why anyone would wish to light a fire and sit beside it.
