Page 113 of Shattered Oaths

I’ve seen firsthand how their mother’s drinking affected their lives growing up. I sat up into the late hours of the night with Killian while he told me everything that went on behind the closed door of his childhood home. I’d lain awake many nights listening to his quiet sobs after he had fought with his mom.

I remember hearing the quiet conversation between my own mom and dad when they discussed adopting them both.

I saw the way Bella would come home mentally drained after her weekly visit. Heard the whispers around town about the woman who birthed them when she had stolen alcohol from the supermarket.

For years, I sat on the sidelines and watched as the two most important people in my life struggled. And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t hate the woman responsible for that.

We all knew her life would come to an end because of her addiction. What bothers me is that treating her kids like shit, neglecting them, and choosing to be selfish throughout their entire lives wasn’t enough for her. She had to leave all the evidence of her selfishness behind for them to clean up.

I hate that Bella and Killian are left to pick up the pieces. I hate that they had to step foot back into that house at all. I especially hate the way Bella had flushed in embarrassment when I stepped over the threshold and saw the reality of her situation with my own eyes for the first time in years. Hated the way her breaths had stuttered as we climbed the stairs to the bedroom she found her mother in.

And now all I want to do is get her as far away from this godforsaken house as possible.

I tighten my arms around her, my chin resting on her shoulder. “Are you ready, baby?”

She turns her head slightly, her eyes glassy with unshed tears but her body relaxed in a way that tells me all she feels right now is relief. “Yeah, I’m ready.”

My eyes move to Killian and he nods, stepping away from Daisy for a moment. He holds his hand out for me to shake. I take it and he pulls me against him, his other arm coming around to clap me on the back as he speaks quietly in my ear. “Thank you for looking after her.”

A lump forms in my throat at his words and I nod. “Always.”

It’s in that short conversation that the final crack in our friendship is repaired, all of the bullshit is forgotten, and I finally feel the last of the weight lift from my shoulders.

EPILOGUE

BELLA

ONE YEAR LATER

I’m plunged into complete darkness as Noah secures the blindfold around the back of my head and I can’t control my hand as it instinctively moves toward my face.

“Leave it,” he whispers against my ear, the low rumble of his voice sending a shiver racing down my spine.

“But I don’t like it,” I whine, shoulders dropping.

“I don’t care. You only have to wear it for a minute, I promise.”

“You’ve been making a lot of those lately. I’m yet to see them upheld,” I grumble under my breath, only to be met with a chuckle as Noah takes my hand and begins leading me away from our horses.

“Baby, you can’t blame me for that. You know how hard I’ve been trying,” he responds and I roll my eyes behind the black fabric.

“Yeah, and you’ve been having a whole lot of fun doing it, too.”

His lips touching mine startles me and I stumble forward a step before he quickly steadies me. “Well of course I’m having fun. I always have fun when I fuck you.”

I gasp. “Noah!”

This time he fully laughs, a loud booming sound in the otherwise quiet outdoors. “What? It’s the truth. And it will happen. We’ve only been trying for a month, Bells.”

I mean, he has a point. But like hell am I going to tell him that.

I’m being completely irrational here, of course. It’s not his fault that I haven’t fallen pregnant yet, and it was bold of me to believe that I could come off birth control, and it would happen instantly.

I’m just acting out because he’s being secretive and won’t tell me what we’re doing out here.

The only thing I know is we were coming for a ride out to our spot in the forest when he stopped me and told me to get off the horse where he then proceeded to blindfold me.

All of a sudden, my stomach sinks.