Page 70 of Shattered Oaths

He steps closer, his eyes searching my face and I let him. I have nothing to hide from him anymore. If he asks me if I’ve touched her, I won’t lie. If he asks me if I love her, I won’t lie. And I certainly won’t cower like the fucking pathetic coward I was years ago.

Because Isabella Ashby ismine.Whether he likes it or not.

But he doesn’t ask me any of those things. And when the look on his face morphs from anger, to shock, to disappointment, I realise it’s because he doesn’t need to.

He already knows.

My chest aches as I watch the trust my lifelong friend held for me drain from his eyes, but I don’t give in. And I don’t apologise. I won’t.

“You made me a promise.”

I nod. “I know.”

“You broke it.”

Another nod. “I know.”

He raises a finger, pointing it right at me. “If you fucking hurt her—”

“I won’t,” I say, cutting him off.

Snapping his mouth shut, he drops his hand and dips his head. It’s so slight that I would have missed it had I not been watching his every move, but in that one single movement, I know.

I have his blessing.

***

“Bella?” I call out as I walk into the house after work.

“My room,” she answers, her voice drifting down the stairs.

My room.

We’ll see about that.

I take the stairs two at a time and round the wooden railing to the spare bedroom, the door open wide as Bella shuffles back and forth from the bed.

I lean against the door frame; my hands tucked into the pockets of my jeans. “What’re you doing?”

Bella looks up from the item of clothing she’s placing onto a hanger and smiles. “Hanging the clothes I brought today.”

“Why are you hanging them in here?” I ask, head tilted to the side, a smirk playing on my lips as she frowns at me in confusion.

“Uhh… where else am I meant to hang them?”

“Well, in the room you sleep in would make more sense, would it not?” I say, holding back a laugh.

She’s slept in my bed every night since the night she sent me that picture and I don’t plan on letting her leave any time soon. It’s cute that she still considers this her room, though.

Bella nibbles her bottom lip and I step toward her; my eyes focused on the nervous little tick that drives me crazy.

My hand cradles her face, thumb finding that soft bottom lip and prying it free before I dip my head and suck it into my own mouth.

Bella softens against me, her free hand gripping my bicep as she leans into my kiss, attempting to deepen it and as much as I want to let her; I pull back, my gaze heated as I stare down at her.

“You could have gotten me into a fuckload of trouble today, doll.”

She’s only perplexed for about a second before her eyes widen in recognition. A brief flash of guilt crosses her features before its quickly replaced by something else. Something that makes her step back.