Page 54 of The Rogue’s Redemption

“I cannot wish for you to share your life with such a man. I ask you to do this only because if you wait, I believe you will see what I do. That there are other men, like Graeme and Aidan—”

Allie hated being angry at her sister, but the bargain hardly seemed fair. “You ask me to do this for you, yet you offer nothing in return. What about my happiness? Could I not ask you to accept him for my sake?”

Gillian sighed. “I want you to be happy . . . that is why I would ask you to wait.”

Her sister truly believed Reid was not right for her. She wanted to rail at Gillian, but her sister was obviously acting out of love.

If she agreed to wait, it would devastate Reid. They’d promised to stay together . . . but she could admit there might be some merit to Gillian’s plan. It was true she hardly knew him . . .

Her intuition told her he was the one for her, the only one, but she’d only had the freedom to make her own decisions for such a short while.

“Very well,” she said reluctantly. “I will not do anything ‘rash,’ as you say. But by St. Crispin’s Day, if nothing has changed—”

“I will take you to Brockburg myself.”

Though you will still hate Reid.

She did not voice the thought aloud. Allie did not need confirmation of what she already knew.

“I am doing this for you. But understand, Gillian, nothing will change. You said I love Reid, and you were right. I do.” Nothing would change her mind about him, not even the kind of deplorable behavior that had set Gillian’s mind against him earlier. If only her sister would trust her to know her own mind, or trust that Reid must have merit if she had fallen in love with him.

As to that. She should probably wait to speak to Reid until tomorrow, but Allie had never been a particularly patient person.

* * *

Reid pounded his fist on the table, making the jug of ale rattle. Noticing it, he poured ale into his mug until it nearly spilled over. He’d been hesitant to return to his bedchamber, but it would seem Alex had found other accommodations for the evening.

Unsurprising after what he’d said to his brother.

Reid drained the ale much too quickly and poured himself another. After the scene with Alex, he’d gone into the hall and liberated a jug from one of the serving maids. Another infraction against him, no doubt.

Dammit, Reid.

He’d gone from cursing his brother to shifting the blame precisely where it belonged. What was wrong with him? Alex had asked him the same thing, but he couldn’t give an answer. Why did he insist on provoking everyone, including the people he loved?

Reid considering leaving to find Alex, but something held him back. Toren would say it was the streak of Kerr stubbornness that all three of them possessed. But it was more than that. Reid had nothing to say.

Alex had been right. About everything.

He’d been careless . . . and foolish . . . knowing Gillian despised him, Reid should have taken more care.

He truly didn’t deserve Allie.

A soft knock at the door wrested him out of his thoughts. Reid opened it and froze.

“You shouldn’t be here.” He did not move or invite Allie inside. He did, however, glance down at her boys’ breeches and shirt.

“I must speak with you.”

Reid motioned inside. “In here? Do you believe that is a—”

She wasn’t asking. Allie pushed her way around him and entered on her own accord.

He gripped the side of the door so hard his knuckles turned white. She should not be in here. Reid was not strong enough to leave her completely untouched. Even now, when he turned back toward her, his instinct was to toss her on his bed and ensure no one could question his right to marry her.

“How could you say such a thing?” she asked.

She was hurt, of course. He had sounded cold even to his own ears. Lashing out had been his specialty for so long—it was nigh on impossible to stop.