Page 92 of My Favorite Sin

I can’t help but feel like it’s happening again now.

I’ve tried phoning Amabella but she won’t answer. My father is the one person who picks up the goddamn phone. We spoke this morning, and it was only to give me strict instructions to not speak with the media. Like I’d want to anyway. My only care is Ally and when I asked how she is, if he’ll hand the phone to her so we can speak, he refused, telling me she’s upset and to stop calling her.

I’m tempted to drive back to The Hamptons and barge into the beach house so I can figure this all out with Ally because it’s fucking agony not knowing what she’s thinking. I’ve spent the entire day shuffling through my deck of neon cards, hoping to find the peace of mind it always brings me. Hoping that however bad Ally is feeling, she’s back in her bedroom, holding the missing card from this deck and remembering everything the Queen of Hearts represents between us.

“Bro, come on, open up,” Felix calls. I let out a breath of relief to hear it’s him banging at the door.

I answer, finding all three of my brothers. They’ll no doubt want an explanation from me. I’m not in the mood to deal with their judgment, but no time better than now toget this shit over with. Stepping back, I invite them inside. Only Felix and Tyler enter. Killian remains in the hallway, preoccupied with a phone call.

Felix removes his suit jacket and makes himself comfortable on my couch, reclining with his ankle crossed over his opposite knee. “Your jaw looks fucked. Liam got you good.”

“I’ll live.”

“You and Ally are… how should I phrase this…together, since the last time we spoke about her?”

“Weweretogether,” I mutter. “I don’t know what we are after last night. I can’t get in contact with her.”

Tyler stands with both hands in his pockets, observing my living room, his attention pausing on the piano, then on a pile of lingerie I stripped off Ally before fucking her on the table. I grab the garments and toss them out of sight, into the bathroom.

Tyler scratches the back of his neck. “This is fucked up, man.”

“If that’s all you came here to say?—”

“Easy,” Felix cuts in, the word authoritative but spoken in the relaxed, smug manner he always has about him. “We’re here because you have two very pissed off brothers. Killian in particular. Thought I’d help facilitate a mediation session so they can move past their issues and offer their support.”

Tyler glares at Felix. “I’m not supporting anything. She’s our?—”

“Yes, Ally has come to feel like a real sister to us. Not to Dan,” Felix says. I’ve never been more grateful to have him as my brother. “The wordsisterdoesn’t get spoken again during this conversation. You may not approve of this relationship, but it has nothing to do with you as long asthey’re both happy. Tyler, you said you understood this before coming here. You can leave if there’s still an issue. Run back to daddy and take his side in all of this.”

“Asshole.” The muscles in Tyler’s neck strain. I’m surprised when he maintains his composure and returns his focus to me. “I know what you’re like with women. You’re not just messing around with Ally?”

“No.”

“Then I’ll keep my opinions to myself. But I need more time to process this relationship before I can even attempt to accept it.”

Before I can say anything further, Killian barges through the front door scowling at me. “Do you realize how much shit you’ve gotten me into at work? I have been on the phone all afternoon with Sacred Heart, being interviewed over you and Ally and having my own professional reputation questioned. They’ve already fired Ally. The school want to get rid of me too because I’m connected to Forever Families.”

The news about Ally being fired isn’t a shock, though I do worry for her emotional state, knowing she’ll be crushed by this turn of events. The rebound effect onto Killian is what has me alarmed.

“The school can’t do that to you,” I tell him. “You have nothing to do with this.”

“This isn’t just about you. All of us Blackwoods are the face of Forever Families. Sacred Heart can do whatever the fuck they like.”

“Shit. Man, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to drag anyone into this mess.”

“If this is only some kink about fucking Ally because she’s off limits to you, then stop it right now. You’re screwing with my career,” he says.

“It’s not. We kept this a secret for so long because we knew it wouldn’t be accepted. But I’m serious about her.”

Killian slumps onto the couch with Felix, groaning as he rubs both palms over his eyes. Silence creeps over the four of us. Unless they have questions for me, I’m not about to waste time trying to make them accept what they clearly can’t.

“Has anyone spoken with Ally?” I ask. “She’s not answering my calls.”

“We’ve tried,” Felix says. “She’s not answering any of our calls.”

Fuck. Staying put in this apartment, without any communication with Ally, feels like a prison cell. “I need to go to her. Something isn’t right. She wouldn’t—” My throat closes up. My chest twists at the possibility of Ally shutting me out. “Ally loves me.”

“I know,” Felix says, his eyes firm on me, his words heavy with empathy for the pain I’m feeling. “But going to Ally isn’t a good idea. I’m sure she has a lot to process right now and just needs time to move through it on her own. She’s not like us. Never been the defiant kind. Never publicly done anything to feel ashamed of. She’ll be dealing with a whole lot of shit from Dad and Amabella, along with Sacred Heart.”

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