Page 109 of The Forever Rule

“Stop, just stop,” I said as I pulled Isabella into my house. She tried to get out of my grasp, but I was stronger.

“Get your hands off me.”

“I’d rather not have this fight on my porch.”

Considering I already dealt with a fight with not only Meredith but also my mother on my porch at one point, I didn’t like this becoming routine.

“It’s not like that,” I said quickly as Isabella pulled her arm from my grasp and shook her head.

“It’s not like what? That you decided to be just like Dad and have another woman when you’re on one of your work trips.” She used her fingers to make air quotes, and I pinched the bridge of my nose.

“Meredith was drunk, and she kissed me. I didn’t kiss her back and I pulled her off right away. And then for some reason, she burst into tears and ran away before I could figure out what’s going on. Something’s wrong with Meredith, and I know she doesn’t want me back, but something happened, and yet, it is not me.I didn’t kiss her.”

The last sentence was practically a shout, and Isabella stood there, and I could not tell what the hell she was thinking.

“I would never hurt Blakely like that. And I’m not our father.” Even as I said the words, bile coated my tongue. I wasn’t our father. I didn’t cheat. I didn’t lie. But in every other way I was my father. I wasThe Cage. Multiple people said it. Every single time I was out, news articles said it, and it was how we kept our family reputation until Dad had tried to bulldoze it with his casualness of cruelty.

“I care for Blakely.”

“Care,” Isabella whispered, but there was no ire in her tone.

“Care,” I repeated, “I don’t know exactly what I feel because I haven’t let myself, and that’s something I need to talk over with Blakely.” I cursed under my breath and began to pace. “If she even fucking lets me.”

“You didn’t cheat,” she said after a moment, theconfusion lacing her words sending anger through my system.

“No, I don’t cheat. Cages don’t cheat.”

She raised a brow and pointed between us. “I think you and I being half-siblings is sort of the error to your ways.”

“RealCages don’t cheat. I don’t know what the fuck my father was thinking, but I am not him.” Even as I said the words, it didn’t feel right. No, I wasn’t Dad, I didn’t cheat. But maybe my father hadn’t cheated until he had met Isabella’s mother. Maybe I was wrong, and it was in the genes. I knew nothing I was thinking was making sense, and yet, that little inkling of doubt kept seeping in.

I was my father’s son, and maybe that cruelty came with time.

“I can tell what you’re thinking,” Isabella whispered after a moment, “but dear old dad was a bigamist. Except for the whole legal thing.”

“I cannot believe the moms kept secret families for so long.”

“Blakely said you don’t talk to yours.”

I met Isabella’s gaze and nodded. “Not anymore. I’m done with her. Which I know doesn’t make any sense because I’m going to have to deal with her soon when it comes to business and my brothers. But sheletthis happen. She lied to us just as much as Dad did.”

“Hence why I’m not talking to my mother either. Not that Sophia and the others understand that,” Isabella ground out.

“Look at us, having common ground.”

“I don’t like it,” my sister said, although I wasn’t sure if there was humor in her words.

“I didn’t cheat on Blakely.”

“Then go tell her that.”

“Just show up at her house?”

“Do the big gesture, grovel, do something.” She paused and rubbed her hands over her face. “And I’m sorry I immediately thought you were like Dad. I guess I’m not actually grieving the man, I’m just pretending he didn’t exist.”

I moved forward, and tentatively put my hand on her shoulder.

Her hands fell and she looked up at me. “What?”

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