Page 122 of The Forever Rule

“It’s already beyond serious,” Theo said, shaking his head.

“You brought her here to our family dinner,” James whispered. “I’ve seen the way you two are with each other. You guys can work on the same floor, bump into each other, and be completely professional where I’m pretty sure most people don’t even realize you’re dating. You don’t keep it a secret, but you act like a rational human being. Where is that rational human being right now?” James shoved at my shoulder, surprising me.

“I am being rational.”

“Do you not hear yourself?” Hudson asked. “You’re so scared of what could be, you’re making it all worse. Go get her back. Fix this. She’s the best thing that ever happened to you. Dad was the worst thing. I don’t know what kind of sick games him and the moms were thinking of but fuck them. Fuck what they think. When my letter shows up, I’m going to burn it. I don’t really care what hethinks about me. Because I was always the disappointment. The one who didn’t go into business, the one who decided to serve my country instead.

“And I’m the one he’s hated since he first looked at me, even though he loves my twin,” Dorian put in.

Flynn reached out and gripped his shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s not you, twin of mine,” Hudson said, that familiar smile in his voice.

“We are all disappointments to him in one way or another,” James said with a shrug. “But he’s dead. The only way that I really care about him, is the fact that we have to deal with his will. And I would throw it all in his face and ignore it, but I don’t want to give him the satisfaction of being right.”

“But what if he is right?” I whispered.

“He’s not,” Theo said.

“Go get her back. Go apologize. Grovel. Do what you did the first time you fucked up,” Dorian snapped.

I looked at all of them and realized that I was the idiot. It hadn’t even taken me ten minutes to realize that I made a mistake, and I needed to fix this.

“Go. Go get your girl. Because I really don’t want to have to hire anyone else,” James said as he gave me a pointed look. “I mean you. Replacing you. Because we are keeping Blakely.”

“Damn straight,” Flynn added.

Panic racing through me, I grabbed my keys, and headed toward her house.

I was driving so fast I was pretty sure I was going tobeat her there, as I tried to figure out what I was going to say.

Only there weren’t going to be any words to express my regret. I had hurt her. Again. Yes, the first time had been out of my control, the second time because of a photo I hadn’t even realized had been taken. It wasn’t third time’s the charm, it was three strikes you’re out. And I knew that beyond anything.

I loved her. And it had taken me making the biggest mistake of my life to even realize that. I pulled into her driveway, and my heart squeezed ever so slightly, seeing her shadow in her front window. I needed to fix this. I needed to be The Cage. The one who was determined and knew what the hell he wanted.

Or perhaps that was the problem. Because The Cage was just a façade. And my father had never known what he wanted. He had taken everything to try to find it, but he hadn’t.

But I had, I needed to atone for everything that I’d done.

And now I stood on her doorstep, hand raised to knock, when it opened.

Blakely looked at me, eyes swollen from tears, her cheeks wet, still wearing her pale pink dress. “What are you doing here?” she asked, her hands at her sides.

“I’m sorry.”

“You’re getting really good at saying those words. Just go away, Aston.”

“No, please. Hear me out.”

“I did. When you rambled about whatever was goingon in your head, and when you pushed me away. It’s been what, forty minutes? And you’ve already changed your mind. Maybe you should deal with it. Because I’m worth more than your misgivings.”

Panicking, I swallowed down the bile in my throat, before I finally cursed under my breath. “I just don’t want to be my father.”

Her eyes widened slightly, before she took a step back. “I don’t want to make a scene for my neighbors, so come in. But what are you talking about?”

Grateful that she even let me in, I swallowed hard, and took those steps inside.

“My father ignored my mother. And his other so-called partner. Even with that deal with them that I never understood, he ignored them. All he wanted was the power and the connections that came with it. He liked his secrets, liked lording them over everyone. I just hadn’t realized that he had so many more secrets than I thought.” I reached forward and brushed the tears from her cheeks with my thumb. The fact that she didn’t pull away I took as a good sign. And hopefully not a goodbye.

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