Page 166 of Knights Game

His phone vibrates on the bedside table, and we both look over at it like it’s a bomb.

“Will it always be like this?” I muse as he reads the message. “Always looking over our shoulders.”

“No, sunshine. Because there is nothing to look over your shoulder for. We are safe here, trust me.”

He passes me the phone and lets me read the article.

“The story is sticking. Everything is as it should be.”

“And Grandad.” It hurts to know he’s still in that care home, completely alone. Only his birds to keep him company.

“Baby.” He sits down next to me. “I’m sorry you couldn’t say goodbye.”

I lift my palms up. “This is what I wanted, right? Us, running away.”

“You’re allowed to be sad for those you left behind.”

“And Roman?” I ask the same question every day, and I get the same reaction.

“Not yet, sunshine.” he says as he kisses my forehead and shuts down. At some point he has to talk about it.

“You can’t bottle it up.”

“And I won’t. Not until I hear from Henry.”

“I think you made a mistake; for the record.” I fold my arms over my chest and his eyes drop to my breasts. Just like they always do. I tut.

“I think you're beautiful, for the record. But I don’t want to start the day with another conversation about him. I won’t bottle it up, I will talk to you about it, just not today.”

I stare at him, and he leans over and pulls my lip into his mouth sucking before releasing it and resting his forehead on mine. “Please, sunshine.”

I can see the torment in his eyes, the darkness, the pain.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry.” He kisses my nose. “I’ll go and make you some breakfast. Then do you want to try and go for a walk?”

“Can we try and shower? I feel like I’m fermenting.”

He reaches over and grabs my hand, placing a kiss on the palm. “We can do anything you want. Do you need anything?”

I look at him, his breathtaking beauty, the deep brown of his eyes, the darkness that I fell in love with. Even though he’s still dealing with the betrayal of Roman, a wound that I don’t think he has even started to heal yet. There’s a sparkle in his eyes that I don’t think I’ve ever seen before.

“No, baby, I’ve got everything I need right here.”

Hope wins.

Owen Cooper

“Coooo-eee yyy. Your post bitch has arrived.” I look up from the computer screen to my assistant, Jules, who stands in the doorway of my office, flapping a number of envelopes in her hands like it holds the answers to everything.

“They’ve all been scanned, no underwear for you today, sir.”

“You will never forget that one, will you?” I reply, and she grins at me, pushing the glasses up her nose. I’m not sure how I would function if I didn’t have Jules. She holds everything together, keeps everything ticking, we make a formidable team, and she knows what I need before I know it myself.

“Tea?” she asks, dropping the post onto my desk.

Even though they’ve been scanned, they can still hide a silky thong, or suspenders along with a hotel key and an invitation.

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