Page 41 of Evidence of a Folktale

Bel wiped her eyes. Her sister had a point. Eamon might be the devil’s son, but he forever stood between her and death. The universe must have urged Briar to call because her words reminded Bel that Eamon had always been honest about his darkness. He was also a man of action, and he’d made a life-altering decision when he earned her affection. He’d chosen to be worthy of her love, and he’d proved he would go so far as to die or even leave to protect her.

“Okay, I’ll try to move past you getting shot at so I can help, but it seems you’re worried that whoever Eamon was before you met will resurface,” Briar said. “It sounds like he opened up about something painful and was incredibly vulnerable, which is saying a lot. He trusts you with the worst parts of himself. I don’t know the specifics, but from what I can see, it seems he genuinely wants to change. Why else would he confess the truth? By laying it out on the table, he’s given you power over him since you now have the opportunity to leave or use his past against him. It also ensures he can’t manipulate you. If you’re familiar with his old personality traits, you’ll recognize them if he reverts. It’ll be harder for him to gaslight you. I think he truly cares about you, and sharing his history is his first step toward accountability… Bel, why are you crying again?”

“Because my partner and I aren’t speaking, and I needed someone to talk to, and then you called, and I love you.”

“Breathe, Isobel,” Briar said.

“I just needed this,” Bel said as the mansion finally came into view. “I’ve spent so long trying to protect you guys from my mess that I started alienating the only people who can help. I don’t want to ruin things with Eamon, but I’m not good at romance like you are.”

“You think I’m good?” Briar burst into laughter. “Oh, Isobel, you should’ve heard Flynn and my fights when we first moved in together. There were days I contemplated smothering him in his sleep.”

“Really?” Bel paused in the driveway.

“Really,” her sister confirmed. “But we love each other, so we worked through it. Our disagreements didn’t break us. It made us stronger, and here we are, married with kids. Relationships start all warm and fuzzy, but then real life hits the fan, and it’s a mess. Couples who survive aren’t those who never fight. They are the couples that struggle and grow together. I admit, you and Eamon are going through growing pains earlier than most, but you’ve both been through hell. Kidnappings and murders force emotions and stress to explode, so you’re facing hardships faster than most. But hard conversations are healthy. Never marry a man you can’t argue with because one day you’ll wake up and learn he gaslit you by faking everything. Couples that are too perfect are bombs waiting to detonate…” Briar cursed. “Sorry.”

“It’s all right.” Bel smirked. Her sister stumbling into a cliche wasn’t triggering. If anything, the jokes made her reality easier to bear.

“Okay. Well, you know what I mean. You don’t want a partner who picks fights or demeans you, but you need someone willing to put in the work. Only you can recognize which Eamon is, but I think he’s trying to strengthen your relationship.”

“He isn’t picking a fight,” Bel said. “He’s being honest… painfully so, but not in a mean way. He just doesn’t hide things from me.”

“That’s a good thing, even if it’s sometimes painful,” Briar said. “He freaked me out when we first met. He is intimidating, but it’s obvious that you’re important to him.”

“So, we aren’t falling apart?” Bel started crying again. The past months had been fraught with terror and emotions, but these tears felt like a personal assault. Maybe she was getting her period, and her hormones were bullying her.

“I can’t answer that for you,” Briar said. “It’s your relationship, not mine, but you’re communicating, which is the healthy way to sustain a relationship. Have the hard conversations before you waste too much time because you’ll either learn you dislike each other, or you’ll realize you’re soulmates. Romance books paint happily ever afters as stagnantly simple happiness, but relationships aren’t fairytales. They’re gardens you cultivate, and with gardens come both roses and weeds. Pulling weeds can be excruciating, but when those flowers bloom, the pain is worth it. If you don’t pull the weeds now, your roses will choke to death.”

“Don’t let this go to your head, but you’re insanely smart,” Bel said as she and Cerberus pushed through Eamon’s front door into the heated foyer.

“It’s about time you realized that,” Briar laughed. “I may not solve murders, but I am happily married. I’m overjoyed you finally need my romantic advice. Do me a favor, though. Don’t wait until you’re crying to call. I want you to be happy, and I think you truly love Eamon. I hope you two succeed.”

“Me too.” Bel smiled, realizing she meant it. Eamon’s history had freaked her out, understandably so, but her sister was right. Hard conversations weren’t the sign of the end. It was how they would survive this life together.

“Do you feel better?” Briar asked.

“Yeah.”

“Good. And what did we learn?”

“Okay, okay, I’ll call more.”

“Mission accomplished. All right, I have to wrestle two little boys into their pajamas, so I’ll say goodnight… Before I do, what’s that banging?”

“Oh, that?” Bel laughed. “I tune it out, so I didn’t even notice. It’s Eamon with the renovations. He’s rebuilding the entire mansion himself.”

“Wow. Want to send him my way when he’s done?”

“Sure…. He’s designing the house for me, apparently,” Bel said, the girlish urge to share something romantic unexpectedly bubbling out of her. “He’s been paying attention to what I like and incorporating it.”

“Oh, that’s hot,” Briar said. “See, that man loves you. Mark my words, he’s planning to ask you to move in with him, and he wants you to feel comfortable.”

“Been there, done that,” Bel laughed as a child shrieked on her sister’s side of the call. “He asks me to live with him once a month.”

“Already? Isobel Emerson, you guys are fine—put that down right now… Because I said so—sorry, what was I saying? Right, communication is healthy. Don’t date a man who never lets you see his truth. You’ll end up married to a stranger you can’t stand or one who’s dangerous.”

Bel’s mind flashed to Olivia. Ewan had concealed a monumental truth from her, creating their relationship on a lie. Eamon hadn’t done that. He wanted her to love him with eyes wide open, and that took courage. He’d put everything on the table, risking her hating it enough to leave.

“Yes… yes, Mommy’s coming. Sorry, I need to go,” Briar said. “Bath time is getting out of control without me.”

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