Page 19 of Their Promise

“You’re very talented,” I said and returned the smile. “How much are they?”

“Fifty,” he answered.

“Oh, shoot. I only have forty on me,” Maya said and pouted.

“Here,” Trey said, and set a one hundred dollar bill on the table. “Consider it an apology gift for you both for disrupting your dancing last night.”

The vendor took the cash, picked up the boxes, quickly wrapped them, and put them in a bag. “Thank you for your patronage, Prince Trey.”

Telling him to take his gift and shove it would upset the vendor who was just trying to make a living, but I also didn’t want to let him off so easy. So, I just turned and headed to the next vendor without responding or grabbing the bag, forcing Trey to carry it.

“You can’t ignore us forever,” Kayden said from beside me as I looked at earrings and a necklace that would go really well with my birthday dress.

“How much are these?” I asked the teenage girl who was manning the booth.

Her eyes were focused on Kayden, which I totally understood. He was handsome and powerful. Even reining in his power, he oozed a bit that made you take notice of him.

“Miss?” I asked, finally getting her attention.

She flushed and said, “Forty for the set.”

I pulled out the cash from my pocket, but before I could pay her, Kayden gave her a fifty, winked, and said, “Keep the change.”

Growling, I turned and glared up at him. “Buying me gifts isn’t going to make me forgive you or want to talk to you. So, stop.”

“But it did get you to talk to me, finally,” he said. “And you stopped running away.”

“Would you want to be around someone who laughed at you when you tried to be open about your feelings?”

“About that.” He rubbed the back of his neck, his cheeks turning slightly pink. “You misunderstood what I was saying and why I laughed. I wasn’t laughing at you, Lily.”

Scoffing, I spun away from him, grabbed the bag the girl had ready with the jewelry, and moved to the next vendor. “Leave me alone. I don’t want to talk to you or your pack.”

“Why are you so damn stubborn?” he growled.

“Leave her alone, Kayden,” Maya snapped and stepped behind me to block him. “You’re an asshole and she doesn’t want to talk to you.”

“I’m not an asshole. She misunderstood and if you’d just let me?—”

“This is not the right location for this type of conversation,” Mom said sternly from behind us. “Lily, go hear them out.”

“No,” I hissed as I turned to face her. “I won’t hear them out. In fact, I’m done seeing them. You’re not welcome around me, so piss off.” Grabbing the bags from Trey’s hands, I walked away, but didn’t get far before Ezio of all people stopped me.

“This is one of those times when you really just need to listen,” he said softly. “I grilled them last night and you just need to hear them out.”

“Even you?” I asked and shook my head. “Well, he is your son, so I suppose that makes sense.”

“Lily, you’re being childish,” Ezio said. “Why won’t you let them explain?”

“Because they had four years to explain. Because they laughed at my pain.” The anger started to build, but I closed my eyes, took a cleansing breath, and said, “Fine, I’ll hear them out.”

Ezio smiled, but my next sentence ended that.

“In four years, they can come find me and explain then.”

Was I being childish? Yes. Was I going to stop? I couldn’t. Even if my hair wasn’t glowing, I was too angry and hurt to face them right now.

Maya looped her arm through mine and we headed out to the car. I dropped her off at her place and went back home, locking myself in my room to take a nap.

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