Page 91 of Bartered Innocence

Isabelle steps away as the heat grows, but I don’t look away till it’s a burned bundle of ash. My back straightens when Ricky comes to stand next to me, glaring down at the burned flowers. He and his parents came to help with the wake, mostly as an extra set of eyes on Isabelle and more hands in the kitchen to help Deirdre.

“You were with him the longest. What do you think? Was this sent with sincerity?” I ask him.

He shrugs. “Before the shooting, I would have said yes. But now I don’t know.”

Isabelle rubs my back. “Mama says Deirdre is ready to start dinner prep and wants to know if they should try to prepare enough for everyone here. Or just the brotherhood like we planned.”

“I’m not going to kick anyone out of the house that wants to be here,” I mutter under my breath. Exhaustion is weighing me down and I look at Aodhan. “I’m going to rest upstairs. Don’t let anyone up.”

He nods and Isabelle falls in step with me.

“You can go help cook if you want.”

She squeezes our entwined fingers. “I want to be where you are.”

The farther up the stairs we go, the easier it is to breathe. The noise lessens and the tension in my shoulders fades. My heart still aches and tears prickle in the back of my eyes.

When we get to our bedroom, I shrug out of my suit jacket and shirt before shucking off my pants and flopping onto the bed in my boxer briefs. Isabelle strips out of her dress and climbs onto the bed next to me, cuddling into my side, and I close my eyes.

Her nail traces shapes on my chest as we lie there in silence.

“They’re both gone.”

Her hand pauses and my fingers dig into the flesh of her hip, holding her to me.

“Both of my parents are gone and now I’m all alone.”

“You’re not alone, Rian,” she whispers, and I feel the brush of her lips as she kisses my chest. “You have the brotherhood and you have…me and our baby.”

I swallow down the emotion building in my throat. “I didn’t even get to tell him he’s gonna be a grandda.”

Isabelle moves over and straddles me. Her hands cup my face and I open my eyes to stare up at her. “You can’t think like that. They know, okay? And our baby has two angels who will love and protect them more than anyone else.”

“I can’t lose you,” I confess in a hoarse whisper.

Tears well in Isabelle’s eyes. “You won’t. We had an untraditional beginning, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m here to stay, Rian. I love you.”

Heavy relief blows out of my lungs and I hold her to my chest. They’re words I dreamed of hearing from her, but them actually falling from her lips is like the first breath after you struggle to the surface. “So if you could go back to that night, you’d choose me again?”

She laughs softly and leans down, pressing a kiss against my lips. “I think even if I knew you were bluffing about telling everyone, I’d still marry you.”

“I bartered with your heart, and I won.”

She rolls her eyes. “You bartered with my innocence as if you didn’t already have a winning hand.”

I pull her into a kiss, overwhelmed I get to keep her forever.

Epilogue

Isabelle

When Rian promisedme that I could help with whatever plan he had, I didn’t expect him to follow through so soon after the ball. When I was in the middle of it, I realized that this is not for the faint hearted, and I don’t think I was ever made to be a mercenary. But this small mission, I can do.

I adjust my ponytail and blow out a breath, rubbing my small baby bump as I check the time again. After thirty more seconds of waiting I step out of the bathroom, seeking the dark hair of Gianna. Her face is tilted down as she glances at her watch, not noticing before she runs straight into me.

Letting out a dramatic gasp, I stumble into the wall and catch myself. Her eyes are wide as she moves to stand next to me.

“Oh my god. I’m so sorry, are you okay?”

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