Page 32 of Reckless Promises

“Does she have a name?” Odette looks up at Shane.

He shakes his head. “Name her what you want.”

The puppy rolls onto its back in her lap, once more catching the lace in its nails and making a mess of her dress.

“Hmm.” Odette scratches the puppy’s stomach. “I think I’ll call you Birdie.”

“Birdie,” Fallon repeats, reaching out to pet the puppy. “I like it.”

“Birdie?” It’s the least threatening name a person can give a dog, and absolutely absurd.

Odette looks up at me from the floor, her pupils dilated. And when our eyes connect, her entire expression changes. Almost like she forgot where she was and that this is our wedding day, as reality rushes back to her.

“Just saying—” Her cheeks pale.

“I like it,” I cut her off. It’s not like I care what we name the dog, anyway. “Birdie’s fine.”

A tight smile catches in the corner of Odette’s cheeks. Genuine enough that it makes my heart ache.

Once more, she turns her attention to Birdie, and Fallon starts rambling about custom leashes and designer dog beds. I’m not sure which one of the two of them is more likely to be the death of me.

“So, you’re keeping the dog?” Shane asks, once more shaking my shoulder, knowing he won this round.

“I’m keeping the fucking dog.” I drain the rest of my drink.

Of course I am.

12

Odette

“You disappeared.” Cillian’s voicecoming from the doorway catches Birdie’s attention, so she runs over to him.

She stops at his feet, and he glances down with a frown. Just like he did when Shane presented her to us. Cillian reaches down to pat the top of her head, but I get the impression he’s not a dog person.

“I couldn’t sleep,” I say, once more turning my gaze to the wall of windows that frame one side of the room.

Nighttime is brightened with the moon reflecting off the snow, and even if the forest is frozen, it’s warm in this room.

Birdie makes her way back over to me and climbs into my lap. Growing up, the only pets in our house were the two dogs that never left Dad’s side. He said animals aren’t pets, they’re tools. So that’s how he used them. For protection. For a show of strength.

They didn’t mean anything to him.

But it didn’t stop me from wishing I could get a dog someday. At least then, I wouldn’t be so alone. Which is probably why Birdie felt like a lifeline in that room of strangers.

I expected Cillian to tell Shane to take her back, given how he reacted to the surprise. But even if he was going to, something changed. And I’m still not sure why a man who wants to destroy my family is continuing to gift me things.

“It was a long night,” Cillian says, walking toward me. “I can’t sleep either.”

He drops down onto the couch beside me, wearing the gray sweatpants that show off everything I don’t want to think about. At least tonight he’s paired it with a black T-shirt.

Leaning back, he stares out the window.

I’m thankful that even if I’m trapped at Cross Manor, Cillian doesn’t force me to stay locked in our room. He lets me wander anywhere in our wing of the house without security, and it’s enough freedom to relieve some of the pressure of this situation.

“You like dogs?” Cillian’s the first to break the silence, glancing at Birdie sitting in my lap.

“Yes, but you don’t.”

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