Page 42 of Secret Confession
“She is my entire world, and I will do anything to protect her. You’re more than aware of the lengths I will go to in order to keep her safe, and to make sure she lives a happy life.
“Whilst you are making her happy, and she’s loved and cared for, we won’t have a problem. But if you hurt her… I don’t give a shit how powerful you are, or how much danger it might put me in, I will take you down. I will make you pay for every bit of pain you put her through, until you’re begging me to end your life. Do I make myself clear?”
“Miles—” I snap at my brother, shocked that he’d threaten Maximus in such a way.
Maximus holds his hand up, cutting me off from saying anything more. Both men are staring at each other, neither of them blinking as they engage in some sort of pissing contest that makes me roll my eyes at them both.
After far longer than is necessary, Maximus’ lips lift into a smile. “I understand. I won’t ever hurt her, so your threats are unwarranted, but I appreciate them all the same.”
Miles nods, and the two of them share a weird moment of understanding that I can’t even bring myself to understand. Then, just like that, they both lean back and smile as all the tension in the room dissipates, and we’re back to just being three people having a conversation.
Miles’ then gets a wide smile on his face and his eyes sparkle, as he suddenly looks almost excited. “Oh, can I be there when you tell Marcus? He’s going to lose his shit.”
His laughter echoes around the room, and I wince, looking over at Maximus. I silently tell him he can take this one, and I hope like hell Marcus will forgive us.
“Marcus knows. He walked in on us the other day. We made him keep it a secret from you, as Courtney wanted to be the one to tell you in person. He was not happy about keeping things from you, but if it helps, he was more freaked out about this than you were,” Maximus tells him.
“He wanted to tell you, but I made him promise not to,” I add on quickly, hoping that will be enough to save Marcus from Miles’ wrath.
“He walked in on you?” he repeats, his face scrunching up in disgust.
Maximus chuckles wickedly. “Yes. Apparently, he’s going to need a lot of therapy, as well as bleaching his ears and eyes.”
Miles is silent for a second before he throws his head back as a full belly laugh erupts from him. “I can just imagine Marcus overreacting.”
“It will teach him for not knocking,” Maximus replies flippantly.
Miles nods in agreement, as they both laugh over Marcus’ shared pain. After a few minutes, I squeeze Miles’ hand to pull his attention back to me. I shuffle nervously under the weight of his stare, suddenlyfeeling shy again.
“Are you sure you’re okay with this?”
He looks between Maximus and me, before shrugging his shoulders with a small smile. “I mean, it’ll take some getting used to. But honestly, I don’t think any guy you introduced me to would ever be good enough for you. At least I know that Maximus will do everything in his power to keep you safe, and to take care of you, which is all I’ve ever wanted.
“The idea that my little sister is in love is scary, but I’m glad you’ve found someone who loves you back.” The way he says the last part breaks my heart.
Miles knows all about loving someone who doesn’t love him back. He never recovered after Dee left him, taking a piece of his heart with her when she left all those years ago.
All I’ve ever wanted for him is to find peace, and to find someone who loves him, so it’s not surprising that he wants the same for me.
“I didn’t think I was capable of falling in love, after everything I’ve been through. But with Maximus, it came as easily as breathing. There wasn’t any part where I had to think about it. I just knew that’s how I felt. I can’t even remember what my life was like before he came into it, and I never want to think of what it will be like without him.”
Miles pulls me in for a hug, which I’m only too happy to return. He leaves shortly after, promising to visit again soon when he’s had some time to process everything. He might not have said he approves, but just knowing he’s going to try is more than enough for me.
Once Miles has left, Maximus wastes no time pulling me onto his lap. He wraps his arms around me and nuzzles his face into my neck as he presses soft kisses along my throat.
I relax into his hold, feeling more loved and cared for than ever before. He presses a kiss just below my ear, his breath sending a shiver down my spine as he whispers to me, “How do you feel now that Miles knows?”
“Relieved,” I tell him. “And also freer, like nothing can hold us back now. I can shout how I feel about you from the rooftops.”
He chuckles at how bright and happy I sound. “I love you, Little Lamb. You’re the best thing to happen to me in a long time. They say you often find love when you least expect it, and I never saw you coming, but now you’re here, I don’t want you to ever leave.”
I press a kiss to his lips, not able to stop smiling as I do. “Good, because I’m not going anywhere. I love you, Maximus Morelli, and you’re stuck with me from now on.”
The End
