Page 27 of Unfulfilled Promises
She had no idea.
“I think it’s more that when we really get to know each other, he’s going to have questions, and there are some things I can’t discuss with him. I mean, how do you tell someone that you spent your twenty-first birthday . . . away, instead of doing the normal things a young adult does to celebrate?”
She reached her hands across the table and took hold of mine. It was something she and I started doing the day after Seth dropped me off at the house. She found me staring off into the distance, and when Rhys tried to question me, she took my hand and walked us away from him. Now, whenever she sees that I’m struggling, she takes my hands and it somehow centers me.
“You tell him what you’re comfortable with, and if he pushes, you can always leave. No one has the right to make you share anything you don’t want to.” Her eyes raised over my head as she released my hands. “And that especially goes for your brother.”
“What the hell did I do now?” Rhys asked from behind me as he placed his hands onto my shoulders and leaned over, pecking me on the top of the head.
Rounding the table, he leaned over and gave Hannah a sweet kiss before he took a seat at the side of the table and grabbed a biscuit from the covered tray. As he took a bite and groaned around it, I gave him a smile.
“Hannah was just reminding me that I don’t have to overshare if I’m not comfortable,” I remarked, and he shook his head as he popped the last piece of the bread into his mouth, dusted his fingertips, and took a swallow of Hannah’s coffee.
“I got the background check back on your little date tonight,” Rhys said, and I rolled my eyes.
“Jesus, Rhys, why would you do that? It’s just dinner, and I’m driving myself. There’s no need to investigate him.”
“Of course, there is,” Rhys returned and glanced at Hannah before turning his full attention to me. “I know things didn’t work out with you and Seth, and to be honest, I really hoped it would. But if you’re going out with someone, even if it is just dinner, I’m going to check his background. We still don’t know who took you, what they wanted, or if they’re still a threat. Add on top of that, Lucian and Devlin are close to tracking down the last few pieces to the puzzle of the missing Syndicate members, so we have to be careful.”
I wasn’t aware they were gaining ground in their search, and now, I worried what else they would uncover when they found what they were looking for. Pushing my chair back, I stood from the table and looked across at a knowing Hannah. She knew how frustrated I was, even if she didn’t know all the reasons—my nosy brother accounted for my mood.
“I’m going to need you to step back just a little, Rhys. I realize you’re worried about me, but I need to start building my own life and that means you have to give me some space to make mistakes and to learn and grow. I allowed myself to be sheltered for too long, and I need to remove my safety net. So, please, don’ttrack or follow me tonight.” He pinched his lips together, so I asked, “Can you do that for me?”
“I don’t know if I feel comfortable with that,” Rhys admitted, and I looked to Hannah for help.
She touched his forearm, drawing his attention to her as she spoke. “How about this? Regan can take one of the secured vehicles so you can have her location, and you promise to text when you arrive and leave, just to make sure your brother doesn’t follow you on your date.”
Rhys and I looked at each other, and I could see him silently asking me to agree. Rolling my eyes again, I nodded then added, “Only if you promise to stop doing background checks on everyone I meet.”
“I’ll try,” he admitted, and I shook my head with a chuckle before turning and walking away.
The day was too nice to be inside, and with the nerves that were building, I needed the wide-open space to not feel trapped. Rhys had built me a small patio with a covered pergola outside my bedroom, and I took a seat, looking out into the yard as the warm sun shone on my face. I was enjoying the solitude when I heard someone approaching from the side of the house.
Looking around the corner, I saw Seth moving closer to me, looking like a wet dream walking. He had gained muscle in his chest and arms since the last time we spoke, and seeing him in his black tactical pants and shirt, with a sexy Glock strapped to his side, was doing all kinds of crazy things to my libido.
Our eyes met, and he stopped in his tracks before exhaling and walking closer. As he got to the covering of the patio, I sat up straighter, waiting for another argument. When he cast his eyes down , I felt bad about assuming his intentions.
“Can I join you for a minute?” he asked, and I nodded silently as he pulled out a chair and took a seat. He didn’t say anything for close to a minute, and I was about to ask what he wantedwhen he finally spoke. “So, your brother had me do a check on your date tonight.”
I scoffed and went to stand when he looked up and requested, “Please don’t go. I . . . I need to say how sorry I am about what I did and how I reacted the last time we spoke.”
Sitting back, I crossed my arms over my chest and replied, “Saying sorry doesn’t change the fact that you accused me of allowing women to get hurt. All because I’m not willing to strip myself bare and lay out my shame for you and the rest of them to pick apart.”
“I was wrong to say that, and there’s not any way to make up for it, but I’d love the chance to try.”
Clenching my jaw, I counted to five, hoping it would give me time to calm down, but with each passing second, I felt my anger growing. Standing from my chair, I looked over at him and simply replied, “For four months, you’ve walked into this house, barely looked at me or gave me a look of disgust, and now, once you find out I have a date, you suddenly decide that today of all days is when you need to apologize?” I leaned closer to him as I continued. “I realize deep down that I’m nothing but a used-up whore, but I’ll be damned if I allow anyone to judge me.”
As I turned to walk away, he said, “You’re not a whore, Regan. You’re perfect.”
I shook my head and used the keypad to unlock my bedroom door before slamming it behind me. From the monitor near the door, I watched the camera pointed at the patio and waited for Seth to leave. He sat there, crossing his arms over his chest as he stared at my bedroom door, almost like he could will me back outside.
And he probably could have, if his painful words weren’t still playing on a loop in my brain. The accusations he made against me were nothing new. I’d been blaming myself for years butknew I was powerless to do anything. And if I told anyone, they could get hurt trying to avenge me. Or worse.
After a few minutes, Seth stood from the chair, looked at the closed door again, and turned to walk away. I wanted to run after him and tell him I’m sorry for being a bitch, but I couldn’t strip myself bare for him or anyone else, and with the questions he had about my kidnapping, he wouldn’t let it go. Just like all the men in my life.
And the further they dug, the greater the chance my secrets would be revealed. Sighing, I debated on telling everyone so they could wash their hands of me now, but I was too much of a chicken-shit. If I kept this up, I was going to drive myself crazy, so I was determined to be better today than I was yesterday. I opened my bedroom door and walked down the hallway. Hannah was sitting in the interior patio reading a book, and I knocked on the door and waved as I passed by. She lifted her head, smiled at me, and returned to her book.
The kitchen was my destination, and as I got closer, I saw Devlin and James in a hushed conversation near the stove. When they heard me, they both turned to look, and I offered them a smile as I walked to the pantry.
