Page 20 of Protected By the SEAL
“Yeah.” His voice is rough now, low with anger he’s not bothering to hide. “And he let her.”
That simple truth cuts sharper than anything Belinda could say. I look away, the vineyard lights blurring at the edges. “I shouldn’t have come.”
“Maybe not,” he says, his tone softening. “But you did. And you’ve handled every second of this better than anyone else here could have.”
He steps closer, close enough that his body blocks out the tent behind him, close enough that I can see the flicker of string lights reflected in his eyes. “Don’t let her make you feel small. Not her. Not him. No one gets to do that to you.”
The words crack something open inside me. My breath stutters out, uneven. “She looked so smug,” I say, my voice shaking. “Like she won.”
“She didn’t,” he says.
“She married him, Kane.”
“Fuck them.” He meets my eyes, unwavering. “She married a man who stood there and let her hurt you. Us men can be dense, but we’re not that stupid. He knows what she did. That’s not winning, for either of them.”
I stare at him, the fight slowly bleeding out of me, and I admit to myself that maybe he’s right. Maybe I dodged a bullet when things didn’t work out with Victor and me.
The tension in my chest finally eases. The cool night is refreshing on my heated skin, the earthy scent of the vineyard reminding me there’s so much more that is good in the world.
My moment of peace breaks when I hear the click of heels on stone. My stomach drops as Belinda steps onto the terrace, her hands smoothing her wedding dress.
“Oh, Morgana, are you okay?” Her voice drips with false concern. “I saw you leave so suddenly...”
She steps closer, and I see the moment her mask slips, revealing the sharp edges underneath.
“Look,” she says, voice turning cold, “everyone can see you’re still hung up on him. You’re embarrassing yourself showing up here with some pity date, trying to prove you’re over Victor. Are you going to cause trouble in my marriage?”
The words hit like a slap. Pity date. The implication that Kane is here out of obligation rather than choice. That I’m pathetic, desperate, clinging to a relationship that was over years ago.
“Is there a problem here, Belinda?”
Kane’s voice cuts through my spiral, cold as ice. He steps forward, positioning himself slightly in front of me, protective without blocking me completely.
Belinda’s eyes widen, then narrow. She pastes on that fake smile. “No! Just checking on family.”
“Funny.” Kane moves to my side, his arm sliding around my waist, pulling me against him. “Didn’t sound like checking in. Sounded like you were trying to create drama where none exists. I know Morgana far better than you do, and I can guarantee that she has no feelings for Victor.”
“I was making sure she wasn’t going to…do something we’d all regret.”
“Going to what? Be upset that Victor married you? From where I’m standing, it looks like you two are a perfect match.”
The challenge in his words hangs in the air. Then Kane looks down at me, and the expression on his face steals my breath.
“She has everything she wants,” he says, still looking at me even though he’s talking to Belinda. “She has me.”
My heart stops. The way he says it, the certainty in his voice, the look in his eyes. I still haven’t been able to process what happened last night, but right now? Kane is making me think it was all real, but that’s a dangerous fantasy for me. The man I’ve been hung up on all these years is Kane, even when I tried to tell myself I was happy with just friendship. But now? Now he’s making me think last night was more than a hook-up for him.
He turns back to Belinda, and his voice low and fierce. “Now, if you’re done trying to ruin your own reception, we’re leaving. And if you ever speak to her like that again,ever,we’re going to have a real problem. Do I make myself clear?”
Belinda’s face goes pale then splotches of red appear on her cheeks, rage and humiliation cycling plainly on her face. Sheopens her mouth, closes it, then spins on her designer heels and flees back inside.
The moment she’s gone, Kane turns to me, hands gentle on my shoulders. “You okay?”
I nod, blinking back tears, but they’re not sad tears. For the first time since my dad died, I feel like I have someone who will truly defend me against my family, and against anyone.
“Thank you. For all of it. For being here, for standing up to her, for...” I trail off, not sure how to articulate the enormity of what I’m feeling.
“You never have to thank me. I’m always here for you,” he says simply, pressing a kiss to my forehead.
