Page 58 of Monster Among the Roses (Fairy Tale Quartet 1)

“Oh, thank God.” I sank into her, closing my eyes and resting my brow on her shoulder. “I was so sure you were going to drop me flat when I told you the truth. You have no idea how worried I was.”

“I’m glad you told me. Thank you for trusting me with the truth.”

I looked up and smiled. “I trust you with my heart. Giving you the truth was easy.”

chapter

NINETEEN

I might’ve followed Isobel around the rest of the day like an eager little child. I just had this pitch in my stomach, telling me not to let her out of my sight. What if she suddenly changed her mind and decided not to believe me after all? I mean, all she had to go on was my word alone and no physical proof whatsoever. Or what if she decided she felt deceived after all? Or she decided she didn’t like me? Or—

Okay, I might’ve been a tad paranoid. But could you blame me? I’d just bared my heart to this woman, fully expecting her to stomp on the organ and throw it back into my face. That’s what I deserved. But, no. She’d taken it all surprisingly well and believed me when I had nothing to back up my story. I wasn’t sure if I could trust such an easy resolution. And so instead, I probably annoyed the hell out of her by refusing to leave her all day.

Thank goodness she didn’t seem irritated by my neediness.

But I think she understood what I was doing, and she took full advantage of the situation. Knowing how eager I was to please her, she started asking personal questions, the really embarrassing, uncomfortable ones guys never liked girls to ask them, like how many girlfriends I’d ever had and when my last relationship had been.

I’d fumbled and stuttered, not sure how to answer, because honestly, it’d been so long I couldn’t even remember how many months it’d been. Definitely over a year since I’d been out with a woman, maybe going on two. So that’s what I told her.

Except, the return look she shot me was full of suspicion, making me throw my hands into the air and insist, “I’m serious. I’ve had a pretty long dry spell. For the last few years, Gloria’s chased off any female who’s even looked as if she might be interested in me.”

To which she tipped her head and squinted. “Who’s Gloria?”

I groaned. “Oh, God. Don’t get me started on Gloria.”

So of course, she got me started on Gloria. Ten minutes later, I was still complaining about the bane of my existence as I followed Isobel into the conservatory for the second time that day.

“…And then she said, ‘I understand, Shaw.’ But how the hell could she if she came back a week later, acting as if I didn’t just totally blow her off? I’m telling you, this whole Gloria thing is driving me nuts. Why won’t she just leave me alone already? She knows I’m not interested in her.”

Isobel looked amused as she pulled on her gloves. “Probably because she also knows you’re too nice to come right out and hurt her feelings with a hard brush-off.”

I sniffed. “But why? I don’t get why she likes me in the first place. The few times I ever did try to open up to her and let her in to see the real me, she didn’t like what she saw. She thought my dream to become an archeologist was silly. Her words. Freaking silly. I was serious as all get out and she laughed in my face over something that was important to me. So honestly, if she doesn’t care about what I want or need in my life, how the hell can she expect me to care about anything she wants? And why are you looking at me like that?”

Isobel shook her head, her eyes glittering as if entertained but also crinkled at the corners as if she were learning me, learning the most basic components about me.

“I’m not even sure where to start,” she murmured thoughtfully.

With a sigh, I leaned against a wooden beam wall of the greenhouse. “I’m that m

essed up, huh?”

“No.” She shook her head slowly. “You’re not messed up at all. You’re just…”

When she didn’t immediately answer, I swallowed, feeling as if she really did have something negative to say about me, something that told me how awful I was for not wanting anything to do with a girl who obviously adored me. God, I was a terrible, awful man, wasn’t I? The way she kept studying me made me squirm inside.

“What?” I demanded. “I’m just what?”

She shook her head. “You’re so delusional. You say you don’t know why she likes you in the first place, so it’s hard for me to get past that part, let alone consider the rest of what you said.”

“I don’t…what do you mean by that?”

“You’re a handsome guy. You’re a handsome, kind, considerate, likeable guy. And maybe a little too humble for your own good. Anyone would be drawn to that alone without ever getting to know the real you.”

“I’m not—” I wanted to argue, because hell, I really wasn’t that stand-up of a person. I was just…me. There were about fifty things wrong with me I could immediately start listing off the top of my head.

“And you have a good heart,” Isobel continued. “With as honest and sincere and kind as you are, people know they can trust you with just about anything, even their deepest darkest secrets. I’m just curious why more women in your neighborhood than just this Gloria lady aren’t after you as persistently as she is.”

I blew out a breath before clearing my throat, suddenly uncomfortable from all the praise. “You know I wasn’t angling for quite that many compliments, right?”

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