Page 86 of Forbidden Romeo

“As houses.”

“Fine,” I say. “But this might take a minute.”

I tell her about Ray tracking Roisin, about bumping into Aimee. About our dates and how we didn’t know who the other was. That I didn’t put the dots together until it was too late, as theDead Eyeswere already after them. I tell her about our plan, how Aimee accepted my proposal, and how difficult it was to persuade Padraic that it was serious.

“Christ,” Kate says, sitting back. “How the hell did you manage to get him to run with that idiotic plan?”

“I’m a persuasive person,” I say defensively, leaving out just how far I’d stooped to secure his support.

Kate simply shakes her head and stands up to begin pacing the floor. “You’re in love with her, aren’t you?”

“What?”

“No sane man would go through all of this just to protect someone he thinks is cute.”

I have to look away. If there’s any truth to her words, I can’t let myself accept them. It was hard enough to listen to Aimee confess her love for me in front of my father.

Even though I knew it was what we agreed. Even though Iknewit was an act…

… I wanted to hear her say it again.

“It’s more complicated than that,” I reply finally.

“You could have told me.”

Kate stops her pacing as she says this. The accusation she’s actually trying to make hangs between us.

“Trusting you is proving a hard habit to keep up,” I say weakly.

Her expression softens a little. “Is this because of that time I put bleach in your shampoo?”

“I was thinking of the time you locked me in the kennel overnight, actually,” I quip back.

The back catalog of “ways Kate has tortured me” is embarrassingly long. But we were just kids then. Kate’s never given me a real reason not to trust her. Everything she’s done since Graham’s funeral has been to help me find purchase on a slope designed to make me fall.

“I’m sorry,” I say quietly.

It seems to take Kate a minute to register what I’ve said. “What was that?”

“I’m sorry, okay?”

“One more time.”

I throw a pillow at her. “You’re exhausting.”

Kate ducks out of the way effortlessly. “Take the day, Jack. Get your shit together. I’ll get Aimee ready for the fight tonight.”

“You sure?”

“It’s going to be the public announcement of your engagement. You need to be ready for the world to find out.”

With those lingering words, Kate turns on her six-inch heels and leaves the room.

Not wanting to dwell on them, I collapse on my bed and hope sleep will catch up to me quickly.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Aimee

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