“They got to be yours in public.”Her voice cracked, her pain slicing me wide open.“While I was the one you fucked in the shadows.”
“They didn’t get anything,” I roared, jumping to my feet and stalking away.Breathing hard, I got to the end of the veranda before storming back to her.“It was all an act.There wasn’t a single moment that was real when we were with Raffaella and Amadea.We’ve only ever been yours, Vega.”
“You kept me hidden like I was something dirty.”
“We hid you because you’re the only thing worth fighting for,” I choked out, falling to my knees in front of her.“I hid you because you’re the only good thing I’ve ever known.”
Vega
I was sofocused on Kane that I didn’t see Ryder move.One minute, he was in the chair beside me, and the next, he was on his knees beside Kane, pressing his head to my lap.
“It’s my fault, little star.I’m the one who fucked everything up.Loving you was so easy.I took one look at you, and I felt alive for the first time in my life.The thought of letting you go destroyed me.I refused to think of a life where you weren’t in it.”His body shook as he wrapped his arms around my legs, holding on like he was desperate for an anchor.
Kane edged closer.“There were other options than marriage, but we thought it was the only one that kept you safe,mo réiltín.”
“What was the last seven years?I thought we had something special.”I looked down at them, bowing before me, breaking my heart a little more.“Christ, I thought you two were going to be my happy-ever-after.”
“Don’t say that.Not like it’s past tense.We are your happy-ever-after.”Ryder lifted a hand, cupping one side of my face.“We are, Vay.Always.”
“You married other people!”
“And we got that annulled.”
“Like that’s better than simply getting a divorce?”I shot back.
“It means the marriage was never real, baby.Like it never happened.”Kane took my mug from me then pressed a kiss to my palm.
Fuck, I was already weakening.All it took was them on their knees, giving me the big puppy eyes.That those eyes were full of tears and regret, remorse and love, helped their cause.
“You were never a whore, Vay.”Ryder pressed his forehead to mine, and something released in my chest.“You’re the love of my life.My first, my only, in every way.You know that, don’t you, little star?God, tell me you know that.”
“I…”
“Please, Vay.Please, tell me.”
“Yes,” I whispered.
“I’m so sorry I hurt you,” he rasped, his lips skimming along my jaw.“It never should have happened.I’ll spend the rest of our lives trying to atone for the pain I’ve caused you.I promise.”
Kane grasped the back of my neck, turning me so he could brush the softest kiss over my lips, his other hand going to my belly.Pressing his fingers right over where our baby was kicking.“I love you,mo réiltín.Every day since I met you, I’ve loved you.”
I closed my eyes, absorbing their words, their touch.
“Say you love me,” he commanded, teasing me with another kiss.
“I love you,” I breathed, leaning into him, only for Ryder to shoulder him aside and steal the kiss for himself.“I love you too, Ry.”
“I love you, Vega.So fucking much.We’re going to make this right.We’ll earn your forgiveness.”He pressed his thumb to my bottom lip, his blue eyes intense.“Whatever it takes, I’ll prove to you that loving us wasn’t a mistake.”
Body melting, heart in danger of turning to nothing but goo, I tried to push them both away.They wouldn’t budge.“It’s not going to be that easy,” I groused, leaning back in my chair since getting up wasn’t an option.
“Whatever it takes,” Ryder repeated.
“I’m not even staying here.Ernesto knows I’m leaving tomorrow.That’s why I wanted to talk to Kane tonight.”I’d come to the farm with my father to get to know him better, to give us a little time to get used to each other.After everything Ernesto had done, how he’d fought to get back to me, he deserved a little time together.
But I had a life waiting for me back in California, one I liked and didn’t want to give up.My boss had given me some grace when I’d explained I had a family emergency, but they wouldn’t hold my job indefinitely.People were depending on me.
Before, I’d molded myself to fit into Ryder’s and Kane’s lives.Even when it came to my career, I’d taken a position that would coordinate with a schedule that allowed me to be with them when they needed me.
