“Kee,” he said. “I’m not judging you. But listen—just listen! For once!”
I took a deep breath before I turned to face him.
“Whatever you’re thinking, forget it,” he said. “Whatever you’re planning, forget it. It’s not going to make a difference. Not with him. It’s too late.”
“What do you mean?” I said slowly. “Too late?”
“Kee.” He shook his head. “The entire family believes you’ve fallen for Kelly.”
“So? Isn’t that what they’re supposed to believe?”
“We grew up with you, Kee.”
“And…?”
“And—how much clearer do you need me to be? Youarefalling for him. That’s why you hate him. You know you are, and you don’t want to. So you’re fighting him because it’s the only choice you have. IfIknow it, Kelly knows it.”
“What kind of woman does that make me, Harrison?” I whispered, gripping the sides of the dress so tightly that my knuckles strained. “That my heart…it’s…not at war with this. It’s at war with theideaof this. Him bullying me into it.”
“Maybe it’s just attraction. Just physical. It’ll pass. And…” Harrison shook his head, running a hand through his hair, making it stick up. “I don’t know, Kee. I have no clue.” Then my brother pulled me in, and my head fell against his chest. He kissed me on the forehead. “You don’t have to do this. You don’t. He got his revenge. It’s enough.”
“It’s not,” I whispered. “We both know it.”
“I do, but my life is not worth this. You paying for my sins.”
I stood, steadying myself. I had my pity party moment. It was time to move forward. “Your life is worth suffering for, Harrison. Because I’m not doing this to pay for your sins. I’m doing this to give value to your love. Mari’s truth was a blow, but we both know she’s not the type of person to hurt anyone on purpose. So you know what that tells me? Your great love is still out there. You’ve just been too focused on Mari to see it.”
Harrison lifted his hand, fixing my veil. “You’re my little sister, and I’ve never said anything like this to you before. You’ve always been as rough as one of the boys, if not tougher.” He grinned, but it was for memories only. “So maybe this isn’t enough, but you’re beautiful, Kee. Cash Kelly deserves to have his heart stop when he sees you. He doesn’t deserve you.”
I smiled. “That’s enough,Harry Boy.” I gave him my arm and he took it. “So you’re going to walk me?”
“Right out the door,” he said underneath his breath. “Because if Kelly doesn’t kill me, Mam will.”
“I’ll leave you out of it,” I said. “Sister’s honor.”
“Nah,” he set his hand over mine. “Let me take this one.”
“Honestly? I’d rather marry Kelly a hundred times then have to face Mam once.”
“I’m surprised she didn’t see this in her tea leaves—the treachery!”
We both grinned—and then our feet stopped. The entire church had been filled with candles, all lit and burning, making the man waiting at the end of the aisle glow. I couldn’t tell whether I was in heaven or hell.
“I didn’t ask for this,” I whispered.
“No, Kelly did,” my brother answered.
I nodded. “Let’s get this over with.”
My brother set his hand over mine as he walked me down the aisle. The green in Kelly’s eyes seemed unreal as I moved closer to him, and like the ring on my finger, I wished I could appreciate the color without feeling like I was double-crossing my principals. I wanted to admire his eyes, to get lost in them, to believe that the look he was giving me—all serious and scorching—was true.
I wanted him to want me, and not just out of vengeance.
If that was the case, though, we wouldn’t be standing where we were, about to make promises that were built on something brutal and bloodthirsty.
My brother kissed me on the cheek before he handed me over to Kelly. Harrison and Raff were standing as witnesses. I didn’t have a bridesmaid, and it didn’t really matter. My sister was dead, and my soul sister didn’t need to be involved in this. She deserved to believe that all was right in the world and that I wasn’t selling out love to save my brother’s life.
Kelly’s hand was warm on mine as we stood before Father Flanagan and turned toward one another. I repeated the vows I was supposed to, but I couldn’t really hear my words, not like I could feel them: heavy, with a lifelong commitment. Once Cash Kelly said his vows to me, that was it. We were both locked in.
