“I was so desperate to see the best in my brother, I refused to see anything wrong. I didn’t want to accept the truth.”
Isobel knew the texture of remorse. Her own regrets were like an itch she could never fully scratch, especially when it concerned Eva.
“No more secrets.” The words were out before Isobel could fully plan what she wanted to say. But this felt right. “No more lies.”
She didn’t miss the flash of relief in Dane’s eyes. He turned to face her. “No more lies.”
Isobel arched an eyebrow. “And?”
“Well, I do have one more secret, actually.” Dane reached into his pocket and drew something out, pressing it firmly into her palm. The ring was a simple band of gold, warmed by his touch.
“What are you doing?” Isobel croaked out.
“I’ve been carrying this around for months,” Dane said, his eyes soft and hopeful. The words struck her like a bell, leaving her ringing. He sandwiched her hand in both of his. “I love how much you care, Isobel, and how hard you fight for the people you love. You are the most extraordinary person I know.” A smile pulled up the corners of his mouth. “You are already my family, but I want—I hope—that you will let me be even more. That you will let me be yours.”
It was getting more difficult to keep the moisture out of her eyes. “Are you…?” She could hardly get the words out, but Dane must have heard the nervous catch in her voice, because he tilted her chin up and kissed her softly, just once.
“Proposing?” he asked, his voice deepening in a way that sent a pleasant shiver over Isobel’s skin. When she nodded, he shook his head. “Not yet.”
It wasn’t fair that she could feel both disappointment and relief at once.
“I want to, love.” Dane laid another, longer kiss on one side of her mouth. “I want it all. To go to bed with you”—he kissed the other side—“and to wake up together. I want to bear your burdens, to love those you love and protect them as my own.”
A tear slipped from the corner of Isobel’s eye. It was so rare for her to cry.
“I want my daughter to know how wildly obsessed with her you are,” Dane said, his tone changing to something more playful. “Did you know Esther thinks the tooth fairy stocks our cookie jar with honey sticks?”
Isobel let out a weak laugh. “I love her.” The words came surprisingly easily. They’d been living inside her for ages, unsaid.
“She’s a good kid,” Dane said softly, as though he knew the ache in Isobel’s chest.
“The best.”
Dane ran his thumb over the line of her jaw, slowly taking in every inch of her face. “I’m not asking yet, Isobel, because I want you to be ready. To be sure. But this”—he smiled as he slid his hand back into her hair, anchoring her—“is where I hope we land.”
The sudden roll of tires over gravel drew both of their attention to the black car sliding into the drive. Isobel shoved to her feet, Dane’s words ringing in her ears, her heart soft and pliant.
All thoughts of proposals and futures dissipated, however, at the sight of the driver. A pair of thick dark sunglasses helped conceal June’s expression from where she sat behind the wheel.
Heat stung Isobel’s cheeks.
Esther threw her door open and came barreling toward them. “Hi, Dad! Bye, Dad!” she called out as she rushed up the steps.
“What’s she after?” Dane grunted.
“Popsicle,” June said coolly.
Dane shot Isobel a quick look and rose to his feet. “Better monitor that,” he said, following his daughter inside and leaving Isobel and June alone.
Awkwardness thickened between them, made worse when Isobel realized she still had Dane’s ring trapped in her fist.
“Didn’t know you’d be here,” June said.
Isobel nodded, not sure what else to do. But when June turned back to the car, that steady ache opened up in her chest again. Maybe Arthur had awakened something in her with his return, because suddenly the years of estrangement between Isobel and her former friend seemed like such a waste, and that gave her courage.
“June, wait,” she called, feeling uncharacteristically nervous. There weren’t many people who could make her shrink. June certainly didn’t try. She was calm, if cold. “Please,” Isobel said.
“What is it?”
