“They sparkle,” she said quietly.
Shedidremember. “They’re like…”
“Gems.” They finished together.
She leaned against the trunk, shifting her stare to the sky.
They sat in silence, admiring the starry sky for a moment.
Christian recalled a night when he and the Hawkes had been together after the evening meal. He couldn’t remember what they had been talking about. Willow, as usual, was not interested and was gazing at the sky. She had suddenly jumped up, pointing to the sky, and proclaimed she saw a flying star.
The rest of the family had dismissed her. Christian remembered Raven had even thrown a stick at her. Angry and hurt, Willow had left the group. Christian had gone after her. He had told her he spotted the star to comfort her. She had been so delighted she bestowed a glowing smile on him. It was the first time he had noticed her lips and thought of kissing them.
“Do you remember the time we saw a flying star?” he asked, searching for anything to talk to her about, to make her feel happier.
She nodded.
“I have something to confess,” he admitted.
Willow waited.
“I never saw the shooting star.”
She looked at him with a soft, mocking chuckle. “Another lie.”
Christian took the barb. He deserved it. “You had been so hurt by the others. I didn’t want you to…” He brushed a hand through his hair. “I remember how happy you were that I saw it. But I figured you should know the truth.”
He rose and crossed to her, sitting at her side amidst the grass and leaves. He thought she might move, but she remained. He inhaled. “I’m sorry, Willow,” he admitted. “I should have told you about Bea before we entered that village. Our relationship was long over. I had ended it two years ago. But obviously, Bea didn’t understand.”
Willow turned back to the sky. “Maybe you’re bad at ending relationships.”
He shook his head and sighed, knowing she spoke about their past. “I made it clear, but she didn’t want it to end.”
“Since you’re turning a new leaf and telling the truth, why did you leave me?”
It was something he didn’t want to tell her. Not the real reason.
She stared at him. “You could have said goodbye. To all of us.”
Her eyes were large and luminescent beneath the soft glow of the moon. He had often thought of her and wondered what it would be like to wake up with her next to him or to see her smile at him. He would never know. He wanted to tell her the truth. He wanted to give her the real reason he had departed.
“You never told me it was over,” she said. “Not like you said you told Bea. You never talked to me. You were just…gone.”
He studied the sky. The stars twinkled scornfully. “The stars never looked the same since I left.” He dropped his stare to the shadowed trees in the distance. “My family was so different from yours. You know my relationship with my brother. We’re not close. We never were.” He glanced at the dark ground and clenched his teeth. “My father was worse. I am the youngest, and I had no strength when I was young. I could never live up to Simon’s skills. Father constantly told me what a failure I was. No matter how hard I tried, I could never meet my father’s expectations, so I stopped trying. After my mother died, nothing was keeping me there. I left.”
Willow stared at him.
He felt the condemnation in her gaze. “Yes,” he admitted. “It was the first time. It came easy to me to leave. To run away.” He thought about his father and brother, the ridicule and mockery they heaped on him. His eyes narrowed slightly. “I don’t like talking about them. And I rarely do.” He recalled those harsh first days of being on his own, how hungry he was. He had even considered returning to his father. But in the end, he couldn’t. He would have rather died. Then, he happened upon a group of knights. Templar Knights. “De Molay introduced me to your father.”
“De Molay?” Willow echoed. “Isn’t he the Grand Master of the Templar Knights?”
Christian nodded. “Yes.”
“How do you know him? How does my father know him?”
Christian shrugged. “I think John did jobs for him. Your father was kind to me. He trained me as he trained you and your sisters. And for a while, I was part of your family.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “For once in my life, I belonged somewhere. I was part of something.” He regarded her. The soft glow of moonlight shone around her golden hair. “And then I started to have feelings for you.” His stare shifted to her lips, and he tore his gaze away. “I think Raven suspected. She never liked me.”
“She liked you even less after you left.”
