“I hope so,” she sighed dramatically.
When they walked inside his haunted castle, Jack was still chuckling.
Chapter Eleven
Complicated
Jack
Jack lounged diagonal on the couch in his study, his feet up on the coffee table.
Belle was asleep, curled into his side, arm resting lightly across his stomach, cheek to his chest. Jack had a book he was not reading in his hand which he held against his thigh, his thumb holding his place.
His eyes were looking out the window at the sea stretched out to the horizon.
Things had definitely changed with Belle.
Not much but he was making progress.
And he had Myrtle and Lewis to thank for it.
The evening before when they’d walked into the house after their time on the cliffs, Belle hadn’t left his presence.
He knew this was not because she wanted to be in his company but because she was frightened of the ghosts she thought she saw.
He’d explained to her she had nothing to be frightened about. There was nothing more he could do.
Except take advantage of her fear.
This he did without a shred of remorse.
Jack had been correct those months before, Belle was not someone he could take or he could win.
He had to earn his place in her heart.
And he was going to do this.
Not for the sake of his child but because he wanted Belle.
But she clearly was not going to make it easy for him. She’d proved this in many ways, starting with finding an excuse at her earliest opportunity to walk away from him without looking back that morning after the night they’d shared.
And she’d do it again. This he knew for she was, for some reason, absurdly terrified of him and also what they’d shared.
Therefore Jack had to do whatever he had to do to earn his place in her heart and that included entangling her in his life.
To do this, first, he had to win her trust. He’d had it once but she’d taken it from him.
Although he felt he was justified in his anger when she came back to him that didn’t change the fact that he hadn’t done himself any favours with his behaviour.
Regardless, inherently Jack understood it was essential he conquer the obstacle of repairing the damage he caused and earning her trust before anything else.
And he had little time to do it.
In fact, he had around five months.
At the outside.
He’d prefer to have this accomplished far sooner.