The Princess and The Jester - A.D. McCammon Page 0,55
thing I need to know. You said you didn’t want to lose me, as if the choice hadn’t been yours. Did Shane force you to break up with me?”
Tears roll down her cheeks as she nods her head. “Shane wanted to hurt you, to get back at you for what you did to him. He said the best revenge would be taking away the person you care for most.” She hiccups. “The asshole was so proud of himself, saying he’d get the pleasure of watching you suffer without you realizing he was the one who caused it.”
Shane’s mind is even more warped than I imagined. He went after her to get to me. This is my fault. It’s not the first time I’ve paid for actions taken by the Westbrook Three, but it’s the first time I’ve felt regret over it. He deserved to pay retribution for the things he did. But I never would’ve done anything to Shane at the risk of getting Gwen involved in this shit.
That motherfucker better pray I don’t catch him alone again anytime soon.
I take a deep breath, wiping away her tears. She’s shed so many since my arrival. Thinking of all the tears she must’ve cried over the last two years, haunts me.
How many times did my hate-filled words cause more to flow?
“You could’ve come to me. I would’ve fixed it. You broke my fucking heart, Princess.”
“I’m sorry.” She throws her arms around me, squeezing me tight as she buries her tear-stained face in my shirt. “I’m so, so sorry.”
I wrap her into a hug and kiss the top of her head, holding her until she’s calmer.
She leans back, her eyes searching mine for forgiveness. “He said if I told you, he would—” Her body trembles in my arms. “You needed to believe I didn’t love you. It was the only way you’d let me go.”
My mind replays the scene of that night, the way it has many times over the last two years. Only this time, it’s from a new perspective.
“I know you can’t see it right now, but this is for the best.”
Even in that moment, she was trying to tell me something else was at play. But I was too confused and heartbroken to really comprehend what she was saying.
I lean down, resting my forehead on hers. “I never let you go and never will. You belong to me, and I belong to you.”
Her eyes light up, a soft smile curving her lips. “For keeps?”
“You better fucking believe it.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
13 years old
GWEN
I’m supposed to be studying for our test tomorrow, but I can’t take my eyes off Cole. He’s sitting next to me on my bed, his sweet and spicy scent inebriating in the best way. This kind, cute, temperamental boy is my entire world, and he doesn’t even realize it. I’m so tired of keeping my feelings a secret. Everything I’ve been hiding from him for all these years is bubbling at the surface, ready to come bursting out of me at any moment.
Cole’s eyes slide over, catching my stare. He shifts uncomfortably, closing his laptop and placing it on his bedside table. “I’m getting hungry. How about you?”
The shake of my head causes his eyes to narrow, and I know exactly what he’s going to ask me before he does.
“What did you eat today?”
I roll my eyes. “You saw me eat breakfast this morning, and I had a grilled chicken salad at lunch.”
Clearly my answer doesn’t satisfy his worry, because he frowns. He flipped out a few months ago after realizing I was barely eating, and throwing up what little I did eat.
Cole did everything he could to help me while also trying to avoid going to our parents. It wasn’t until he refused to eat unless I did that I started eating normally again. And I have been since then.
But this isn’t what he thinks. I’m just too nervous to eat right now.
It’s ridiculous. I’ve slept in this bed with Cole so many times over the last seven years. But things have changed between us recently. I’m not entirely sure when I first felt the shift. Perhaps when he told me my body was perfect and I was gorgeous, his eyes reflecting the sincerity behind his words. It was the first time I truly felt beautiful.
After that, I started noticing little things I didn’t pay much attention to before. The way his stare lingers on me. The