Wicked Princess - Ashley Jade Page 0,51
the organ still beating wildly in my chest. I love him.
But I don’t want to tell him something so important over the phone.
I’d rather tell him how I feel face to face. When the moment is right.
“So,” he says, changing the subject. “Are things any better today?”
Nope. “About the same.”
He sighs. “They can’t forbid you to see me, you know. You’re eighteen.”
If only it were that simple. “They’re not forbidding me to see you.”
That would require they actually talk to me.
“So we’re not hanging out because you don’t want to,” he snaps. “Got it—”
“It’s not like that,” I tell him. “It’s just…complicated.”
They’re my family and I hate hurting them.
And as much as I care about Stone, seeing him without their approval feels like I’m committing treachery.
“I know how important they are to you, Bianca. Trust me, I get it. I guess I’m just hoping I’m important to you too.”
My heart twists. “You are.”
“Then come here for Christmas so I can see my girlfriend outside of school. We’re having a late-night dinner after my mom gets off work.” He snorts. “I’m in charge of cooking, but I promise I’ll try my best to make it edible.”
“Okay.” I highly doubt everything will be fine in two days, but I really want to see my boyfriend for the holidays. “I’ll be there.”
I just have to talk to my brothers, first.
I approach Cole first because he’s…well, the more approachable of the two.
“Sorry, I don’t deal with traitors,” he greets me after I knock on his door.
I stifle my annoyance. “Can we talk? Please.”
Sulking, he gestures for me to come in. “I guess.”
I look around his bedroom. Sawyer isn’t here, but fortunately, her things still are. “Where Sawyer?”
His sulk deepens. “Work.”
There’s a slight edge to his tone.
“Cole.” I give him a look. “Sawyer didn’t lie to you because she wanted to. She lied because I begged her to. Hell, I pretty much guilted her into it.”
Pouting, he crosses his arms. “I know.”
“Then wh—”
“Because you didn’t tell me,” he barks. “I know I’m not the best brother and Liam was your favorite and you pretty much consider Jace your dad. I just wish…” His sentence trails off.
“You wish what?”
“I wish you felt comfortable enough to confide in me. Although that’s stupid, because it’s not like we were tight before your accident—probably because you were still harboring anger for the shitty way I treated Liam when he was alive.” He grips the back of his neck. “I don’t know. I guess I was hoping since you have amnesia we could press the reset button on our relationship and start over.”
His confession makes my heart squeeze. No matter how close I was to Liam or how close I am to Jace, Cole’s still my brother.
I give him a hopeful smile. “I see no reason we can’t still do that.”
He lifts his head a fraction. “Yeah?”
Nodding, I give him a smile. “Yeah.”
He raises an eyebrow. “Do we do the awkward hug thing now, or can we skip that?”
I feign disappointment. “Damn. I was kind of looking forward to it.”
Opening his arms wide, he sighs dramatically. “All right, fine. Bring it here.”
Laughing, I wrap my arms around him. “I might not remember much about our relationship before my accident. But, for what it’s worth, you’ve been a pretty great brother after.” I make a face. “A little overprotective—”
“A little?” he grunts. “I’m gonna have to up my game then. Call that punk over—”
“Cole,” I utter as we break apart. “Please don’t beat up my boyfriend.”
“Christ.” Scoffing, he pinches the bridge of his nose. “I still can’t believe you’re dating Stone DaSilva.”
“He makes me happy,” I whisper. “Really happy.”
Another scoff. “Yeah, well he better if he knows what’s good for him.”
My heart does a hopeful little dance. “Does this mean you approve?”
Cole scowls. “Approve? No.” Shrugging, he adds, “But fuck knows I’ve done my fair share of dumb shit, so I guess you’re entitled to do some dumb shit, too.”
Gee, thanks.
Given that’s the best I’m going to get out of him for now, I drop it.
However, there’s still one thing I want to fix.
“What about you and Sawyer? You guys aren’t going to break up over this, right?”
He looks horrified. “Break up? Fuck no. That’s not an option. I’m still mad that she kept it from me, but I know her heart was in the right place. It always is.” His gaze turns inward. “It’s just one of the many reasons I’m in love with her.”
That’s a relief.
Shooting him another smile,