Total pages in book: 266
Estimated words: 250787 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1254(@200wpm)___ 1003(@250wpm)___ 836(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 250787 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1254(@200wpm)___ 1003(@250wpm)___ 836(@300wpm)
“You knew this?” he asks her in disbelief.
“I’ve always loved you, Ashtyn,” I tell her while on our way to dinner.
“Haidyn—”
I feel I need to explain. I didn’t take her out to dinner to make her uncomfortable. “Not in the sisterly love sort of way because that would be gross. Considering I’ve fucked you.” My eyes drop to her crossed legs, and she shifts in her seat. “Also, not enough to want to spend the rest of my life with you.” She frowns, and I chuckle. “Romantic, right? You were supposed to be my chosen.”
Ashtyn nods, answering her husband. “I did.”
I never had the chance to finish that conversation we started in the SUV before we were hit and both kidnapped. But I know she believed me. I’d never lie to her about something like that.
“Why didn’t you tell me this?”
She gives Saint a soft smile. “Because it wouldn’t have changed anything.” Her hands go to her growing belly, and she’s telling him the same thing he said to her. If one of the babies isn’t his, it won’t change their future—their family.
He turns to look at me and then back at her. “That doesn’t excuse Haidyn—”
“Goddammit, Saint!” Adam interrupts him.
“Adam.” I shake my head. Enough has been said.
“No.” He looks at me. “I’m so fucking tired of this shit.” Adam turns to face Saint. “If you need to blame someone, blame me.”
“I already do, Adam. But while we’re on the subject, how the fuck did you know so much?” he demands, stepping toward Adam, but Ashtyn wraps her arm around his waist to keep him back. “You sure know a lot of shit for someone who has been MIA for so long.”
“Because I was here when all of our fathers told him that he would take Ashtyn as his Lady, and he denied her. He refused. Over and over.” Adam’s voice rises. “And they gave him no choice. Told him they’d force them to marry if need be.”
“Lady?” Ashtyn looks at me wide-eyed.
Well, this is just getting better and better. I was never going to tell her that.
“He wanted to tell you, and I told him I’d take care of it.”
“No.” Saint runs his hand over the back of his neck, confused. “That doesn’t make sense…your father let me take her as a chosen…why would he allow that if he was going to make Haidyn marry her?”
Saint always had plans to marry her. We all knew he’d spend the rest of his life with her.
“He set you up, Saint,” Adam growls. “Quit being pissed off for two fucking seconds and think about it.” Saint narrows his eyes on his brother-in-law. “My mother had her raped, and my father told you…he wanted you to cheat on the vow ceremony.” Saint swallows, starting to see the situation for what it was meant to be. “I think it was a way to get you out of the picture. I don’t know if they were going to kill you or make you their prisoner but definitely deny you as an option at her being your Lady. I’m telling you, they all wanted Ashtyn to marry Haidyn. All four of them were in on it.”
“It’s true,” Bill speaks, jumping in.
“How the fuck would you know?” Saint barks.
“LeAnne.”
“Bullshit—”
Adam interrupts Saint. “LeAnne knew because she was here in our father’s office that day Haidyn and I met with our fathers.” He sighs and adds, “At the time, we didn’t know that Ashtyn had been raped and that you cheated. Then I was forced into hiding, and you ended up marrying her in secret before our fathers could force Haidyn to do it. It wasn’t long after that Haidyn messaged me that Ash was pregnant, and she was freaking out because Laura had told her she was raped, and you cheated at the vow ceremony. She said the baby wasn’t yours. If Laura knew she was pregnant, then my father knew, which meant all the fathers knew. I had to do something. To save her…to save you…” He trails off. “It was just another reason I had to kill them.”
Saint turns his attention on me, and his green eyes look tired, but I can still see the hurt in them. It may always be there. We may never be the brothers we once were, and I take all the responsibility.
“Saint?” Ashtyn tugs on his arm.
“Yeah, sweetheart?” He looks down at her.
“I love all of you.” She reaches up, cupping his face. “But you’re my husband. The only one I want to spend the rest of my life with. I just want all this fighting to stop.” The first tear slides down her cheek, and he leans forward to kiss her forehead. “I just want it all to end so we can move on. Please, Saint.”
“Of course, sweetheart,” he assures her.