Total pages in book: 52
Estimated words: 49388 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 247(@200wpm)___ 198(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49388 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 247(@200wpm)___ 198(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
I look at my best friends, and they’re both nodding as if they already knew.
“It was going to happen at some point,” Etienne tells me.
As he’s speaking, the click of the front door has us all turning to see Philipe walking into the house. I haven’t seen him in months.
“Boys,” Philipe greets as he makes his way to the liquor cabinet and pours himself a double Scotch before joining us on the sofas.
He looks at me and says, “I’m here to see your uncle. Is he going to be staying in Tynewood from now on?”
“I don’t know,” I reply with a shake of my head. “My uncle and I weren’t exactly on speaking terms when I left him at the airport.”
“We were in the middle of something important,” Ares tells his brother. “Thane has nothing to do with us. If you want to have meetings with assholes, then go for it, but leave us out.”
“Ares,” Philipe says, his tone taking on a cool timber. “If I’d wanted to ask for your opinion, I would have. I’m talking to Tarian.”
“Talk to Tar on your own time. We have something we need to help him fix.”
“Oh?” Philipe raises a questioning brow. “And what pray tell have you done, Tarian?”
I thought only Etienne and Ares would have to know about what happened between Grecia and me, but now Philipe is here, I won’t be able to stop the news from spreading.
“I fucked up big time, and it’s because of Thane.” I look at Philipe and pray he’s going to tell me he’s leaving to find my uncle, but he doesn’t move. “Grecia and Thane looked like they were kissing when I walked into his kitchen this morning. He was all over her, and when they saw me, she looked guilty and he looked fucking smug.”
“Thane always looks smug,” Etienne muses, and I nod because he’s right. My uncle has a superior expression permanently painted on his face. Then my friend’s features soften, and his voice is gentle when he correctly surmises, “And you didn’t believe her when she tried to explain?”
I shake my head. “I didn’t give her a chance to say anything. I told her to get the fuck out, and when I went to see her this afternoon, she said the same to me in return.”
“And then she pulled a gun on you,” Ares adds with a chuckle.
I shake my head. The memory of Grecia’s stone cold expression, together with the anguish in her eyes, haunts my thoughts. “She wouldn’t even listen. She told me to get the fuck out. She said she never wanted to see me again.”
“You know, Tarian, Dahlia’s told me to fuck off so many times I should be on the other side of the fucking world.” Ares leans forward in his seat as he’s speaking. “But where is she right now?” As he asks the question, he gestures with his head toward the ceiling, “She’s upstairs with our baby.”
“Not everything can be fixed so easily, Ares,” I throw back in annoyance.
It’s not every day one of my best friends frustrates me to the point I want to punch him, but at the moment, I definitely do.
“Hey.” Ares lifts his hands in defense. “I’m just saying that things aren’t always as bad as they seem. And if the feelings are real between you, then you can overcome anything.”
It’s not every day I hear him talk about emotions. Even when he’s with Dahlia, he plays it down so much you’d never know if he feels anything for her. Growing up, we learned that love and hate are nothing more than human constructs. Intense feelings are a distraction from what’s really important—the society.
“She stood by me these past few months, watching me with girl after girl, night after night, and she never once complained. Instead, she gave me water and fucking fed me painkillers when I was hungover, she chased the girls out who didn’t want to leave, and she made sure I didn’t end up dead in a ditch,” I confess, my voice breaking with emotion. “I never meant to hurt her. I have feelings for her, and I don’t like being vulnerable. She’s broken down every fucking wall, and I hate it.”
“That’s what they do, man,” Etienne tells me earnestly. “Rukaiya and I didn’t just happen overnight. It took a while to come to terms with our feelings and emotions.” He shakes his head. “I didn’t want to be a hero. Before I met her, I never imagined this is how my life would turn out. But she stole my heart, and I had no fucking choice but to fall.”
I nod. “Grecia’s changed my life.”
“Then you can’t give up,” Philipe tells me. “If this is as real as you say it is, then you need to show her you’re not some pushover who walks away at the first sign of trouble. You’re one of the Crowns. It’s time for you to step up, take your place in the Sovereign, and get back the woman you love.”