Chapter 32 #2
I’d been expecting a girlfriend from another academy or one of the many girls he’d slept with before I came along.
Hell, maybe he’d been lying to me, and she was his go-to right now, but fiancé?
Blake wrapped his arm around my shoulders as I lost the battle with my tears.
“Come on, let’s get out of here. We can talk. ”
“Ren,” Myles called after us, but I ignored him. “Ren, let me explain. Fiona, get off of me, for feck’s sake.”
“Do you want to stop?”
“No, I want to rip her hair out and punch him in the face. I just need to get away from them,” I growled, letting Blake lead me away and out the front doors.
“Both valid. Do you have your jacket?” I pointed at my backpack.
He unzipped it and pulled my coat out before taking my bag from me so I could put it on.
The entire time, all I could see was Fiona’s happy face as she dropped her suitcase and ran to Myles.
His fiancé? The first of the tears slipped out over my lashes and rolled down my cheek.
Blake wrapped his arm around my shoulders again. We could’ve been walking anywhere. But when he stopped moving, I blinked, and we were standing in front of the large pond I’d seen glimpses of through the bare trees.
There were picnic tables set up, and I watched as Blake wiped the snow off before hopping up to sit on top. He patted the spot beside him, but I couldn’t sit.
“You are serious? That’s his fiancé?” The word was on a loop in my mind, like a song on repeat.
Blake nodded, and I looked at the valentine still in my hand.
How had I been so stupid? Myles had lulled me in.
He’d made me think that I could be safe with him, that my heart was safe with him.
I was such an idiot. It never stopped being a game.
With a yell, I tore the valentine apart until I was panting, and tears clouded my vision.
Blake grabbed me and wrapped me up in his arms as I cried.
I hated crying, and I’d done way too much of it since coming here.
This place was awful, and I just wanted to go home.
I didn’t care that the house was empty. The urge to leave and never look back was strong as I clung to Blake.
“Come on,” Blake said and guided me to the table. He waited until I was sitting before he sat beside me and wrapped his arm around me.
“I’m so stupid.”
“No, you’re not, and Myles is beside himself over you. Trust me, I know. You’re all he can talk about.”
I shook my head and wiped away the stupid tears. “Sure, I could clearly see that,” I said sarcastically. I played with the ring on my finger and started to pull it off, but Blake grabbed my hand.
“Don’t, don’t do what I think you’re going to do until you talk to him. Then, if you want to throw the ring away you can. You can shove it up his ass if you want.” The corner of my lip twitched.
“What does it matter what he has to say if he already proposed to someone else? Aren’t we a little young to be getting married anyway? I hadn’t even thought about marriage. Just making it through this semester was where my mind was at, and he has a future wife.”
“Oh, no, he didn’t propose. That’s not what I meant. Fiona is his arranged marriage. He doesn’t want to marry her, but he does know her from when he lived in Ireland. He grew up with her, but I have no idea why she’s here.”
I blinked and stared at Blake. “Seriously?”
He nodded.
“An arranged marriage?”
“Yeah. From what Myles mentioned, he told his dad that he wasn’t going to marry her and thought that the engagement with her family was off.” He squeezed my shoulder and tucked me closer to him as the wind picked up.
“Obviously, she didn’t get the memo, or he lied and never sent it. I can’t believe he never said a word to me about this. You think someone would mention having an arranged marriage before asking you out.”
“I can’t explain why he didn’t say anything. I only know that he was determined not to marry her. He wasn’t lying about that.”
I looked up at Blake. He used his thumb to wipe away more tears that had slipped loose. “I’m sorry you found out like that.”
“Some Valentine’s gift. Doesn’t matter. It’s a stupid day. I never celebrated it to begin with.”
Blake dug around in his pocket and pulled out a simple black box before holding it out to me. “This was not how I planned on giving you this, but here we are,” he said and shrugged.
“You got me a gift?”
“Sort of.”
I didn’t really feel like opening a present, but I picked it up and lifted the lid. Inside was a goldish guitar pick on a silver chain.
“This is so pretty,” I said, lifting the necklace from the box.
“I had it engraved for you,” he said. I flipped it over and smirked.
“Little Kite.”
Blake cleared his throat. “Yeah, I figured it wouldn’t make much sense to anyone else, but you’d get it.
” I turned it over in my hand. It was such a sweet gift.
“That pick is the one I used all the time when I was feeling sad or lost, and there was just something about it that when I played, it made me feel better.” He tucked the blowing strands of my hair behind my ear and then cupped my cheek.
“That’s what you do to me, Ren. Just being near you makes me feel like I don’t need a bunch of lines or to show off my money.
You calm the storm that tries to cloud my mind.
I’m me with you, and I wanted you to know what you mean to me, even if you decide we are just friends. ”
How I could feel so much sadness and still be happy was beyond me, but Blake managed it.
I didn’t care if it was right or wrong. I cupped Blake’s cheeks and kissed him hard.
He groaned as I poured everything I was feeling into the kiss.
His lips were soft and sensual, with a sweetness that reminded me of summer.
His arms wrapped around me and pulled me closer.
Gasping, I broke away and stared into his green eyes that practically glowed with the snowy treed backdrop. “You don’t have an arranged marriage you’re not telling me about, do you?”
He smiled. “No, I don’t.”
“Good.” I kissed him again, and I let all the guilt I’d felt the first time we kissed float away. I pulled back again, and he smirked at me, his eyes filled with humor. “And no more girlfriend?”
He shook his head. “And wouldn’t you know my phone has stopped ringing since almost dying? Apparently, that scared all the girls off. Well…all but you.”
“I’m not most girls,” I said.
“No, you’re not.” I moaned as he nipped at my lower lip and sucked it into his mouth.
“Just so you know, I’m not doing this for revenge.” I didn’t let him respond before kissing him and running my fingers through his hair.
“I don’t even care if it is the reason,” Blake said. “These last two weeks have been agonizing, staying away from you,” he mumbled against my lips as he pushed me back on the table. But he froze and winced. “Shit.” He slowly sat up and held his chest.
“Oh god, are you okay?”
“Yeah, just not a hundred percent.”
I jumped up and looked him over as he took slow, shallow breaths. “How bad is the pain?”
Reaching out, he grabbed the front of my jacket and tugged me closer until I was standing between his legs. “Kiss me again, and I’ll forget all about it.”
“How about you help me with your gift instead.” I opened my hand, and he plucked it from my open palm. The yellow reflected in the sunlight. “I love it,” I said, pulling my hair up and turning around for him.
“There you go, ” he said. I let my hair fall and turned around, touching the pick. “I’m really happy you love it.”
“I do. Thank you.” I leaned in to kiss him again but stopped when I heard Myles call my name. Sighing, I stepped back, but Blake followed me.
Myles ran into the clearing. “There ya are. Let me explain.”
“No need. Blake was nice enough to fill me in on your arranged marriage to Fiona.” He opened his mouth, but I wasn’t done. “Yes, he also told me that you don’t intend on marrying her but that he didn’t know why she was here.”
“Oh…so we’re good?”
I stomped toward him, and he took a step back. “No, Myles, we are not good. How could you not mention something like being technically engaged?”
“Cause I thought it was settled, and it wasn’t happenin’.” He held his arms out, but I shook my head.
“I said no more secrets. I told you everything, including my conflicted emotions about Blake, even at the risk of losing you because I respected us, but you’re still keeping things from me.
Not to mention, this is obviously not cleared up.
I saw the way she greeted you.” His face turned red, and he looked away, then focused on the necklace around my neck.
“I don’t know how to fix this,” he said.
“Neither do I. You have a fiancé who still thinks she is your fiancé for a reason. I’d start with that.
You kept this huge thing from me, Myles.
It hurts. How would you feel if some guy showed up and kissed me in the foyer, and I was like, oh, sorry, Myles, that’s my fiancé. It slipped my mind to tell you?”
He cringed as his eyes turned murderous. “I’d kill the fucker,” he snarled. “But I see your point.”
I turned to leave, but Myles grabbed my arm. “Snowflake, where are ya going?”
I wheeled on him, yanking my arm away. “Don’t call me that.
Don’t call me pet names and act like we’re okay.
I just…ugh…I need some space to think.” I took another step and then looked over my shoulder at him.
“Oh, and by the way, I kissed Blake, and your valentine is in tiny bits over there. Happy Valentine’s Day. ”
M yles
I watched my Snowflake stomp off before turning to face Blake. “I bet yer fuckin’ over the moon. Myles fucks up again.”
Blake ran his thumb over his bottom lip, and I growled at him.
“She’s a good kisser, but no, I’m not happy that she’s pissed at you.
I mean, you certainly pushed her into my arms, so thank you for fucking up, but it doesn’t make me happy.
” I crossed my arms and glared at my best friend.
“Okay, fine, it makes me a little happy.”
“Fuck ya, and don’t think I didn’t see her wearing yer gift.” He shrugged.
“I wasn’t trying to hide it from you.”
“Shite, I really screwed the pooch this time.” We slowly made our way along the trail, the wind biting through my shirt, but I hardly felt it.
I was so fuckin’ angry with Da for doing this to me.
The snow crunched under my feet, the sound as loud as my pounding pulse. “I swear fuckin’ Nash jinxed me.”
“Can I ask why you hadn’t told her?”
I glanced at Blake. “It’s what I told Snowflake. I thought it was settled. Why would I bring it up? I never wanted to think about it again and didn’t want her to get all worried over somethin’ I’d canceled.” Blake grabbed my arm, bringing me to a stop. “What?”
“We still good?”
“About Ren?” He nodded. “Aye. Told ya, if she wants ya, then I won’t stand in the way of this happenin’, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
“Fair enough. So…why is Fiona here if you canceled the wedding?”
We kept walking, and my anger rose with each step. “My fuckin’ Da flew her in. He told her that I had a change of heart and that I just hated us being so far apart. He had her transferred to Wayward.” Blake stopped walking again, and his mouth hung open. “Right?”
“What the fuck? What are you going to do?”
That was a good question. She couldn’t stay here. Ren was never going to take me back or forgive me if she had to stare at Fiona all the time. Not to mention, I didn’t know if Fiona was going to let it drop if she stayed. Naw, I needed to fix this. I had to fix this. I wasn’t losing my Snowflake.
“Where are you going?” Blake yelled as I took off running.
“To deal with this once and for all,” I yelled back and then sprinted for my vehicle.
There was no way I was letting my da fuck up my life anymore.
He’d been a miserable prick since the day I was born, and I still did his bidding when he asked, but I wouldn’t do this.
I loved Ren. She was mine, and I wasn’t letting go. He could go fuck himself.