Chapter 65
REGGIE
My phone buzzes on the side again. I groan as Bella shifts beside me. Carefully, so I don’t wake her, I slowly lean over and grab it. My stomach drops when I see Declan’s name.
Declan: Call me. Now.
I slip out of bed and head downstairs, hitting dial.
“Declan. What’s up?”
He huffs.
“Want to explain to me why I had Theo King call me asking if Bella can marry Rowan instead of you?”
My fucking world stops spinning. I almost drop my phone.
“I don’t fucking know,” I whisper.
She’s not mentioned a single thing to me about this.
Even now she doesn’t want to marry me?
“He called you just now?”
I pinch the bridge of my nose, trying to refrain from slamming my fist into the wall.
“Yes. I said I’d call him back. I wanted to speak to you first.”
My heart races.
“I can’t force her to marry me, Declan. If Rowan is who she wants to marry, approve the request.”
There’s a pause.
“That’s not what you want, is it?”
I sigh, taking a seat at the poxy wooden table.
“No. It’s really fuckin’ not,” I admit.
“Well, then fight for her. Propose. I don’t know. But you’ve got until the end of the week to figure this shit out. Okay?”
Five days. To convince the woman who has stolen my heart to marry me and not my brother.
When neither of us is willing to give her up.
And I don’t think she will either.
“That works. We will figure it out.”
“Is Rowan… serious about her too?” Declan asks.
“Yep.”
“I fuckin’ knew it!” Conan shouts in the background.
“Shut your mouth,” I snap.
“Hey, you two share too much. Biting you both in the ass now,” Conan says.
I roll my eyes.
“I think she will pick you. You’re more marriage material than Rowan,” Conan tells me.
“Declan, can’t you put Conan back to bed or something? Why’s he included in adult conversations?”
Declan chuckles.
“And Rowan is just as worthy as I am. We just have different qualities,” I tell them.
I love my brother. Neither one of us is better than the other.
“Then why don’t you walk away and let him marry her?” Declan asks.
I tap my fingers on the table.
“I said we’re equal. That means it’s a fair game for her to choose. She makes the decisions, not us.”
“Now that is messy,” Conan says.
“Yeah. Well, when’s my life been anything but that?”
Neither of them replies. We all know this life brings power. Money. Whatever we want.
But it doesn’t always bring happiness.
I found that with Bella. And I’m going to fight to make sure I don’t lose that.
I’m not sure what winning looks like anymore after last night.
“I gotta go. We’re heading back tomorrow. We’ve got good intel already, we will meet you with Drago to discuss when we’re back.”
“All good, Reggie. See you later.”
I cut the call and drop the phone on the table.
She doesn’t want to marry me. That fucking stings.