Chapter 37
“Snow. What the hell happened?”
Rushing into the room, I dropped to my haunches in front of Snow. At the sight of tears running down her cheeks, an invisible hand reached inside my chest and squeezed the air from my lungs.
My fingers trembled when I braced them on her knees. “Is it your dad? Do you need—”
“He’s fine,” she choked.
“Then why are you crying?” I couldn’t keep the concern out of my voice, even if I tried. “Talk to me.”
She closed her eyes and pressed her lids together. More tears streamed down her face, and fuck me, I’d never felt as helpless as I did at that very moment. I wanted to reach inside her, take the hurt, and make it my own.
The feeling was so strong, it was as if my heart turned over inside my chest.
“Snow?” I begged.
A few more unbearable seconds ticked by before she slowly opened her eyes. So much pain. So much confusion. I almost couldn’t stand it.
“Please. Please, talk to me.”
Her chin quivered, her lips trembled, but still she said nothing. I was halfway out of my mind with worry when she lifted her phone with a shaky hand and turned the screen toward me.
I read the headline, then read it again.
“What the fuck?”
My heart stopped dead right then it slammed against my ribs like a wild, uncontrollable beast. Snatching the phone from Snow, I pushed to my feet. The more I read, the hotter my blood boiled.
How dare he? How fucking dare this good-for-nothing piece of shit write the things he wrote about my wife?
My wife!
The hand at my side balled into a tight fist as I fought against the desperate need to find this bastard and run his face into a fucking wall. Somewhere in my mind, it registered that everything I’d fought so hard to keep secret was out in the open.
I should’ve been freaked the fuck out, but my only concern was for Snow.
“They’re not getting away with this.” I tossed the phone on the bed beside her and kneeled before her. Angling my head, I ensured those pretty green eyes were trained on me before I spoke.
“Please tell me you don’t believe the shit that idiot wrote about you?”
Not a word. Not a single fucking word fell from her lips. She just sucked on the inside of her cheek and pulled her shoulders to her ears.
Fury burned hot and bright through my veins. I dragged a rough hand through my damp hair and cursed low under my breath. “It’s all bullshit, and you know it.”
Something sharp and dangerous flashed in her eyes. “You did pay me to marry you.” She shook her head, and the edge in her tone vanished. “And…and I’m wrapped up in your sheet after crawling out of your—”
“Don’t do that.” I slipped my hands around the sides of her neck and rested my thumbs against her chin. With a bit of pressure, I guided her gaze down to mine. “Don’t cheapen what we’ve done.”
A hard swallow worked its way down her throat. “I’m not. It’s just…my head is spinning, Liam.”
I opened my mouth, but just as I spoke, loud banging from the front door drowned out my voice. Pinching my eyes shut, I waited for the knocking to stop. It took way too damn long, but when the silence finally descended, my gaze was back on my wife.
Once again, I prepared to make my feelings crystal clear. And just as before, the insistent knocking started up again.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” I all but yelled but made no move to get up.
Snow eyed me warily. “It could be important.”
“It’s not.” I held her stare. “Nothing is more important than this moment right here, right now.” Running my hands down her arms, I curled my fingers around hers. “Nothing is more important than you.”
Those tears were back. With the backs of my fingers, I swiped them away as they fell. “We didn’t end up here because of a transaction. It might’ve been the catalyst that threw our worlds together, but it’s not responsible for our feelings.”
I brushed my thumb over her trembling lips. “You were made for me, Snow. You and I—this marriage—it was inevitable.”
A small choking sound escaped her and she slid off the bed and burrowed into me. All at once, I lowered my ass to the floor and wrapped her up in my arms. Her shoulders shook, and because I wasn’t sure what to do, I held her tighter.
Her heart-shattering sobs filled the room, and so help me, I couldn’t keep the emotion lodged down any longer. My throat was thick and dry, my nose burned, and a very unfamiliar sting took up residence behind my eyes.
Was this what love felt like?
Being so connected to the person who owned every part of you that you felt what they felt? That you hurt, physically fucking hurt, when they hurt?
“My mom’s furious,” Snow finally said against the base of my throat. Her voice was broken and hoarse. “She wants nothing to do with me.”
I couldn’t stop the guilt from flooding my veins. She was hurting because of me. Her mom was angry with her because of me. I wasn’t entirely sure how, but I swore I’d find a way to make it right.
I didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t promise her everything would be all right, that her mother would cool off and realize how much she loved her daughter. I couldn’t apologize.
I’m sorry;it didn’t feel right.
So, instead of giving her placating words, I smoothed one hand over her hair and brushed the other up and down her spine.
I would have held her like that until the end of time if that bloody knocking hadn’t started again.
“It could be Rafe or Tristan,” she said softly. “Or maybe both. If that article made it to my mom, I guarantee everyone here has already seen it.” Tilting her chin, she looked at me with those big, beautiful green eyes. “Besides, I need to call my sister.”
Slowly pushing to my feet, I took her with me. Once we stood in front of each other, I pulled her to me and dropped a kiss to the top of her head. She rested her hands on my chest, and when her eyes locked with mine, it was impossible to miss the unspoken words.
Everything I felt for this woman, she felt back. The enormity of it just about knocked the air from my lungs. I wasn’t alone. I’d never again be alone. I had her. My wife. My real-life princess. My Snow.
With one quick kiss to her lips, I finally made my way to the foyer. The knocking hadn’t stopped. It’d gotten louder and even more insistent. I thought about what Snow had said, that it could be my friends.
My stomach churned immediately. I hadn’t wanted them to find out like this. Hell, I hadn’t wanted them to find out at all. For a moment, a weak, selfish moment, I considered not answering.
But they deserved better. Sucking in a deep, measured breath, I yanked the door open.
It wasn’t fully open when Natalie pushed past the wood and hurried inside with Zach short on her heels.
“Where is she?” Natalie’s concerned expression mirrored everything I felt down to my very core.
With a hard swallow, I jerked my chin toward the hallway. “Second door to your right.”
Natalie was on the move before I was done talking. I was glad she’d come. Snow absolutely needed to know how loved she was by everyone in her life.
Zach cleared his throat, and it felt a lot like someone had dropped an anvil in the pit of my stomach. If his wife had read the article, so had he, which meant he now knew a lot more about me than I’d ever intended.
I took a subtle breath and prepared for his judgment as I turned my attention to him. Only there was none. He didn’t look at me any differently.
“Thank you for bringing Natalie,” I told him. “I’m sure Everlee appreciates her presence.”
Zach chuckled. “I didn’t have much of a choice.” He took a step farther inside. “Do you know how the tabloids learned about the marriage agreement?”
Locking my jaw, I stared down the hallway. “I have an idea.” More than an idea. This had my grandfather’s name written all over it. If the bastard thought it was enough to bring me down, he had another think coming.
“If you need anything, let me know. I’m happy to help in any way I can.” He stared at me long and hard. His offer was genuine.
“’Preciate it,” I said, jerking my head toward the living room. “Can I get you anything to drink? The women might be locked in that room for a while.”
“Anything with caffeine.”
Hands tucked in his pockets, he wandered into the living room as I prepared to shut the door and get the coffee started. It was halfway closed when I spotted Rafe and Tristan hurrying toward me.
Fear and anxiety rushed through my limbs. My heart thundered against my ribs in sharp, painful stabs.
How the fuck did I do this?
Facing Zach was one thing, but how the hell did I face the two people who were more like family to me than my own blood?
Rafe pushed through the door first with Tristan right behind him.
“We’ll take that entire fucking newspaper for everything they have,” he said furiously. “They’re not getting away with publishing that shit.”
Rafe didn’t say anything.
Shame coated my insides. Not only for the things I’d done but for keeping such a big part of my life secret from them.
“Listen.” The word came out all high and scratchy. I cleared my throat and tried again. “The things about Everlee aren’t true, but the—”
Rafe stepped forward and placed a hand on my shoulder. “Your closet, your skeletons. You don’t owe anyone an explanation. We’re not here to condemn or judge. We’re here because we care about you and Evie. We’re here to stand with you.”
The tension I’d held on to for too damn long finally retracted its claws from me. My shoulders sagged in relief, and I took my first proper breath since reading the article. This, I realized, was what family was.
For years, I believed myself to be without one when, in reality, I’d never been alone.
“Thank you,” I told them, not even caring that my voice was a little broken. “I know who’s behind this, and I won’t rest until he—all of them—get exactly what they deserve.”