Page 50 of Duality

ADRIAN

“You must be freezing.”

The words slipped out of my mouth before I could stop them. Evelyn jolted upright in her chair, her peaceful expression vanishing. She was sitting out on the back patio, the large lawn stretching out in front of her. In the back corner of the yard, an overgrown garden escaped the low wrought-iron fence.

“Fuck, sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” I thought for sure she would hear me coming through the door. The sliding glass door squeaked loudly when it opened. I needed to pick up some oil for it, but that could wait.

“No, it’s fine, I was lost in thought,” Evelyn said, sinking back into the outdoor couch.

“Couldn’t sleep?” I asked, handing her a mug before settling the blanket I was carrying over my arm over her lap.

She let me fuss over her with a small, bemused smile. I settled into the seat next to her instead of one of the chairs. I wanted to be closer to her. She pivoted to face me, tucking her toes under the blanket. I eyed her bare feet and glared at her.

She giggled softly. “What?”

“Where are your shoes?”

She shrugged. “I don’t sleep with shoes on.”

“You should come outside with shoes on, though.”

She shrugged again, and I gave into the urge to pull her feet into my lap. “Fuck, your toes are cold.”

She laughed again, a low melodic sound, and I relished in it. She didn’t laugh often, so every time she did it felt like a gift. “I can take them back.” She went to move her feet out of my lap, and I clasped her ankle gently.

“No,” I said gruffly, “Keep them there. Can’t have you dying of frostbite before the gala.”

She tilted her head to the side, a soft frown on her face. “Can one actually die of frostbite?”

I shrugged. “Fuck, if I know.”

She laughed again, and I grinned at her. The dark circles were still present under her eyes, but they were lighter after a few nights of good sleep. She still had years to catch up on, but between Alexander, Sebastian, and I, we had been trying to get her to bed at a reasonable hour the last few nights. There was so much to do and plan for with the gala coming up, but there was a whole team on it. She wasn’t alone anymore. If only we could get her to realize that.

“Thank you.” The words came out of nowhere.

“For what?” I frowned. She didn’t have anything to thank me for.

“For always keeping my secret.” She looked out into the garden, her eyes distant.

I squeezed her ankle softly, rubbing my hands over her cold feet. “You never have to thank me for that.”

She bit her bottom lip, chewing on it anxiously. I leaned forward and tugged it away from her teeth, rubbing my thumb across the soft pink skin. She froze, a quick intake of breath her only reaction, and I settled back in my seat. I didn’t want to push her too quickly.

“I know it’s caused…friction between you and Marcus. I never wanted that,” she said, her voice just above a whisper.

I shrugged. “Marcus and I will figure it out. We always do. He’s already mostly over it.”

She huffed. “He doesn’t seem like it.”

I grinned. Marcus was all tied up in knots over her, but he was having difficulty expressing his emotions. Evelyn had rocked his world with her revelations, but he’d needed it. I understood why he was feeling like his world’s foundation had shifted. After what happened on his last mission in the military, I understood the importance of honesty to him. But he’d swung too far the other way in the last few years, and his rigidness was going to be his downfall. He needed Evelyn to push him in the other direction.

But the two of them needed to sort that out between them. That didn’t mean I wouldn’t push, though.

“I’ll always keep your secrets,” I promised.

She tilted her head again, brow furrowed. “Why?”

“Why what?”