Page 74 of Colton

That makes her pause. “Evidence, or Colton speculation?”

“Both,” I breathe out. “I’ll know soon enough.”

“Listen, Colton,” she puts the cup down, leaning in slightly. “Whatever it is you have on him, it better be solid. He isn’t some random man you chose to fight off the streets. He has influence, he has power, and he isn’t kind. If need be, he will do illegal things to keep his own under wraps. You need to be smart about this.”

“Would you stop mothering me?” I drawl, and she rolls her eyes. “I understand it perfectly fine. Everything will be finalized soon enough, and once it is, everything will go back to normal.”

“It better,” she rises to her feet, grabbing her handbag. “Let’s not meet again under such circumstances, alright?”

Before I can even utter a word, Kat’s out the door, and Emiliano’s standing there, glancing between the two of us. He merely picks up the tea and the cups onto the silver tray, and leaves. He knows better than to comment on the things he hears; none of them are any of his concern, anyway.

This whole thing will blow over sooner or later, and I intend to make it sooner.

I’m getting impatient, and when I’m impatient, someone’s bound to suffer.

◆◆◆

The vast garden is rather empty this time of the year, and I can’t wait for spring to see all the beautiful flowers bloom again. My eyes are wandering around, looking for Avalon, until I spot her sitting under the large oak tree, on the bench, staring into the greying sky.

My footsteps are slow, measured, and the branches crack under my feet. She stiffens a little, a clear sign she hears me coming, but she doesn’t look in my direction. Instead, she keeps her eyes focused on the sky, and before I know it, I approach her, standing next to her.

“It’s cold,” I say. “You should head back inside.”

“Why?” She asks, voice flat. “Any other surprises in there for me?”

I take a deep breath, looking down at her. “Avalon… Kat isn’t my wife anymore.”

Slowly, she turns her head to the side, looking up at me. I can’t tell if it’s pain or confusion in her eyes, but it’s enough for me to know I never want to see it in her eyes again.

“Anymore,” she repeats the word. “So, she was your wife at one point. And I had no idea you were married. It just proves that I know nothing about you, Colton.”

Slowly, I take a seat next to her, and she turns her attention ahead of her, looking at the castle.

“What do you want to know?”

“It’s not about that,” she starts explaining, half-exasperated, half-tired. “It’s about the fact that… I don’t know where this is heading. I don’t know what this is. And this beautiful woman is claiming to be your wife, too. You can’t blame me for feeling insecure and undermined.”

My hand reaches for hers before I can stop myself. The stark contrast between my warm hand and her cold hand makes a jolt rush through me, and I bring her knuckles to my lips, kissing them softly.

“I need you to understand something, Ava,” I keep my voice serious, even, yet soft enough. I don’t want her to think I’m scolding her or trying to reprimand her. “This between us? It’s whatever you want it to be. You want me to be your fling and nothing more? Done. You want me to be your boyfriend? As you wish. As for me, whatever you choose, I’m fine with it. Because as long as I have you, it’s more than enough.”

She looks at me, and the corners of her eyes soften.

It’s true — this is how I’m feeling.

I haven’t known Avalon nearly enough to be saying it outright, and perhaps it will only scare her away. But on the off chance she only needs reassurance, I’m more than happy to oblige.

She’s made me feel alive, in ways I didn’t think were possible. This relationship will have a lot of ups and downs. It won’t be easy, especially for her, but I’ll be damned if I let anything hurt her. I don’t care what I have to do to keep her by my side. Avalon Evans became mine the moment our lips touched the first time, and I don’t plan on letting go.

“I’m not saying this path will be easy, Ava,” I continue, and she squeezes my hand. Her eyes swell with tears, and my heart clenches at the sight. “But if you’ll let me, I’ll worship you every single day. I’ll keep giving you reasons to choose me, time and time again. And if the first step is to tell you every single detail of my life, so be it. There’s nothing worth hiding if it means losing you.”

She hiccups a little, and a lone tear slides down her cheek.

Slowly, I lift my thumb, brushing the fallen tear off, and pull her into my arms. She all but melts as soon as she’s in my embrace, and her soft, little sobs make me close my eyes, tightening my hold on her.

This is how it’s supposed to be — her in my arms, forever.

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