AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“But you’re committed to fixing things. That’s good, Blaze. That’s a sign of growth.”
I bury my face in my hands. When we were kids, Alex, Dom, and I promised each other that we’d protect her. I promised to protect her. And I didn’t.
How the hell am I supposed to recover from that?
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
BROOKE
AFTER LUNCH, WE walk along the river, Ryan and the other bodyguard—Peter, I found out from Imani—trailing behind us.
It’s nice. Just the three of us hanging out, talking and laughing and having fun. Imani’s been so stressed about her wedding, so it’s nice to see her relaxed.
“Three weeks,” Liling says, grabbing my hand and then Imani’s. “Three weeks, and then you’re getting hitched.”
Imani grins. “I honestly can’t wait. It’s going to be a perfect day.”
Ryan lets out a loud laugh behind us, and we turn, finding him punching Blaze in the shoulder.
My heart skips a beat when my eyes land on him. When did he get here? It must’ve been just now, because I caught Ryan staring at Liling again just a few minutes ago, and Blaze hadn’t been next to him.
“How did he know we were here?” Liling says, tilting her head. We’re probably half a mile from the restaurant.
Imani snorts. “There’s no way they haven’t been sending Blaze updates this entire time. Can you imagine being in charge of your boss’s girlfriend’s safety?”
“He is pretty overprotective,” I say, smiling when my eyes lock with Blaze’s. The clear sky brings out the blue in his eyes, and it’s breathtaking.
His gaze softens as he takes me in. Without thinking about it, I break away from Imani and Liling, not stopping until I’m in his arms. He presses a kiss to the top of my head.
“Ready to go home, Daisy?”
“Mmhmm.”
We say our goodbyes, and then he leads me back to his car. He’s silent the entire drive. I try to view it as a good thing—maybe his therapist gave him lots to think about—but it sets me on edge.
By the time he pulls the car into the garage, I’m ready to explode.
“Are you okay?” I blurt as he undoes his seatbelt.
He watches me for a few seconds. Then he asks quietly, “What happened between you and David?”
“He cheated on me. You know that.”
Blaze shakes his head. “Other than that. Dominic told my therapist that he—” His fingers clench into fists as he tries to keep his calm composure. “He abused you. Verbally.”
My stomach drops. Right. Of course Dominic would’ve said something. “Everyone keeps saying that, yeah. But I don’t know. Toxic, maybe. But abusive just doesn’t sound right. He wasn’t as bad as Francis.”
Or maybe he was, I realize, thinking back to some of the things David said to me.
“What did he do?”
My fingernails dig into my palms. “Nothing I couldn’t handle.”
“He made you change who you are.”
“He tried, I guess.” Shifting in my seat, I look out the window.
Inelegant.
