Page 168 of Unexpected Redemption

And she does.

Bolting to her feet, she nods swiftly. “Fine.”

Lettie widens her eyes at me, and her lips slam together so tightly she might sprain her jaw.

Before leaving the kitchen, I kiss her forehead. “Trust me.”

Her shoulders sag. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you if you end up with a knife wound to the gullet.”

I wonder if Jonesy checked Stella for weapons before transporting her here. Too bad he didn’t stay for dinner. I could’ve had backup.

More of that hindsight.

Stella lowers to the couch, crosses her legs, folds her hands in her lap, and hits me with an icy glare that could freeze boiling water in three seconds.

Keeping my posture relaxed and face impassive, I take the seat opposite her. “Let’s cut to the chase. Go ahead and spit it out.”

“Pardon?”

I flex my hands, wiggling my fingers toward me in alay it on megesture. “I know you want to let me have it. Tell me how much I don’t deserve her. How much you don’t like me. Or maybe you have questions. Whatever it is, go ahead. I’ll listen and answer with complete honesty.”

She crosses her arms at her chest, narrowing her eyes to slits. “If you insist. Here goes. I don’t trust you. If you were capable of lying to her aboutallthat shit for a year, there’s no telling what else you might do. Further, I’m quite concerned she’s only taken you back because of the horrific shit she went through. And this wholepre-proposalmakes me want to yank the collar off her neck and choke you with it. I know once she’s healed from this, she’ll regret it, and it better not be so late that she needs to hire a divorce attorney.”

I expected Stella to be direct. Even braced for cruelty or insults.

However, I didn’t expect her to cut me so deeply that my breath was robbed from my lungs. But that’s precisely what happened. She’s tapped into worries I didn’t even have yet, gutting me where I sit.

Did Lettie only take me back because of what she’s endured? Will she wake up one day and realize I don’t deserve her forgiveness?

Although the serrated fingernails of doubt attempt to creep into my mind, Lettie’s love blocks it like an iron shield.

Now that Stella’s gotten all that off her chest, her spine and expression soften.

After forcing air into my deflated lungs, I clear my throat. “Stella, I understand where you’re coming from. And I’m glad she has a best friend like you. Someone who looks out for her and loves her deeply. I also realize you won’t trust me for a long time. Maybe you never will. I accept that as a consequence of my actions.” Pausing, I run my tongue along my teeth behind my lips. “She means the world to me. For the rest of my life, my number one purpose is to make her happy. I lost her once, and it nearly killed me. I’d never be stupid enough to risk losing her again. If you and I can’t get past this, she’s going to suffer. And it guts me to see her sad.I swear I willneverlie to her again.”

“Your promises mean nothing to me.”

“I know that. I do. It’s just?—”

While I fumble for something to say, she asks, “Why did you lie to her? To Lettie of all people? She’s the most trusting, innocent, and sweet person on the planet. How could you?”

“It’s complicated, but I’ll answer honestly.” I softly rub my palms together and rest my forearms on my knees. “Until I met Lettie, her father was the most important person in my life. He’s all I’ve ever had. Ironically, he’s like a father to me.”

Her arched brow doesn’t waver. If anything, it arches higher. “Yeah. And?”

“I’m very protective of him,” I admit. “When we formed the security company, I dove into his background to find skeletons in his closet that could come around to haunt us. That’s when I found out about Lettie. I wanted to tell him right away. But it was such a stressful time in his life. I feared dumping that on him would be too much for him to deal with. So I waited. I figured he’d be in a better position to handle the news once we had the doors open at Redleg and things settled down.”

“That wasn’t for you to decide,” she interjects.

“I know that now. And I probably knew it then. But I was trying to protect him. I’m always protecting him. And everyone.” I shake out my hands when I realize I’m fisting them to the point of pain. “Months flew by, and it was one thing after another. Each fucking time I went to tell him, he’d drop another bomb on me. Lawsuits. New contracts. Build-outs. No matter how many times I tried to prepare him, it was never the right time. And then she fucking shows up in town one day, and I’m gone. Just fucking gone for her from the moment I saw her.”

“You answered why you lied to him. But why to her?”

“I was intent on keeping my distance and only looking after her. To keep her safe until I could connect her with her father. So who I was didn’t matter. I was supposed to be no one to her. Like I am to everyone else. Invisible. But she...” Emotion clogs my throat, making it hard to finish my sentence.

Stella’s face falls, and for the first time, I notice hints of compassion reflecting at me.

“On reflex, I gave her my alias when we met. I was trying to keep my name, Redleg, and all paths that might lead to her father hidden until the time was right. Aside from helping her, I only interacted with her to find out why she was here. To see if she posed a threat to him. And I tried to stay away from her after that. I triedso fuckinghard. But Lettie is... she’s light and warmth and all the things I’ve never had. I couldn’t resist getting closer. But telling her I lied about my name and that I knew her father would have driven her away. So I hid it. Each day that went by, it gutted me deeper. But I couldn’t leave her. I’ll never leave her. Even if she does wake up one day and realize I’m not worth forgiving, I’ll never stop loving her.”

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