Page 140 of A Bond Beyond Blood

My voice cracked on the admission and my eyes widened.I hadn’t realized it until I spoke the words out loud, but Iwasthankful Vinny had been there for her.

She tightened her arms around my waist and nodded.“Okay,” she murmured against my chest, the word muffled.

“Okay?”I pulled back and lowered to look into her eyes.“We good?”

She nodded, sniffling as she swiped her jacket sleeve beneath her eyes to wipe up the few tears that had fallen during our embrace.“Yeah.Let’s go.Anti hates when we’re late for dinner.”

I chuckled and pulled her into my side, draping my arm over her shoulders.With one last nod toward Vinny, we began the long walk toward the old neighborhood.

About ten minutes in, Jackie tilted her head up, that cute little nose red from the cold.“It’s going to be okay.”

I stopped walking, searching her eyes for any indication that those words were lip service, but the determined sincerity in that blue gaze allowed me to take the first deep breath I’d taken since we began this trek and, in our comfortable silence, I’d let my worries consume me.

My shoulders relaxed and Jackie smiled.

“Good,” she said.“You’ve been so tense.”

I snorted, but she was right.

“It’s going to be fine.The fact that she even agreed to see us is huge.”

I nodded, breathing deeply even as my heart pounded wildly.If Jackie believed this meeting would go well, then I wanted to believe that too.

Smiling softly, she reached for my hand.I tightened my fingers through hers and brought them to my lips, brushing a kiss across her knuckles.“I love you.You know that, right?”

She nodded.“I do.”

She didn’t say it back, but that was okay.I could wait.She’d loved me once, and that kind of love didn’t just go away.

Which meant not just that she’d love meagain, but that she loved menow.

So she didn’t have to say it, because I knew.

When we reached my old street, dread curdled my stomach.My pace slowed, as each step felt like a death march.

We reached my old home and walked through the gate, then Jackie paused at the base of the stoop, tugging me to a stop.“You can do this,” she said, searching my eyes and imploring me with those big blues to believe her.“I’ll be right there beside you the whole time.”

Of course she would be.That’s who Jackie was.

Emotion tightened a fist around my heart.After everything I put her through, she was still the fierce Fiorino girl by my side, ready to hold my hand through a trip to the principal’s office, or a devastating funeral, or the end of the goddamn world.

I cupped her cheek and pressed a kiss to her soft lips.“I don’t deserve you, Jacqueline Fiorino.”

“Sure you do.”She grinned, her eyes glistening with a hint of unshed tears.“You just forgot for a moment.”

We each inhaled deeply, then I nodded.

“Let’s go.”She squeezed my hand.“The sooner we get done, the sooner we can go home.”The way her eyes sparkled with mischief and lust, the obvious intent behind that simple statement made my cock stir.

“Baby girl,” I groaned, tilting my head back to breathe deeply.“Don’t make me go in there with a boner.”

Jackie laughed and I grinned, the sound such a welcome, beautiful thing.

I could do this.Of course I could.

With this girl by my side, I could do literallyanything.

But when the door opened, my stomach bottomed out, and it took everything in me not to run.

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