Page 76 of Broken Discipline
“That’s how you knew, isn’t it? You’ve been here this whole time, Hyde. I thought—”
My palms smacked against the steering wheel. She flinched, revolting in her seat. My jaw and shoulders strained.
“My name is Finn Carter,” I said slowly. “And you are Ramona Carter.”
Curiosity swam in her eyes as she studied me, as if she was trying to figure out how to dig Hyde Griffin out of me.
But that wasn’t going to happen.
I slammed the car door and stomped toward the Compound and she quickly followed me, her sweet scent engulfing me in a suffocating haze.
“How long have you been planning this?” she asked.
Planning this? I had planned to watch her and the kids grow up from afar forever. I hadplannedto let her live her ‘happy’ life with Bruce, until I learned it was a lie.
“Since I got back from abroad,” I said.
“You’ve been planning this foryears?”
I opened the door, going down the hallway to my office. Filing cabinets covered the walls, and a framed picture of my father hung on the wall opposite my desk. Ramona went straight to it, staring at the black-and-white photo, shaking her head silently.
“Your father died during the Masquerade,” she whispered. “So that you could gain membership. So that you could be closer to us.”
She said it with such ease, like the decision that had been easy for me. But I had questioned my actions for a long, long time.
But I wasn’t going to let my father die in vain.
“I’m so sorry, Finn,” she said.
My shoulders were rigid. It seemed like pity, but when I bore into her deep brown eyes, I knew she was honest. She was sorry. Sorry that I needed to get closer to her. Sorry that she had run away.
“What if you had told me who you were from the beginning?” she asked. “If you had shown up at the Astley Mansion when Bruce was at work. What if you had just told me then?”
In my mind, Ramona had made her decision, and I couldn’t take away her happiness. I didn’t deserve to make her happy when I had disappeared first. And I knew, deep down, that she wouldn’t have left Bruce, for fear of what would happen to the twins.
“The tattoo,” she said. “Is it about your old last name,griffin?”
“It’s about the twins,” I said. A lion for Leon. And instead of the griffin’s traditional eagle, a lark for Larkin. “Just like you named them after me.”
She held her heart, then she flinched away, an idea interrupting her thoughts. She pointed her bandaged finger at the square windows, at the back of one of my guards posted outside.
“What are we even doing, Finn?” she asked. “I was attacked today because Bruce’s family wants answers. What if they hurt the kids?” She rocked on her heels, her forehead creased with tension. “This is so messed up.”
“The kids are fine,” I said.
“Famous last words.”
A surge of anger flushed through me, tensing every muscle in my body. Pain lurched across my chest, but I steadied myself, holding those emotions at bay.
“Do you trust me, or not?” I asked.
She swallowed a gulp, realizing the vast nature of that question. She had trusted meuntilshe knew I was from her past, and now, she was questioning everything. But I also knew Ramona couldn’t help her doubt. She needed to protect everyone by preparing for the worst, and it was damn near impossible for her to give up that safety net, even if she truly believed I would protect her and the kids.
It was annoying, but I admired her for it. It was part of her true self. A protective streak that was unmatched by anyone I had ever known, even my own father.
“You’re pushing me away,” I said calmly. “You do this every time, Ramona. Every time I tried to marry you. Every time I told you I wanted to bring you abroad. Every time I tried to prove to you that I wanted you forever.” I scratched my beard, unsure of how to say this so that she would finally believe me. I pressed my lips together, our eyes locked in a steady battle. “But I’m not going to let you push me away again, Ramona.I’m not going anywhere.”
She blinked rapidly. Memories flickered in her eyes, her breaths bursting in and out, like it was hard to take.
