Page 72 of Stolen Fate

I frowned. That was such an odd thing to say, especially considering Jace was in the mix. “Not you?”

He let out a small laugh, and I couldn’t tell if he was bothered by it or not. “No, not me. I was born for the sole purpose of carrying on the family legacy. After I graduated with my MBA, the firm was given to me as a reward, and I was tasked with making sure this legacy lived on.”

My frown deepened, and Jace ran a single finger between my eyebrows. “Careful, or you might wrinkle before you’re thirty.”

I scrunched my face up at him even more and his eyes brightened a fraction. “What, do you think women just turn into a haggard, wrinkly mess as soon as we turn thirty?” I asked drily.

He shook his head, though he was smiling a little. “Not at all,” he responded, his lips curling a bit at the corners.

I smiled back at him, though there wasn’t anything amusing or happy about our conversation.

The way he grew up sounded awful. And no, I wasn’t naïve enough to believe the world was a happy place and all the adults here lived with the purpose of protecting children, but it didn’t take away from the way Jace grew up.

He might have come from money, but I was the one who grew up rich on my parents’ love.

“Was Elliot born here, too?”

Jace’s eyes fluttered then, and I didn’t know why he looked so closed-off all of a sudden. “No, Elliot wasn’t born in New York. He was born in Massachusetts.”

“Massachusetts? Why?”

And I realized too late that Jace might think I was asking too many questions.

But he didn’t say anything to that. Instead, he answered, “Unforeseeable circumstances.”

I nodded. I wouldn’t be getting more answers out of him, I realized.

I smiled a little at my next thought. “Oh, I bet he was a cute little baby.”

And even I could hear the sad note in my voice. What I wouldn’t give to have met Jace and Elliot earlier in life. Taking care of Elliot would have been a saving grace during the darkest moments of my life.

“Would you like to see pictures of him?” Jace asked quietly.

I perked up at that. “Really?”

Jace nodded and set his glass down. Then he stood up and held out his hand for me. I grabbed it without really thinking and was wholly unprepared for the electrical currents that were making their way through my body from such simple contact.

I let a small gasp and Jace tightened his grip. He didn’t say anything as he led me out of the kitchen and into the family room. He gently pushed me down onto the sofa, telling me to stay put while he went to his office.

I stared at the hand he’d just touched.

I shouldn’t have been surprised about the physical effects he had on me. I knew from before that our sexual chemistry was off the charts—only, it had been two months since that night we spent together. There were times when I’d thought what I felt for him was some sort of fluke.

That was quickly proven untrue.

I looked up when Jace walked back into the room with three large photo albums.

“Only three?” I asked drily.

He shook his head and grinned at me, and my breath caught. Oh. Wow.

I didn’t think he had ever smiled at me like that, and I felt so fucking special to be on the receiving end of it.

Perhaps I shouldn’t smile at people so openly. It would make my smile that much more exceptional.

“I have some digital photos of him on my computer and on my phone, but mostly we took to printing them because my grandma liked to have something she could hold in her hands. I guess I continued with it even after her passing.”

I nodded. I didn’t know much about Jace’s grandma, only that she had stayed in this house her entire life.

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