Page 50 of Secrets (The Sins Trilogy 2)
“Then I’ll ask if you want to meet them and go from there. As for your memory, it doesn’t matter to me. I didn’t fall in love with you because of what you remember. I fell in love with you because you see the best in me. You always…” His Adam’s apple bobs, his thick, long lashes hiding his eyes briefly before he rests his forehead on mine, his gaze boring into me with stark intensity. “You are the compass of my life. You give me hope that tomorrow’s going to be better than today. You believe I’m enough—not my money, not my influence, just me. If everything I have goes up in flames, you’ll be by my side, your feelings still the same. So how can you not be the most important thing in my life? Losing you would be like getting my heart ripped out.”
Every word out of his mouth kills me. Despite trembling legs, I manage to stand, utterly overwhelmed. Tony has no defense as he lays everything out, and it’s all I can do not to sob as tears flood my eyes. I’ve never heard anything this honest or vulnerable before. My objection to Bobbi vanishes because it’s petty and inconsequential in face of this heartrending declaration, spoken so quietly. The only thing that betrayed his nerves was a slight rasp that edged into his words from time to time. And I realize he’s willing me to believe him, while bracing himself for the possibility that I might not.
“Tony… The things you say sometimes… I wish you would value yourself more.” I reach out slowly and place my palms on his warm cheeks. “I love you so much, sometimes I think my heart is going to burst. What you just said… I feel the same way about you. So TJ better not pick me over you.”
The smile he gives me is radiant but tinged with sadness. And I know he isn’t going to follow my advice.
“I don’t need him doing Bobbi’s job,” I add sternly. “And I’m sure Bobbi doesn’t either.”
He dips his head for a kiss.
“Hey, at least wait until I’m gone if you’re going to kill each other,” comes Julie’s extra-loud voice from downstairs. “I don’t want to be a witness to a crime, as titillating as that sounds. Murder trials are tedious.”
He squeezes his eyes shut. “Why is she here?”
“She texted before you came home with Yuna, and I told her she could come by for coffee or something in the afternoon if she wanted.” Until she actually showed up, I’d forgotten all about it. It’s crazy how much has happened.
He sighs. “It doesn’t matter. Yuna’s here too. Let’s get rid of our guests.”
I know what he wants. Normally I would too, but… “Um. It probably doesn’t matter if they stay.”
“What do you mean?”
“Uh.” I squirm, unsure how to say it. I’ve never had to tell a man about my cycle. “Well.”
Instantly, Tony’s holding my shoulders, peering at me worriedly. “What is it? You can tell me anything.”
“I’m, ah, onmyperiod, itjuststartedthismorningafteryouleft,” I say in a rush. My face heats. “So. You know…” I shrug, totally embarrassed now.
“Oh. Okay.” Like it’s every day somebody confesses to menstruating.
I steal a quick sidelong glance. “You aren’t…grossed out or anything?”
“Why? Women have periods. It’s biology. What’s gross about it?”
His blasé response lessens my awkwardness. “Well. If you feel that way.” I clear my throat, then something else occurs to me. “By the way, Bobbi isn’t going to be around all the time, right? She isn’t going to be hovering over us in the bedroom.”
He gives me a horrified look. “That’s definitely not what Bobbi’s signed up for. Why on earth would you think—”
“I saw it in a movie once.”
He rolls his eyes. “Fucking Hollywood. No. Nothing like that. But she’ll follow you everywhere else—your office, shopping, all that.”
“Okay.” I squeeze his hand as we walk down the stairs together. It’s the least I can do to put his mind at ease, even though I’m still uncomfortable with the idea of a bodyguard hovering over me like a mother afraid her child’s going to scrape a knee.
* * *
Anthony
The six of us end up having dinner together—Thai, since it’s easy and quick. Mr. Kim looks vaguely unhappy with the food, and Yuna whispers he doesn’t like Thai spices because they upset his stomach. So Iris makes him a turkey sandwich, which he nibbles on while the rest of us eat.
Iris and Yuna chat about the Rachmaninoff Yuna wants them to play together. Julie stares at the food, then suddenly says, “Why would Iris want to play that? She shouldn’t have to learn a new piece just to please you, Yuna.”
“She already knows how to play it. We performed it together before.”
“She doesn’t like duets,” Julie says.
“No, she loves duets. So long as her partner can keep up.” Julie turns a dull red, but Yuna doesn’t notice. “And it isn’t like it’s going to be super difficult, even if she has to learn it from scratch.”
