Page 64 of The Burnt Heart

“Marquise cut, white gold, size 7,” she bit out through gritted teeth. “That’s what I want.” Her eyes flashed, as if expecting an argument. Adelaide crossed her arms. “If we’re doing this, we’re doing it right.”

“We know,” Jesse soothed, eyes shining. “We have Julio making one custom for you. But can we show you something first?”

We each pulled a ring box from our pockets. The velvet corners on mine were worn from being rubbed over time. I flipped it open, a speck of a diamond with a white gold band. I cringed at the sight. The ring was a sad offering to a woman as glorious as Adelaide.

“We bought these within six months of each other. It was almost two years ago. We’ve wanted to marry you for a long time. We asked your father for his blessing,” I faltered as the memory of it hit me. Shame prickled hot down my spine. “He laughed at us. Said he’d never give his blessing to three men who couldn’t scrape together a decent ring between us. We were unsuitable, always would be. His daughter deserved the world. How could we give that to you? We were leeches, sucking everything good out of you. Every time he sent his men to beat us, they said the same thing.”

Adelaide closed her eyes, her nostrils flaring. My chest ached with shame. We should have been able to give her everything she wanted. But we were three scraps who had slipped through the cracks, poor, unskilled and broken. The only jewel we’d ever found was Adelaide, and she deserved better than us.

“He hit us right where it hurt, bringing up all those old insecurities. If we gave you these rings, would they ridicule you? We wanted to marry you, desperately. I wish we’d done it then, so you didn’t doubt how we felt about you. But his words were a worm in our heads, and we couldn’t stop thinking about it. We needed prestige, the proof that we were worthy of you. We wanted to give you a ring you would be proud of, to be men you could claim without people pitying you for how useless we were. How useless we are.” My head drooped, not able to meet her blazing eyes.

“We wasted so much time putting stock into reputation.” Briar shook his head.

“We let everyone else influence us. The threats against us and my family scared us. But we should have come to you.” Jesse shook his head with a sad smile. “No one else’s opinion matters. Only yours. So, we’re going to wear these rings proudly until the day you decide you want to marry us right back. However long it takes, even if you move on with someone else, we’ll be waiting and hoping. Because, Adelaide, you’ve always been it for us, and that should have been our only focus. If you forgive us, know that it will be.”

Adelaide picked up my ring and her eyes shone bright in the light. They glimmered with a sadness I knew I echoed.

“A year ago, I would have worn your rings with so much pride. I like bling, but I love you all more.”

She said love. Not loved. Perhaps it was a slip of the tongue, but I snatched the spark of hope it gave me.

“I know, siren. I hope we can earn your forgiveness and your love back, so one day you feel the same again.”

Adelaide didn’t answer, just closed the ring box with a sigh. She held it in her hands, like she wasn’t quite ready to let go of it yet. Then snorted when her gaze brushed over the tattoos.

Mine throbbed slightly, but I welcomed it. It was a bold move by us, but that was all we had left. And it satisfied a part of me that had felt off balance since we messed up. I meant every word that I said. Adelaide could move on, but I couldn’t. I wouldn’t. I knew Briar and Jesse felt the same. The rings were a declaration, evidence of our devotion.

They entwined us together, whether she wanted us or not.

30

Adelaide

Irolled my shoulders and cricked my neck, grimacing. Briar hummed along beside me, his barely contained exuberance rubbing my frayed nerves. Drained didn’t come close to touching how I felt right now. Exhaustion infected my marrow. It was only sheer stubbornness that kept me from curling into a huddle on the floor. I couldn’t stop looking at the tattoo on Briar’s finger. It didn’t seem real. The tiny diamonds they’d offered me had been cheap and small, but an obsessiveness rose in me, like a dragon coveting a hoard. I groped for the anger that should burn me up, but I wanted to laugh. And cry. I meant what I said. If they’d asked me with those rings, I would have said yes. I liked luxury. I wouldn’t apologize for that vice. But the rings they’d gotten me were honest, they were enough. More than enough. If father had welcomed them with open arms, we wouldn’t be here. But he’dmocked them, made them feel small. My hands clenched into fists by my side. He was going to hear from me soon, the full force of my anger and disappointment.

When I’d met my guys, they’d had a duffel bag between them and matching chips on their shoulders. Those weren’t easy to smooth. My life had its challenges, but not when my next meal was going to come. I’d never suffered from a lack of anything. But the gap between us was insidious. They’d grown, despite my efforts. I had blithely thought a home with me was enough to heal their scarred pasts. My head thumped with guilt. It didn’t cross my mind they might feel so tainted by their background. That their shame would have driven them to desperate lengths. I wanted to turn back time and snatch up the ring, I wanted a do over.

Hindsight had taken the wind out of my sails. Cracks had fissured the vision I had of our perfect relationship. It was an illusion. We’d been making missteps for years until we tripped and broke everything we’d tried to build. Our palace had wobbled on unsteady foundations. Our hidden fears had broken us down, no matter how we tried to pretend otherwise.

I turned the key in the lock, ignoring the way Briar’s heat warmed my back. Jonah shouldered past us smoothly, raising an eyebrow at Briar. He’d heard me sniping at them for the past week and I knew he didn’t buy the reconciliation for a second. He’d been with me too long to believe the mediocre acting I’d managed. A rough exhale escaped me. The apartment glowed black and soft amber. Flickering shadows leapt up on the walls. Lavender tickled my nostrils, hanging heavily in the air. Soft music played, inviting me further into a darkened cocoon.

“You didn’t think this would work, did you?” I berated Logan as he met me at the door, my eyes adjusting to the low light.

“Think what would work?” Logan asked innocently, putting his hand on my back and steering me forward. My feet felt likeweights, and I struggled not to scrape them across the floor. Briar and Jesse waited with a glow in their eyes. My hackles rose instantly. Jesse breezed over and kissed my cheek, squeezing my hip, and Briar did the same, brushing against the corner of my mouth by mistake.

“Sorry.” He grinned, no remorse.

Jesse jangled his keys, tucking them and his wallet into his pocket. Belatedly, I realized they were all dressed to leave. So, I shot each of them a look.Thelook. In the past, we’d exchange words like bullets until our mouths were centimeters from each other and the anger would turn quickly to passion. I relished the cut of my nails down their backs, the explosive, undeniable connection. Logan reached out and squeezed my shoulder, lips twitching like he knew my traitorous thoughts.

“I will castrate you if you touch me again. What are you planning?” I shrugged out of his hold, desperately needing some distance between us. The hardest thing about this fake dating was pretending I wasn’t horny as hell. But my words did the opposite of what I wanted. He only grinned salaciously.

“Siren, if it gets your talented fingers down my pants, I will gladly accept.” He winked as I struggled to smother a groan. I hadn’t expected this angle when I had fled to them after speaking to Nicole. The tattoo had been ridiculous enough, and I wouldn’t even acknowledge the burst of inexplicable warmth it gave me. They wouldn’t stop until they chipped away at me. They were machines, and it felt like they would never give up, not until I forgave them. I enjoyed the flowers and the gifts, given up on stopping them. But I didn’t budge. I didn’t soften. Because I didn’t know who we were anymore.

“Don’t worry, we’re going out,” Jesse urged me into the lounge room. “We know you’re stressed and tired, so we organized a spa night for you.”

When we walked into the lounge room, I saw the couch was shifted back and a massage table set up. A lady was there with everything she needed to take the stress out of my body. My jaw dropped open, and I slammed it shut immediately. This was exactly what I needed, exactly what I’d been craving. My shoulders cemented to my ears with tension.

“This is Olivia. She’s fully vetted, and Jonah will be here, of course.” Briar jerked his head to my hulking guard. He parked himself against the wall, nodding at my guys. I hadn’t told him what was going on, and the distance between us was tangible. Olivia stepped forward with a congenial smile and introduced herself. I scanned her face for any sign of duplicity, but she just passed me a sheet on the clipboard.

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