Page 181 of Scarlet Wars
Sean didn’t even try to lie. “Yeah,” he admitted softly. “It started out like guilt. But I promise ye, Emma, by the time I left Cyclos, my love for ye was more real than anythin’.”
I bit the inside of my cheek…and realized I believed him.
I picked up the bottle and refilled both our glasses, then took a deep breath before speaking my truth. “I understand what happened was an accident. I know the lying didn’t come from a place of malice, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt. Every time I shared something deeply personal with you, you were sitting on this, and I have to…” I shook my head, searching for words. “It’s going to take me some time to get over this.”
His eyes didn’t flinch. He took the hit.
“But,” I continued, softer now, “I will forgive you. For the lying, and the scars. Because even though I’m still in the process of getting over it, my love for you is unconditional. You are more than the sum of your mistakes, and you mean more to me than this.”
His lips parted slightly, like he was about to speak, but I held up a hand to stop him.
“Don’t think this means I’m going to be crying in your arms again anytime soon,” I added, the corner of my mouth twitching in something that wasn’t quite a smile. “But… Maybe, down the line...”
My voice trailed off before I could say more. It felt too raw, too soon.
His eyes found mine. “I’ll jump through whatever hoop ye need me to, Emma. Whatever it takes to earn back yer trust.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Then be prepared to find a lot of burning hoops.”
He gave me a careful smile. “I will be.”
We raised our drinks and clinked them together gently, like a promise for the future.
“So,” I said, after a beat, “how are things with Jackson?”
Sean’s smile came slow, but real. “Can’t cook to save his life. Tried to translate me dinner just now. I nearly puked on his shoes.”
I snorted. “Sounds like a keeper.”
“He is,” Sean said. He looked down at his glass, then back at me. “He really is.”
I nodded, the edge in my chest softening a little.
“I’m glad you guys found each other,” I said. And I meant it.
Sean studied me for a long moment. His eyes were still red-rimmed, but the wild panic that had lived there was gone, replaced by something quieter.
“It’s still a long way to go,” he admitted. “The whole True Bond is a challenge, but…” His words trailed off, rougher now. “I don’t want to rush anything, ye know? Not with him. He deserves better than that.”
A ghost of a smile tugged at my mouth. “Yeah.” I paused. “When we were at the border with the Chiefs… It kind of looked like that was a first kiss between you guys…”
Sean closed his eyes. “In many ways it was.”
Okay…
“You want to tell me when you guys formed the True Bond?” I pressed a bit for answers I was dying to have.
Sean shook his head. “Not yet. Not because I don’t want to, but because it’s not only my story to tell.”
I nodded. I could respect that.
We downed the rest of our glasses in silence, not quite back to being us, but maybe something close enough to touch the edges of what we’d lost.
By the third, Sean turned the glass in his hand without looking at me, his thumb dragging slow circles along the rim.
“So,” he said, almost too casually. “What’s going on between ye and Caden?”
My glass froze halfway to my lips, pulse spiking so fast I was sure he could hear it, until I managed to force a weak laugh. “That’s the question you’ve been sitting on all night?”
