Page 432 of Once Upon a Fable

I hung my head. “I love you, Gem. That love comes from a place inside me that wasn’t broken, no matter how hard the guests tried. I admit that part of me is prideful and stubborn, but it’s also loyal and steadfast. You own every piece of me that has any value. And I can give you that because I’ve taken your heart in return. I made a vow to myself the night Jareth burned down Fables that I was done with letting my past steal my future.Youare my future. I’m ready to be happy...together. Iwantto be happy. I want to fight forus.” I shrugged as I caught her stare. “You’ve given me everything I need, and I don’t want anything else. So please, don’t ask me to accept all these gifts. I’ll borrow them. I’ll be grateful for them, but eventually, I will pay you back because that is my way of showing you that I deserve you.” I straightened my shoulders. “My way of showingmyselfthat I deserve you after a lifetime of being taught that I’m nothing.”

Gemma put down her burger and took my hand in hers. Squeezing my fingers, she nodded. “I love you, Kas.” Licking her lips, she murmured, “And I promise you, right here and now, that I will gladly give you whatever you need until you’re on your feet, and once you’re ready to work and make a career for yourself, then you can pay me back. Every single penny.” Her lips twitched. “With interest, if you want.”

“Interest?” I narrowed my eyes.

She laughed gently. “It’s a payment that’s charged on top of the balance that someone borrows. A percentage.”

“What’s the usual percentage?” My brain kicked into gear, switching calendars and veggie planting schedules into mathematical spreadsheets with funds that I’d eventually pay back.

She pulled her hand away, selecting another fry. “Not sure what the current rate is for personal loans, but usually maybe five to ten percent, I think.”

“Ten. I’ll pay you back everything I cost you, plus ten percent.”

Her eyes flashed with denial, but she swallowed and nodded. “Fine.”

“Deal.” I held out my hand for her to shake.

She paused but slowly inserted her hand into mine and sealed the bargain. “But no rush. I’m very, eh, comfortable in my finances, Kas. You aren’t causing me any duress by being in my life or helping me spend my money.”

I let her go and grabbed my burger again.

I took a giant bite, losing myself to the intense flavors.

Once I swallowed, I asked, “How much was this?”

She shook her head with a slight laugh. “Eleven bucks.”

I nodded and added that to my mental list. I’d never been to school. I’d never been taught math or English. But the books in the library had ensured I wasn’t totally stupid. I’d been able to read thanks to a basic education before I’d been snatched. I’d improved upon that by reading everything I could. Therefore, I could ask for help to learn more. I could learn anything I wanted.

“When we get to your place, I want you to give me all the figures you’ve spent on my behalf so far.”

She bit into her burger, mumbling, “You know...you’ve been out of the forest for just a few days, yet you’re more of a gentleman than any of the other men I’ve dated.” She grinned. “If any of them knew who I was or suspected I had money, they’d always find a way to make me pay. Even my friends take advantage sometimes. But you...you threaten to break up with me if I don’t let you pay me back.” She shook her head with another laugh. “A man with no money has more decency than a millionaire.”

“That’s because I’m richer than any asshole with money.” I let my gaze drag down her gorgeous body, lingering on her breasts. “I have you. And that makes me the richest of them all. You’re the only thing I need. The rest...it’s nothing compared to you.”

Gemma gave me the sweetest smile, and we fell into companionable silence, eating our burgers. With each bite, my mind did clunky arithmetic on IOUs, and I thought ahead to a future I hadn’t dared dream of—a future where I was sane enough to have a job, earn my own living, and be free to do whatever the hell I wanted.

I slipped deeper into this new life and further from my old one.

I would get through this.

I’ll evolve.

Because I had the one person who made me want to survive.

Gemma.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

MY HAND SHOOK AS I lifted the fake rock in my overgrown front garden, searching for the spare key. My usual key was still on my Jeep keychain, which Kas had very kindly thrown off the cliff when I’d run from him.

Luckily, I kept a spare outside. Otherwise, I’d be calling my brother at midnight once again, begging for the copy I’d made him.

Standing upright, I eased out the kinks in my spine from sitting in the car for so long and padded back to where Kas stood on my front doorstep.

Moonlight shone from above. The street was quiet because everyone was in bed. My neighborhood was silent and poised as if sensing a predator was in its midst.

I froze.