Page 89 of Tears of Glass

“Really?”

“No!”

Oh, God, my heart. It’s trying to claw its way out of my chest. “You are impossible.”

He steps closer, toe to toe and I shiver as his breath brushes my ear. “One day. I will ask right, and you will say yes.”

“And your mother?” I widen my eyes, staring at the blues. “She’s just confirmed a lie to the press.”

He smiles. “I’ll go to Bowsley tomorrow.” He sighs, and I nearly melt as his body presses against mine. “I don’t want to live a lie with you. I want everyone to know you’re the one I love, the one that one day will be mine.”

My cursed legs shake. I turn, I need to get away from his words, from the whispered promises. Although yesterday didn’t I promise him everything until my last breath? Isn’t that marriage? And living together? All the things I’m scared of?

I find my carrier bag full of wine and drag one out, breaking the seal and just plugging it straight from the bottle. He laughs loud from the recess of the kitchen. “That’s a Fairclough right there, you are going to fit in perfect.”

“Your mother hates me.”

“She’ll get over it.”

“You’ll get cut off.”

“So I’ll have to pay for the sandwiches myself on a Saturday.”

“You’re really going to Bowsley tomorrow to battle your mother?”

“Will you shine my armour?”

Fuck, he’s stupid sometimes. I turn and find Tabitha watching us with a grin, despite the fact her eyes are still red. “I’m so glad you came that day,” she says, and snuggles further under her blanket. Lewis rubs her back, his eyes drifting over her with adoration.

“I really don’t understand why Peter doesn’t get the heat. What the fuck does he do?”

Tabitha turns a little, a frown creasing her forehead. “He’s the family black sheep, Faith.”

“No.” I roll my eyes. “That’s Eli, he’s the artist who was forced to become a lawyer.”

Eli walks through from the kitchen, wiping his hands on a tea towel and removes the bottle of wine from my hands. “No. It’s Peter. Remember I said Dad could never do what he wanted and neither could I?”

“Yes, but Peter is the eldest, the heir to the family fortune and name. When your mother passes from this mortal plane...” I don’t add that I’d rather it was sooner rather than later, but Eli’s lips quirk so he knows what I’m thinking. “He will be Baron.”

“Yes. But he won’t have children. My children will be the heirs even though I won’t have the title myself.”

“What? Why?” This makes no sense.

“Because he’s gay. As part of the inheritance of the title he’s not allowed to marry a person of the same sex nor produce heirs to the family name and fortune.”

My mouth hangs open. Lewis is mumbling about “Fucked up shit.”

“What? Why didn’t you tell me this?”

Elijah takes a sip out of the bottle of wine. “You try telling the person you’ve fallen insanely in love with that their children will have to endure a lifetime of rules at hands of the Faircloughs.”

“Your mother would never allow it. There is no chance she’d ever let you have children with me.”

“It’s not up to her. It’s the rules, they are in place. Even if I’m cut off, my children are still heirs.”

“This is insane. I don’t even know if I want children. I didn’t exactly have a safe childhood, knowing this isn’t going to make me want them any more.”

I’m twenty-four. Why am I talking about having kids... that’s for years away... if ever...