Page 137 of An Inevitable Marriage

How the fuck did I do this?

Facing Zach was one thing, but how the hell did I face the two people who were more like family to me than my own blood?

Rafe pushed through the door first with Tristan right behind him.

“We’ll take that entire fucking newspaper for everything they have,” he said furiously. “They’re not getting away with publishing that shit.”

Rafe didn’t say anything.

Shame coated my insides. Not only for the things I’d done but for keeping such a big part of my life secret from them.

“Listen.” The word came out all high and scratchy. I cleared my throat and tried again. “The things about Everlee aren’t true, but the—”

Rafe stepped forward and placed a hand on my shoulder. “Your closet, your skeletons. You don’t owe anyone an explanation. We’re not here to condemn or judge. We’re here because we care about you and Evie. We’re here to standwithyou.”

The tension I’d held on to for too damn long finally retracted its claws from me. My shoulders sagged in relief, and I took my first proper breath since reading the article. This, I realized, was what family was.

For years, I believed myself to be without one when, in reality, I’d never been alone.

“Thank you,” I told them, not even caring that my voice was a little broken. “I know who’s behind this, and I won’t rest until he—all of them—get exactly what they deserve.”

Chapter thirty-eight

Liam

Ihatedtoleavewithout saying goodbye. But the past week had taken its toll on Snow, and sleep hadn’t come easy for her. So, instead of pressing my lips against her forehead like I desperately wanted to, I tucked the note under her empty teacup from the previous night.

My gaze lingered on her sleeping form. So peaceful, so fucking gorgeous…and she was mine. I brought my hand up and brushed my fingers over the spot where my heart thundered furiously behind my ribs.

How the fuck had I gotten this lucky?

I couldn’t answer that, and honestly, I didn’t want to ask that question out loud. There was no reason to make the universe aware because heaven knew I wouldn’t survive if I lost her.

“I’ll be back soon,” I whispered before I slipped out of the bedroom and headed to the airport. My plane was ready and waiting, and about ninety minutes later, I walked through the doors of Riverview Medical Center in Portsmouth, Virginia.

I’d arranged to meet with the administrator first to ensure Snow’s father’s bill was paid in full. Then, I saw that the rest of his hospital stay and whatever else he may’ve needed was also covered.

Thankfully, Mr. Abernathy didn’t protest. The hefty donation I made to the hospital might have contributed to his agreeability, but I didn’t care—as long as Snow’s father was taken care of.

Surprisingly, that was the easy part of my trip. I walked down the hall toward the room the nurse had pointed out, and my heart just about leaped from my chest. My hands were uncharacteristically clammy, and my stomach pulled in so many knots I feared I might throw up.

But I couldn’t back out now. I wouldn’t. It was too important.

Swallowing down the nerves rattling my bones, I took a fortifying breath and ducked into room thirty-four. My gaze was immediately drawn to the patient on the bed. Eyes closed, and tubes coming out of his mouth and nose; he seemed weak and frail. Not at all like the man smiling so proudly on the photo Snow had on her bedside table.

A tiny jolt shot through my heart. He was the reason Snow had agreed to marry me. He was the reason I’d found her. Holding my breath, I took a few slow steps closer. The only thing louder than my thundering heart was the eeriebeep-beep-beepof the monitor beside Mr. Sutton.

Another hard swallow worked its way down my throat. The shell of a man taking up so little space on the already small bed did not look good. I trailed my fingers over the ink scribbled on my ribs, I tried to imagine what he’d looked like a few weeks ago, a few days ago, before he’d finally had his surgery.

My chest squeezed tight. I tried to put myself in Snow’s mother’s shoes. What hell it must’ve been like to watch the person you love most slip from you, knowing there’s nothing you could do about it.

The squeeze behind my rib cage morphed into something big and painful when my mind provided me with an image of me and Snow in this very position. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t envision a time and place in this world where she wasn’t in it.

“What are you doing here?”

I jumped at the sudden angry female voice from somewhere behind me. Snow’s mother. Closing my eyes, I begged for the courage to say the things I came here to say.

One more deep drag of air, and I slowly spun around. And holy shit, it was almost as if Snow herself stood a few feet away from me. Sure, Mrs. Sutton’s inky hair was shorter and sprinkled with a healthy dose of gray. Her skin a bit more tanned and covered in a light dusting of freckles.