Page 142 of Beautiful Revenge

His frown deepens. “Are you comparing yourself to a red-eyed tree frog?”

I shrug and wince when I feel it in my shoulder. “Basically.”

He bops the tip of my nose with his index finger. “You’re really selling yourself short. You’re much cuter than a frog.”

A smile tugs at my lips.

He keeps talking. “If I kiss you, maybe you’ll turn into a princess—oh wait. You already are one.”

My smile disappears. “Not funny.”

“You’re the one who compared yourself to a frog. Not me.”

“Frogs aside, I’m not going anywhere. I chose to move back to Winslet and buy Grandma’s home so I could have some normalcy. I don’t want to be the American Princess. That was thrust upon me when I was young. Janie did nothing to stop it and might’ve perpetuated it. But I’m done with that life. I want to live in a small town, grow vegetables in my backyard, maybe buy some chickens, and make a difference in people’s lives through my mom’s foundation.”

His expression softens. “And if I’m the lucky arse you’d like to be stuck to, I’m here for it.”

“So, no, I’m not dumping you. I like this.” I slide my hands up his neck and into the hair at the back of his head and amend my declaration even though I’m not ready to throw that word around yet. “Ilovethis. I don’t want any of this to change.”

He leans down to press his lips to mine. When he gazes into my eyes, he makes his own non-profession of the off-limits word that we shouldn’t even spell let alone utter aloud yet. “I love this too.”

“Good,” I whisper.

“Good,” he agrees. “But I’m still going to get you some pain killers, order you breakfast, and take the day off to spend with you. You’re going to have to get used to that kind of normal.”

I bite my lip. “You’re impossible.”

“Trust me, I’m trying to get used to it too. I barely recognize myself.”

A lump forms in my throat, surprising me as the tears form out of nowhere. “Thank you. Yesterday really sucked.”

“It’s my mission in life to make sure nothing sucks for you, baby. Never again. You’re going to make that house into the refuge you need. It’ll be beautiful, Harlow, but the life you’ll create there will be even better. You’ll never have to think about revenge again.”

It’s my turn to kiss him. “Moving back to Winslet has been a secret dream of mine for years. And now that I have Grandma’s house, I thought it would be perfect. But a houseis just a location. I found refuge in a place I never dreamed of ... you.”

Devon’s intense eyes bore into me so deeply, I feel them in my soul. It’s like that night on the pier when he claimed me all over again. Agreeing to his contract was the best thing I’ve ever done. “That’s because you are mine. It’s okay, baby. You can say it. Or not. I’m patient.”

I don’t say it. But I do pull him to me and continue to be needy when it comes to Devon Donnelly. I’ve asked a lot of him since the day we met, and he’s never once said no.

Other than the one time he didn’t want me to take a tennis lesson with Roman Malloy. And I should’ve listened.

But other than that, he’s protected me like I’m his most prized possession.

And I’ve never felt anything like it in my life.

I break our kiss to tell him the truth. “I plan to be needy for the rest of my life when it comes to you.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

EMOTIONS AND PAIN

Harlow

Getting grazed by a bullet delayed our trip by a few days, but we’re finally in Iowa.

I’m not sure what I expected from my first meeting with my new brother, but it wasn’t this.

Chrissie didn’t mess around or leave out any details when she gave me the lowdown on Jett. Devon’s deep-dive into my brother’s background confirmed every bit of it.