Page 159 of Blackwood

“Bella…” My voice cracks and I force myself to breathe. “I’m so sorry.”

She doesn’t look up.

“I’m sorry for everything I put you through. Sorry for pushing you. Sorry for forcing you to tell me a story that wasn’t mine to know.”

Her eyes are glassy now. Filling fast.

“I’m sorry I was an ass and overreacted. Sorry I walked away when you needed me most. Sorry I made you feel like you were something to fear.” I swallow. “Sweetheart, I looked at you like you were a monster. And that’s on me. That’s my shame to carry.”

Her jaw trembles.

“And I…” my voice hitches. I glance around her and look at Lex, still naked and half-sitting in bed watching silently. “…I never should’ve left, babe. Never should’ve walked away. From either of you.”

I look back at her.

“I’m sorry. These last two and a half months have been torture. I’ve missed you both so much it’s nearly killed me.”

I shake my head, trying to find the words. “It was like all the air got ripped out of this world and I couldn’t breathe.”

From behind her, the bed creaks. Lex rises and walks up behind her, slow, quiet, and completely naked. He wraps her up in his arms and pulls her back into him, her head resting under his chin.

“So, you had your time, Cade.”

I freeze. So does Bella.

“Can you still love her?” Lex rasps. “Can you still fucking love us?”

His voice is too calm, the kind of calm that warns you something’s about to break.

“Knowing everything. What she’s done. What we’ve done. What we’ll keep doing if it means keeping those kids safe.”

He’s not asking for approval. He’s drawing a line in blood and daring me to step over it.

His jaw flexes. “Can you love her—every fucking part of her—past, present, and whatever darkness comes next?”

Silence stretches between us, thick and loaded.

“Because if not,” Lex nods to the door, “there’s the fucking door.”

“Lex,” Bella says trying to pull away from him. “It’s ok.”

“No, baby it’s not.” He holds her firmly in place. Dominating as ever. She gives in and leans back into him.

“So? Which is it Cade?” he asks again.

I look into her eyes, they’re guarded now. But beneath the fire, I see it. The worry and the hope fighting a battle in her mind. She’s begging me to stay. Begging me to grab her. To fight for us.

I take a step forward and reach for her hand. Lex moves first, gripping her tighter. Protective. Ready for a war that I caused. She lays a hand on his arm, soft and sure. Then turns around, rises onto her toes, pulls him down, and presses her forehead to his. Nose to nose. A quiet anchor to calm his storm.

“It’s okay, Lex,” she whispers. “Let him talk.”

Lex searches her face, like he’s looking for some hidden crack, but she holds his gaze. Whatever he sees there makes him nod once. He steps back and lets her go.

“I love you, Cade.” Her voice is soft. Frayed at the edges. “I think I’ve loved you for a long time. Maybe since Nashville… I don’t know.”

My lungs collapse around the weight of it.

“But what you said about me,” her voice shakes and it’s somehow worse than if she’d screamed. “It hurt. More than I can explain.”