Page 54 of Vows We Never Made

My lips stay sealed.

The limo hums quietly through the streets. This late, not many people are out in this sleepy little city.

We pause at the stoplights, long enough to notice the odd intersection of modern glass and two-hundred-year-old red brick buildings.

“Because I’ve been running away for a damn decade. Isn’t that enough?” I flare. “I’m done with that. This is my home,far more than New York will ever be. If I’d realized it sooner, I could’ve dealt with a lot of trouble.”

Margot stares. “And what trouble was that, my dude? What was so, so awful that you ran away from us and never came back? Gramps would never tell me.”

Good.

He kept his promise, then.

“Nothing,” I snarl. That rage in my voice is aimed at myself for cracking and bringing up the past. “Ancient history doesn’t matter now. Only the future, Margot. That’s why I’m putting up with this.”

For half a second, I think she’ll keep digging. That’s my sister, more excitable than Ares when she gets a bone.

But I guess she can sense a sore subject, because she chews the inside of her cheek and looks away quietly.

“Sorry,” she mutters.

Thank fuck.

The rest of the ride is dead silent.

When we finally pull up at the old house where I’ve been staying, Margot follows me inside.

“What?” she demands when I turn around and glare at her. “I just wanna see Ares. He’s my nephew and he likes me better.”

“Fucking hell.” I sigh, dragging a hand over my face. “You have five minutes to pet him, and then your ass is gone.”

I turn on my heel, not waiting for her to catch up as I storm into my study and slam the door.

7

ALL THE RAGE (HATTIE)

Today might be the longest day in the history of the universe.

It’s moving like a sloth, and I’ve been moving like a zombie, shelving books and organizing orders and speaking to the occasional customer who comes in hankering for a new book.

Not that there are many this early in the week.

Sadly, brick and mortar bookstores are a dying breed, which makes my heart ache.

There’s so muchwonderwith books, so many instant escapes, especially when you can breathe the pages and touch them like pets.

I’ve fallen in love a thousand times by now, traveled to different continents and distant galaxies across time and space.

I’ve lived countless lives, all from the comfort of my couch or sunning myself on the beach.

The power of books is so freaking vast, I’m still mind-blown.

But I guess people are more interested in the instant convenience these days.

Instead of browsing a bookstore, they jump online and order up at the click of a button.

Don’t get me wrong. There’s nothing wrong with that. Not everybody has tons of shelf space or the money to burn on real pages.