Page 77 of King of Wrath

My shoulders pull straighter. “The only person in this room, who has not broken several laws, is me.”

More silence. I slide my hand out of Jake’s. My feelings for him are real. But his are still a mystery to me, and this moment is about making sure the Kincaids do not chew me up and spit me out.

“Which means, we’re going to start by you explaining why you have upended my entire life.”

“Your father,” Luke starts, and my gaze meets his, my defiance flashing in my eyes. “He deserved…” but Luke’s voice tapers off.

“I am not just Toni’s daughter,” I answer quietly. “I am a person and however you justify what you did to me,” and that’s the moment I look at Jake, “it was wrong.”

Jake’s mouth pulls into a tight line. “You’re right. It was.”

“I’ve been a victim my whole life,” I say to him. “I won’t be yours.”

He touches my shoulder, his fingers light. “They don’t understand what you mean by that.”

My brows draw together as I look back at Jake. “Don’t understand what?”

“How you are a victim, sweetheart? I promised you I wouldn’t share your secrets, and I didn’t.”

I swallow down a lump. It makes me feel so much better to know that he didn’t tell them what I’d shared in confidence. “Did you tell me the truth about your father?”

“Every word,” he answers back, with a wince.

I nod, some of my bravado whooshing out of me. His fingers slidedown my arm, reaching for my hand, and pulling me lightly from the chair. “May I please share some of the things you told me?”

Shame pierces my gut. “I want to know first, what your intentions were. You never planned to help me, did you?”

I don’t know why, but I need to hear him say it. That Roman’s text this morning was true, and he always planned to dump me. That the ring still on my finger is a lie.

“Before I met you,” he answers with a grimace, “I intended to use you as a way to get information on Toni.”

I pull my hand from his. I appreciate the truth, but it hurts even more than I thought it would.

But he reaches for my fingers again. “But that plan changed very quickly, Nia. You have to know that.”

I shake my head. “I’m not sure…”

He moves close enough that I can feel his heat. “I’m going to say this to you, in front of them. I’ve done my duty to my family. Fulfilled my promises to them. The rest of the promises are yours, sweetheart.”

My throat closes as I swallow several times. “You mean that?”

“Every word I’ve said.” He touches my face, and I can’t believe it, but there are some tears left in my eyes. “We are forged…”

“…in the fire,” I reply with a shaky breath. “Jake…”

“Yeah, baby girl?”

“I think I might love you,” I whisper as his forehead comes to meet mine.

“I love you too,” he answers, kissing me in front of his whole family. I breathe him in, closing my eyes.

“Where does that leave us?” I hate the question, or maybe I’m just worried I’ll hate the answers.

His arms come around me, gently pulling me close. “I’ll tell you whatever you need to know about us. But we need you to do some sharing too. It’s time for truth and for a new plan.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Jake