Shattered Dynasty

Then he’s directly in front of me, and he looks at me with the same warmth and kindness that he radiated this morning when he almost kissed me.

He takes my hands in his.

“I promise you, Peyton. I will never let anyone hurt you.”

“Why do you care now?”

“We talked about this.”

His blue eyes darken with emotion. They pierce the small distance between us. A tense silence envelops the room. Neither of us speaks for a second as we stare at each other. The memory of everything that has happened over the past few months fills the space.

Gently, his thumb rubs the palm of my hand, melting away the tension.

“The way I treated you was wrong,” he says on a heavy sigh, his voice filled with anguish.

“Being wrong and caring are two separate things.”

“You’re right. They are. I did what I did, and I was wrong, and I apologize. The other part . . . Why do I care?” His eyes shut, and when they open again, they find mine with precision. “I don’t know. That’s the honest truth. But I do. I just care. I don’t know when I started, but it doesn’t change the fact that I don’t want anything to happen to you. I don’t want anybody to hurt you.”

I stare into his large eyes, probing their sincerity. I see nothing to make me doubt him. He holds my hand and stares back into mine, the truth between us hovering just beneath the surface.

After a beat, he lets go, and then he’s standing. “I’ll be back in an hour.”

I shake my head, trying to bring the playfulness back. “You’re giving me far too much credit.”

“Payton, I know it won’t take you an hour to get ready.”

I raise a brow. “And how do you know that about me?”

He sobers, and he’s one hundred percent serious when he says, “I know a lot more than I’ve ever let on about you.”

I know I’ve lost it when his words send butterfly jitters all over my stomach.

I’ve officially lost it.

I clear my throat. “From your spying?”

“There was only that one time.”

“No, that’s not true.”

“I never really spied on you.”

“Sure.”

He shakes his head and moves toward the door. “Be ready. Jen will be here in a minute to help you.”

I want to say I don’t need help, but that’s a blatant lie. The tracking device I found can attest to that. It sours my mood a bit, especially when Jen, the nurse he hired, walks into the room a moment later, and I remember I have to let a total stranger shower me.

She helps me up and into the bathroom.

This is overkill.

I’m sure I can walk a bit. The problem is, Trent is babying me. That’s why I allow this, but I’m not letting her sit in the bathroom with me when I shower.

That’s where I draw the line.

It takes way too long to convince her I can shower by myself. When I step into Trent’s bathroom, my breath hitches in my chest.

Not just because it is gorgeous.

White marble.

Rain shower.

Large, free-standing, modern-looking tub.

Nope, that’s not what does me in.

What does is in the middle of the two-person shower . . .

It’s a chair.

A chair I can sit on until my ankle heels, rather than hobble or worse, must have someone in the room with me.

He was right. I should have listened to him, stopped being stubborn earlier, and not showered in my bathroom. I should have always used his. This is amazing what he’s done for me.

Trent has given me my dignity back.

And I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face.

When Jen has me settled, she leaves me alone in this beautiful space. I know she’s going to be right behind the door in the bedroom, but that’s fine, as long as I’m by myself.

I strip all my clothes and hobble the two steps until I reach the open shower door.

Once I’m sitting down, I turn on the warm water.

It feels amazing. It feels even better than yesterday’s shower because I don’t have to worry.

Trent set up everything so I can reach all the items I need. They’re lined up in rows in front of me. It feels like my heart will explode with all the time he took to make this possible.

Normally, I’d think someone on his staff did this, but my gut tells me this was all Trent.

Trent did everything.

He went out of his way to make me feel comfortable and safe.

And now I’m supposed to go on a picnic with him.

Excitement bubbles in my chest.

When all the soap is gone from my body, I turn the water off, and that’s when I notice he even has a towel set ready inside the shower. I don’t even have to reach. He thought of everything, and I melt over it.

Once I’m dry, I let Jen know I’m ready. Her help is needed, seeing as my feet are wet now.