Chained Hands (Chained Hearts Duet 1)

I touch my hair, patting it down.

“You look beautiful.” His voice stuns the room, but none more so than Joey whose eyes are wide as he stares at his brother.

Keir walks over to my bedside, flowers in hand.

“You got me flowers?” I ask, confused. It’s not a small bouquet either. It’s huge and probably cost a small fortune.

“The room needed brightness.” His eyes scan our surroundings before they come back to me. “The doctor said tomorrow you are free to go home. I’ll stay the night, and you can come home with me after they discharge you. You’ll need help for the next few days while your hand is healing.”

Before I can say anything, my mother does, “Oh, fuck no.” She shakes her head.

“No, I’ll go with my parents,” I tell him.

“We can discuss this tomorrow,” he says, firmly ending the discussion. “I’ve ordered dinner, if you all wish to stay,” he announces, and in walks Phillip, carrying bags of food that smell delicious. I can tell it’s pasta and garlic bread. My mother gives him her evil eye before she turns away and faces me.

I can tell what she’s thinking.

I simply choose not to acknowledge it.

He isn’t going to let me go so easily.

Chapter Thirty-One

Keir

I’d kiss those lips every chance I got.

Every fucking chance I had.

Without a doubt.

I spent the night next to her again as she softly snored. The doctor wants to do some final tests before she’s discharged, so I have left to do some work and to give her some more time with her family before I take her home.

She isn’t fucking going anywhere with her parents.

Does that make me controlling? Maybe.

I’m not really sure how to work out any of these feelings. Joey tells me to just walk away—that it would be easier for everyone if I simply left her alone.

But I have a choice, like I always do, and I choose not to walk away from someone who makes me feel not dead inside. And that’s exactly what she does.

I didn’t see many examples of love growing up.

My father never loved my mother, and the only other versions of love I saw were all fictionalized. You had to work out what was real and what was fake, and most of it is fake.

Joey uses the word love. He uses it lightly when he describes us. I almost took his head off when he first mentioned it last night after we left Sailor.

But then, when I saw her, I know what it is.

Joey is right.

“More flowers?” Joey asks. “Maybe you need to kill someone to bring the real Keir back,” he jokes as he pays for them. Heading to the shop door, we spot Paige standing outside next to her brother.

“You should wait in here,” Joey says as he walks out.

Like that’s going to happen.

“I just want to see if he’ll talk to me.” I hear Paige say as I step up behind Joey. He notices Paige’s and her brother’s gazes focusing over his shoulder, so he turns his head to see what’s caught their attention.

“Keir.” Her head drops. “I’m sorry, please don’t cancel our contract.”

“You aren’t sorry, Paige. You’re just sorry you got caught. There is a difference,” I tell her. My driver gets out of the car, his hand going to his gun as he watches our interaction on the street.

“You’re right, I’m not sorry. At all. You aren’t meant to be with her. Your father signed with mine, and you are meant to be with me.” Gone is her soft side, and out comes the vindictive, conniving, and spiteful side.

“Sometimes things get broken,” I tell her. She goes to step closer to me, but Frank grabs her arm with his bandaged hands, keeping her in place. I look at him. “You’re lucky to be alive. It’s only because our families have a history with each other that you are. Remember that, and keep your sister in line in the future,” I tell him.

Frank nods and pulls his sister back and we walk to our car.

“She’s like a dog with a bone, that one. And you gave her one hell of a bone,” Joey says, shaking his head.

“A dog is an incredibly nice word for her,” I chime back.

Joey laughs.

“Keir …” We both turn at the sound of Ellie’s voice. “Joey.” She eyes him up and down with absolutely no shame. This from a woman who couldn’t stand us not that long ago, but is now around us every chance she gets. She’s holding a bouquet of flowers too.

Interesting.

“Ellie,” Joey says.

“Sailor called and asked me to get a few things from home.” She holds up a small bag and smiles. “She said she’s okay. What happened? Do you know?”

“No, we don’t. I can take that to her,” Joey says, reaching for the bag.

“Actually, there’s more in the car. Do you think you can help me?” She looks at me, but it’s Joey who scrunches his nose up at her. She turns back and points in the direction of the parking lot.