Chapter 337

KING There’s something about Elijah that leaves me with no doubt in my mind that he would do anything to protect his brothers, and the words he just uttered send a chill down my spine. What if he thinks I’m not good enough for Mason? What if once he discovers that yesterday was all my fault, he decides I’m one of the people he needs to remove from his brother’s life? Those familiar feelings of shame and guilt threaten to crush me, and I almost throw up the pancake I devoured. I hate what my father did to Mason. I hate what I did to him. I’m spiraling, and I’m doing it under the scrutinizing gazes of one of the most powerful and influential families in America. Mason’s hand lands on my thigh under the table, and he squeezes firmly, his fingertips digging into the taut muscle of my quads. With that one touch, he says everything: This is our story. Yes, there are parts of it that are shameful and full of regret, but it’s still who we are. And whether his brothers hate me or not, he loves