Rett’s arm around my waist pulled me closer. “Never again, Emma. Not in front of my men, household staff, oranyone...” He allowed that word to hang in the air. “Never will you make a public spectacle of contradicting or questioning me. If you choose to take that risk in private, that is your choice, but never again will anything like what just took place happen. Are we clear?”
“I asked to speak to you in—”
Rett’s grip of my chin shifted to a finger upon my lips, stopping the rest of my sentence.
“Fucking say, ‘Yes, Rett.’” He glared down at me. “That is all that needs to come from those beautiful lips.”
As he slowly removed his finger, I acquiesced—sort of. “Yes, Rett, but that isn’t all I’m going to say now.”
Letting go of me, he exhaled and stepped away, heading toward the far side of the room. “Of course it isn’t.”
“Where are Kyle and Liam?” I asked. “What’s happening to them?”
Rett spun my direction. “They’re currently taking a ride with a few of my men. If you’re asking me if I plan to kill them, the answer is yes.”
I sucked in a breath.
“Don’t give me that fucking wide-eyed-doe look, Emma. I’ve told you that was my goal since the first night at Broussard’s. Isaiah or Kyle, I don’t give a fuck what name he uses, lied to you.” Rett gestured toward the doors. “He lied right out there in my—our—home. He lied about your abduction. He’s lied to you for four years. What do you think would have happened if you’d gone with him?”
I wrapped my arms around my midsection as I allowed myself to think beyond what had occurred earlier in the foyer. It was the pearl-studded bodice that reminded me that this was my wedding. A half hour ago I was happy and now...
I wasn’t certain where the new emotion came from.
Bewilderment and anger melted away as a sense of abandonment and sadness infiltrated my words. A rogue tear escaped my eye as I blinked away the moisture. “Maybe I’d meet my mother.”
Rett’s fingers combed through his dark hair. The styled gel from before had given way to his wavy mane. “It would be better if you didn’t.”
This time I went to him, the skirt of the wedding dress brushing the floor as the train followed in my wake. “You don’t have any say in who I see.”
“You’re wrong, Emma. I have total control of who you see and what you do.”
I wanted to argue that point, but based on the last month, I was without any solid evidence for an adequate defense. Instead, I asked the question Kyle’s announcement had prompted. “Why didn’t you tell me that Jezebel North is alive?”
“I never said she wasn’t.”
My lips pursed as I shook my head. “Stop it. I’m not stupid. You purposely misled me.”
“We can discuss this matter of interpretation later. Judge McBride has plans.”
“Life or death isn’t an interpretation.”
“You’re right. They are a matter of being and if you left this house with him, your life would be over.”
I laid my hand on Rett’s sleeve. As I did, the rings upon my fourth finger caught my attention. Exhaling, I offered a deal. “Rett, I’ll sign the marriage certificate. Hell, I’ll even work on what I say or don’t say in front of others, but I need some promises from you too.”
His dark orbs turned back to me. “Emma, that isn’t how I work.”
“You’re not working with me. This isn’t a business deal. This is a marriage. Remember what you said out in the courtyard?” I didn’t give Rett a chance to answer. “You said that Miss Marilyn told you that anyone could propose. It’s a simple question.” A grin threatened my expression. “I believe you offered three proposals this afternoon.” The muscles of his jaw loosened as I spoke. “She also told you that marriage wasn’t easy. It required commitment. You asked me to believe that you, that we, are worth the effort. Do you still want that?”
Rett lifted my left hand and turned it ever so slightly, watching as the light from the chandelier reflected off the large diamond. His shoulders straightened as his stare met mine. “What promises do you want?”
It wasn’t an answer to my question, and yet it was.
“Don’t kill Kyle...or Liam, not yet.”
“You don’t understand what you’re asking. If it’s them or you, they will die.”
I knew better than to do more than make the request. I continued, “The other promise that I want from you is the promise that if I do as you want and hold my tongue while in the presence of others, you will give me the chance to discuss anything—anything at all—in private. I can wait, and I will wait, as long as I know I’ll have my chance.”