Feathers and Thorne Series Books 1 - 3: The Complete Collection

Chapter Seven

Isabella

Anita is a godsend. She barks at the movers as they come into the vast mansion. I’m already thankful to have her living so close by. It gives me time to explore, the owners hardly waiting to drop off the key and get the hell out of there. I pace through the large, open foyer, the even larger living room, and the massive, dark marble kitchen. The tile and countertop are nearly black.

It’s an interesting look, one that I oddly know Carter will enjoy. The living room has two fireplaces and enough space to heat up a football stadium with both. I poke my head into the spare rooms downstairs before making my way to the next floor.

The master bedroom is nearly the size of the living room on the first floor. It has a large fireplace on one wall, with another near the bathtub in the attached ensuite. My stomach growls for something to eat while I’ve only made it halfway through the house, finding a spa, a movie theatre, and another spare kitchen. There are almost a million other bedrooms, but I don’t concern myself with having to fill all this space.

Carter can focus on that. I just want to get our bed set up so we can be together properly tonight.

Coming downstairs, I see Anita has been joined by some company that doesn’t consist of the movers. It’s a few women, the group adorned with tall heels and full faces of makeup. I didn’t bring anything to change into or spare mascara to at least make myself look presentable. I was just coming over to stay the night and catch up with family.

Now, I feel overwhelmingly underdressed in my new home.

Still, I greet the women with polite nods while they comb over the sight of me. They all have perfectly curled hair, flawless skin, and long, unmanageable nails that are covered in extensive designs. I hide my hands in my pockets after a moment, feeling even more pathetic than before.

“Everyone, this is Isabella Julis. She’s the new neighbor. Isabella, these are the ladies of the block. They’re all housewives as well,” Anita says.

I nearly choke, wanting to correct her title for me. I keep it to myself, though. “Hello, everyone. It’s great to meet you. I wish I had worn something better, but this is all a shock to me.”

The woman in the front steps forward, her hair bright red like fire. “It’s okay, dear. We tend to pop by unexpectedly. We didn’t anticipate that you would be ready for us.”

“Oh, I meant the house, too,” I say. “I didn’t know that we were moving until this morning. Carter told me he bought this place, and now—”

“Anita,” the woman gushes, looking at Carter’s aunt like I insulted her. “You didn’t tell me this was Carter’s new girl. Ugh, I swear. You should have just started with that.” She turns her button nose back toward me for now. “You’re a lucky gal. I tried setting my niece up with him ages ago, but he turned her down. Something about blondes, I think.”

My stomach cramps more with her attempt at small talk.

“Yes, well. Thank you all for coming, but I should get back to getting things set up.”

The woman cackles with laughter, the sound echoing through the empty house. “Oh, dear. You have movers to do that. Why would you want to worry yourself with it.”

I stammer to reply, my words stuck in my throat. “I just want… Everything needs to be organized, and…”

Anita steps in to save my life. “She just wants to get settled, Rebecca. That’s all.”

Her smile goes from friendly to downright disgusted in a matter of milliseconds. “I see. I was just hoping to grab lunch together with the new lady on the block, but I can see you’re both busy. Besides, I doubt you’d be interested in going out to Gianni’s dressed like that.”

My throat closes, and I wince.

The women behind her find the remark funny and chuckle under their breaths.

When it’s clear that I’ve been somewhat slighted by her barging in and passing judgment, she smiles and waves her hand through the air between us. “Don’t be upset, dear. It’s just a joke. Lighten up. I’m sure you have a lot to work with under those sweats. It landed you a billionaire, right?”

She turns on her heels before I can even comprehend what she just said. Her posse follows, and Anita balls her fists like she’s going to throw down at any second. I lean on the kitchen island for a moment, needing to catch my breath. The world stops turning long enough for me to realize two things.

First, people in this neighborhood already think I’m a worthless, penniless gold digger. And secondly, I apparently can’t wear these shorts ever again, not without that insult ringing through my mind.

Anita gives me a deep look of pity, but I brush it off.

“They seem nice.”

She shakes her head. “I’m sorry about that, dear. I didn’t think she would be so snobbish and insulting. They’re really nice women, I promise. You just need to get to know them better.”

Tucking my hair behind my ear, I try to agree for now. “Okay, I trust you. Maybe we can meet up with them another day.”

“Sounds good to me,” she sighs. “Now, let’s get these movers in here. I already know where I want the couch and the coffee table.”

“Good,” I reply simply, still feeling overwhelmed by that simple interaction. “I’m going to give you the floor to boss everyone around. I think I just need a break for now.”

Her smile turns sympathetic. “Oh, Isabella. It’s going to be okay. Go back to my place and take some time for yourself. I can handle everything here.”

“It’s fine, really. I’m okay. I’m just going to be in the master suite upstairs, that’s all.”

I leave her before she can talk me out of it. I just want to take a breathing break so my heart doesn’t feel like it’s in my stomach. Without anywhere to sit in the main bedroom, I round the corner and walk into the vast bathroom. The shower wall is covered in jets, but it’s not as stunning as the bathtub that stands alone in the middle of the floor.

Climbing inside the space, I feel so small in this tub. I curl my legs into my stomach, hold my knees tight, and feel the tears brim against my eyelids. The last thing I wanted by being with Carter was for everyone to think I was just his live-in prostitute.

We’ve been to hell and back, and people still consider us to just be lousy roommates who fuck, while apparently, I spend his money. I don’t need to be looked at as a pathetic slut in a big house, but how can I convince the neighbors that’s not what I am?

I’m wearing baggy sweats, for crying out loud!

I push their comments aside, but I can’t force myself to get out of the tub. I want to disappear for a while, drowning in the spitefulness of their judgment and just basking in the reality of their words. I’m going to be a feckless housewife for the rest of my life.

They will be my only friends, mostly because Sam refuses to take my calls, and my father thinks the nurses are neighbors. Carter is the only life jacket I have these days, and I just advocated for him to go back to work to give me a bit of independence.

I miss him dearly, but I can’t bother him while he’s working. I just hope he’s starting to get back into his old groove again.

Light steps ring out against the tile after some time has passed. I peer up over the edge of the tub, tears sliding down my flushed cheeks while my itchy and wet eyes weep relentlessly. Carter circles the wall, his bright, cyan irises colder than ice as they fall over me.

“Dove, what’s going on?”

I open my mouth to speak, but nothing really comes out that’s comprehensible. He takes off his jacket and lays it on the countertop nearby, coming over to the edge of the tub.

“You don’t look so good,” he mentions.

“I’m fine, Carter.”

Coming closer to my lips, his eyes flush with ferocity. “Tell me who hurt you, and I’ll end them.”

Swallowing hard, I shake my head. “No, it’s fine. It’s just… nevermind.”

“Don’t lie to me, Bella.”

Tucking my hair behind my ear, I ask, “Did you talk to Anita?”

He gives me a look that I can read all too well. “I may have. She mentioned a few pretentious hags from down the street stopped by. I didn’t think it would impact you like this, though.”

Wiping my cheeks, I sit up straighter, feeling slightly pathetic by my position in the bathtub. “It didn’t, but there was nowhere to sit down. The movers weren’t done yet, and I just needed somewhere to relax.”

His eyes swirl with sadness. He reaches forward and caresses my cheek, a distant and faraway feeling to his touch. I move forward, pressing my lips to his in an effort to make tonight be what he wanted it to be earlier. Still, even in intimacy like this, he feels different.

Pulling away first, my eyes meet his.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing, dove. I’m just concerned about your well-being.”

He’s lying, and I can see it. His face is so stoically firm, his lips hardly moving when he speaks, and he anxiously taps his fingers along the ridge of the bathtub. He’s antsy and cold. Something is wrong with him, but as long as I’m upset, he’s not going to open up to me about it.

“We should get downstairs,” he hums. “I have business later. A few people are coming by to talk about… well, a lot. I just want you and I to have dinner first, okay?”

Wiping my cheeks, my brows pinch. “It’s already dinner time?”

“It’s three o’clock in the afternoon, Bella. Close enough. Why?”

I hang my head, looking at the pale color of my hands. I didn’t realize I had sat there for so long, but the sore and stiff aches in my body prove that to be correct. I must have partially fallen asleep or drifted so far into my own mind that I didn’t realize it.

Composing myself, I step out of the tub. My walk is rigid and uneasy, but I’m happy to see the bedroom furnishings have been moved into the house. Part of me is perplexed, though.

“Hey, this isn’t the bed from the penthouse.”

He nods rather dismissively as we move past the room.

“Um, none of this is from the penthouse, Carter. I saw it on the truck. What happened?”

“I called the guys this morning to toss that stuff. I bought all new things and had them expedited here. Luckily, I know a guy who owns the best furniture store in the state. He made sure to only send us the best products.”

I glance over the new things with a weird sense of abandonment. Why would Carter replace all his things at the last minute? I know he’s been wanting to move on from the Lacey issues we faced in the past, as well as forget the Lacey troubles we defeated, but new furniture?

He leads me to a small space off the main bedroom and swings the door open. My stomach fills with butterflies, seeing a full-sized desk in the middle of the room. It’s surrounded by art supplies, special lamps, and tons of blueprint paper just waiting to be sketched on. I can already see that this is a setup meant for me.

I rattle with excitement at the opportunity he’s offering now.

“The builders need a mockup of a design plan soon for my office building, dove,” he says, his words caught in a heavy sigh. “Give them a few options to work off of, and I’ll relay the message. The dimensions are on the laptop on the desk already, as well as some kind of software that sets up the 3D model for viewing.”

“How… how did you do this?”

“That would be me,” a familiar voice says.

I turn to see Sam in the hallway nearby with her hands pressed into her front pockets. Tristan stands behind her, almost protectively, but I want to run up and hug her. She beats me to it, throwing her arms around my shoulders and clinging to me for dear life.

Carter is careful to move away from us, leading Tristan down to the main floor.

“I’ve missed you, friend,” I cry.

She holds me tighter. “I’ve missed you, too.”

“Then why have you been so distant with me?”

“Because of him,” she replies, not skipping a beat. “You’re dating a sadistic villain, Isabella.”

Whether Manhattan sees Carter as a villain or not isn’t my issue. All that matters is that he’s my villain, and I love him enough to be thankful for his effort to help mold our lives into something spectacular. When I pull away from Sam, she smiles softly, but I can see Carter is the point of contention between us.

He’s my world, but without a confidant in this new life, I don’t know how I’ll survive.