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" Ella.”
I jump when his warm hand covers mine, and then his head moves to rest on my
shoulder. His soft hair tickles my bare skin, and I force myself not to run a
comforting hand through it. He doesn’t deserve comfort right now.
“You can’t leave,” he whispers, his breath fanning over my neck. “I don’t want
you to go.”
He kisses my shoulder, but there’s nothing sexual about it. Nothing romantic in
the way his hand tightens over my knuckles.
“You belong with us. You’re the best thing that ever happened to this family.”
Surprise filters through me. Okay. Wow.
“You’re ours,” Easton mumbles. “I’m sorry about tonight. I really am, Ella.
Please…don’t be mad at me.”
My anger melts away. He sounds like a lost little boy, and I can’t stop myself
from stroking his hair now. “I’m not mad. But dammit, Easton, the gambling needs
to stop. I might not be there to bail you out next time.”
“I know.” He groans. “You shouldn’t have had to bail me out tonight. I promise
I’ll pay you back, every last cent. I…” He lifts his head and presses a kiss to my
cheek. “Thank you for doing that. I mean it.”
Sighing, I turn my eyes back to the road. “You’re welcome. "
― Erin Watt , Paper Princess (The Royals, #1)
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" My skill, if I have one, isn’t dancing. It’s my ability to believe that tomorrow can be a better day. I don’t really know where I got this optimism. Maybe it was from Mom. Somewhere along the line, I started thinking that if I just got through this bad experience, this bad day, that tomorrow I’d have something better, brighter, newer.
I still believe that. I still believe that there’s something good out there for me. I just have to keep going until my time comes, because surely, surely, none of this would happen if there wasn’t a reward down the line. "
― Erin Watt , Paper Princess (The Royals, #1)