The Broken Vows: Zane and Celeste’s Story (The Windsors)

“What’s wrong, honey?” Mom asks, her gaze searching. I shake my head and peel what has to be the hundredth potato. Mom’s working me much harder today than ever before, and with each potato I peel, I get more cranky.

“Yeah, you’re even more annoying than usual,” Archer says over video, standing in his own kitchen.

“Nothing’s wrong,” I snap. I can’t stop wondering where Zane is, and who he was speaking to on the phone a few days ago. He sounded so sweet, so caring, and the way it made me feel was unprecedented. It wasn’t mere jealousy, it made me feel… like an intruder, I suppose. The genuine affection in his voice put me in my place more than anything else could have.

I’d felt pathetic, standing there, listening in on a conversation that wasn’t meant for my ears. Every day since, wild theories have occupied my mind. He keeps telling me that he never cheated, that he never would, when I already have evidence to the contrary. I knew he’d do it again, and I feel like I’m losing myself in a quest to figure out who it is this time. I’m scared to want him, scared I’ll miss the signs again, and it’s driving me crazy.

I pull myself together when the door opens and Dad walks in, his voice jovial. My finger slips when I spot Zane right behind him, carrying yet another sack of potatoes. I hiss in pain as the peeler presses against my skin, nicking me. A small drop of blood wells at the tip of my finger, and Zane drops the bag he was holding.

“For God’s sake, Celeste. Can’t you be more careful?” he snaps, before rushing up to me and taking my hand, his gaze concerned as he lifts my finger and sucks down on it.

I stare at him in shock. “What are you doing here?” I ask, my tone aggrieved.

He raises a brow and pulls my finger away to look at it, pleased that the bleeding stopped. “When my mother-in-law demands I come visit, I obey. Unlike you, I have a healthy amount of self-preservation skills.”

Guilt crashes through me, followed quickly by understanding, and then relief. He smiles at me knowingly, and I glare at him in return. He knew, didn’t he? He knew I’d be jealous. Zane leans in, his lips brushing against my ear. “You’d better think twice before you get me in trouble with your mother again,” he warns, before grazing my ear with his teeth, his touch punishing.

“Hey!” Archer shouts. “Step the fuck away from my sister, asshole. Don’t do that shit in my house.”

Zane pulls away and reaches over to press the mute button, making Mom laugh. “Zane,” she admonishes. “Unmute your brother-in-law, will you?” Her hand wraps around his arm, an indulgent look in her eyes.

Dad just frowns at the screen and shakes his head. “I could’ve just muted him all this time?” he asks, shocked. Archer rages on the screen, no doubt cursing Zane endlessly, and I burst out laughing, my heart overflowing with something I haven’t felt in so long — happiness.

Zane stares at me, his gaze filled with wonder, and his hand wraps around my waist, a sweet smile on his face. I lean against him without thinking, wanting to savor this moment — it’s just like how it used to be, when we’d come here together on Saturdays once my parents finally accepted our relationship. I didn’t realize how much I’ve missed it, this carefree feeling.

Mom rolls her eyes when Zane ignores her command and reaches over to unmute Archer. “Not a word,” she warns him, and he presses his lips together, his eyes flashing with anger. I catch Zane smirking at my brother from the corner of my eye, and it makes my heart beat a little faster. I know Archer was hurt by the way their friendship fell apart, but looking at them now makes me wonder whether some of the damage can be undone over time. It gives me hope that I shouldn’t feel.

“Let me do this,” Zane says, taking the peeler from me. I look up at him, startled out of my thoughts. Longing hits me hard and fast, and for a moment, I wonder whether Lily was right when she said there’s nothing I won’t forgive Zane for.

“No,” Mom cuts in. “She had the guts to lie to me about inviting you, so she’ll cut every single potato in this house.”

I part my lips in shock and hold up one of my shoddily peeled potatoes. “So it’s his fault I have to do this?” I ask, outraged. I slam it down and glare at Zane. He merely grins back at me, his expression telling me he’s unfazed by my anger, a little amused even.

“No,” Mom snaps. “It’s your fault. I should’ve caught on when you told me he had to gather fresh fertilizer from the farm for his observatory.”

Zane raises his brow and tightens his grip on me, pulling me closer as he tilts his head toward me. “What the fuck, Celeste?” he whispers, but not quite soft enough, because Mom nods and places both of her palms flat on the counter.

“Yes. She told me you had your own cows, and you—”

“—I’ll cut them,” I interrupt, holding up a potato. “I’ll cut them, okay? All of them.”

Archer bursts out laughing, and I see my dad try his hardest to suppress a smile too. I was starting to run out of excuses as to why Zane couldn’t join us, and since Mom never really questioned my answers, I’d begun to get a little more… creative. Never in a million years did I think this would ever come up.

“Darling,” Zane mumbles, his voice low, threatening. “Tell me you didn’t insinuate that I couldn’t come over because I was too busy gathering cow shit.”

I cough awkwardly, my cheeks flaming. “I would never,” I say as I look up at him, trying my hardest to look innocent. His gaze roams over my face, pausing on my lips for a moment, before he drags them back to my eyes. He looks at me the way he used to, like he finds me adorable, and it makes my heart race.

“She absolutely did,” Dad says, and my lips part in shock.

I tear my eyes off Zane to glare at my father, who merely smiles back at me. “Dad,” I huff, my tone conveying my sense of betrayal. Dad laughs, and I smile back involuntarily, surprised by his lightheartedness. Our relationship became strained once I got engaged to Clifton, but he seems back to normal now, and I can’t quite pinpoint why. Between the two of them, it’s Zane he should like least, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

Zane’s shoulder brushes against mine, and he shakes his head as he grabs a potato and peels it effortlessly. I throw an annoyed glare his way when I realize how much quicker and better he is at the task, and he chuckles, his gaze filled with affection. He hasn’t looked at me that way in years, and it makes my heart ache in the strangest way.

We work together in silence for a few minutes, and it isn’t until we run out of potatoes that I realize my parents are sneaking looks at us every few seconds, their gazes curious.

“How about a drink before dinner, Zane?” Dad says.

Something transpires wordlessly between the two of them, and Zane puts down his peeler, his shoulders tensing. “Of course,” he says, forcing a smile.

I frown as I watch my husband walk away, curiosity clawing at me. “Leave it be,” Mom warns, handing me another potato. I take it from her wordlessly, a hint of unease running down my spine as I wonder what that was all about.