Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 96046 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96046 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
That was hard to hear, but it made sense. I was relieved, though, that he wasn’t telling me to leave. He’d chosen me, even if I hadn’t earned the right to be chosen. He’d chosen me—for now.
“All that being said…” He opened his arms as his mouth curved into a smile. “Please come here so I can hug you.”
The breaths I’d been holding finally escaped as I rushed forward and leaped into his arms. I let my body melt into his, feeling both comfort and fear. This was it. The next seven days were our last chance. These seven days would make or break us forever. Still, despite the turmoil in my mind, it felt so very good to be held by him again.
When he pulled back, I looked him in the eyes. “I promise I’m not here to hurt you. And I agree, we need this time to figure it out. But I can assure you I followed my heart here. It was the first time I’ve done that since I left my heart in this very place more than five years ago.”
He patted my back. “Get your bags. Let’s go to the house.”
“Are you sure? I can stay here while—”
“Of course I’m sure. I’m not gonna let you stay with Benjamin—unless you want to be bored out of your wits.”
I laughed, still feeling jittery as I headed to the room where I’d put all my stuff.
Dorian waited as I gathered my belongings, and I texted Benjamin to let him know I was moving to the mansion.
Benjamin responded with a smiley-face emoji.
As I followed Dorian up the walkway to the main house, nostalgia washed over me. Living here felt like forever ago and just yesterday all at once. How was that possible? He opened the door, and I looked around. The mansion looked much the same, except the furniture in the living room had changed. Some of the same artwork hung on the walls.
I dropped my bag and walked over to the old grandfather clock, which I was pleased to see still ticking. “Hey, old man,” I murmured.
Then it hit me. The dogs.
“What happened to Tallulah and Tess?”
“When Benjamin and I left for Turkey, they were rehomed.” He smiled. “With Chandler and Candace. They’re still there.”
“No way!” I sighed. “Candace didn’t mention that.”
After I said it, my eyes widened.
“You’ve been in touch with Candace?” he asked.
I nodded. “Long story short, after I stalked her page online, I accidentally liked one of her photos, which prompted her to reach out to me. We talked once on the phone to catch up. That was it.”
“Well, that doesn’t surprise me. You two always got along. She loved you.”
He looked into my eyes. I wanted him to hold me again, to reiterate that he’d always loved me, too. But I knew that validation was something I’d have to earn. He’d poured his heart out to me in Ohio, and I’d thrown it away the moment I chose to move forward with the wedding.
“Can I ask you a favor?” I said.
“Okay…”
“I know we have a lot to talk about. But can we put off the heavy stuff until tomorrow and chill for the rest of the day? Maybe enjoy some of the things we used to? I miss it. I miss her—the old me. Even if I can’t ever be her again, I want to live in that world again for one day.”
“We can do that.” He smiled, gesturing toward the stairs. “Can I show you to your room?”
“Yes. Please.”
To my shock, he led me to my old room, the main bedroom.
I turned to him in surprise. “You haven’t taken over this space?”
“Well, it’s kind of haunted.” He shrugged. “First because of Dad. Then because of you.”
Unlike the living room, this suite hadn’t changed a bit. Even the linens were the same. Dorian followed me around the room, his hands in his pockets, his body language just as guarded as his attitude had been back at Benjamin’s.
I walked into the empty closet that had once been my art room.
“Was she living here with you?”
“No. But she stayed over quite a bit.”
“I’m sorry my being here caused you to break up. I’m sure she was devastated.”
He arched a brow. “I thought we weren’t gonna talk about the tough stuff today.”
“There’s something about this closet that makes me want to purge my thoughts.”
“We did have some deep conversations in here, didn’t we?” Dorian cracked a smile.
“It all feels like just a moment ago.”
“Time is probably an illusion anyway.” He sighed. “It does seem like yesterday. And yet so much has changed. You’ve created a beautiful little human. You’re a mom. And I managed to drive my father’s business into the ground.”
“That’s a good place for it, considering it nearly got you killed.”
“That’s not all it did, right? You paid a price, too, even if you didn’t know it at the time.”