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“Michael?”
“Rose,” he purrs, and a shiver skirts down my spine. “How are you feeling?”
“Better. I’m hungry, though.”
“I’ll bring you back some breakfast. Unfortunately, there isn’t much in the kitchen, but I’ll have it stocked right away.”
“Breakfast is fine. I’m not picky, so whatever you like is fine. When will you be back?”
“I’m on my way.”
“Okay.”
“Listen, Rose. Enzo is a little strange—”
“Hey!” the Viking protests.
“But he means well. I wouldn’t have left him with you if I didn’t trust him completely.”
“Aw, thanks, Boss. I didn’t know you cared so much.” Enzo wipes fake tears from his eyes before tossing me a wink when he catches the small smile on my lips at his antics.
“Shut up, Enzo, before I take it back,” Michael snaps, but there’s no heat in his voice. “I’ll be home soon, Rose.”
After saying our goodbyes, I hand Enzo back his phone, embarrassment washing over me. “I’m sorry for how I overreacted.”
Enzo pockets his phone and steps back. “You have nothing to be sorry for. It was just a misunderstanding is all.”
I step into the hallway and follow Enzo as he leads the way back to the living room. Now that I won’t be scared shitless by another stranger, I take in the main space of Michael’s home with an admiring eye. Windows to my right stretch two stories high. Doors set in the center lead out to a large terrace, and from this angle, I catch the very edge of a pool nestled among the vegetation, like it’s a secret space tucked away in an oasis. Directly to my left is a wood staircase that rises to the second floor, each step open to the air, so it gives the illusion that the stairs float in midair.
The living space stretches out in front, every little detail grabbing my attention. Abstract paintings adorn the walls that add to the tranquil and peaceful ambience the room strives for. The entire space carries a gray-and-white color scheme with steel blue accents. Sunken into the floor is an enormous sofa, which can be rearranged into different layouts, covered in various soft blankets and pillows. Directly across from the inviting sofa and above an electric fireplace hangs a TV nearly as long as the couch. The living space bleeds into an open kitchen with brand-new appliances and smooth marble countertops. Elegant pendant lights hang high above the large island, surrounded by stools. I’m curious to explore the other hallway on the other side of the living room, but it feels a little wrong to do that without Michael.
Instead, I claim a spot on the couch and wrap a throw blanket around me. Enzo, very wisely, sits on the other end of the couch.
“So you’re Rose, huh?” he asks with a sly smile, breaking the silence before it becomes too awkward.
Something in the way he says it has me asking, “You’ve heard about me?”
“Oh, yeah. Michael’s been borderline obsessed, trying to find you ever since that night at the club in January.”
“What? Really?” I didn’t realize or even consider he might look for me.
“Yeah. When the trail went cold, he turned into a miserable bastard and has been one ever since. But now that he’s found you, we can thank God for small miracles.”
My mouth drops open, and I flounder like a fish out of water for a moment before I finally regain my composure. Barely. Because Enzo’s words leave a lot to unpack. I remember our moment in the bedroom when we nearly got carried away. Clearly, our passion hasn’t fizzled, and we share a son, despite his insistence otherwise, but in the craze of the last day, it never once crossed my mind that Michael may have been as haunted with longing as I have been since January.
“Why would he do that?”
Enzo’s blue gaze is powerful and holds mine captive. “Why does the moon hold power over the tide? Why do flowers need the sun and water to grow? It’s simple. He needs you. He still does.”
“He barely knows me.” It’s a lame excuse but the truth.
“Time makes no difference when your soul finds its counterpart in another. These things just happen, Rose. There’s no rhyme or reason to it, and every minute you spend thinking about it is just another minute wasted. And don’t you think you’ve wasted enough time?” Enzo waits for me to digest his words, but I have nothing to say because he’s right.
Michael and I spent the totality of an hour together, then suffered the next ten months apart, but it made no difference in the end. Because here we are together again, and it’s like those months never happened. Sure, we have a lot to talk about and a son to retrieve, but something about Michael draws me to him. Whatever that feeling is was there in January. And it’s still there now.
A chime echoes through the space, and I twist my head in the direction it came.
“Michael’s home,” Enzo announces, rising to his feet to meet Michael in a hallway beside the kitchen. It must lead to an elevator.
