He looks sohappy.
Suddenly, my eyes are wet, and I have to gulp back an unexpected sob.
The picture changes to a seascape, and I set the digital frame back in its place on the bookshelf, tucking the cord out of sight.
From the moment Rowan first spoke to me, I knew he was a person. I mean, of course I knew.
But now…now I can’t unsee him. That eighteen-year-old kid went to college after this photo was taken. He fell in love, got engaged, and then…
Destroyed his life.
My heart breaks now that I know his face. I close my eyes as the rain begins again, the sky crying with me.
Knowing Ash is going to be back any minute, I dry my eyes, blinking several times to staunch the flow of the tears, and take a deep breath.
By the time Ash returns, I’ve regained control of myself.
“I thought it was letting up,” he says when he steps into the living room, soaking wet. “But it must have been a lull in the storm.”
Ash strips off his waistcoat, looking around the space like he doesn’t know what to do with the saturated garment. His white shirt is plastered against his skin, showing off muscles he’s been hiding under his fussy old-money, high fae clothing.
His hair drips, and his feet are already bare. He must have left his shoes and socks by the door.
I want nothing more than to spend the evening curled up on this man’s couch. Fleetingly, I imagine crossing the space and smiling up at him, wiping the rainwater from his temple and peeling off his soggy shirt. But I’m not that bold. Or if I am, I’m not in the right mood.
I’m melancholy, worrying about a man who hasn’t been a man for seven years.
“Are you all right?” Ash asks, noticing.
I’m not sure how to answer. If I tell him what’s bothering me, he might misunderstand my concern. His and Rowan’s relationship is rocky at best.
And I like Ash. I don’t want to upset him. I certainly don’t want him angry with me because I’m crying for a different man.
So, I do what I do best—I force a smile. No one wants a sad summer pixie, especially not a man who just told me he missed my sunshine.
It must be believable, because the concern leaves his eyes. He sweeps his gaze over my face, his expression…inviting. “I’m going to change, and then I’ll be back, all right?” He nods to his couch. “Do you want to watch a movie? I made soup yesterday that I can heat on the stove.”
“I’d like that.”
With a promising smile, he leaves the room, disappearing down a hall to the right.
I exhale, telling myself to cheer up. Rowan’s been an owl for years now. Just because I’m finally coming to terms with it means nothing.
But I think of him alone in the house, standing on a romance novel he doesn’t want to read, bored and lonely.
Stop.
Rowan isn’t my problem.
Except…he is.
Laverna left him in my care, and I agreed to her terms when I accepted her money and cottage.
As soon as Ash returns to the room, I walk up to him, looping my arms around my waist. “I think I should go.”
He frowns down at me. “If this is about a stupid plant, I’ll buy one.”
I smile. “No, this is about Laverna.”
