“Don’t think for a single second that you weren’t important to me.”
I lift my other hand and cradle her face. She leans into my palm.
“Am I?” The words come out rough, uncertain.
“You are.”
Her phone rings. She startles, pulling away from me, and fumbles for it in her bag.
“Okay, I’ll be there. Give me five minutes.”
She ends the call and looks at me. “I have to go.”
She steps into me and wraps her arms around my waist. “It’s not safe for you to be seen with me.”
I gather her into my arms, breathing in the sweet scent of roses. For the first time, she doesn’t smell like me.
“It’s not safe to stay away from you either, Princess.”
She pulls back just enough to search my eyes. “Do you still want revenge? If the answer is yes, then don’t say things like that to me.”
“We said much bigger things to each other before I sent you back. You didn’t ask me this then.”
She frowns. “I don’t remember anything like that. What did I say?”
Her phone rings again. She pulls away urgently.
“I’m coming, Mom. Let me wipe my ass.” She ends the call.
“I’m leaving. Don’t come out right behind me. And please, don’t let my father’s security catch you.”
She reaches the door, turns back, one hand on the knob.
See you soon.She forms the words silently, then opens the door and leaves.
“See you soon, Princess,” I murmur to the empty room.
Chapter 30
Elowen
“What do I do? Go out or stay in?” I poke Rosie’s face.
“If I go out, there’s a chance I’ll see him. But that also means my bodyguards will see him too. A second appearance of the same man will raise their suspicions. Even if I make it look like a chance encounter in the park, they’ll still dig into his background for...” I roll my eyes. “Security purposes.”
I groan, letting my head thunk onto the mattress.
“And if I don’t go, I won’t see him at all.”
Rosie tilts her head, studying me withcurious eyes.
I chuckle and kiss her nose. “Don’t think of me as a crazy woman. This isn’t my usual state.”
I flop onto my side, propping my head up on my elbow.
“I have an idea. What if I sneak out?”
This mansion is three times the size of our San Diego house and four times larger than Pa’s farmhouse. In a place this huge, there has to be another way out besides the front door. I’ve never bothered to explore before, but now I will.
