I believe in being discreet too. Salvatore must get the idea, because he replies with bravado rather than confusion.
If he doesn’t show you a good enough time, you know where to find me after.
As I drop the phone into my satchel, the cargrinds to a halt on the shoulder. The driver glances back at us with a vaguely puzzled expression. “This is where you wanted to be?”
Byron nods. “This is perfect.”
He’s out and around the back of the car to open my door before I’ve gotten my seatbelt off. I take his gloved hand. “Very chivalrous.”
Byron’s eyes gleam. “We Worths know how to treat a lady.”
His easy confidence fades with the dwindling roar of the car’s engine as it drives away. We gaze at the forest looming along the side of the road, and he shifts his weight from one foot to the other uncertainly.
I don’t think it’s the exact same spot where my original Byron would have parked—but who can say how similar this plot of land is to the one in my old reality, after all the ripples of changes that could have been caused by the fall of a branch or the flight of a sparrow?
Or the flap of a butterfly’s wings, as Aunt Daphne would say.
The other Byron didn’t bring me to visit the Worth family acreage often enough for me to be sure. Technically he was trespassing after his parents disowned him, but he said they came out here seldom enough that he wasn’t worried about getting in trouble for stopping by occasionally. I haven’t seen any version of it since last fall.
The woods before me glow with the sunlight streaking between the leaves. Those leaves rustle in the warm May breeze that teases out to wash over my body. It carries a subtle mixture of scents: rich earth and birch bark and cypress needles.
Byron is watching me, wary of my reaction. I don’t know what Other Elodie would have made of this wilderness, but we’ve come far enough that I don’t see the need to be anyone but me just this once.
Tipping back my head, I drag the fresh air deep into my lungs and grin. “This is exactly what I needed.”
When I look at Byron again, he’s grinning back, the tension gone from his stance. “Me too. Here, I’ll show you the best spot.”
I let him lead me between the trees along lightly trampled paths. Tufts of long grass and fronds of ferns tickle across my bare calves; twigs crunch under my Mary Janes.
I’m glad I haven’t tried to take up my doppelganger’s interest in high heels.
After a few minutes, Byron reaches over and takes my hand, as if he’s done it a million times before. As I twine my silk-clad fingers with his, the flutter of affection in my chest comes with a pang of guilt.
The voice I’ve conjured from my memories of the other Byron lifts in the back of my head.“He wants this too. He wants to be able to share everything with you… and I want to see that too. As long as you’re with some version of me, I’ll know you’re taken care of, Precious.”
I set my jaw and give Byron’s hand an extra squeeze.
The trees thin up ahead, as I’ve been anticipating. Byron draws us to a halt at the edge of a hill overlooking a sprawling field.
Vibrant flowers bloom all across the mottled terrain, sprouting up amid the grass and peeking from leafy shrubs. Their sweet scents mingle with the forest smells in a heady perfume. A nearby sapling waves its slim branches as if in greeting.
I can tell Byron has already been out here this spring. I’d recognize the verdant touch of his magic anywhere.
I squeeze his hand again. “It’s beautiful. How did you find it?”
It feels sketchy pretending I don’t already know, but this Byron’s story might be a little different. I want to knoweverything I can about this version of him—to really knowhim.
He shrugs, keeping his hand in mine, still with the assured air that’s only expanded with my approval. “My family owns this property. It’s meant to be an investment. My dad brought me out here years ago to show it off, so I’d know about all our holdings, but…”
He looks at me instead of the field, with a softer smile. “I liked it for more than just what it might be worth. Sometimes I want to escape the city for a little while, like you said. It’s a place where I can really breathe—and tap into my magic without having to keep in mind who might be judging.”
“Whatever your magic touched here, I’m sure it made this place even more amazing.” And it’s the best setting I could imagine for my true purpose.
Does Byron have any suspicion why I really suggested this outing?
I turn toward him, grasping his other hand and gazing into his eyes. “Would you like to haveallyour magic?”
Byron blinks at me, the stutter of his expression suggesting he hadn’t anticipated my offer. “You mean—my glim—do you think that’s a good idea? We’ve been trying to keep our bond secret.”
