Page 85 of His Secret Wish

The front door opened, and he sat up, a rush of adrenaline streaking through him. His muscles tightened, getting him ready to pounce. No one else should be here. And whoever came in was about to get an ass kicking like no other.

He pushed to his feet. Izzy came barreling around the corner, sliding to a stop on the hardwood floor.

“Owen.” Her voice was breathy, like she’d been running. She had the envelope with the divorce papers clutched in her hand.

His heart was galloping around in his chest like a frightened filly. It had only been a few days since he saw her, and yet it felt like an eternity. He let his gaze roam over her, telling himself it was one last time.

He met her gaze. There was every emotion under the sun swirling in her eyes, and he couldn’t figure out what she was feeling. Not that he’d been very good at this stuff. Which was one of the reasons she’d decided to leave.

“What are you doing here, Izzy?”

She took a deep breath, and it took every ounce of willpower he possessed to not drop his gaze to her breasts. “I have something to tell you.”

Isabella stared at Owen, every cell in her body vibrating with tension. She wanted to leap into his arms, grab hold of him and never let go, while simultaneously running in the opposite direction until she hit the ocean.

He stood there, his hands by his sides, staring at her. That stupid mask of his was firmly in place, which she hated with a passion, even while she understood why he was guarded.

On a subconscious level, her brain registered that the house was exactly the same as it had been when she’d left. Like a time-capsule. Had he not done anything with it in the last few years? Did he not live here? And if he didn’t, what exactly did that mean?

She shook her head to dislodge the thoughts. That wasn’t what she needed to be focused on right now. She could worry about what it all meant later, after she’d come clean.

“How did you know I was here?” He stuffed his hands in his pockets, one of his nervous tells. She refused to make more out of the fact he was feeling nervous. It probably didn’t mean anything.

“I went up to the house and Mason told me you were down here.”

“Did you run here from the house?”

She nodded, sucking in a couple of breaths. Jesus, she was seriously out of shape. A cramp flared in her side. She clamped her hand over the spot, trying to massage it away.

The confusion on his face would have been comical if she wasn’t dying, and her reason for being here wasn’t so serious.

“Why didn’t you drive over?” He tilted his head.

She huffed in another breath. “I didn’t think about it in my hurry to get here.”

“Why are you here?”

Wasn’t that a loaded question? And in his eyes, a valid one. It wasn’t like she made a habit of coming to the house—too many painful memories. In fact, this was the first time she’d been here in years. She couldn’t even look at the driveway when she drove past it the few times she’d come to the ranch since she and Owen had split up.

Plus, she’d made herself crystal clear back in Truckee about him and their future. Even if it was a lie, he didn’t know that.

“I need to talk to you.” Her breathing was finally under control—for the most part—so the words came out mostly normal.

A sound on the stairs behind her sent her spinning around. A handsome Black man and a cute Caucasian woman came down the stairs and stood at the bottom, staring at her.

“Hi,” she said, the word coming out more like a question.

The woman gave her a small wave. The guy just stared at her.

“Isabella, this is Drew and Lea. They’re thinking of buying the house.” Owen’s voice came from right behind her. He must have stepped forward while she wasn’t looking.

It took a second for the words to sink in, but when they did, her stomach dropped so fast she was surprised it didn’t leave a hole in the floor at her feet. She spun around. “You’re selling the house?” There was panic in her voice.

He shrugged, although there was tension in his shoulders. “Seems like the right move.”

She stared at him, shock making her numb. Clearly, he was determined to move on. Without her.

Yeah, dumbass, because you told him to. Just after you told him you didn’t love him.