Page 111 of The Defiant Curse

If there was a higher power, it wouldn’t make him lose this part of his life for being an idiot.

Heading inside, the drive up to the front was beautiful. Ethan could understand why his brother loved this place the minute he saw it. There were pillars with Ravens on them, and they were nestled among the trees.

This place looked like a location from one of his movies, and he wasn’t shocked he’d bought it.

Ethan would have too.

Seeing the garage, he also had the code for that, and he pulled Callen’s car inside and parked.

There was a truck in there, some equipment for plowing snow, and a motorcycle. It appeared that his wife had definitely come here to roost.

That made him giddy.

Getting out, he slung his bag over his shoulder and found the alarm on, so he punched in the override code. All of their security used that same code so they’d know who was accessing a location.

Again, fingers were crossed that Winn managed to override the codes.

Once inside, he called out, but no one was answering. So, he started looking around.

In the kitchen, he admired the place. The countertops were white granite, with sparkles of black veins running through them. The cabinets went to the ceiling, and the mudroom was functional with pairs of boots inside the door.

The energy here was welcoming. It wasn’t like he was surprised. Callen and Chris loved a grand structure—look at the gold baron’s mansion.

Moving down the hallway, he kept calling for his wife.

“Lyzee? Are you here?”

But there was no answer.

Then again, he wasn’t one hundred percent sure if she was there that she’d answer him. He’d really not earned that kind of welcome.

Deep down, he fully expected to be turned away, and his big sign would be the opposite happening. Ethan knew he needed to make amends in the best way possible.

To be there for her.

As his voice echoed off of the walls, he kept taking it all in to see more of this place.

Yes, he’d seen some of the rooms from photos his brother shared, as they were renovating without Elizabeth knowing, but they didn’t do the place justice.

The office was…gorgeous.

Running his hands over the desk, the cool mahogany called to the doctor in him. He’d love nothing more than to work in here by the fire, with his wife perched on the corner of the desk like she used to.

God.

He missed those days.

Along the way, they’d gotten so busy, and he’d realized just how much he’d neglected their relationship.

Their marriage.

Their partnership.

No wonder it was fracturing at the seams. He’d not dedicated enough time to her.

Yes, he fostered his relationships, but he’d neglected the one that mattered the most out of the assumption it was the strongest one, but that wasn’t the case.

The bottom line was that he forgot that she had been his new beginning.