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She pressed the phone into his hand and laid back down on his chest, sighing when he slipped his fingers through her hair. He should break the spell, get up, get dressed, and drag them both back into the real world. But he wanted to stay here with her pretending that things were different for just a little longer, even if he couldn’t understand why.
They ate breakfast at the little table in the main room, and then he finally got to take her in the shower. He’d have to look into getting one of those waterfall shower heads installed in his bathroom at home.
He was tugging a shirt over his head when she caught his eye in the mirror as she applied mascara to her lashes.
“I realize this is probably a question I should have asked weeks ago, but, uh…where are we going to live?”
“Oh.”
“I mean, I know we’re going to live at the um…Callahan estate.”
“Glenmore House,” he supplied.
“Right. Glenmore House. I know we’re going to live there for a while, but for how long?”
Unease pinched at his insides, and he couldn’t meet her gaze. “Until we find the right place, I guess. Did you have somewhere particular in mind?”
When she didn’t answer, he looked up to find her staring at him. The smile she flashed him was forced and didn’t reach her eyes.
“No. Nowhere specific. Just curious.”
She dropped her mascara into her bag and carried it into the bedroom. He tried to figure out what to say as they finished packing up the rest of their stuff, but he couldn’t think of a single thing that didn’t make him sound like an asshole.
He’d have to work on that. He couldn’t keep his plan from her forever. Eventually he’d have to tell her. But it could wait. It didn’t have to be today.
After Viv zipped her dress into its bag, Aidan threw it over his shoulder and followed her to the door. He heard the click of the latch while he gave the room a final once over to make sure they hadn’t left anything important behind. When he turned to follow her out, she was frozen in place.
He stepped up behind her and noticed her eyes were glued to the floor in front of her. “What’s wrong?”
He moved to her right and followed her gaze. On the floor was a long, thin flower box. The kind long-stemmed roses might be delivered in.To The Happy Couplewas written in the same slashing black lettering as the note she’d found in her jacket at her last fitting.
Setting their bags on the floor and draping her dress over a chair, he pulled her back into the room, scooping up the box and carrying it inside. The hallway was empty, but the box hadn’t been there when he’d let room service in. So someone had dropped it off sometime in the last two hours. Which means they were being watched.
Easing the door closed, he crossed back to the table where they’d had breakfast and set it down gently. “Viv, come stand behind me, please.”
She didn’t hesitate to follow his command, immediately moving behind his left shoulder and peeking at the box over it. He reached for the lid and quickly flipped it off. It was lined with black satin, which made the stark red of the rose stand out even more.
Lifting it out, he found a plain white envelope nestled underneath. It wasn’t sealed, but it had some weight to it, and when he opened the flap, he swore under his breath.
“What?" she demanded, pressing against his back to peer down at the pictures in his hands. “Oh my God.”
He dropped them onto the table and fanned them out. Dozens of candid shots of Viv dating as far back as the first night they’d met and several from the wedding the night before. Any picture they happened to be in together showed his face obliterated with the same black Sharpie. A few of them had been ripped in half.
“You think this is still about the alliance?”
He scooped the pictures up and shuffled them back into the envelope before shoving them into the pocket of his jeans.
“No. I’m not sure it ever was.”
Leaving the box and the rose for the cleaning crew, he turned to make sure Viv was okay. Her face was ashen, her eyes wide and staring at where the pictures had been moments before.
“Hey,” he whispered, drawing her gaze. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you.” She nodded, but he could tell she was shaken. “Come on. Let’s get you home.”
He laced his fingers with hers and held tight until they were securely in the truck and driving away from Center City toward Glenmore House. She tapped restless fingers on her knee the entire drive, and he didn’t know how to ease her anxiety.
It was clear whatever was going on here went deeper than shaking the alliance. Someone had been stalking Viv for at least a month, potentially longer. And he had exactly one guess who the fucker was.
Every car was in the driveway when they pulled in, which was good. It meant he could tell them all at once and finally make them see reason this time. Collin needed to be dealt with. Aidan would not let this go unanswered a second time.
