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“He predicted this?” I laugh lightly.
“He gave us a year. We didn’t even make it a quarter of that,” she grumbles.
“I won’t say a word. It’s not my news to share anyway.”
“Thank you.” She pulls in a deep breath before disappearing from the bathroom moments later.
Well, this day just keeps getting more interesting... I think as I exit into the hallway and turn toward my office.
I spend the next few minutes going through the files Aspen left on my desk before heading to the lobby to get a few papers I printed from behind the front desk.
“Kaia, there’s someone here to see you,” Micha announces as I round the corner.
My heart rate kicks up speed in an instant.
I should have known Remi couldn’t wait until this evening.
He’s nothing if not predictable that man. And damn it if I don’t love that about him.
I follow Micha’s gaze to the chairs lined along the front windows, expecting to see Remi standing there, only it isn’t Remi’s stark green eyes that meet mine, but a deep brown I’d recognize anywhere. Probably because I spent five years of my life staring into them.
“Blake.” I don’t recognize the voice that leaves my mouth. Too high to ever belong to me. Only, I’m the person who spoke.
My heart drops to what feels like my feet as the reality of him actually being here takes hold. Confusion is the first thing to hit me. It floods my entire body, making my limbs tingle in the most unpleasant way.
“What are...” I don’t get the next words out before he’s moving toward me.
He looks exactly the same as I remember. Dark, thick strands of hair combed to the side, not a single hair out of place. Tall and slender, his face void of even so much as a five o’clock shadow. The little knot on his nose where his brother hit him in the face with a baseball when he was ten, breaking it. The deep tan of his skin. The tiny hitch out of his left eyebrow where the hair never grew right.
It feels just like yesterday, how quickly it all comes back. Lazy days in our pajamas. Nights out where we’d get dressed to the nines and spend hours out on the town. Family dinners. Birthday parties. Holidays. It all hits me in a blur, flooding me with memories I’ve spent months trying to suppress.
He’s dressed in his usual pressed polo and khakis, an air of inferiority surrounding him, like he’s better than everyone else and he knows it. I used to find his confidence kind of charming... Though standing here, I’m not sure why.
I also used to think he wassogood-looking, but compared to Remi, he’s more unattractive than attractive. Remi is just... Well, perfection is what Remi is. From his looks to his smile to his charm, there isn’t a thing about him that doesn’t draw you in.
And, of course, I feel the immediate guilt of my thoughts, clawing deep at my insides. Even though I know I shouldn’t.
“Kaia.” Blake stops in front of me, my entire body tensing when he leans in like he’s about to kiss me. I quickly turn my face so that his lips hit my cheek instead.
I want to withdraw, but shock holds me in place.
“What are you doing here, Blake?” I finally manage to get my mouth working again when he pulls away.
“You didn’t think I’d stay away forever, did you? We are engaged, after all.” He almost laughs, like he finds humor in my reaction.
I can quite literally feel Micha’s eyes burning holes into my back as she watches the scene unfold.
“We’re not engaged anymore.” I grit my back molars to keep my jaw from ticking.
“You needed time. I gave it to you. It’s time to come home now.”
“I am home,” I tell him, my nerves misfiring all over the place, making it feel like tiny missiles are exploding all over my body.
“Can we go somewhere more private where we can discuss this?” He looks over my shoulder for a brief moment before his rich brown eyes narrow on me, like he’s frustrated he even needs to ask.
“I’m working.”
“Surely you can take a break.” He insists. “I came all the way here...”
