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“Well…” He ponders for a beat as he moves with the flow of traffic. “In five years, do you believe this will matter anymore? Whatever happens today, however things go down, will it matter when you’re an old woman given the privilege of looking back?”
You mean when Felix is dead, and his family has been eradicated? Or when the woman he’s spent his life trying to make amends with—amends for his father’s crimes—betrays him?
“Yes,” I rasp. “I think it will matter quite a lot.”
He brings us around another corner, then into the circular entryway at the front of my building. A valet opens my door the instant the car comes to a stop, but before I slide out, Edward turns in his seat and stares deep into my eyes.
“I think in these situations, Ms. Cannon, knowing the gravity of your issue, we must try to foresee the outcome we’d like best. So when you’re an old woman and you’re looking back, what do you want to see?”
That’s a valid question.
Do I see revenge? Do I see the Malones, dead and buried?
Or do I see myself standingwiththem? With the man who captured my heart, and the boy who has had my soul from the moment I knew of his conception.
“Whatever it is you want,” he continues gently, “steer yourself in that direction. Make it so.” Then he flashes a youthful smile. “Thatis how we ensure happiness. And you, Ms. Cannon… you deserve happiness most of all.”
I slide out of the car in an almost trance. My thoughts circling an issue I see no solution to, and my heart hurting at the knowledge that Ihaveto tell Felix my part. To save him from Savannah’s plans, I must tell him the truth.
However, the truth will destroy that vision I have in my mind. The one of me growing old with the man who cares so deeply. The one of me having a role in my nephew’s life. My deception excludes me from getting my own happy ending.
But it shouldn’t stop Felix from having his.
I walk into my building with my purse hooked on my arm and my heelsclick-click-clicking against the expensive tile. Getting into the elevator, I step toward the back and wait for the attendant to select my floor.
“It’s good to see you’re well again, Ms. Cannon.” He casts a shy glance over his bony shoulder as the doors close and we start up. “I worried for you.”
“Thanks.”
Impatiently, I start forward and push through the doors the second we reach my floor and they slide open. Then I stride along the hall, my eyes trained on my door. Solitude, my prize after a long day.
I want so badly to go to Felix. To visit his home, eat a meal on his bed, and stand on the Juliet balcony to study the gardens Micah Malone so tenderly cares for.
I want to hear Felix’s crass voice. His harsh words. I want his rough hands on my body, and, jesus, I want him to tell me I’m not allowed to leave. I want him tomakeme stay. To take the choice out of my hands so I don’t feel guilty for wanting a man whose family destroyed mine.
But that’s not meant for me, no matter how much Edward believes in his words.
My phone trills in my purse again, the ringtone grating on the back of my mind just as poignantly as nails on a chalkboard. With a groan, I reach into my bag and free the device, only to spy Dana’s name on the screen.
Frustrated, I swipe to answer, tuck the phone between my ear and my shoulder, then dip my hand back into my bag to retrieve the keycard that unlocks my door. “I’m kinda tired. So if this isn’t important…”
“I’m sorry, Ms. Cannon. I was only calling to tell you I’ve found another name.”
“A candidate for one of the Malone mothers?” I slide the card across my door’s sensor, and breathe a little easier when the lock releases.Pushing through and turning back to close the door behind me, I simply rest my forehead on the timber. The cold, hard surface, a soothing sensation on my aching head. “Which brother?”
“I think Tim,” she answers cautiously. “This woman was not the first to be connected to Tim Senior, but her time with the man certainly matches up with birth records.”
“Alright.” I close my eyes, the flutter of my lashes on my cheeks ricocheting down into my belly. “Let’s work on it tomorrow, okay? I’m done for today. I’m exhausted.”
“Of course. Sleep well, Ms. Cannon. Rest up. Oh, and before you go,” she blurts, like she feels me pulling the phone away, “Davis called.”
“Yeah? He was missing from the office today. Conspicuously so…”
“Yes, he was in Copeland City. Said he had a meeting.”
“Hang up, Darling.”
I jump against the door, slamming my forehead on the hard wood and hissing in pain when it makes my thudding headache worse, but then I spin and find Felix just two feet from where I stand. His fiery eyes, looking me up and down. His delicious lips, curling higher when our gazes meet.
