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“Slow down, or I’m going to take your x-box away!” I hollered after him.
He slowed down, at least a little, as we cruised across the lush grass. The enormous gray-stone mansion came into view. Every time I saw it, it took my breath away. The house soared toward the sky as it simultaneously curved around the circular gravel driveway. A marble fountain bubbled in the center of the grounds. The whole thing was straight out of a fairytale, perhaps the one with the beast who was always angry…
“Hey, there’s Bryce!” Noah pointed at the fountain.
And there he stood, The Beast himself—my husband, Bryce Windsor. He wore his customary dark suit, a pair of black sunglasses shielding his eyes from the afternoon sun. His tailored clothes barely contained his muscled frame; I knew all too well what he had going on underneath that suit.
He watched us approach, and I swallowed hard. Why did he have to be so damn handsome? Why did it have to hurt to evenlookat him?
I’m not going to make it.But then I glanced at my brother, and I knew that I had to. Ihadto make this work.
I took a deep breath of clean Maine air—my last opportunity to breathe easy. All hell was about to break loose in my heart.
But paid performer that I was, I plastered a smile on my face.
And went to meet my husband, the man who had forever broken my heart.
FOUR
essential
Noah got to him first.“Hey, Bryce! Cool golf carts. I heard you got ahelicopter? And oh man, we got chased by the paparazzi. It was so cool!” He barely hit the brakes before he barreled off the golf cart, talking a mile a minute.
He went directly to Bryce andhugged him.
Bryce hugged him back, briefly but fiercely, before releasing him. “Wait, what was that about the photographers? Theychasedyou?” There was a dangerous edge to his voice.
“Everything was under control, Sir,” the lead guard said. “They were stopped at the checkpoint. We made it to Southwest without incident.”
Bryce grunted in response.
“Can I go inside?” Noah asked. “I want to see everybody!”
“Of course.” Bryce’s voice was gentler toward my brother. “Dale has a surprise for you.”
“I can’t wait!” Noah sprinted toward the front door. The scene was a far cry from when we first arrived at the island—Noah had been too afraid to go into the house.
It got too quiet once my brother left. To add to the awkwardness, the men took the golf carts and brought our luggage to the house, leaving Bryce and me alone.
Oof.It hurt to look at him. He was as handsome as ever, larger than life. Bryce had either forgotten to shave for several days or was growing a beard, I wasn’t sure. For some reason, his scruffy face appealed to me. I longed to rewind my life to Before, to when we were close, so that he could hold me in his arms and I could stroke his scratchy cheeks.
But this was After. I’d do well to remember that.
He pushed his sunglasses up on his head, and for the first time, I saw his eyes: there were dark circles beneath them. “How are you, Chloe?”
I wasn’t sure how to answer him.I’m dying inside?Heartbroken? I’ve been crying every day in the shower for two weeks straight?
“Better now—at least I’m being paid properly.” I sounded bitter. “Three million dollars will go a long way toward keeping my brother safe.”
Bryce shrugged. “I would’ve paid more.”
I blinked, taken aback.
The muscle in his jaw bulged. “Ineedyou.”
“You…do?” A stupid spark of hope lit my chest.
“My company’s blowing up, in case you haven’t heard.”
