AllFreeNovel
Share Us
A sudden flash stops me before I take another step, and I fix my attention on a case filled with extravagant rings, each one different from the next, but no less beautiful. After carefully opening the glass drawer, I slip my hand inside and grab the simplest ring in the whole bunch.
Inspecting the dips, ridges, and intricate details beneath the lights, I’m shocked to find the band itself is a delicate twist of thin white-gold vines. A gorgeous, crystal-clear diamond sits prettily in the center of a tiny bed of engraved petals.
I slip it onto my ring finger, guiding it all the way toward the base, utterly mesmerized by its beauty.
Rowan’s sudden presence at my back makes me jump, but when I glance up at him, he’s staring at the ring intently. His handsome face relaxes with awe. It’s exactly the kind of reaction I’d hope to see in my real fiancé—the one who’d wrap an arm around me and bring me in for an ultra-ecstatic kiss that would sweep me off my feet.
“What do you think?” I ask, barely above a throaty whisper.
When he finally drags his gaze from my hand, he swallows thickly. “I hoped you’d pick that one.”
Chapter Thirteen
Rowan
It’s been a torturous week living in the manor with Molly.
I get three or four hours of sleep, at most, on the couch in the study, and although she never seeks my company in the evenings, I hear her wandering the halls at all hours of the night, as if she’s just as restless as I am.
During the day, she’s anywhere and everywhere, making a ruckus wherever she goes and apologizing profusely, no matter how many times I’ve told her she doesn’t bother me. In fact, I like that it’s not so quiet around here anymore.
If she’s not singing at the top of her lungs in the shower, she’s chatting and laughing with Danika and Victoria in the kitchen while baking enough desserts to satisfy an army. She’s even gotten Reginald to join in on their fun, and though I’d never admit it, I’ve stolen some of their treats late at night when no one’s looking.
Between virtual client meetings, I’ve been busy hiring people to fill the gaps left by Thomas’s old staff while Molly and Dan have started renovations on the first floor. Even with a small crew helping them, there’s a lot to be done to update the place, and I haven’t even ventured beyond the basketball and tennis courts in the central part of the property to gauge how the other houses are holding up.
I thought keeping away from Molly would lessen this unrelenting urge I have to be around her, but all week, I’ve found myself ending meetings early just for a chance to speak with her. I even bring her and Dan the occasional snack while they work, too, and despite knowing the importance of keeping distance between us, watching them work has become a source of entertainment for me.
They bicker with each other while ripping old paneling from the walls, replacing patches of flooring, and brightening dingy hallways with fresh coats of paint. They’re usually covered in sawdust and streaks of plaster by the end of each day, but no matter how frustrated they may be, Dan never leaves without a pocket full of cookies and a hug from his daughter.
“That’s a fine ring you picked out,” he told me this morning, clapping a hand over my shoulder the way an approving father-in-law would. “It’s kind of like she’s got a piece of her momma with her since she won’t be here for the big day.”
I nearly lost my composure the day Molly chose her ring, briefly imagining the kind of future that could never be real for me. Even now, an hour before dinner, I sense that lingering twinge of guilt, thinking about Dan getting caught in the tangled web of our arrangement.
He’ll recover quickly, I’m sure of it. Just as I’m sure an effortlessly magnetic woman like Molly is bound to find another man to care for her after we divorce.
My hand clenches, crinkling the paper I’m holding, as my thoughts take a murderous turn. Another man touching her shouldn’t matter; it doesn’t matter. Because I plan to see this engagement through, no matter the cost.
Refocusing on the paperwork I requested regarding the Radley lumber business becomes increasingly difficult. My ownership of the company is contingent, of course, but after talking with Eleanor and her friends, I wanted to get in touch with the man who’s been in charge of the plant and get a feel for what’s been going on.
Only, now that most of the contractors and clean-up crews on the property have left for the day, I’m distracted by how still the manor is.
My mind keeps wandering back to Molly slipping that ring on her finger. The way her eyes sparkled as she studied the band’s design made my chest swell with pride. We’ve already had it resized to fit, but the fact that she wears a family treasure—specifically, one that belonged to the first Mrs. Radley to ever roam these halls—shifts something inside me.
Temporary as it may be, Molly is going to be my wife, and though I shouldn’t, I like the sound of that more than I care to admit.
A knock on the study door jolts me from my thoughts. “Come in, Reginald.”
In the short time I’ve spent here, the butler and I have formed a friendship of sorts, dropping formalities more often than not, and I’ve come to look forward to his various interruptions.
“I’ve brought the paper you requested, sir.”
I reach for the rolled newspaper in his hand and open it to a black-and-white image of Molly and me standing in front of the manor.
At first, I refused to accept an interview from the dozens of reporters who kept coming by, poking their noses around, but Molly convinced me it would make our engagement look more legit if we appeased them.
Sure enough, the bold print above the image reads, Magnolia Creek Celebrates Radley Heir and Fiancée. The article details our plans for an April wedding, including an invitation for every resident in town to join us.
I’m hoping Patricia will be pleased by the reporters’ claim that we’re, ‘happy, in love, and excited for our future together.’
