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“I understand.” His brows pinch when he offers a curt nod. “Please let me know if you need me.”
A silent conversation passes between me and the older man—an understanding of friendship I hadn’t expected or even known I needed. “Thank you.”
Once I’m in the car, I grip the steering wheel hard, fighting an onslaught of emotions. Frustration that she would deliberately not tell me where she was going, like she’s some sort of captive and not my goddamn fiancée. Shame that I could have pushed her to the point of running away from me or even breaking our agreement. And underneath it all, I’m worried sick that I have no idea where she went.
I fly down the long road leading into town, banking curves at a high speed. I’ll search this town all night if I have to, but the first place I plan to check is Dan’s house.
Last night, she asked me for fidelity, something I’d already been prepared to give, but there’s an inkling of insecurity leaking through every crack in my armor, telling me I’ll never be enough for her. That once this is all said and done, she’ll find another man to fulfill her needs in every way I can’t.
It takes about twenty minutes to get from the manor to the heart of Magnolia Creek, but a cold sweat breaks across my skin by the time I turn onto their street and see her car missing from the driveway.
I park the Corvette in front of a neighboring house and scrub a hand down my face.
What the fuck am I doing, chasing her down like I own her? And when I find her, then what?
It’s been years since I’ve felt even an ounce of this sort of turmoil, and it’s screaming for me to rip it open. To allow myself to give in to the agony the way Molly says I should.
I contemplate heading back home, but I can’t. She’s managed to poke and prod at parts of me I’ve left ignored for far too long, and now they’re festering.
“Fuck it.” I shift the car back into drive and head for the flower shop. If she’s not there, I’ll just keep searching.
I have to know tonight if I’m the reason she’s run off. If it’s because she wants out of our agreement, I’ll find another way to make it work. But I won’t hold her against her will, no matter how badly I want to.
It’s dark on Rainy Street, with rows of small businesses closed for the night. I pass the front of her flower shop, but the headlights shining around the back of the building have me hitting the brakes.
They disappear not even a second later, and I race toward the end of the street before turning for the alley behind it.
My heart stops when I see Molly unloading large, wooden crates from the back of her car in the dark, and when I finally cut the engine, a tremor of relief wracks my body.
Her lips part on a gasp when I exit the car, and my gaze falls to the crate she’s holding, filled with potted yellow blooms.
“Flowers.” I place my hands behind my head, drawing air into my aching lungs, and huff a disbelieving laugh at the night sky. “For fuck’s sake. I thought you’d left the manor for good.”
I thought you’d left me.
“What?” She tips her head. “Of course not.”
“It’s late, and you didn’t tell anyone where you were going. What was I supposed to think?”
Her eyes harden defensively. “It doesn’t matter. You shouldn’t be here,” she says before carrying the crate to the back of the building.
“Like hell I shouldn’t.” I take it from her and slam it on the concrete step in front of the door.
She stares at the ground with her arms folded across her chest, and I’m sick to fucking death of seeing this fierce woman so beaten down.
Restraining my desperation becomes a losing battle when I lift her face to mine. “I was worried you weren’t coming back.”
Her eyes mist over, and when she steps back, I don’t stop her, but I’m damn sure not going anywhere, either.
She unlocks the back door, and I pick up the crate before following her inside. The shop is quiet and dark, except for the moonlight shining through the glass windows up front.
“Tell me what’s going on, Molly. Please.”
“Look for yourself,” she says. “I’ve single-handedly destroyed my mother’s pride and joy. And the greenhouse Dad and I built for her? It’s dead. Just bones of what it once was, and there’s no reviving it.”
Her arms sweep toward the mostly empty shelves and what’s left of some sickly-looking plants. “I’ve been secretly buying stock from a wholesaler to cover my losses for nearly two years, and if it weren’t for Ruby and Nadine, this place would’ve gone belly up a long time ago.”
She walks over to a display on the wall beside the fridge and lifts a watering can from the ground to the counter before dipping a tattered rag inside. “I know they’re suspicious, they have to be, but they trust me, Rowan. Dad trusts me, and Mom—” Her shoulders tremble as she covers her mouth.
