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The front gardens weren’t overly fussy, but full of perennial shrubs that made it look neat, but welcoming.
My breath shook through my chest as I sucked it in, then forced myself to make my way up the front path.
There was a car in the driveway.
He had to be home.
He had to be.
Tears pricked my eyes again as I pressed my finger into the doorbell.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Then, finally, the door pulled open.
And there he was.
CHAPTER FIVE
Claire
I swear the second those kind eyes landed on my face, the dams burst, and the tears flooded down my face.
“I need help,” I said, voice thick with a mix of fear and relief.
Aurelio’s gorgeous eyes slid from me, down to my arms, where Judah was waking up with the way my chest was heaving with my silent sobs.
It was complete understanding in his eyes as he looked back up at me.
Like all the pieces clicked together for him.
Me in the car, cuffed, captive, refusing to let him save me.
Because I didn’t have my baby with me.
“Come in,” he said, stepping aside as I shifted Judah up, my arms screaming and shaky, but knowing I couldn’t put him down yet.
The inside of the house was, put plainly, gorgeous.
Welcoming.
And, what’s more, there was very little harsh white to be found.
The floors were a light wash that made the space in the entryway feel airy. There was a center staircase then a living room to the left, the walls painted a dark gray, but thanks to the light streaming through the windows, it wasn’t dark and depressing.
To the right was a dining room dominated by a massive table. The walls in there were a lighter gray, allowing the spaces to flow together without being too matchy-matchy.
“Come on. Let’s get you off your feet, angel,” Aurelio said, leading me past the staircase, past a much larger family room with a fireplace and tons of sectional seating, and into the kitchen.
There was a little white in there in the form of the white quartz countertops. But the cabinets were a shade of gray that allowed the appliances to blend right in.
The space was dominated by a massive island, but there was a small table and chair set over toward windows that overlooked the backyard.
Aurelio led me to the table, and my arms practically wept in relief as I was able to set Judah on my lap.
