“I’ve missed you,” she murmurs.
I catch her hand, my fingers circling around her delicate wrist bones. It would take nothing to crush her, not that I would ever do that. She’s so finely made, so easily crushable.
The flare in her bright blue eyes tells me she’s stronger. This girl isn’t going to let anyone push her around anymore.
Hopefully.
“I’m still mad at you,” I admit, deciding to be truthful.
“I’m still mad at you too,” she returns just as truthfully, and I’m taken aback.
“Why are you mad at me?”
“You were mean to me at the wedding.”
She’s right. I was.
“If you’re so mad, then why are you here?”
“Whit asked me to find you.”
The hurt in her gaze is unmistakable and she jerks her hand out of my grip, taking a step back. “So you’re here for my brother. You found me at his request.”
Only Sylvie would be insulted by her family being worried about her and coming to me for assistance.
“No.” I shake my head. “I turned him down. I didn’t want to be involved. He told me you’ve been missing for weeks and I said it wasn’t my problem.”
Sylvie lifts her chin, ever defiant. “Then why are you here?”
I could lie, but there’s no point. I’ve always been truthful with Sylvie. She’s the little liar in this relationship.
“Because I couldn’t stop thinking about you and wondering where you were. I went on a deep internet search and eventually figured it out.” I don’t tell her I figured it out only last night. Or that I never told her brother I actually found her.
I wanted to see her for myself first.
She relaxes at my words, her lips curved in a barely-there smile. “And how did you find me?”
“I went through the various court documents that involved your husband.” She flinches at the word husband, but otherwise, doesn’t say a word. “Finally came across a few deeds on properties he owned in the city. Started digging for more and stumbled upon one in California that he transferred into your name.”
I can tell by her expression that she’s impressed.
“It was a surprise to me too,” she admits. “I didn’t know he even owned this house. Neither did his children. He never brought me here.”
“Were they pissed?” I raise my brows.
“I asked my lawyer the same thing.” She shakes her head. “I suppose not. They never knew about it, so it’s hard to be mad over something you never thought belonged to you in the first place. I guess he owned it for a very short time. It’s almost as if he planned for this to be here. For me. My own little sanctuary.” She glances around, breathing deep. Her henchman still stands by her side, his arms crossed and his glaring dark eyes all for me. “I love it here.”
“You’ll have to show me around.” I pause. “If you’ll let me stay.”
Sylvie contemplates me, tilting her head to the side, her blonde hair spilling over her shoulder. I’m filled with the urge to bury my hands in the silky softness. Press my face into her hair and breathe in her scent. My senses are buzzing, fully awake and attuned to this woman, and I understand completely why I came here. Why I sought her out.
I’m still in love with her. Like a complete dumbass.
“I’ll let you stay for the day,” she concedes. “I’ll even give you a tour.”
I incline my head toward her. “How generous of you.”
She looks over at her groundskeeper. The guy had a fucking shotgun clutched in his hand when he stopped me earlier from progressing any farther down the driveway. He’s lucky I didn’t pull out the handgun I tossed in the glove compartment box when I first slid into the car after renting it, and aim it at his fucking forehead. “You can go back to your house, Roland. I’ve got this.”