I smile up at Ryan as I hand him my key chain and follow the man in my life into the black town car. Kier is glued to his Papa’s side as I sit on the opposite side of the car from them. Their dark heads are bowed as they look at something on my father’s phone. Kier is golden brown, like coffee with a few dashes of cream. His dark hair is curly like his fathers and mine. His face is still round, but I can see the strong jawline coming in as the baby fat melts off. His full lips are identical to the ones I see in the mirror, but those startling blue orbs are all his father’s. I clo
se my head and lean it against the cool glass of the window and allow myself to remember the man who stole my heart and ruined me for anyone after.
***
Past
I stepped out of the building into the light, tilted my head back, and inhale the sweet air. My head is crammed full of images of tiny pills of all shapes, sizes, and colors. I knew going into Pharmaceuticals wasn’t going to be a cakewalk, but the amount of information coming at us could be staggering. We had one more exam, and then we’d start Thanksgiving break. I needed that downtime like a thirsty man in the desert needed water. I walk down the stairs and freeze when I spot Alfie.
“Fie?”
“He’s fine. I’m a precaution. Things are tense lately.”
I nod my head in understanding and fall into step beside him as he leads me away from the school. When I see him, it’s serious. As head of my father’s security detail, he’s usually directing my care, not personally involving himself, until recently. I’ve spent more time with him in the past few months than I have any other person, and it’s starting to make me want things I shouldn’t. I bite my lip as I study him from beneath lowered lids and step closer to shield myself from the cold wind whipping around us, tugging on the ends of my hair and trying to penetrate my thick red wool coat.
“Where are we headed to today, Princess?” From anyone else, it would be condescending. On his lips, it’s an endearment.
“Anywhere not school-related.”
“Don’t you have an exam coming up?” His husky voice touches nerves inside me that make my stomach muscles jerk and tighten.
I groan. “Please don’t remind me, Alfie.”
Silence falls.
“I think I know a place.”
He steers me toward the parking lot. Always alert, his gaze scans the area and he keeps me a few steps behind him. Not because he thinks I’m inferior because he wants to meet whatever threat that might occur first. His dedication does funny things to my insides. The close quarters we’ve been in have made things personal. I know how he likes his coffee, how to make his favorite English breakfast, just like home as he’d say, and a dozen other facts few would know. There are days he’s the last face I see before I go to sleep. When I stumble to the kitchen for coffee first thing in the morning.
I know the scars that line his arms and legs by heart. I’ve dreamt of tracing them with the tip of my tongue. Heat rises in my face, and I glance away, embarrassed by my visceral response to him. I’m sure he doesn’t lack feminine company. None of my father’s men do. Women like power and wealth, and thanks to Daddy, they have both. In Alfie’s case, he has the killer British accent and good looks on top of that. He holds out his hand. I pause a few feet back as he quickly checks the car over for tampering. Pleased he opens and closes his hand in a come here gesture and I move to the passenger door, which he unlocks and opens for me.
I slip inside the luxury sedan, fasten my seat belt, and relax into the soft black leather seat. We take a ten-minute ride to the Thinking Cup coffee shop.
“I like to come here and clear my mind from time to time. They have great coffee, food, and pastries. Might be a good place to keep warm, relax, and kill some time.”
He’s letting me further into his world. I reach across the car and grab one of his hands in both of mine.
“Thank you.”
He glances over at me, and my breath catches. His eyes are fathomless, and for a split-second, I swear I see a flicker of interest.
“Taking care of you is more than a security detail, Athena.” He tucks a few strands of hair behind my ears. His calloused fingertips brush against my skin, and I swear I feel sparks fly between us. The shocked expression on his face is enough to tell me I’m right. The air in the car grows charged. My heart races, and I lick my lips, unsure what will happen next. He pulls away and clears his throat. The opportunity passes as he moves from the car, but it’s the start. Disappointed, I sigh as he rounds the car. Things have been shifting between us for some time.
I thought perhaps this was the moment we’d admit it to ourselves. He opens the door, and I keep my gaze trained on my lap as I move to step out. His hand on my shoulder gains my gaze. I peer up to find him holding out his hand. It’s a small concession that speaks volumes. I take it and allow him to help me outside. He closes the door and twines our finger, and my heart soars. This is going to happen. The agreement is unspoken, but as he smiles down at me in a way I’ve never seen before, I know I haven’t misread him.
Each step we take feels like one toward a new future.
***
Present
“We’re here.” The car stops, and I’m removed from my trip down memory lane. That event was a catalyst for the one great love of my life. I exit the car, and we board the small jet my father prefers to commercial flights. I follow behind him growing weary. The life of a single mother is rewarding but hard. Thanks to my degree, I have a good job as a pharmacist, but the balancing of work, homework, school trips, and sports is nearly impossible. I run on coffee, stolen moments of sleep, and a fake smile that hides the fact that I’m on the edge of falling apart half the time. Contrary to what most people think, money doesn’t solve everything.
Still, my beautiful boy makes it all worthwhile, though. His zest for learning and joyful countenance gets me through. I scrub my face with my hands and follow them inside the aircraft, eager to catch up on my sleep during the forty-five-minute flight. Papa can entertain Kier. As I drift off to sleep under a heavy blanket, my thoughts are filled with Alfie. I wonder what he’s doing now. I dare not look for fear that I’ll be caught. I know only that he’s alive and thriving. Exhausted. I let the beautiful abyss of nothingness take me away and shut down my brain.
Chapter Two
Althea