They’d already taken so much. What was left? What did I love?
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
STELLA
MY RECOVERY HAPPENED SLOWLY. First, my bruises healed, and then my fingers. My cracked rib and my arm would take more time, though I was no longer stuck in a cast. The aches faded the further I got from the trial, but not the nightmares.
Teddy visited every weekend, bringing me treats from Baton Rouge. He didn’t mention Sin again, but his ire bubbled under the surface. I couldn’t explain it to him, no matter how much I wanted to. The truth would destroy him the same way it had the rest of his family.
Dmitri was gone, having caught a flight out on the same day as the trial, but I fell into our old routine. A relaxed version of it—light exercise and easy swims to help my body heal.
I often walked around the property, the sun growing hotter with each passing day as spring turned to summer. Every time I passed the levy or the house hidden in the woods, I felt a pull on my heart. But Sin was gone.
He hadn’t called, and he hadn’t even spoken to Teddy. He was on the beach with Sophia. Did she warm his bed at night? It would be foolish of me to think otherwise. The pain the realization caused just layered on the rest, like sand falling in an hourglass. I was buried beneath it, time weighing down on me as each second ticked closer to the final trial.
After one of my walks, I climbed the stairs to find Lucius waiting for me on the front porch, a glass of Scotch in hand.
“What?” I wiped the sweat off my brow with the back of my forearm.
“I have some news.” He stared ahead at the row of oaks. “Sit down.”
A stab of worry cut through me. “Teddy?”
“No, he’s fine.” He patted the seat next to him on the swing.
After considering for a few seconds, I sat, my feet dangling above the floor as he rocked us gently.
“Sin called.” He took a long draw from his glass.
I tried not to spend my days wondering what Sin was doing or imaging him with Sophia. I still wanted to believe that his courting of her was done out of the desire to win. It hurt, even if it was a charade. Every day that passed without a call or even a letter made my hopeful fire burn lower.
“What is it?” I kept my tone even.
“He and Sophia are coming back in three days.”
I pressed the tip of my toe to the floor, stopping the sway. “Cutting their trip short?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I’m not sure. He said they’ll be returning and to have the house ready for guests.” He didn’t look at me, his gaze still on the oaks.
Foreboding swirled in my stomach. “So?”
“So, he’ll be bringing her back here with him. He wants to have a get-together with the Oakmans and a few other families. Something to impress everyone.”
“What aren’t you telling me?”
The distant rumble of thunder foretold a storm brewing. Afternoons in the early summer always progressed too quickly, the volatile air mimicking the tumult inside me. Clear and sunny turned into dark and stormy in a matter of moments. Lucius swirled his drink around in his glass instead of answering me.
“Lucius?”
“Nothing. That’s it.” He downed the rest of his drink, his brown hair lifting in the warm breeze. “I just wanted you to know she’ll be here with Sin. Together. And he wants a welcome party and for you to look like a million bucks.” The corner of his mouth lifted in a small smile. “Shouldn’t be hard.”
He turned to look at me, finally giving me a glimpse of his sky blue eyes. “How are you?”
I studied him, his square jaw and full lips. “Why?”
He set his glass on the small side table and slung his arm across the back of the swing. “Can’t I ask how you’re doing without some ulterior motive?”
“No.” I moved to get up.
“Wait. I’m not going to do anything. I just want to talk.”
I arched an eyebrow at him. “Talk?”
“Yeah.”
“You sure?”
“Of course.” He smiled.
Though I knew he wasn’t capable of such an innocent motive, I didn’t care. Some sort of contact that didn’t involve Renee’s subterfuge or Teddy’s pity was more than welcome. I eased back down and let him push us back and forth. The cicadas sang in the trees along the edge of the grass that was freshly mowed in a diamond pattern. Despite his desire to talk, we sat silently for a while, the rhythmic creak of the swing the only sound between us.
Relaxing back into the cushion, I pulled my feet up under me and let him do the work. The movement was soothing, and despite our past, his presence was, too. I lay my head back on his arm and closed my eyes. We rocked as the sun fell behind the treetops and the rumbles of thunder grew louder. Rain scented the wind as flashes of distant lightning lit the sky.