Burned Hearts (Burned 3)

“I assume he left it to her. She’s been quite dedicated to him and this place always seemed to suit her. I honestly can’t imagine this house without Rosa in it.”

“Yes. That’s true.”

We exchanged a look. One that suggested we were on the same page. Which made my gut clench. Because we really weren’t.

I said, “Rosa has definitely been a significant person in his life. Dane didn’t trust many others and—”

“Ari.” Mikaela’s expression turned perplexed yet solemn. “Are you trying to soften me up for some reason?”

“I—um—huh.” Did she know what I was up to? Had she figured it all out?

I shook my head. Anyone could speculate that Dane was alive, wish it was so, feel a glimmer of hope. I’d done that myself. But until I’d seen him in reality, my wishful thinking had been simply that.

“Ari,” she said again. “I understand you worked for Dane and that you were close to him because of that association. We’re nearing the anniversary of the devastation of the Lux and his death and, well, I think you and Rosa memorializing the effort he put into the launch of the resort is extremely thoughtful.”

I stared at her, taken aback. That was what she thought tonight was about?

Granted, she had no other ideas to go on. But we were still a couple months away from the observation of that horrific time of our lives. Not something I wanted to think about, though I had to admit that recognizing the tragedy would have been on my mind had Dane not survived—making Mikaela extremely astute in this situation.

I sucked down my small glass of water and set the tumbler on the massive table in the middle of the room. Then I snatched the receiver on the landline and hit a button for an internal number. Rosa picked up and I quietly asked her to bring Amsel to the study.

I turned back to a confused Mikaela.

“Truly, I do want to thank you for coming,” I said. “I’m sure it’s not easy for you to be here, what with the memories and all that. Dane’s entire presence permeates this house.”

“Yes, it does.”

“Beyond all the pleasantries,” I told her, “I’d like to share something with you. I couldn’t do it over the phone.”

She finished her cocktail and returned both glasses to the wet bar. Then she told me, “Ari, I think I know what this is about.”

My brow rose. “You do?”

A soft laugh escaped her glossy lips. “Certainly. I saw how Dane looked at you when I came across both of you at El Rincon in Tlaquepaque. And then at the reception Anthony Delfino hosted for his daughter and her husband in Scottsdale. That time, Dane looked territorial. Like you were his. You have to know that’s why I wanted to get better acquainted with you.”

I hadn’t considered that, given the way she’d treated me initially. I’d operated on the assumption she was following the adage of keeping her friends close and her enemies closer. But I had to concede that I’d misjudged her from the get-go. Because I truly had been envious of her association with Dane. Especially the fact that she’d known him most of his life and likely was privy to secrets I previously wasn’t.

The tables had turned significantly. Now I was the one holding all the c

ards. It wasn’t a comfortable or even powerful position to be in when I felt the turmoil rage low in my belly.

Rosa came into the study with an animated Amsel in her arms. His little fists moved about as though he was rocking out to his own tune. He gurgled and gave a few half snorts. I seriously wished I could crawl inside his brain and figure out what amused him so. Perhaps he’d bypass his father’s Harvard footsteps and go into stand-up comedy.

I took the baby from Rosa. She gave Mikaela a hug and they each said it was good to see the other. Then Rosa stepped out of the room to give us privacy. I pulled in a long breath to steel myself before I peeled away the blanket and the beanie from Amsel’s head to show him off.

To show off the resemblance to Dane.

“Oh!” Mikaela actually jumped back a few inches, teetering slightly on her six-inch stilettos. “He’s fantastic, Ari! And he looks just like—oh!” Her hand pressed to her chest, over her heart. Then she lifted it to her mouth as astonishment flitted in her eyes. Finally, her palm flattened over her left breast again. “I suspected there’d been something between you and Dane but I had no idea—”

“I know. We didn’t really tell anyone. And when I discovered I was pregnant … I kept that an even bigger secret.” I hadn’t told Ethan, Qadir, Nikolai, or Jackson in the beginning. My dad and Kyle had known because they’d been with me at the hospital following the explosion, when tests had revealed the unexpected condition.

“He’s Dane’s son,” Mikaela said in bewilderment. “I can’t believe it. Except that he looks exactly like Dane when he was a baby. I’ve seen pictures. At the mansion in Philadelphia.”

“Would you like to hold him?” I offered.

She looked momentarily taken aback. I suspected it wasn’t a normal occurrence for anyone to ask if she wanted a kid in her arms. I’d been the same way, until recently.

Recovering somewhat from her shock, she accepted Amsel and inspected him closely. Not poking at the baby in the way Chelsea had done at the retreat, but definitely curious about him, fascinated by him.