Page 89 of Recipe for Temptation

Reese grinned. “She’s so beautiful, Dionne.”

“Isn’t she?” Dionne smiled down at the little girl now sitting on her lap. “She looks just like Deidra.”

Reese felt her heart clench. “Yes, she does.”

Their eyes met in a moment of shared sorrow.

“How’s Ian doing?” Reese asked quietly.

“He has good days and bad days. He misses her.”

“Of course.” Reese felt the familiar guilt welling up inside her. She turned and started walking back in the direction of Layla’s house.

Tears filled Dionne’s eyes, but she held them back. “I miss her, too.”

“I know you do,” Reese said softly. “You meant the world to her. She was so proud of you.”

Dionne sniffed and swiped a tear from the corner of her eye. When Faith eyed her curiously, she made a goofy face at her.

The baby’s giggle arrowed right to Reese’s heart. She touched the screen, wishing she could hold her, wishing she could bring her mother back.

Seeing the pain in her eyes, Dionne fixed her with a long look. “Deidra thought the world of you, Reese. She’d want you to be happy. I know you still feel guilty, but what happened wasn’t your fault. I hope you know that. And I…I hope you can find peace someday.”

Reese swallowed hard, trying to hold back the flood of emotions threatening to overwhelm her. “Thank you, Dionne. I want the same for you. For you and your whole family.”

“I know.” Their eyes held a moment longer before Dionne looked down at her niece, who had started to squirm. “I’d better go feed her before things get ugly.”

“Good idea.” Reese smiled gently. “Thank you for taking such good care of her, Dionne. I know it means a lot to Ian.”

Dionne shrugged one shoulder. “Deidra would’ve done the same for me.”

Reese nodded and waved at the gurgling baby. “Bye, Faith. Be a good girl for your auntie.”

“Oh, she is. She’s an angel.” Dionne grinned at Reese. “I’ll be tuning in every week to watch you and Michael Wolf. But just remember…you can’t quit your job.”

Reese smiled quietly. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Reese knew what she had to do.

She’d been putting off the inevitable for days, possibly even months. But everything had changed now, and she could no longer run from the truth: she and Victor were over. So there was only one thing left for her to do. She had to end their relationship.

She’d spent the day rehearsing what she would say to him. But when she called him later that night, she had to settle for leaving him a voicemail message: “Victor, this is Reese. We need to talk. I…I’ve made a decision about us, one that probably won’t come as a surprise to you. I really didn’t want to do this over the phone, but I see no other way. I…I’ve let this go on long enough.” She swallowed tightly and closed her eyes. “Please call me so we can FaceTime.”

When her phone rang an hour later, she assumed it was Victor and instinctively braced herself until she saw the name on the screen.

It was him. The man who’d infiltrated her defenses and stolen her heart, a heart she’d been unable to surrender to Victor. Because she’d been secretly saving it for him.

She pressed the answer button. “Hey,” she said shyly.

“Hey.”

A rush of tingles raced up and down her spine, and she let out a shivery breath. She was such a goner. Done-zo. Wrecked beyond repair.

“I miss you,” Michael said in that deep, intoxicating voice that was impossible to resist. “I want to see you.”

A wave of pleasure crashed over her, a riptide so powerful that all she could do was lean back against the headboard and close her eyes, a soft smile curving her lips before she spoke again.

---