Page 50 of Promised Love

My loner heart found its twin flame in the one I’ve promised to set free.

I take another whiff of her sandalwood and orchid smell before pulling back, and she takes the hint.

It’s so fucking hard not to run my hand over her scarlet cheeks, knowing I’m the reason for that blush.

“I can’t believe this, Lukas.” Her disbelief is evident in her big eyes. “I don’t know what to do,” she whispers, digging her teeth into that bottom lip and looking at me as if I’m the goddamn answer to all her questions.

I know if we stay standing in her warm and cozy office for any longer, I’ll definitely do something stupid. To save us both from myself, I tell her, “Proper planning would be a good start. You’ll impress your clients more if you have some solid plans to discuss tonight.”

“Oh, yes! Yes!” She almost flies to the desk and grabs her laptop and notes. “I’ll be with Chiara. I’ll see you in a few hours.”

When she leaves the room, I take another deep breath and inhale the faint whiff of sandalwood and orchids she left behind.

I enter the suite and call Connor so we can devise a tentative plan. A few hours later, I send an email to Andy Bruno for his input.

* * *

Mr. Big drives us to the cabin that Maddy has rented for a week.

“I can’t believe they’re living in Cherrywood for three days and no one had a clue about it.” Autumn, who’s sitting beside me on the back seat, has a dreamy lilt in her voice. “I’m now wondering what other celebrities have graced our town with their presence.”

“Some of my friends once told me they saw Julie Andrews at a local restaurant,” Mr. Big adds. “I lurked around that place every day for a month hoping to catch a glimpse of her.”

“I didn’t know you had a thing for Mary Poppins, Mr. Big.” Autumn’s eyes dance with mischief, and I can’t help the small smile pulling on my lips.

“What can I say? I was a young boy, and she was quite pleasing to look at.”

Autumn chuckles, and every time she’s laughed, smiled, or giggled these past few days, I’ve felt like there was a new light in the world meant only for me.

My life has done a complete one-eighty since my arrival in Cherrywood. Starting from superficial things, like having a regular breakfast of protein shakes to a sumptuous plate of pancakes, bacon, and nuts. From living an almost lonely life to every other person asking about my health and if I need something. I’d have thought I’d run for the hills at watching this much chaos. But I can’t.

Because in all this humdrum, there’s a flicker of happiness that surrounds my dead heart whenever Autumn is around. Being with her is like…coming back to a home I didn’t know I even had.

We finally reach the cabin. When we get out of the car, Mr. Big reminds us to shoot him a text so he can be here to pick us up on time. The invite from Maddy was for dinner and drinks, and we didn’t want to take any risks, especially when my arm, even out of the sling, twitches like a motherfucker every once in a while.

A butler opens the door when we ring the doorbell, and we follow him to the patio.

“Welcome, guys,” Maya greets us and leads us to the couch, where there’s a fire roaring.

Andy waves at us from the grill station, where he’s standing with a chef as the thick smell of barbecue fills the air. After giving a final pat to his chef, he marches toward us.

“Thank you for having us.” Autumn hands Maya a bouquet she’s meticulously arranged with the flower shop owner on our way while I present Andy the whiskey bottle Mr. Big and I picked up earlier.

“Thank you so much, but you really didn’t have to bring anything.” Maya smiles as we all take seats.

The view from this place is breathtaking, reminding me of my best friend Zane Teager’s house. Remembering him, I’m once again filled with guilt. We haven’t talked since the accident, at least not properly. The Teagers have texted me, including the wives—Rose, Hope, and Vienna—asking about my health, but I know they’re still upset with the fact that I kept Autumn’s existence a secret.

“Have you guys visited Cherrywood before?” Autumn asks as Andy pours champagne in four flutes.

“No and I regret it so much.” Maya looks around. The sky isn’t dark yet, and there are pink and purple hues of evening light in the sky. “I’m so thankful to Vienna Teager, the blogger of Beauty in Food, for tagging your inn in her wedding pictures. If I could, I’d send her a bouquet of roses.”

“You could if you like. Her husband is Lukas’ best friend.” As soon as the words are out of Autumn’s mouth, she looks at me with wide eyes.

And I fucking hate it. I hate that there are so many boundaries between us. I hate that she thinks there’s a part of my life that’s prohibited to her. She doesn’t know everything I’ve done, every friend I’ve betrayed, it was all for her.

I fucking hate that my web of lies is catching up to her in a way I never wanted.

“Really?” Maya asks. Her forehead crinkles in surprise before there’s a spark of excitement in her eyes. “Do you think we can work with her for the wedding? She does very cute food styling, which, to be honest, I really haven’t seen much of.”

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