Page 350 of The Life of Anna-Tenth Anniversary Edition: Act 1

“Where are we going?”

“Home.”

Anna drew her brows together. “I’m pretty sure this isn’t the way to your house.”

Alex pulled her close. “It is the way to our house.”

She tilted her head. “What do you mean?”

“I sold my house. I wanted to start fresh with you. So I bought us a beautiful house in a nicer neighborhood.”

Where he’d lived before was a very nice neighborhood. “You bought a new house?”

Alex nodded. “A house that is only ours. No past memories. A place to make new memories together.” He stroked her stomach. “And raise our baby.”

Anna smiled and leaned against his chest. “I think it’s wonderful.”

Heinrich, Alex’s uncle who was a doctor, had examined Anna before they flew home and said everything looked great. She could dance for several more months, though whether or not she could perform was up to Isaak. Alex was confident she’d be able to dance La Bayadere in February, though much beyond that might be difficult.

The idea of not dancing for a while didn’t bother Anna as much as she thought it would. Being Alex’s wife made her feel like a whole new person. She had nothing to fear from Devin anymore. And Alex would never hurt her. She didn’t need to dance to keep herself sane. She could dance just because she loved to do it.

Anna sighed, content and happy.

They were near Presidio when the town car pulled up to a gate. The driver entered a code into a keypad, then drove down a curved road. He parked in front of a wide, two-story white house with arched windows across the bottom floor and square windows on the upper floor. Flowers lined the cobblestone walkway leading to the door. Steps led up to the front door, which had an arch in front of it, made up of some sort of vine.

“Oh, Alex!” Anna stepped out of the vehicle and clapped her hands. “It’s beautiful!”

Alex swept her up off her feet and carried her up the walkway. Frau Gersten opened the door and greeted them with a warm smile. “Guten Morgen, Herzog. Guten Morgen, Herzogin.”

Anna gasped as he carried her into the entryway. White marble floors stretched out before them, welcoming them deeper into the house, past the marble columns on either side of the door. Two additional columns stood on either side of the wide marble staircase leading to the upper floor. Off to the right, she could see a large dining room, and to the left, what looked like a formal living room.

“When did you buy it?” Anna slowly turned in a circle, trying to see everything at once.

“I was looking around when I was out here in August,” he said. “I had Kurt sign the papers when he was here for Nutcracker. I couldn’t risk anyone knowing I was buying, so Kurt ‘bought’ it and then had it transferred into our names after we were married.”

“It’s wonderful,” she sighed.

Alex took her hand and gave her a tour. The main floor consisted of a large living room, a library, a great room, a dining room, and a kitchen with a breakfast nook. The top floor had a huge master suite and three additional bedrooms, including a small one next to their bedroom that Alex said would be a perfect nursery. Downstairs was a media room, gym, suite for Frau Gersten, two bedrooms for Seth and Tony, and a three-car garage.

Both Anna’s and Alex’s cars were parked in the garage, along with the SUV Seth and Tony had driven from the airport. Anna’s things had been moved from her apartment to the house. Jenna, Anna was happy to learn, had moved in with Matt while they were gone.

Chapter 163

As the sun went down, Alex and Anna were cuddled up on the couch in the library when the doorbell rang. They looked at each other, surprised. Neither had told anyone they were back in town yet, wanting to wait until the next day so they could have one last night together alone.

Frau Gersten’s footsteps echoed in the entryway and they listened as she opened the door. A few minutes later, she appeared in the doorway. “Devin Andersen to see you, Herzog.”

Anna’s stomach lurched and she slapped her hand over her mouth. She stared at Alex, not wanting to leave, but certain she was going to vomit.

“Do you remember where the bathroom is?”

Anna nodded and ran out of the library. She ran behind the stairs to the powder room, closing the door behind her and falling to her knees in front of the toilet. After she’d thrown up, she rested her head on the wall for a few minutes before standing. She cleaned her mouth out with water from the sink.

Why was Devin here? What did he want? Did he want her already? She wanted to spend her first evening home with Alex, not Devin.

She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes, reminding herself that she didn’t need to worry. Alex would never let Devin take her away from him.

“I don’t need to be afraid of him,” she whispered to herself. “I’m not afraid of him.” She opened the door and walked slowly toward the living room, head raised, to where she heard Alex and Devin talking.

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