Page 44 of Forbidden Grumpy Boss

The voice on the other end is loud enough for me to catch every word, even though I’m still too dazed to process them fully.

“They want to meet you and your family before they agree to the deal. It was bloody last minute, is what it is.”

Silas sits up, rubbing a hand over his face. “When?”

“I’m not sure yet. But it’s likely this weekend.”

There’s a pause. Then Silas glances down at me, his brows furrowing in thought. “You, your son, and your fiancée,” Kane adds, as if on cue.

Silas glances at me, raising an eyebrow. “A family trip.”

Family trip?

As soon as he hangs up, I narrow my eyes at him. “What was that about?”

He frowns, leaning back on the pillows, looking deep in thought. “We have to go to England, Leah. You up for that?”

A trip to England. With Silas. And Caleb. Pretending to be his fiancée. I should say no. I should definitely say no.

Instead, I find myself nodding. “Sure. Why not?”

What the hell am I doing?

As I curl up next to him, resting my head on his chest, my mind starts racing again. Am I doing this to get back at my father? Or am I falling for Silas all over again?

I don’t have an answer. Not yet.

Chapter sixteen

Silas

The nightmare clings tome like a bad smell—rotting memories of Ezra flash behind my eyes. He's there one minute, gone the next. Drowned in his demons and swallowed by the earth because I couldn’t save him. I jolt awake, gasping, chest tight.

But I’m not alone. Leah’s there. For once, I’m not alone.

Her fingers thread through my hair, soft, delicate, grounding. “It’s okay,” she whispers, voice smooth like velvet. “Everything’s fine.”

But it’s not. It hasn’t been for years.

I glance at her, taking in her long chestnut hair spilling over her shoulder and those brown eyes looking at me like she can fix me. She can’t. But damn, her touch makes me wish she could.

“You were thrashing in your sleep.”

I remain silent.

She strokes my cheek. “Ezra? You’re dreaming about him, aren’t you?”

I stiffen. Of course, she brings him up. It's the one topic I’ve spent years dodging. The one person who has a chokehold on my nightmares. Ezra.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” The words come out sharper than intended, and I sit up, pushing the sheet aside.

She leans back, watching me closely. “I didn’t mean to overstep, but Silas, it’s been years.”

“And I’m supposed to be over it, is that it?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You didn’t have to.”

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