Page 63 of Taking The Virgin

My friend Donnahas left me the run of her house since she’s on the West Coast on business. I settle into this newest temporary home, wishing I were back in a mansion in New York, holding my breath and waiting for Owen to come tome.

The first chance I get, I make a visit to the bank to try and talk to them face-to-face about financing, but when I get there, a shock awaitsme.

The loan officer smiles at me over her desk. “We were just about to inform you, Miss Hope. Your entire mortgage has been paid off. You own the house outright.”

All I can do is stare at the woman. The only explanation is that Owen did this. He had to have. But afterward, when I try to call and text him, he doesn’t answer.

Yet I do get a call later when I’m back in Donna’s home. It’s from Owen’s lawyer—the head attorney from the team that represented me when the Terrys attempted to get my sister Jasmine away fromme.

“It’s a happy day, Miss Hope,” Mr. Bradley tells me. “The team has been coordinating the return of all your siblings behind the scenes. Your brothers and sisters are all coming back to you in a week’stime.”

Huh?

I start laughing wildly. “You’re not joking with me, are you? How…? When…?”

But he only instructs me that we’ll be in further touch soon. I don’t even have time to tell him that I don’t have a home for the kids to come backto.

As my mind turns with suspicions, I drive the beat-up car I kept at Donna’s to my family’s place. When I arrive to find that a contracting team is already working on the repairs and improvements, I nearly fall to my knees.

I find out that, once again, all this has been paid for by “my guardian angel.”

I’m bursting with gratitude, but Owen still won’t take my calls. His silence is telling me that these are his parting gifts to me. He’s obviously happy with how I helped his parents, or maybe he simply feels guilty about the way he treated me in theend.

Or maybe he’s only soothing his own conscience and nothingmore.

Whatever the case, I’m over the moon, but the joy always quickly subsides like a wave, the shattered remains of my broken heart revealed, sharp and wounding.

I really did fall for Owen despite my better judgment. I fellhard.

And, dear god, I miss him so, somuch.

* * *

“Surprise!”

A chorus of happy voices jars me out of my sleep, and I startle up in bed, opening my eyes to see four angels surroundingme.

Jemma, my sweet-sixteen sister who looks so much like me. Jason, the dark-haired “man of the house” at fourteen years old. Jake, who’s slightly younger and covered with impish freckles, and, of course, little eleven-year-old Jasmine with her braided redhair.

Jason shoves a wrapped gift at me as they allbeam.

“Happy birthday, Jules!” hesays.

They all clap while plopping down to my bed. I smile, cradling the gift to my chest. With all that’s going on, I’d almost forgotten that today, a sunny Saturday, is my birthday.

Things have been so busy ever since my siblings returned. Things have also been bittersweet, because I wish my parents were here to seethem.

I wish Owen were around to meetthem.

In spite of the joy of reuniting, there is so muchloss.

So much grieving to do in the midst of being happy…

I still miss my parents every second of every day. But beyond that, I miss himtoo.

Owen.

The thought of him still makes me ache, but I’m doing my best not to think of him anymore, even though I’m surrounded by the new smell of the refurbished house around us, the sight of new paint, furniture, carpeting, and windows.

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