Page 19 of Lush

“Are you coming downstairs or not? What should I tell Mama?”

Noelle shot a glance between us, her eyes flicking back and forth. “She needs a moment, Rena.”

“A moment?” Serena pursed her lips. “Or are we going to have a repeat of the last time, when she made a grand escape?”

I exhaled slowly. “I’m here now.”

“People are starting to ask questions. Mama doesn’t like that.”

She turned, her back straight, her exit a dismissal.

“Just follow your heart, alright? No need to stress. It’ll all work out.” Noelle pulled me into another tight hug. “We gotta have a girls’ day. Café L’Amour for brunch. Just us four—you, me, Serena, and Gigi. Like old times?” she murmured.

I barely heard Noelle’s voice as we left my room and walked toward the stairs. The hallway went on forever, and each step felt harder than the one before. The walls felt like they were closing in on me; the air was heavy and hard to breathe. After six years, I’d be seen again.Nausea hit me.

I gripped the polished railing, knuckles white, my breathshallow. The chandelier overhead glittered too bright, its crystals catching the light in a way that made my vision spin.

The moment we reached the first floor, noise slammed into me—music, chatter, glasses clinking.

I cannot be having a panic attack right now. I don’t have fear. I prepared for this, damn it, and I can get through it.

I tried to focus on the art adorning the walls, but everything around me pulsed.

“Noelle.” A cold sweat broke out across my skin. “I…I need air.”

She glanced at me. “What? Are you?—”

“I need to get outside.” Without another word, I yanked at the hem of my gown and darted down the hall toward the back patio.

The doors flew open, and the chilly night air hit me hard. I leaned against the wall, my fingers shaking as they pressed against my flushed cheeks, eyes closed tight, just trying to breathe. The noise faded away to nothing but rustling leaves and distant waves.

I pushed off the wall, my steps more deliberate. My old garden. The one Daddy planted for me.

I thought Mama would have gotten rid of everything that reminded her of me. I never expected it to remain intact. Sitting on the bench, I let the scent of the roses surround me, but it was smoke that hit—strong, pungent.

Reese.

I saw his cigarette brighten, then fade. A dark shape, shifting against the quiet night, came from the shadows.

I could feel his eyes on me, steady and intense.

“Laurene.” The man who had once held my heart in his hands, like he knew he’d own it forever. “You’re back.”

CHAPTER 4

Laurene

“Yeah,”I whispered, eyes locked on his. “I’m back.”

He didn’t just occupy the space; heownedit. His energy…Fuck. It was wild, untamed, like a storm brewing in the distance, ready to tear through everything.

“Didn’t think I’d see you here again.”

“Neither did I,” I said.

God help me.

His eyes, blazing green, cut right through me. Pure rage, and something way worse that made my pulse jump.

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