Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 87289 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87289 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Lilah tears off another piece of croissant. “What does River think about all this?”
My throat tightens. “River’s been everything Zane never was. He’s steady and kind. Nora adores him. And I…” My words trail off. “I think I’m falling in love with him.”
Lilah rubs circles on my back. “Then let yourself fall.”
“It’s not that simple,” I admit.
“Sure it is,” Rina says, her tone blunt but not unkind. “Zane talks a good game. River lives it. One’s a performance. The other’s real.”
“You don’t need someone who says he’s changed,” Sloane adds. “You need someone who shows you every single day without asking for credit.”
I stare into my coffee as their words settle within me, heavier than I expected. “It’s hard to believe Zane would lie about paying off my loan. That he’d take credit for something another man did.”
Even as the words leave my mouth, doubt creeps in. If there’s one thing Zane’s always been good at, it’s bending reality to fit his narrative.
“That’s exactly what you need to find out,” Lilah says gently. “You deserve the truth so you can make a decision based on facts, not assumptions.”
The door opens, and my head snaps up, a spark of hope flaring before I can stop it. But it’s just the delivery guy, balancing a crate of milk and cream in his arms.
The breath I’ve been holding slips out in a shaky exhale, and I press a hand to my chest, as if it will calm the pounding underneath.
It doesn’t.
I go through the motions of signing the receipt, offering a polite smile, and thanking him, but my thoughts are all over the place. They’re still caught on the phone call from the bank. On the weight of the loan hanging over my head for years. And the quiet, steady man who has shown up for me in ways I never asked for but desperately needed.
Deep down, in a place that realized the truth long before logic caught up, I already know who paid off the debt.
It wasn’t Zane.
It was River.
It’s always been River.
The man who let me and my daughter move into his home without hesitation. Who gave me his bed, his trust, and his protection without needing anything in return.
The man who didn’t need to say the right things because his actions have always spoken louder than his words.
He’s been there.
Every single time.
Without questions or conditions.
And suddenly, the weight of the lies Zane fed me feels suffocating.
“Sloane,” I say quietly, setting my coffee down on the table. “Would you mind holding down the bakery for a bit? I need to take care of something.”
Her eyes narrow, already sensing the direction this is going. “Where are you headed?”
“Zane’s place,” I say as I rise to my feet and untie my apron. “I think it’s time we had an honest conversation.”
Sloane nods. “Of course.”
“I’ll stay and help too,” Lilah says, rising and gathering empty mugs. “Go get your answers.”
“Same,” Rina chimes in, already pulling her long dark hair into a high ponytail. “I’m in full-on avoidance mode today anyway.”
“Oh?” Lilah smirks. “Let me guess… Oliver finally figured out what being auctioned off actually means?”
A slow grin tugs at the corner of Rina’s mouth. “Bingo. The look on his face was priceless. I haven’t laughed that hard in weeks.”
A reluctant smile lifts my lips as I shake my head. “You’re so bad.”
“Guilty as charged,” Rina says with zero remorse. “He should try to remember that more often.”
“Thank you,” I say, glancing at each of them in turn. Their support isn’t flashy, but it’s solid and steady.
Much like River.
As I make my way to the door, Rina calls out, “Let us know if you need backup. I’m only half joking.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I toss over my shoulder as relief threads through me.
For the first time all day, I feel a little more grounded and a little less like I’m unraveling at the seams.
44
Callie
Once I’m in the car, I pull up the address for Zane’s new high-rise he moved into not long after filming started for his reality show with Gigi.
I’ve never been there before.
When he visits with Nora, it’s always at my place. Occasionally, he’ll take her to the park or out for ice cream, but those visits are short-lived. He panics if she cries, gets flustered when she refuses to eat, and has absolutely no idea what to do when she’s overtired or clingy.
It doesn’t escape me that River is the exact opposite. He stepped into our lives with quiet confidence, responding to Nora’s needs as if he’s been doing it for years.
As if he enjoys it.
As if he always saw us as a package deal and never questioned if it was too much.
A lump forms in my throat as I pull out of the lot behind the bakery and merge into the slow crawl of mid-morning traffic.