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Cadence

PRESENT TIME

I see him even before he sees me, and my heart jerks to a stop at the sight of him.

Tall and lethal like a swordsman.

Raven black hair and smoke-gray eyes.

Skin like golden ivory, and a presence so sexually potent it makes a girl's heart skip a beat just by being near him.

And mine still isn't any different, unfortunately.

You'd think after all this time, my heart would know better than to react tohim.

AKA...

The love of my life.

The one who got away.

The man who once promised—-

Oh my gosh, Cades, get a grip!

It's just him.

Just Keiran de Laigny.

And it's been three years, two months, and nineteen days since he walked out of my life.

Not that I've been counting.

I'm just, um, good with numbers.

And regrets.

Laughter spills from the dining room as I stare through the kitchen's two-way glass. He's seated with all the town's power players, and he looks so utterly at ease with them. No, scratch that. Keiran doesn't just look like he belongs. If anything, he looks as if he's their master, and everyone around him is simply there to either do his bidding or worship at his feet.

Stop it, Cades.

Stop looking at him.

Stop being pathetic.

My brain is near tears as it pleads with me, but I just can't seem to look away. Is it just me or have the chiseled angles of his face become more prominent over the years? Is it just me or does he look more cruel now, more intimidating, and somehow, more beautiful as well?

The girls at the next table giggle behind their wine glasses, but Keiran doesn't even glance their way. Then again, that's how he's always been.

And now that I'm no longer the naïve wide-eyed girl he once married, I know that's how he will always be.

A one-man woman, even if his ruthless ways suggest otherwise.

Gemma bursts into the kitchen, eyebrows hiking in puzzlement. "Cades?"

This is usually the time I make my rounds and welcome old and new diners alike to my restaurant. It doesn't matter if they're rich or poor. If they're just ordering coffee or the most expensive items on our menu.

It's all about making everyone feel at home, the way I never got to feel welcomed and accepted in mine.