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“I had an interesting day.” A muscle twitched in his jaw. “You’re the perfect distraction for me.”

“What happened today?”

His eyes darkened as he rose from his chair and walked over to me. “I got to experience the bad and the good today.” He offered me his hand.

I took it and stood. Whatever happened today must’ve been awful. If he wanted to tell me, he would have already, so I didn’t pressure him. Based on my experience, you had to push the ugly aside sometimes so you could breathe.

So I gave him the space he needed and became his perfect distraction simply by being his fiancée.

“Let me give you a tour upstairs. I don’t want you getting lost when I’m not home.” He held my hand, leading me up the stairs.

“I fear I might spot a woman’s underwear hiding in your bedroom,” I teased.

He squeezed my hand. “You must have hidden yours in there while I was out.”

He tossed me a lustful look that had my core tightening. Was that an act too?

When he stepped inside, I glanced around at the spacious room with the king-size bed, which looked welcoming with its taupe and gray sheets. I turned to a spacious extension with tall windows and comfy couches.

“This must be where you hide your sex toys.”

“You’re so smart.” He lifted my hand and kissed it. “How do you know everything?”

My skin heated where his lips touched. The SSG mission sparked in my head. I’d almost forgotten about it. I could use this opportunity to confirm his intentions. Was this all fake, or did he have genuine feelings for me?

What if I discovered they weren’t real? My chest tightened. I’d think about that later. He considered me a distraction from whatever had bothered him today. But he was also my distraction.

We were using each other to fill a void.

The fancy curtains dressed the tall windows beautifully. Framed kids’ drawings hung on one wall. I released my hand from his grip and walked over. Some drawings had burned edges. I smiled at the happy sun with the adorable clouds. One drawing of a family of stick people was incomplete because the other portion had been burned away. I loved looking at children’s drawings. They conveyed a sense of wonder, magic, and hope that adults often forgot. The residual of fire had tainted the joy in these drawings. What happened to them?

I turned to see Attikus leaning against a side table, watching me. “Whose drawings are these? They’re precious.”

He walked up to the family drawing and ran his fingers along the gold frames. “My younger sister. Amelia was a great artist. She drew our family when she was only four. When she was in middle school, she could illustrate anime better than me. I wish I had some of those illustrations. She wanted to be an artist when she grew up.”

The tone of his voice changed, and his fingers curled. I sensed his pain, so I took his hand in mine.

“I can see her talent.”

I wanted to ask what happened to his family, but he pulled me to him. “You have an incredible talent, Lily Pad.”

“What’s that?”

“For making me feel better.”

I sensed his erection against my belly and lost my breath. Things were moving too fast. Right now, he seemed vulnerable. I didn’t want him to make a mistake he’d regret later.

My eyes darted to the family picture frame sitting on the side table behind him.“Is that you?” I broke free from him, stepped over to the table, and picked up the picture frame. “You were a cute boy. What a beautiful family photo.” When I looked closer, I saw it also had smoke stains. “You and your sister are a beautiful blend of your parents.”

“Thank you.”

The photo also showed the spark of a young Attikus. His eyes revealed a powerful glimpse into his soul—hope and motivation that could inspire the world.

I looked up at him.

“What?” he asked.

“You still have that spark.” I patted his cheek.