Page 42 of A Midnight Romance

Lux

S tevie and I glance down at the primrose and white casket as I shove the check River gave me back into my clutch.

Although I didn’t know this woman personally, I do feel connected to her since we both had a shared experience.

I almost didn’t come when Stevie mentioned she was holding the memorial services for one of the women from the cabin.

But she ended up convincing me, saying it could be a good way to continue healing and to pay my respects.

When River found out, he offered to pay for all the expenses.

When I told him no, because it would be weird since they don’t know him or my connection with her, he told me he’d provide an anonymous check for a million dollars instead.

Obviously, I choked on my spit when I saw that many zeros, but I couldn’t turn down his generosity on behalf of the family. It wasn’t my place.

Since breakfast in the early morning hours yesterday, we haven’t had much time to speak. Stevie wanted my help at the mortuary, so I came here after a few hours of sleep, instead of going to River’s room. I had every intention to, but the weight of how to move forward feels intentional.

Without a doubt, he has feelings for me, but what does life look like for us now this is over? Will he be willing to let me join his world full time? If not, I don’t know how I’ll move forward .

River followed behind me as I drove into the city, but gave me the space to assist my sister with the services.

I look around the crowd of grieving people, when my eyes find a woman in a wrinkled dress hanging over the side of the casket. Her hair is tousled, her shoulder bounces through silent sobs, as her heart possibly shatters into a million pieces.

I’m about to ask my sister who she is when Stevie angles her head into the air and says, “That’s her mother.”

“I can’t imagine the heartbreak she’s feeling,” I say.

“She held off on having the services for a few weeks, because she was still in denial her daughter was gone.”

I rub my lips together, sadness feeling my chest. “Oh gosh.”

We’re silent for a beat before Stevie speaks. “How does it smell here? I’m trying hard to get rid of the heavy embalming fluid scent from the previous owners.”

She worked as a mortician for six years until the previous owners finally retired and sold the mortuary to her.

My brows furrow at her and I stifle a huffed laugh at the absurdity of her question. Leave it to my sister to care about how it smells in a funeral home. Breathing in heavily, I’m surprised when I am only hit with a light floral scent.

“Flowers, with a hint of an old building? Why does it matter?”

“It matters to my clients.”

“The dead people or their relatives?”

She rolls her eyes, eyelashes long and curled. “The deceased are my clients, my priority. I don’t want it to smell bad for them. The families are just here for support.”

I shake my head at her .

My sister’s respect for the dead has never ceased to amaze me. She’s devoted her life to making sure everything about their services are completed with honor and beauty. And it clearly explains why it was difficult for her to accept what River and I were doing at first, but that she understood.

Stevie grabs my hand bringing it up between us. “Who writes checks anymore? Actually, what billionaire writes checks?”

I yank my hand back. “River does what River wants.”

With a sly smile, she pulls her bottom lip between her teeth. “I know what River wants.”

“Stop it.” I quickly jerk my hand and tap her in the stomach. My cheeks flush at her comment. “Not here.”

“I’m going back to the entrance to see if the rest of the family needs help greeting the guests.” She pats me on the shoulder before pivoting, her high heels clicking the hardwood floors as she walks away.

“Okay, send Dad to find me when you see him arrive,” I tell her, even though she’s created a distance between us by now.

Now, standing alone, my heart aches for the person who saved me—who helped me vindicate myself and these women.

Wearing my new expensive dress, which was delivered to my bedroom just hours before I had to meet Stevie here at Nevermore Mortuary and Funeral Home, it glides across the floor as I walk to the window.

Pinching the white satin curtains, I pull them open to expose a dark and dreary morning.

My eyes fall to the black car with tinted windows across the street, parked beneath the shadows of an old cottonwood tree.

River— watching me like always. Monitoring my every movement, more now than ever before.

It bothered me at first—an unsettling, creepy sort of way I found surprisingly erotic.

But now, after the almost two months we’ve had together, I take comfort in it .

My eyes bore into the dark tint on the driver’s side door, and when it unexpectedly opens a sharp inhale force from my lungs.

First, I see his black boots hit the pavement, then his large stature, dressed entirely in black, slides from behind the door.

His sunglasses mask the delicious darkness in his eyes on this typically cloudy day.

With a quick flick of his hand, the door shuts.

Facing me, his energy sears into my chest, tethering me to him.

River leans back against the car with his arms folded and his ankles crossed.

With a quick nod, he acknowledges my peering out of the window.

His energy sears into my chest, tethering me to him with security.

My focus slides back to the woman’s mother, still hunched over. I bet she never imagined having to bury her child—especially under these circumstances.

Mustering up the courage, I make my way toward her.

“Ma’am?” I whisper, and with a tender hand I rest my palm on her shoulder.

She lifts, her makeup smudged and eyes bloodshot. “Yes?”

“I’m Lux, Lieutenant Levinson’s daughter,” I say. “His team worked on your daughter’s case.”

Her lips pursed together, forming a small smile. “Thank you for coming, Lux.”

I smile while clutching her hands in mine. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

A tear rolls down her raw cheek. “Thank you, dear.”

“I know nothing can bring her back, but I would like to give this to you.” I slide the check from my purse and tuck it into her palm. “It’s from a very important person to me.”

Confused, she unfolds the paper, but her expression turns into shock. “What is this?”

“It’s something to make life a little easier. ”

Flustered, her arm shoots out, attempting to hand the check back to me. “I can’t accept this.”

“I insist, please.”

“How can I?” The grieving mother’s eyebrows knit together. The amount is nothing to River, but it is life changing for most people and is why I understand her apprehension to accept such a gift.

“There are no strings attached.”

“Are you sure?” she asks again. An honest disbelief anyone would ever give a stranger that amount of money. “Who is it from?”

“Yes, I’m sure,” I say firmly. “The donor would like to remain anonymous, but I can tell you he would be heartbroken if you did not take it.”

Her eyes darted down to the sum in her hands, then flicker back to mine. “Did you know Crystal?”

I swallow hard, searching for the words to explain to this woman’s mother what she meant to me. “We worked on a project together once.” I come up with it on the fly. “She left a lasting impression.”

The woman’s face scrunches as she tries to mask the pain she is experiencing. “That was my Crystal.”

The backs of my eyes sting with tears and forgoing holding them in, I let them fall. “Thank you for allowing me to give you this gift.”

“Thank you .” A grateful smile cracking through her sorrow. “I just wish we had more information about the case.”

“I hope one day they’ll find who did this.”

Another “guest” approaches her, so I excuse myself and go find my family. Stevie and Dad are chatting in the corner of the foyer. I hurry over to them, my heart still aching from the conversation with Crystal’s mother.

“How are you doing?” My dad pulls me in for a hug.

“I’m good. ”

“It was nice of you to come,” my dad says.

“Of course.” I cross my arms at my chest from a slight chill in the air. “This case has touched us all.”

“It has.” He glances off into the distance, his eyes scanning the room before coming back to mine. “So, how’s writing?”

I nod. “This story is taking a little longer and has kept me busy.”

“You’re so driven, Lux.” My dad smiles, cupping my cheek with his palm. “I’m proud of you both, I hope you know that.”

“Thanks, Dad,” Stevie and I respond in unison.

My dad clicks his tongue. “Well, since the leads have dried up and the FBI has fully taken over the cabin women case, I’ll have more time again to spend with my two best girls.

” My dad tries to play if off like this is just part of the job, but I know he’s bothered about not being able to close it himself.

“Great,” Stevie deadpans. “More family dinners.”

I laugh, but still curious about the next steps. “So, everything has been handed over?”

“Yeah.” He shrugs. “It’s for the best. It’s been almost two months without another incident, so the working theory is whoever was involved either got scared away or, as we suspect Andrew Hughes has, maybe they’ve left the country.

But as I mentioned before, the FBI has taken over the case.

My involvement is being phased out at this point,” he repeats, almost like he’s still trying to convince himself he’s accepted this outcome.

“Hmm.” I rub my lips together, acting like this is brand new information.

“We had a team respond to a commercial fire up north yesterday morning.” My stomach flies into my throat. Andrew. “It was purchased with an LLC matching a few other new builds in the county. So we’re working on that now.”

I guess he doesn’t know it’s Andrew’s property yet.

“Interesting.” Stevie taps her chin. She’s horrible at this. My sister has the worst poker face.

“Do you think it’s related to the cabin case?” I rush out, diverting focus away from Stevie. “Like, will the FBI take over this one, too?”

“We did at first, but forensics found no bodies or human remains.” He’s perplexed by this revelation. “And yeah, they’ll be taking it over.”

No remains?

We burned Andrew, and from what River and Sebastian said, the police would mostly likely to find something. I wonder if Hayden and the guys went back and removed everything?

Silence.

Picking up an increase in tension from Stevie’s energy, I can tell she has the same questions as I do. We exchanged another brief look. I’ll talk to River about it when we leave later.

“Lux has a new boyfriend,” Stevie blurts out with a smile, fulfilling her need to change the subject.

Not expecting those words to hit the air, I turn to my sister, eyes bulging and with my mouth agape. “Not the time or place.”

Stevie innocently shrugs her shoulders at her own impulsivity. “What?”

“Luxy?” my dad calls me by the nickname he’s used since I was a kid. “You do? That’s wonderful.”

A little annoyed, but also wanting to gush about River, I blew out an exasperated breath. “Yeah, uh, I am seeing someone.”

Stevie leans in, resting her head on my dad’s shoulder. “And he’s a billionaire. ”

“Unbelievable.” I shake my head, bothered by her remarks.

My dad’s eyes widened. “He’s a billionaire ?”

Scratching the back of my head, I tap my heel on the floors. “Yeah. He is.”

“He owns Thompson Innovations.” Stevie’s on a roll and she will not stop.

“Thank you, my lovely little sister, for revealing this piece of important information.”

She lifts her head to even our gaze, with an imperious smirk. “You’re welcome.”

“Wow.” My dad’s face beams. “That’s great. I’d love to meet him, do a background check and—”

I extend my arm, palming my dad’s chest. “Okay, enough. Let’s talk more about this later.”