Page 140 of An Inevitable Marriage

Clearly, texting wasn’t conveying my tone correctly. I called her instead.

“Hi.” Her sweet voice filtered through the line after the second ring.

“I’d never make fun of you,” I said by way of greeting. “What makes you happy makes me happy. Got it?”

A faint laugh filtered through the line. “Got it. Will you be home soon?”

Something hot and sharp unfurled behind my ribs, so incredibly intense I brushed my fingers over the spot.

“Just about ready for takeoff,” I said, my voice rough with emotion. “I have one more meeting when I land, and then I’m coming home.”

“That’s good.” She paused, and when she spoke again, her voice was cheerful. “And you’re still not going to tell me where you went? Your note this morning was very vague, and you’ve ignored every message about where you are.”

I didn’t feel fantastic about keeping the truth from her, but I knew if I’d told her earlier where I’d gone and what I’d wanted to do, she’d have stopped me.

“Nope.” I chuckled. “It’s killing you, isn’t it, my curious little wife?”

“Oh my gosh, yes.”

I laughed again. “Maybe if you pick a really, really good scene from that book you’re reading, I’ll tell you.”

Snow sucked in a breath. I knew the sound so well. If I stood before her right that second, I’d see those pretty eyes growing wide as she tugged her lip between her teeth.

“We never did get to recreate one of your book scenes, did we?” I went on, lowering my voice. “We’ll have to fix that.”

“Yes,” she breathed out.

Fuck, just hearing her voice all soft and wispy like that had me rock-hard in two seconds flat. Thank heaven I was the only passenger on the plane and the single attendant I had kept herself busy elsewhere.

“Find that scene, Snow, and I promise I’ll more than make up for leaving you alone in bed this morning.”

With another sexy “Yes” falling from her lips, we said our goodbyes. As much as I hated letting her go, I was just as anxious to be home with her. That desperate need to be with her quickly made way for something else when I drove along a familiar winding driveway a few hours later.

I’d swore I’d never go back there but knew if I wanted to give my future with Snow the chance it deserved, it was something I had to do.

That was why, even though my heart beat two times too fast, I walked up to the door and tapped the thick knocker against the wood. I wasn’t too surprised when Bailey opened the door a few moments later.

My grandfather never could do anything himself. And things like answering a door were beneath him, after all.

“Master Liam,” the old butler said with a slight bow. “What a pleasant surprise.”

I was no master of him, but the one time I’d convinced him to call me by my first name, we’d both felt the wrath of Theodor Maxwell Sr.

“Good to see you, Bailey.”

He moved to the side, and I stepped into the house where I’d spent most of my childhood. A tangible uneasiness settled beneath my skin, dripping into my pores and moving through my veins like a living, breathing thing.

I hated this place. Hated what it stood for. But most of all, I hated the fucking secrets it kept.

“Your grandfather is in his study,” Bailey interrupted my thoughts. “Shall I inform him of your presence?”

Shaking my head, I pulled my phone out. “If it’s all the same, I’d rather surprise him.” After pressing a few buttons, I slid the device back into my pocket and turned my attention to the older man. “If he gives you shit when I leave, know that I can and will take care of you and your wife. You no longer have to stay here and deal with him.”

Without waiting for his response, I went to my grandfather’s study. It was on the other side of the mansion, and walking down the hallways felt like walking to my doom.

With an internal growl, I shoved the feeling aside because fuck if I’d allow him or his sickening bloodline to have a hold on me any longer. It ended here and now. With that thought, I managed to keep myself steady until I stood before his door.

For a fraction of a moment, I was a young boy crying about the loss of his mother with a hardened man standing in front of him, yelling that it was about time he got over it.