Page 15 of Awaited Love with You (Wasted Love #3)
How it Goes
Autumn
T he gate swings open slowly as I pull into the estate, revealing the long, winding driveway bordered by manicured hedges and glowing lanterns. The house in the distance is lit like a beacon, tucked between the hills as if it’s been guarding my return.
For the first time, it feels like home.
But even as that warmth creeps into my chest, worry tugs at the edges of my thoughts. I haven’t heard from Ryder since the job began, and I don’t know if everything went to plan.
“Welcome back, Miss Jane.” Gunnar opens the back door for me and reaches for my hand. “There’s someone very excited to see you again.”
I look past him and see Adele smiling in the doorway, her eyes looking hopeful.
I rush to her and pull her into my arms, hugging her.
“I’m so happy you’re back here.”
She steps back, beaming and talking a mile a minute. “Let me show you the new practice room my dad installed last week. It’s way better seeing it in person.”
She grabs my hand and welcomes me back into her world like I never left.
Later that night, I pull a blanket over Adele while she sleeps. I press a kiss on her forehead and slip out of the room.
I call Ryder, but it goes straight to voicemail, and an uneasy feeling coils tight in my chest.
I stare at the screen, my thumb hovering over the call button like it might change something. I try again.
Still nothing.
A dull panic scratches at the edge of my thoughts.
I walk around the house, looking for Gunnar.
“Good evening, Miss Jane,” he says when I find him. “For the record, Mr. Rochester would prefer if I sent someone out to get you anything, if that’s what you’re about to ask.”
“Where is he?” I ask instead. “I just want to know if he’s coming back anytime soon…”
“I don’t know.”
“Did something happen?”
His eyes meet mine, uncertain—like he’s weighing whether he can trust me.
“He’s with the feds right now,” he says. “It’s a waiting game, like always.”
“How long is the typical wait?”
“Could be days, weeks, months.” He shrugs. “It all depends, but… he did manage to send me a message for you. I was about to bring it.”
“What is it?”
“Take care of Adeline for me.”
Two nights later
I’m going over the school drive routine with Gunnar, listening to him talk me through Adeline’s morning schedule since I’ll have to fall in line with it on Monday.
As I jot down the part about not pulling out of the parking lot until three of his guards give me the signal, the front door opens.
Ryder steps in. His eyes find mine immediately.
His expression is unreadable—not the look of a man whose plans succeeded.
And for a half second, it feels like we’re back at square one.
Like he’s looking at me as nothing more than an accessory to the house. An employee.
And I brace myself for that pain all over again.
Keeping his eyes locked on mine, he shrugs off his coat. Then he tosses something to Gunnar.
“Excuse me and Miss Jane, please,” he says, waiting for him to walk away.
Ryder stays where he is, just staring at me.
He doesn’t move closer.
“So?” I ask.
“So what?”
“I finished my job with Kylie.”
“I’m aware.”
“Did you finish yours?”
“Yes.”
“Are you going to let me in on what you had to do to finish it?”
He doesn’t answer.
Instead, he crosses the room, closes the distance in three strides, and pulls me into his arms like he’s afraid I might disappear.
My back slams gently against the wall as his mouth finds mine—hungry, forceful.
He kisses me like he’s making up for lost time, like he’s trying to memorize every part of me again.
His hand slips under my shirt, palm searing against bare skin, while his other arm braces beside my head.
His lips drag along my jaw, down my neck—biting, tasting—before crashing back to my mouth.
When he finally breaks the kiss, his breath is ragged.
He rests his forehead to mine, chest heaving, fingers still gripping my hips like I might vanish.
“It’s over,” he whispers, his voice hoarse. “It’s finally fucking over…”
End of Episode 14