Page 79 of Deceptive Desires

With those ominous and foreboding words, he turns back to his garden whistling once again.

And I’m left standing there, contemplating how much of my life I’ve hidden from Cecilia.

And how long before a gust of truth ruins it all.

Chapter 55

Cecilia

I’m watering the plants around the penthouse wondering how Roman kept them alive before I got here. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t know the care routine for a single one. I’ve never seen him tend to them.

“Hey, sunshine,” a sweet voice whispers from behind me, and I jump in surprise.

“Héroe, you scared me!” I tell him as I lightly swat his chest.

He grabs my hand quicker than I can track and presses it against his heart.

“Thank you for taking such great care of these plants. I was wondering if you wanted to pick out some for the balcony?” he offers.

“I’d love that!” I perk up at the idea.

This penthouse is beautiful. Practically my dream home. But I haven’t picked anything out or decorated it at all. I’d love to get some plants that I choose to decorate with. And when Gracie gets back, we’ll have to go thrifting and to some estate sales to get things to decorate with.

I told her about the apartment, and even though she was upset, she was happy I was okay.

Roman’s been fixing up the apartment. I refused his offer to pay someone to do it, so now on weekends or when he’s free, he’ll work on it. Sometimes I go with him. He’s banned me from using power tools after anincident, but I still make myself useful.

We haven’t made plans for what we’re doing when she comes back. I think she knows that as much as I love living with her, I don’t want to move out of Roman’s place. I love living with him. But I also don’t want to abandon her.

We’ll just have to see what happens.

“Why don’t you get dressed, sunshine, then we’ll go to the greenhouse,” he tells me as he wraps his arms around me from behind and pulls me into him.

I bask in his warmth for a beat, then make my way to our bedroom.

I stare at my closet, unsure what to wear. I’m fingering through my outfits when a hand stops on one and pulls it out.

“Why don’t you wear this one?” Roman whispers in my ear.

I look at the white maxi dress perfect for the summer with its breathable sleeves, empire waist, and loose bottom that falls to the ground. It even has small flower decals on it.

“Sure,” I tell him, giddy that he cares what I wear.

***

An hour later, I look out of the car window, unsure as to where we are.

Roman turns down a gravel road and continues on to what must be private property. We finally find a driveway that leads up to the most beautiful house I’ve ever seen. No, not a house. A mansion.

It’s Tudor revival style. The outside is stone with many windows. The two chimneys give it a warm, homey feeling. There’s a balcony above the patio full of plants. The gray roofing somehow perfectly matches the warm stone walls. There are lanterns all over, and to the side, a pond. It’s beyond beautiful.

“I don’t understand. I thought we were shopping for plants,” I tell him while staring out of the window, still mesmerized by the mansion.

“We are… sort of. There’s a greenhouse in the back.”

Roman gets out of the car, walks around, opens my door for me, and helps me out.

“Thank you.” I flash him a sweet smile.