Page 109 of Taming Grumpy Dr. Beast

I slid my finger under the edge of the envelope.

Dear Jaxon,

I can’t tell you the number of times I almost slipped and told you about finding this. I was hoping to make it special, something you could cherish forever. When I tore open the binding, I found this letter inside. I think maybe your grandfather hoped it would be you who found it some day.

Lily

xoxoxo

I opened the gift, not sure what I’d find. The back of a frame stared up at me. Slowly I turned it over, tears ribboning down my cheeks. The thin sheet of parchment inside, yellowed with age, tattered around the edges, held the unmistakable script of my grandfather. It was a letter to my grandmother about how he knew she was the one from the day they met. How, after hearing the story her family told that the book brought soulmates together, he believed it with all his heart. And how he wanted to pass on their love story, hidden in the book, for one of their descendants to find, was a lovely surprise.

This bookwasthe same one my grandmother had lost when she’d been admitted to the hospital. It seemed hard to believe after all this time, but I held the proof in my hands.

I drew in a shaky breath. And more importantly it had brought my soulmate to me, the woman I loved. I’d royally screwed up and didn’t know if I’d ever get her back. My heart wrenched in agony at the thought of never seeing her again.

Chapter Thirty

Lily

Engaged.

Paul passed a box of tissues to me from the front seat, his silent sympathy tugging at my heartstrings. He thought I was upset because something happened to my father, and I didn’t have the energy to correct him. I accepted the box and yanked out handfuls of tissues as I sobbed. How could I have been so wrong about Jaxon? I also should’ve known someone like Jess would never befriend someone like me. I felt like such a fool.

I crumpled the tissues into the palms of my hands while I wiped at my eyes and blew my nose. My emotions were too raw right now as anger and sadness intertwined and made a permanent place in my heart. I knew to be wary of Jaxon’s parents, but I’d never have expected that it was Jaxon I had to protect myself from.

I gave a wry chuckle that ended in a hiccup. It made sense now why he’d chosen not to introduce me to his parents. What could he possibly tell them in front of me that wouldn’t shatter his lies wide open? Maybe they were used to seeing him with flings while he bided his time until the day he married Jess.

And how could Jess let him openly cheat on her? I didn’t understand how two people could be so cold and deceitful.

It made me sick to think about how naïve I’d been.

The moment I entered the Billiards room, ice slithered into every crevice of my body when I heard his father say,What will people think when we announce your engagement to Jessamine?It played on a constant loop in my head. I remember staring at the small group, thinking I must have heard it wrong. There was no way this was true. But then Jaxon turned to me, and his guilty expression met mine. In that moment there was no doubt in my mind. He was engaged to Jess.

Our time together had been a fucking lie. And Jess taking me shopping was the icing on top of this poisoned cake.

I held back the urge to scream until my voice gave out. Poor Paul would likely have a heart attack if I did. Shivers wracked my body, and I regretted not grabbing my coat. I was just so damn cold. My hands shook as I reached for the climate control knob to turn up the heat.