Page 43 of The Crowned Garza

Soon, we’re outside his multi-level, craftsman-style house in Silver Lake.

“You’re still here?” I ask as we exit the car. “I thought you already moved out.”

“Kinda.”

No one thought it possible, but Torin Garza, the man with a heart made of stone, is freshly in love. Head over heels for a billionaire heiress. They recently bought a new house in Glendale and, as far as I’m aware, that’s where he’s been living.

As if I’ve never been here before, he guides me through the front gate, along the path paved through the well-kept lawn and garden, and up the steps to the house. He pauses for a beat before opening the door.

When he does, a loud “POP!”has me damn near jumping out of my skin. Colorful confetti rains down on me. “What…?”

Torin’s girlfriend, Lyra, is standing in the main area of the open-floor plan house, grinning broadly and holding a large decor plaque that reads, “Welcome Home, Tillie.”

Blinking rapidly as I try to make sense of what’s happening, I brush strips of confetti off my face. “I...don’t understand…?”

Torin comes up and shoves a manila envelope at me. “Deed to the house.” He swings the keys around his forefinger before handing them to me. “Keys to the house. Happy birthday, T.”

A hot minute passes before it all registers. “What are you—wait, you’regivingme your house? Like, all of it? Land and everything?”

Lyra giggles, clapping gleefully.

“Yeah, storm chaser,” he answers with a barely-there smile. “It’s all yours now.”

At that, I scream. I leap at him and lock my arms around his neck, trying to climb him like a spider monkey. Thanking him with unintelligible, emotion-filled words.

Torin peels me off him, muttering something about me having the charge force of a bull and to start wearing real clothes instead of scraps of material. But I’m too jubilant right now to take umbrage, jumping up and down with glee, dancing around like an excitable toddler who just got her first Black Barbie.

“Expect a call from Magnolia Glades tomorrow,” Lyra tells me once I’ve settled down. “She’s at your disposal for a fresh design to suit your tastes. All expense on us.”

Magnolia is a killer interior designer and best friend to my sister-in-law, Lexi. “Whoa, Maggie isthe shit. Thanks so much!”

Torin’s phone pings and he checks the screen. “Shit, babe, it’s your dad. We’re running behind.”

“Yikes,” Lyra mutters with a wince.

Torin tugs me into a big, protective hug. “Gotta run, storm chaser. If you need anything, just lemme know.”

“Love you,” I mumble into his chest. “You spoil me too much, though.”

“I do the hard stuff so you can live easy, T.” He kisses the top of my head and gives me back my car keys. “You won’t ever struggle as long as I’m around.”

“Thanks, bro bro.”

They’re almost out the door when he stops and snaps his fingers like he forgot something. “Oh, Guy will be dropping by soon to update the security system. He’s got access to the house, so you don’t have to wait around. If you aren’t comfortable with him still having access, just let him know and he’ll reset the codes and lock systems.”

I stare at the front door long after they’ve gone through it.

Expectinghimto walk right in, maybe? The man I can’t ever seem to get out of my thoughts. For almost four months now, I’ve somehow managed to restrain myself from contacting him for bogus “stranded” pickups. And that’s mostly because the last two times I contacted him, he completely ignored my requests, as if he knew I was bullshitting.

My phone rings, jolting me from my stupor.

Will calling...

Biting my lip, I watch it ring.

Will’s a guy I’ve been seeing casually for roughly three months now. For a while, I’d tried to make things work with Dom, but sex with him continued to be an unpleasant experience no matter what I did. To the point I started to believe sex was just an overrated recreational activity. Kind of like strawberries—outwardly luring and enticing but have such an underwhelming taste.

But then I went to a live show at a bar one night and met indie band drummer, Will Dokti. We hooked up and the experience was so hotly passionate and intensely satisfying that I promptly ended things with Dom.