Page 54 of Solid Ground

“Don’t say that.”

“Meant to be, remember?”

She smiles. “Maybe you’re right.”

“I know I am.”

SIXTEEN

DECLAN

My skin thrums with excitement.

This is it. This is me.

Today’s the day I introduce Zoe to my life.

We taxi from the airport up into the Hollywood Hills where my refuge from the world is. She has no idea just how big the estate is or how much I want to share it with her.

When we pull up to the wrought-iron gate, she gasps. “This is your house?”

I grin. It’s big and ostentatious—especially when it’s just me living here. But I love it. I’d be devastated if I ever had to give it up.

This was the hideaway I bought with my biggest movie cheque. An Edwardian mansion in the Hollywood Hills wasn’t where I’d pictured myself living, but the moment I saw it, I knew I had to have it.

It’s huge, it’s quirky, and it’s all mine.

The gates open, and we drive up to the entrance where Ihelp her out the car and then grab our luggage. I unlock the front door, and push it open.

“This is insane.” Zoe’s eyes are wide as she looks around the entranceway. I can’t help but smile. She could afford a place like this, but she’s so self-conscious about her wealth, she’d never do it.

Me, on the other hand? I’ve always liked the finer things in life. And a big house in the Hollywood Hills fits the picture.

I frown at the sound of heels clipping on the tiled floor and turn toward the staircase.

A glance back at Zoe makes my heart sink. Her gaze is fixed on the blonde making her way toward us.

Annabelle.

My second ex-wife.

Who definitelyshouldn’tbe in this house..

“What in the ever-loving FUCK are you doing here?” I yell.

She recoils. “You weren’t here. I thought?—”

“You thought wrong. Get your shit and get out. And return the key you’re not supposed to have.”

Annabelle tilts her head, and a soft smile spreads on her lips. “Declan, baby.”

“We’ve been divorced forfiveyears. You got more than you were entitled to. Get the fuck out of my house.”

“I need somewhere to stay.”

“You have friends. Go crash with one of them. What happened to the house you got in the divorce?”

She pouts. “It’s complicated.”

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