Page 55 of A Midnight Romance
Her rosy cheeks beam. “Yes! Let’s go take a look.”
“Wow. Okay.” I shove the last bite of avocado toast into my mouth, take a hefty drink of the ice water Ben had given me, and jump off the chair.
“They’re in here.” Mae grabs my arm, leading me into the main foyer where four large racks of clothes are waiting.
“Are all these for me?” I ask, stunned.
She nods. “Yes. Try on everything and then you can keep what you like. We’ll send the rest back to the store.”
“Pick the ones I like?” I repeat, confirming I heard her correctly.
A wide smile appears on her face. “Yes, dear. Whatever you want. River will get it for you.”
I feel my eyes grow wide as I stare at the beautiful colors and materials.
Mae senses my shock and rests a gentle hand on my back.
“Let’s take these to your bedroom.” she suggests.
“Okay.”
Mae and I each grab two racks and roll them down the hall of the East Wing and into the bedroom. As soon as the clothes are placed to the side of the room, Mae turns to me.
“So, Lux…” Her voice is filled with empathy while her expression softens. “You’re one of the women from the cabin, aren’t you?”
My heart falls from my chest, forcing a sharp breath.
“Um, what?” My eyes flutter with shock.
Mae lifts a decorative shopping bag of undergarments from the shelf under the rack and places it on the bed. “Nothing in this house happenswithout my knowledge,” she says. “That includes their nighttime projects.”
“You know?” My pulse picks up.
“They were both young boys when their parents passed, and yes, it changed them both, but River took it especially hard.”
There’s a million questions running through my mind, but I know better than to pry. So I settle on saying, “I can’t imagine.”
“They say time should heal all wounds, dear. I just hope it does for him.” She sits on the bed and eyes me. “I also know River has been spending every single night outside your house keeping watch since the moment he took you home.”
My stomach flutters at what she’s admitted about River.
“Well, I’ve said too much.” She’s silent for a beat before her eyes flick to me one more time, then changes the subject. “I guess I’ll leave you to it.”
“Yeah, I have a lot to go through.”
Mae walks toward the door, but then turns to me. “Oh, and Lux?”
“Yes?”
“Each part of the house has its own labeled intercom button, so if you need anything, press the one for the person you want to talk to, and they’ll answer if they’re in that room.”
Rubbing my lips together, I smile once again, continuing to take in all the information. Mae gives me a quick wink, then closes the door behind her, leaving me in the room alone to make sense of everything.
I glance at the many items of clothing in beautiful fabrics, and the buckets of shoes, and undergarments with a dull excitement. Then I begin digging through one of the bags and to my surprise, I find a vibrator. I feel my eyes widen with excitement. I’m definitely saving that for when I need it. I giggle to myself and bury it underneath some clothes.
Suddenly, the low orange glow from the evening hour casts a shadow across my face and catching my sight from the slit in the dark curtains. I set a silk camisole on the bed and walk over to the window.The garden.
The cozy space looks beautiful and inviting. I don’t think there’s any harm in me heading out to see the gardens. I open the bedroom door and wearily turn down a long hallway. Only a few feet down, I spot a white wooden door. I open the door and immediately feel the warm dusk sun on my face. The small clement pathway winds through tall garden walls, while vines crawl between them from above.
