Page 7 of Lust & Lies
Just me, him, and all these damn trees. You could bury a body out here and no one would ever find it. You could keep a woman captive out here for years, and no one would ever find her. Especially if she was alone in the world with no one to search for her. I swallowed.
“Why the country estate?” I asked, hating the slight tremble in my voice.
“The doctor said you needed a calm environment,” he told me.
Calm. Not secluded.
“Out here in the country, you’ll get some peace and quiet. The main reason we got this house was because you wanted to start a vegetable garden.”
A vegetable garden? Why did that feel...right? Like something I’d actually enjoy. I could almost feel myself sliding my gloves on. Feel myself pouring water over my seedlings. I could almost smell the cucumbers and tomatoes.
“There’s that smile I missed,” Aiden muttered.
Smile? Was I smiling? I placed my fingers to my lips, lowering them when he chuckled.
“You have a beautiful smile. I miss it,” he told me.
His compliment, like all the others, left me feeling uncomfortable.
“Gardening sounds right to you, huh?” he asked.
I nodded, an awkward feeling settling over me.
“Maybe we can start on it in a few days. We can go to town and pick out everything we need.”
We?I looked his way. “You’re going to help?” I asked.
He nodded, facing me, smile still in place.
“I’m going to work from home for a while,” he added before returning his attention to the road. “We can start on your garden after you’ve rested for a couple of days. As long as you promise to take it slow and let me do all the heavy lifting. How does that sound?”
I nodded slowly, but said nothing. That actually sounded really nice. This was the first thing I’d felt truly comfortable about since waking up. And I wouldn’t have this feeling if it weren’t for Aiden and him knowing that I wanted to garden.
Was I overthinking things? Was I seeing a villain in the place of a hero? In place of my husband? I didn’t know. And I wasn’t completely sold on this whole married notion. However, I found myself relaxing in my seat a bit as I stared out the window.
I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the side mirror. I was doing it again. I was smiling. I think this was the first time I’d seen myself smile since I’d woken up in the hospital.
Perhaps coming to the country estate wasn’t such a bad idea.
CHAPTER THREE
NOELLE
THE TIRES CRUNCHEDover gravel as we turned onto a long driveway. Tall trees lined both sides, their branches providing shade as they arched over the driveway. At the end of the drive, a two-story house made of white brick, black trim, and tall windows came into view.
It was gorgeous, but it looked more like it had been designed to impress, rather than be lived in. The lawn was manicured to perfection. Pretty rose bushes framed the walkway, each of them looking exactly alike.
Two black rocking chairs were on the porch. I stared at them, trying to picture myself and Aiden sitting on them, chatting happily as we rocked back and forth. Though I could see it in my head, it didn’t feel right.
It didn’t feel like something the two of us would do together. The car came to a stop in front of the country house. As I unbuckled my seat belt, Aiden stepped out, walked around the car, and opened my door. He didn’t say anything, just held out his hand.
I stared at it for a second. There was no point in resisting. I placed my hand in his, ignoring the shiver that drifted over me at the contact. He helped me out and closed the door behind me as I stared up at the house. I tensed when I felt Aiden’s hand on the small of my back.
“I’ll take you inside, then head back out to get the bags,” he told me.
I nodded and let him lead me into our country home. The second we stepped inside, I noticed the smell in the air. It was light and floral, an air freshener, maybe. Underneath it was something a bit stronger.
Paint or maybe cleaning products.
