Chapter 90 I didn‘t Open The Window…

Soren was right on time with a big bouquet of beautiful purple lilacs. “There she is!” he said when I opened the door. “Man, aren‘t you a sight for sore eyes!” He kissed my cheek, and I hugged him, thanking him for the flowers.

We had a lovely dinner together, but I was distracted, and I knew he could tell.

I did my best to stay tuned in to what he was saying, and he did his best to entertain me. I laughed at his jokes and smiled at his stories – but I saw in his eyes that he sensed something was different.

“This is the best apple pie I’ve ever tasted,” Soren said as he took a bite.

“I‘m glad you like it,” I said, poking around at my own piece.

“Did you use crab apples to make it?” he asked me.

I looked at him for a second, and then he started laughing.

“I‘m just teasing, Ro. Maybe it‘s because you‘re getting further along in your pregnancy. I bet you‘re not sleeping well, are you?”

“No, I‘m not,”I told him. “I‘m actually really tired.” “Well, let me finish my pie, and I‘ll go,” he said. “I‘m sorry. I don‘t want to rush you. I‘ve been looking forward to seeing you.”

He reached across the table and squeezed my hand.

“Me too.”

This time, I didn‘t see the usual smile on his face. That made me nervous.

I pulled my hand back, and then realized that I was acting quite awkwardly. Luckily, Soren didn‘t seem to think much of it, and gracefully finished his apple pie,

A few minutes later, I walked him to the door. He kissed my cheek goodbye, and I immediately turned off all of the lights to go to bed.

I was not going out to the garden that night. I was not going to look for Ethan or wait to see if he was going to show up.

This was my life now, and this was what I needed to focus on.

With that resolve, I got into bed and slept more peacefully than I had in a very long time.

In the morning, I got up and went about my normal routine. I felt more focused than I had the day before, but Ethan was still on my mind.

Had he come by to see if the window was open? If he had seen it closed, how had that made him feel? Was he upset, or did he just shrug it off and head back to the docks to depart?

Trying not to dwell on it, I decided to go out to work in the garden for a bit– not because I was looking for footprints or any evidence that Ethan had been there, but because I hadn‘t had a chance to work on the flowerbeds in a few days, and several of them needed trimming.

I walked outside… and stopped in my tracks.

Lying on the ground near the spot where I‘d spoken to Ethan was a familiar flower,

It was one that only grew in the Drogomar pack lands, right outside the Luna suite.

I stared at it from a distance, not sure it was real– and then, when I was sure that it was, not sure what to

Finally, I went over and picked it up, looking around for Ethan.

But he wasn‘t there,

T held the petals to my nose and took a whiff, inhaling the sweet floral fragrance.

It reminded me of being with him. Not of all of the difficult times, but of the times that I was in his arms, when I felt loved and cared for!

Part of me wanted to scold him– he certainly knew how to drive me crazy.

I put the flower in the pocket of my gardening apron and went about my chores.

For the next two days, I played the same game with myself, torturing my own mind over whether or not to leave the window open. Each morning, I went out to find a flower waiting for me.

Why was he leaving them

FE

I didn‘t know.

Perhaps I should ask him…

No! I couldn‘t do that.

That evening, Soren came for dinner. I was so distracted that I was, doubtless, the worst hostess in the history of hostesses.

SER

“Did you get any gardening done today?” he asked me.copy right hot novel pub