ning light. Annabelle sat at the long mahoga

across the table. She wa

Wall Street Journal. Every time he lifted his coffee cup, his movements were

wspaper. His eyes caught hers.

he quickly looked down at her

ing her purse onto a chair. She caught the

, sitting down. She looked directly at Davion. "Davion, y

abriella, I can take the Long Islan

It's no trouble at all, Anna. I'm heading to th

t of Davion's Aston Martin. The cabin was small and intimate. The scent

ened intently, asking smart questions about the digital illustration process. Ann

ice building, he smiled and

as he drove away. But as the car disappeared int

the girl he was contractually obligated to marry. Holding this secret felt like a lie

set her silver fork down on her porcelain plate. The

iella... I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking me in. But I got my fi

room went d

She reached across the table and grabbed Annabe

Her voice carried the weight of a matriarch. "Annab

mered, feeling terrible. "I just... I can't kee

second longer than necessary. There was a calculating, knowing gleam in the older woman's gaze-a lo

but possessed an unyielding, authoritative strength. "My dear, this house i

nt right now is nearly impossible. I insist you stay at least until after Thanksgiving. W

, squeezing her hand. "If you le

er, without a warm family table. The genuine desire in their eyes

slowly nodded. "Okay

d, throwing her

t the window at the moonlit lawns. She had tried to leave, but fate-and Eleanor-had forced her to stay. S