'Wayne is back!'I hadn't seen that coming, just like I didn't think he'd remember my dad's number.Matthew and Lindey were equally surprised, staring at Wayne in disbelief.Wayne had been gone for four years without a single visit. His sudden return was a total surprise and a real thrill for them."Mom, Dad, what's up? Aren't you guys happy to see me?" Wayne said, walking over with a grin.Wayne had always been the warm, big brother type. In the ten years I spent with the Johnston family before he left, he brought the most warmth to the house.Unlike Jace, who was all about showing off how well he treated me, Wayne's kindness was the real deal—quiet and genuine, more about what he did than what he said."Wayne," I called out to him.This brought Matthew and Lindey back to their senses. Lindey released me, stood up, and walked to Wayne, lightly hitting him twice. "You still remember you have parents? You still know how to come home?"Matthew chimed in, "Why didn't you give us
Wayne paused, looking at me puzzled.I gave a bitter smile. "Your mom had it renovated."Handing him his bag, I said, "You go ahead and settle in. I've got some packing to do too."He nodded, and I headed to my room.The room still had both my and Jace's stuff. It was clear no one had stayed here since I left.'Looks like Jace hasn't been back at all. So where's he been? At Splendor Heights with Tanya?'Thinking about it made my chest tighten again. I thought I had moved on from Jace, but the wound still needed time to heal.I forced myself not to dwell on it and started packing.Over the years, I had developed a habit of minimalism, so my clothes and personal items weren't excessive. Everything fit into one suitcase.As I was almost done, there was a knock on the door. I walked over and opened it to find Wayne standing there.He had changed clothes and glanced past me to see the open suitcase on the bed. His brow furrowed. "Are you moving out of our home?""Yeah, it would b
"Cutie Pie, you still have me," Wayne said, gently patting the back of my head before letting go.I hadn't cried at all until now. Suddenly, my eyes filled up, and the tears just started pouring. I didn't want to cry in front of him, but I couldn't stop. 'I can't let these tears fall, they'll give me away,' I told myself.Swallowing them back only made them flow faster. I turned my head, trying to hide my face. Wayne's hand landed on my head again, gently ruffling my hair. "It's okay to cry in front of me, you remember?"He had said that before. Now, he said it again.But in this moment, his words tore at the last shreds of my dignity. I turned my back to him, quickly wiping away the tears.Sensing my discomfort, he picked up my suitcase. "I'll put this in your car."As he left, I covered my face and let the tears flow freely. When I finally went downstairs, Matthew and Lindey were still busy in the kitchen, their joy at Wayne's return overshadowing their anxiety about losing me
"No, it's for us. Since the best time to see the lighting effects is at night, we need to be prepared for all-nighters. Going back home wouldn't be convenient," I explained.Demi gave me a thumbs up. "Keira, you're so thoughtful.""And if you have a boyfriend, give him a heads-up. We'll be taking up your quality time," I teased her."No worries. It'll be a good test for him," Demi said, smiling happily and sweetly."Alright, let's get to work. To save time, we need to identify all the issues so that when the experts arrive, they can get straight to solving them," I instructed.Demi nodded and pulled out the blueprints. "I'll handle zones A, D, and F.""I'll take the rest," I replied. Even though I was in charge, I had to work just as hard as Demi.The next day, we met with the two representatives from the construction team, Mr. Hudson and Mr. Wyatt.In the afternoon, we welcomed the lighting supplier's reps, Mr. Ziegler and Mr. Larson.We discussed the issues Demi and I had id
Quentin: [Keira, is it true that you and Jace broke off your engagement?]Eric: [Keira, Jace has gone mad with anger. Don't be upset. We'll sort him out for you.]Daniel: [Keira, when you have time, let me treat you and Jace to dinner.]Toby: [Count me in. I can definitely help patch things up between you and Jace.]Andrew: [Guys, stop making a fuss. Couples have their fights and make up. You're just stirring things up.]I stared at the screen, puzzled. 'What have they heard that made them tag me in the group?'The chat had eight members, and all guys were Jace's sworn brothers. Besides who had posted, there were Jace, me, and Steve. Steve was the only one who hadn't said anything, but he knew me best.In the brotherhood, Jace was the third eldest, and Steve was the sixth. I met Steve before Jace and I were officially a couple. It was before Steve and Jace had sworn brotherhood.I sent Steve a private message: [Steve, what rumors have they heard?]Steve replied almost instantl
Steve nodded and started walking deeper into the park, with me right behind him."Why did you leave that group chat?" he asked as we strolled along."It's your guys' group. I don't talk much in there anyway. Plus, when I'm in it, you all have to watch what you say, especially the dirty jokes," I explained honestly. This had happened before, and Jace had to remind them.Back then, Jace had said, "Watch it, guys. My fiancée is here."I'd read that words "my fiancée" many times, feeling like I had the whole world."You're very considerate," Steve's voice brought me back to the present.I didn't reply, and Steve stopped at a roller coaster. "Can I sit?""Of course."After I said that, he really did sit down and started the ride."This is pretty fun," Steve said, transforming into a kid at heart.I watched him, staying quiet. After a few spins, Steve finally spoke up. "Are you really done with Jace?"Leaning against a support beam, I answered, "You know I have a thing about clean
'Hayden Hart?! Isn't he just a taxi driver? How did he end up being the lighting engineer I've been waiting for?!'For a second, I felt like I was hallucinating."Hayden, this is Keira Kay!" Eugene introduced us. "Ms. Kay, this is Hayden Hart!"Hayden extended his hand toward me. "Hello, Ms. Kay."His tone and expression were like he didn't know me at all.I was still seated, and from my angle, I could see his perfect jawline and that... sexy Adam's apple that I'd thought about more than once.Demi nudged me with her elbow, snapping me back to reality. I stood up and shook his hand.Our fingers barely brushed before he spoke again. "Ms. Kay, go ahead and eat. I'll go check the site.""No need, I'll come with you," I said, ready to follow, but Hayden didn't move.He turned to Eugene. "Have you eaten? I haven't had anything yet. Is there something to eat here?"Eugene smiled and said, "I've already eaten," then glanced at me. "We can order takeout."Catching his drift, I turne
I worried that Demi would totally stir things up between Hayden and me later, making it super awkward.Besides, Hayden's attitude earlier made it clear he wanted to act like he didn't know me, so no one would find out we had any connection."I don't know him," I lied."Then how do you—" Demi started, but I cut her off."I'm just guessing."Demi barely touched her food, her mind totally fixated on Hayden. Normally, she could eat a ton, and today she had ordered her favorite chicken chop.But with a hot guy around, even her favorite food lost its charm."Guess?" Demi was the type to dig until she got to the bottom of things. "How did you guess? Did Mr. Hart have it written on his face?"That was a tough one to answer, but if I didn't say something, Demi would keep prying.As I was pondering what excuse to give, I noticed a small charm on Hayden's bag. It was a cute little white bunny, absolutely adorable."That," I pointed my lips toward the charm, "that's proof enough.""That