Chapter 14
Lily cheered.
Adrian looked down at the child. “There are conditions.”
Lily frowned.
“No sliding down the railing.”
“But it’s very fast.”
“No.”
“Can I have pancakes every morning?”
“Yes.”
“Can Mr. Rabbit sit at the table?”
“He already does.”
“Can Mama sit beside you?”
Adrian looked at Grace. “I hope so.”
Grace smiled. “Yes.”
The rose garden was expanded that summer. Daniel and his family moved into a cottage near the estate while the kidnapping case went to trial. Caleb and Lily became inseparable, spending long afternoons chasing each other around the wooden playhouse.
Grace returned to community college in the fall. She studied during Lily’s naps and attended evening classes while Adrian handled bedtime. He learned to braid hair badly. He burned grilled-cheese sandwiches. He once arrived at an important business dinner with a glitter sticker on the back of his suit and refused to remove it after Lily told him it was for protection.
One year after the hospital night, Adrian took Grace back to the rose garden. There were no guests. No expensive decorations. Only Lily, Daniel’s family, Noah, the household staff, and the first roses of spring.
Adrian stood beneath the oak tree where Lily’s swing hung. “I have spent most of my life being obeyed,” he told Grace. “You were the first person who taught me that being trusted matters more.”
Grace’s eyes filled. “You terrified me when we met.”
“I know.”
“You’re still difficult.”
“I know that too.”
“You keep giving Lily chocolate after I say no.”
“I dispute that accusation.”
May you like
Lily raised her hand. “He does it.”
Adrian sighed. “I appear to have lost my witness.”
