“No,” I say, a little too quickly. “My coworker, Ivy. She’s a huge basketball fan. She mentioned it.”
“Uh-huh. Whatever you say.” He chuckles, low and warm. “But yeah, I’ll be in Boston. Supposed to be, what, twenty degrees?” He tugs at his beanie and grins. “Good thing I’ve got this to keep me warm.”
My cheeks turn a darker shade of pink. My gaze lingers on the beanie and I notice how worn it is—fuzzy edges, a few loose threads. My chest tightens. “I didn’t think you still had that.”
“I wear it every winter,” he admits, his own cheeks tinged pink. “None of my other beanies keep me as warm.”
Warmth blooms in my chest.If he kept the beanie… what else did he keep?
“The other ones you have probably don’t use quality yarn,” I say, smiling softly.
“Nor were they made by you,” he notes, his hands settling over mine. The simple touch sends my heart into a frenzy. My mind screams at me to pull away—yet I don’t. I can’t.
Weeks ago, when we were tangled together on his couch, I was unable to pull away because I was fueled by lust and the desperate need to dull the ache between my legs. But this… this isdifferent. This is slower, deeper, and dangerous in a way I don’t want to name. A feeling I shouldn’t allow myself to have.
Then Tsuki’s head snaps up, a low growl rumbling from her chest. She hops off the bench, teeth bared. Maddox’s hand slips from mine as he tightens his grip on her leash before she can lunge.
Disappointment flickers through me—but maybe it’s for the best. Sitting here with his hand on mine felt far too familiar, too easy. A path I can’t let myself wander down again.
“Tsuki, calm down!” Maddox urges. He pulls a treat from his pocket and sets it on the ground but she ignores it, eyes locked, growl unrelenting.
He sighs, shaking his head. “I don’t know what’s gotten into her.”
I rise from the bench and crouch beside her, reaching out gently. “Hey, Tsuki… What’s wrong, baby girl? Do you want to go for a?—”
“Annalise?”
The voice freezes me. My breath stalls, the hairs on the back of my neck prickling.
Tsuki must’ve sensed negative energy, because standing before me is my father, hand in hand with the woman he betrayed my mother with.
“Why isn’t it working?” Maddox groans, swiping our hotel key over and over before rattling the handle.
We’re in New York for the weekend, exploring potential colleges. Devereaux Fashion Institute is only a few blocks from NYU, and we could easily commute together and grab food during our lunch breaks. I’m so excited, thinking about living in New York together.
“Maybe we need to go down to the lobby and get a new key.” He sighs.
I glance up at the number on the door and laugh. “This is 268. Our room’s 286.”
Maddox groans,dragging a hand down his face. “Damn it. Guess I was too distracted by your beauty.”
“You are so cheesy.” I grin, slipping my hand into his as we walk down the hall.
“Think we’ll have time to check out Central Park before our flight tomorrow?” he asks.
“Yeah,” I nod. “I wanna see the—what the hell?”
I glance up and my pulse spikes, heat flooding my chest.
Pressed against a doorframe is my father—his hands all over his secretary, his mouth on hers.
He told us he had to go out of town on business. Apparently that “business” involves groping his secretary.
His head jerks up, eyes wide. “Annalise. W-what are you doing here?”
“Touring colleges,” I snap, tears already stinging. “Not that you’d remember—I guess you were too busy screwing your assistant to care.” My voice cracks, anger and grief tangling in my throat. “How could you do this to mom? She stuck by you all these years, despite you being a crappy husband and father! She’s done so much for you, and this is how you repay her?”
He drops his gaze, shifting on his feet. “Your mother and I… We’ve been drifting apart for years.”
