“Ryder Hawthorne,” he says.
Naturally, I have a very dignified and calm response to this.
Just kidding. I start choking on my cookie. It’s so bad that Henry stands and smacks me hard on the back until I can calm myself down.
When I can breathe normally, I put my hands up. “I’m good, thanks.” I swallow, walk over to the kitchen table, and take a sip from my trusty water bottle with my back to the couple while I gather my composure. When I’m ready, I face Henry and Luna again, forcing a blank expression on my face. “I’m sorry. Who did you say was there?”
Henry narrows his eyes at me. “Ryder. Hawthorne.”
“Oh, yes.” I wave a hand breezily around. “Aunt Agatha told me he was at book club last night.”
There. That was nonchalant.
“He’s cute,” Luna comments, and Henry looks at her with a brow raised.
“What?” she says. “In a totally objective way.” She leans into him, one arm wrapped around his waist and her other hand resting on his chest. “You know I only have eyes for you.”
Henry looks down at her with complete and utter adoration, love beaming from his expression, and chuckles. “I’m notworried. I suppose I can see what women find attractive about him.”
Normally their adorable displays of affection would have me grinning, but I can’t help the anxiety rising in my chest at the mention of Ryder’s name. Why does Henry even want to tell me about him?
“Madeleine said something about Ryder climbing the tower yesterday,” Henry says, looking me square in the eyes.
Oh, no.
No, no, no.
“What tower?” I squeak out.
Henry keeps his gaze on mine. “Thistower. Did anything…unusual happen yesterday?”
Come on, come on. Hold it together.
I shake my head. “Nope. Nothing out of the ordinary.” I pause, hoping a change of subject will throw them off the scent. “Unless you mean the phone call from Bethany in the afternoon.”
“No, but we do need to discuss that,” Henry says. He exhales, then takes a few steps toward me and places his hands on my shoulders. “You’re sure? We just want to make sure you’re safe. And if anyone is able to get up here in this tower, who knows what would happen. They could tell Tristan you’re here, and then…” His voice trails off.
A little bit of righteous indignation fills me. “And then what, Henry? What do you think will happen if Tristan knows I’m here?”
He sucks in a breath and blinks a few times, then presses his lips into a line. “I—I’m not really sure, Lily. But I don’t want to take that risk.”
“Well, at some point we’ll have to,” I reply.
He nods. “You’re right. And it may be coming sooner than later, with the information Bethany is giving us.” Hesqueezes my shoulder one more time. “But I’m glad nothing happened yesterday. Ryder said he didn’t actually climb it and that he was just putting on a show for the children, but you can never be too sure.”
“Well, that’s a relief.” The knot in my chest loosens at the knowledge that Ryder was able to convince Henry that he wasn’t here.
“I think I scared him anyway,” Henry says with a smirk. “I told him Agatha has the tower booby trapped.”
My eyes widen. “Does she?”
“No, of course not!” He lets out a laugh. “But he’ll think twice before coming near her home again.”
And just like that, a pit forms in my stomach. The one thing I’ve been looking forward to, Ryder’s next visit, is probably not going to happen.
But what did I expect? That he’d come up to my tower, and we’d have these deep, emotional conversations and eventually fall in love?
Yeah. I kind of did.
