Page 166 of Reign

“I noticed.”

“Rude.”

“Accurate.”

I take one more breath. Then another.

The estate is still there.

The memories are still there.

Angelo’s Ferrari is still parked like a warning near the front.

But Luciano is here too, his hand warm against my neck, his mouth still close enough for mine to remember it, and that changes something.

Luciano’s presence changes the distance between me and the front door.

I can cross it now.

“Okay,” I say. “Let’s go.”

He lets me go first. Then he turns off the car. The silence after the engine dies feels too loud.

Luciano steps out and comes around to open my door before I can do it myself. I consider complaining on principle, but my legs feel untrustworthy, so I let him.

Mistake.

The second I step out, the air hits me.

Warm grass. Old stone. Night flowers.

Home and not home.

My chest tightens.

Luciano’s hand settles at the small of my back, firm and grounding.

The thank-you stays lodged behind my teeth, but I let his hand remain as we walk.

The front door opens before we reach it.

Mrs. Keen appears in the doorway.

She’s cared for this estate longer than I’ve been alive. After my mother died, she cared for me too.

For a moment, I’m eight again.

Then she gasps. “Oh, Elena.”

I barely have time to brace before she pulls me into a hug.

She smells like vanilla, starch, and the lemon polish she always used on the banister. The scent hits me so hard I almost fold into her.

I hug her back, tight enough that she makes a soft sound against my shoulder.

“My beautiful girl,” she whispers.

My eyes burn.