Page 187 of Dark Daddies

She climbed out of bed and wandered toward the sitting room. Soren's coffee mug sat on the table empty. Beside it rested a folded note with her name written across the front in bold, unmistakable handwriting.

Lily

She unfolded it carefully.

Babygirl,

I had to leave before you woke. Don't worry, I'll be home this afternoon. Eat breakfast. Practice your art and stay inside the estate.

—Soren

She read it twice, and then a third time. A smile tugged at her lips. "He left me a note." No one had ever left her a note before. Not one that wasn't a list of chores. Not one that wasn't angry. Not one signed with their name. She folded it again and slipped it into the pocket of her leggings. She couldn't explain why, but she simply wanted to keep it.

Maria found her twenty minutes later in the kitchen. "You look happier this morning."

Lily poured herself a cup of coffee. "I do?"

"Mmm-hmm." Maria smiled knowingly. "Did you get Soren’s note?” she asked.

Lily instinctively touched her pocket. "I did."

"Oh, sweetheart." Maria laughed softly. "You've smiled four times since you got down here."

Heat rushed into Lily's cheeks. "It's just—" She looked down at her coffee. “No one's ever told me they were coming back for me before."

Maria's expression softened. "He always comes back."

Lily looked up. "What?"

"When Soren gives his word—” Maria shrugged. "He keeps it."

Those words settled warmly inside her because she believed that without hesitation.

After breakfast, Lily carried her sketchbook into the courtyard. The fountain bubbled quietly, and birds chirped from somewhere high in the flowering trees. Everything felt peaceful here. She flipped to a blank page, and her pencil hovered over it, but nothing came.

Instead of drawing flowers, she found herself sketching broad shoulders and strong hands. She drew kind eyes that almost never smiled, and she sighed.

"Oh, this is bad,” she mumbled to herself.