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I turned back toward the house.

The mansion was just as beautiful as I remembered, with its dark brick exterior, towering windows framed in black, and beautifully landscaped gardens lining the long driveway. The wrought-iron gates surrounding the property gave it an added sense of privacy and exclusivity, just the way Caspian had always liked it.

Everything looked familiar… yet everything felt wrong without Caspian standing there.

The last time I’d pulled into this driveway six years ago, it had been raining. My heart had been in my throat. I’d been pounding on these doors looking for a man who would never answer.

Today, I was finally moving in, something I had refused to do when Caspian was still here, asking me to make this place our home.

Ain’t that some shit?

I looked down at the keys in my hand.

I took a slow breath, stepped up onto the porch, and slid the key into the lock. The mechanism turned with a smooth, heavy click.

I pushed the door open.

The first thing that hit me when I opened the door was the smell. The house smelled like a breath of fresh air, literally. The pleasant scent of Pine-Sol and fresh lemons greeted me, making the place feel warm and welcoming before I even stepped inside. Henrietta had mentioned that everything was ready for our arrival, so I figured she had either come by earlier that morning to tidy up or hired someone to give the mansion a thorough cleaning.

I stepped inside and stopped, taking in the spotless marble floors and the beautiful chandelier sparkling overhead. A large arrangement of fresh flowers sat on the entry table, looking as though someone had placed it there just that morning.

Willow came in behind me, inhaled dramatically, and let out an appreciative hum. “Mmm! Now, see, I was expecting this big-ass house to smell like old money, mothballs, and furniture nobody been allowed to sit on since 1998.”

I laughed. “Why would you expect that?”

“Girl, because ain't nobody lived here permanently, or for long anyway, in six years. I was prepared for some dust and a little haunted-house funk.” She took another deep breath, nodding with approval. “But this right here? This is the holy trinity of Pine-Sol, lemons, and somebody’s mama getting mad. This is a ‘don’t walk on my floor with your outside shoes’ type of clean.”

I chuckled.

Kaidence walked past us, his sneakers squeaking against the polished marble as he tilted his head back to admire the chandelier.

“Can I go upstairs now? Me and Grandma picked out my room yesterday.”

Kaidence was no stranger to the mansion. Henrietta had brought him over to visit on several occasions throughout the years, so he was already comfortable wandering through its enormous rooms and hallways. In fact, when she dropped him off at the hotel the previous evening, she mentioned they had stopped by the house after shopping so he could pick out which bedroom he wanted.

“No, baby. Stay right here with me,” I replied.

He let out a heavy sigh, his little hands resting on his hips in an exact copy of Caspian’s posture. “Why not?”

Willow looked down at him and tapped the top of his head. “Boy, let your mama finish inspecting the premises before you go tearing through the house.”

Kaidence scrunched his nose. “What’s premises?”

“The house.”

“Then why you didn’t just say house?”

Willow looked at me.

I looked back at her.

“Don’t start with me, Kaidence Elijah,” Willow warned. “I am not the one.”

He grinned, completely delighted with himself.

I shook my head and walked deeper into the foyer.

Like Kaidence, I knew the layout of the mansion just as well, if not better, having spent countless nights there when Caspian was around. It was simply the updated furniture and décor that made certain rooms feel unfamiliar. Henrietta had already told me about the changes, but I hadn’t realized just how much until I stepped into the living room.