Secret Heart: Other Realm, Frost Family Series, Book 3

Lock 19

It was four hours later and Willow was cleaning up in the kitchen, the radio on at a low murmur. She and Aiden had made a huge mess this morning, and though he'd offered to help, she'd told him to go have fun with Prophecy.

Kazuo and Bren were up on the fourth floor of the dojo, practicing. According to Kazuo, Bren had gotten incredibly out of practice and he planned to beat the other man's ass in order to show him just what he meant. Kazuo needed something to do, for now. It was only ten in the morning, and the students he had didn't get out of school until three, which meant they normally showed up at the dojo around four or four-thirty in the afternoon.

Last time Willow had checked, Prophecy and Aiden were up on the second floor. Aiden was reading aloud some of Prophecy's favorite books. It might annoy her-just slightly-but she figured it would be for the best if Aiden had a chance to have some father-daughter time with Prophecy, even if it made all of Willow's protective instincts stand up on edge. Shaking her head, she told herself to calm down, stop being paranoid, and give Aiden a chance to prove he wasn't like what she ultimately feared.

Not every man is like Shannon, she reminded herself. Not everyone is 'Father'.

So for now, she was all by herself, which she didn't mind at all.

It gave her some time to try and think over everything that had happened. Foremost in her mind was the sudden and very unexpected meeting with her ex-lover, Andrew. Andrew, the name echoed around in her skull. She closed her eyes, leaning over the counter top, laying her head on the cool surface of the counter. With her eyes closed, her mind pulled up the image of his face, twisted in hurt and anger. She let out a soft sound of pain.

One hand stretched out, as if she could reach out through the space between reality and her memories. She imagined cupping his face, brushing her thumb over his cheek. She knew she shouldn't have let it happen, but seeing him like that had hurt her. She curled her outstretched hand into a fist, letting it fall down onto the counter. Her breath came out in a soft exhale.

The sudden memory of Aiden's laughter made her blink. Unbidden, his face popped up, green eyes filled with shock as he blinked rapidly. She'd just flicked some of the pancake batter at him, smiling widely at how silly he looked with it on his shirt and cheek.
Shaking her head, she tried to force it away. But she couldn't seem to.

His eyes, his laugh, oh gods, his smile. It had done things to her heart this morning that she hadn't been prepared for in the slightest. Things she didn't even understand, things she couldn't seem to recognize. But whatever he had done, she wasn't sure if she liked it or not. Sighing, she pushed up from the counter top, letting out a breath to get some of her hair out of her face.

As she did, she froze. Standing in the living room doorway, facing her, was Andrew. Her eyes went as wide and round as saucers as she stared at him from the other side of the room.

What is he doing here again? How did he even get inside? Oh, wait, the dojo's open. Duh, today is a weekday, so we keep the dojo open for any visitors. This is a public place...And I forgot to close the living room doors this morning. Oh gods, I'm still in my pajamas. She glanced down at her light pink tank top with the sleepy yellow tabby on it, along with her matching pink sleep shorts and her bare feet. Her gaze slowly lifted back to Andrew's face, which held an unreadable expression. Why is he here? What does he want?

She coughed to clear her throat. "A-Andrew," she started off weakly. "W-what are you doing here?" Her fingers played over the counter top in a show of her nerves.

He slowly took a few steps forward, dark eyes studying her face closely. He didn't even seem to notice her state of half-dress. He stopped when he got to the couch. "I spent all yesterday thinking. I was so angry, but honestly, I shouldn't have been." His lips lifted into a half-hearted smile and her breath caught at the sight. He moved a little closer, stalking towards her like some dark, large missile growing closer and closer to throwing her entire world into chaos.