Chapter 3: Re-Introduction.
10 YEARS LATER
TAMARA
“Tamara, wake up!”
“No! Go away!” I groaned, voice muffled under the pillow. I clutched my blanket like a lifeline, hoping Maggie would lose patience and leave me to sleep.
But the sudden rush of blinding light seared my eyelids. I hissed, dragging the blanket higher.
“You’re too old for this,” Maggie sighed. “Now get up.”
I whined, rolling to my side. “Why? I don’t even have work today!”
“Because—” her voice sharpened, “you’re meeting Noel’s family today!”
The words punched through me.
I jerked upright, colliding headfirst into Maggie’s forehead. We both cried out, clutching our skulls like two idiots.
“Shit,” I hissed.
“Ah, Tamara!” Maggie groaned, glaring through watery eyes.
“I completely forgot it was today,” I whispered, panic slamming through me. My feet carried me to the closet before my brain caught up. “What am I going to do? I’m not even ready!”
Maggie’s calmness was a balm. “Relax. I’ve already picked your dress. You just need hair and makeup.”
I froze, relief flooding me, and spun to her with a grateful cry. I threw my arms around her and hugged so hard she stumbled back.
“What would I do without you, Mag?” I murmured, peppering kisses across her cheek.
She groaned, batting me away. “Okay, okay. Enough. Start getting ready.”
The bathroom mirror greeted me with a reflection I barely recognized. My hair wild, my face tired. My thoughts stirred as I scrubbed my body. I couldn’t believe I’d forgotten what today was. I’d been looking forward to this ever since Noel and I started dating.
He wasn’t the kind of man who stole a room with a smile or made your heart leap with a glance. He was steady, predictable, a gentle current instead of a storm. An accountant at a large firm, careful with money but generous with kindness. He adored me, worshipped me even. He was polite, never raised his voice, never cursed. He was the man who carried groceries for strangers, left tips without thinking, the man who made you feel safe.
Safe. That was the word.
He wasn’t my first choice, or my fifth, but choices had cost me too much. I wasn’t chasing passion anymore. I was chasing peace.
I dried off and found the dress waiting.
A red polka-dot dress, modest to the point of being suffocating. High neckline, sleeves past my elbows, calf-length skirt. The fabric thick, unyielding, hiding everything Noel considered “improper.”
Noel didn’t like me showing skin. He said it wasn’t classy. I disagreed, but what did it matter? Keeping him happy was easier than fighting.
On me, at least, the dress had shape. Seeing as I was on the curvier side, the dress didn’t look entirely hideous on me.
Maggie worked on my hair and brushed on subtle makeup. She knew Noel preferred me “natural.” She knew and hated it, but she kept quiet for my sake. Hours later, I was ready.
My phone buzzed. I didn’t need to check to know it was him downstairs..
“Wish me luck,” I told Maggie, nerves twisting my stomach.
“You don’t need luck,” she said firmly. “You are luck.”
Her words warmed me, though I didn’t believe them. I hugged her once more and rushed downstairs.
Outside, Noel’s Hyundai waited, neat and shining.
Sliding in, I leaned over, aiming for his cheek, but he turned and my lips brushed his instead.
I laughed softly. “Hi.”
“Hi, Sunflower,” he replied, eyes soft behind black-rimmed glasses. “You look beautiful.”
Heat crept up my neck. “Thank you. You too.”
He wore a mustard collared shirt tucked into ash-gray trousers, black sandals neat on his feet. His hair ruffled as always, his build average, his smile gentle. He wasn’t dazzling, but he was Noel, and there was comfort in that.
“Ready?” he asked, turning the key.
“As I’ll ever be.” I lied. My hands smoothed my dress nervously. “How many people will be there?”
“Mother, Grandma, her sisters.” He hesitated eyes darting to me carefully. “And… my brother.”
I blinked. “Brother? You never told me.”
His mouth pressed tight. “He doesn’t usually come. I didn’t think he would this time. Sorry, Sunflower.”
Something about his tone made me curious, but I let it go.
The drive ended at a mansion that stole my breath. White walls gleamed in the sunlight, wrought-iron gates towering, a marble fountain spraying silver water into the air. The garden was trimmed to perfection, flowers nodding like jewels. The outside was breathtaking but the inside, God.
During the drive, Noel had explained that his brother had a strange affinity for showing off. He never came home, but silenced his mother with money and luxury.
For her sixtieth birthday, he had bought her this very house and made sure she moved in. Judging by Noel’s tone, I suspected he didn’t like his brother’s flaunting of wealth. Probably because Noel wasn’t the type to throw money around.
Inside, chandeliers glittered over polished marble floors. Art pieces I couldn’t name lined the walls, plush rugs cushioned every step. Roses and cedar scented the air.
Lucy met me first. Curvy and warm, her dark hair falling over her shoulders, her eyes kind. She embraced me tightly.
“Darling, so glad to see you again.”
Her warmth reminded me so much of my own mother that I almost cried.
Anna, his grandmother, came next, sharp-eyed, cane in hand, scolding Noel’s shirt before patting my cheek with surprising tenderness. Then came the aunts, then cousins. All smiles, all curious, but not invasive.
At dinner, food overflowed the table. Conversation sparkled. They asked about me, and I told them about my job as a nurse, my studies, Maggie the baker, my parents preaching downtown.
And then—
The sharp shatter of glass and metal outside silenced everything.
Lucy leapt up, Noel following, his face twisting with an expression I had never seen before. Anger. Pure, vibrating fury.
I stumbled after them.
Outside, Noel’s Hyundai lay crushed beneath a sleek, predatory Ferrari. The sight was obscene like an elephant crushing a mouse.
The driver’s door opened.
And the driver strolled out.
He didn’t simply walk, he strolled. Tall, impossibly tall, his body a fortress of muscle straining beneath a tailored suit. His presence thickened the air, every step deliberate, heavy with power. Even before he turned, my pulse thundered.
Lucy clapped sharply. “Back to the table.”
“Mama!” Noel’s voice cracked with rage. “He destroyed my car!”
“I’m sure it was an accident,” she said smoothly.
Around me, the family remained composed.
Then the front door opened, everywhere remained silent.
The man stepped in. Children squealed, racing to him. He scooped them up as though they weighed nothing, tattoos curling from beneath his collar, his body moving with effortless strength. At the sound of his laughter, hear rushed through me. My thighs pressed together, my grip on the table white-knuckled. My body betrayed me, burning and wanting before I had even seen his face.
And then I did.
The spoon fell from my hand, clattering against porcelain. My chair screeched back as I staggered to my feet, trembling.
Because it wasn’t a stranger.
It was him. Isaiah Cannighan.
My first love.
My ghost.
The devil I thought I’d buried a decade ago