The virginal bride. Somehow I’d taken that idea to a whole new level.

***

Miles was gone when I woke the next morning. I went into the bathroom and stepped into the shower. The walls were still wet from Miles’ shower. I couldn’t imagine how I’d slept through the noise of the water hitting the stone walls, but I had. The thought of it, of him standing here, naked…it filled my mind with images that brought back the heat of that kiss he’d given me on our wedding day. We hadn’t kissed since—not unless you counted the numerous kisses Miles had pressed to my forehead or the top of my head when we were out together—yet, the taste of his lips was still so strong on the tip of my tongue. I told myself it was just my imagination; that my mind had blown that one kiss into something it wasn’t. However, I couldn’t quite convince that other part of me, the part that quivered deep in my belly each time it crossed my mind.

I dressed in a pair of black slacks and a soft white blouse, then headed downstairs. The sound of voices led me through a maze of rooms to a stone veranda along the side of the house. Miles was sitting with a tall woman with white hair, a man with a well-trimmed beard, and Lila. Lila spotted me first and stood, a welcoming smile relieving some of the tension in my shoulders.

“Good morning, Riley,” she said, offering a quick hug. “Glad you found us. I’ve told my mother many times that we should provide guests with a map of the place, but she refuses.”

“It’s not necessary with the number of staff we have lurking these hallways,” the white-haired woman said with a good natured smile.

Miles watched as Lila pulled me to the table, gesturing for me to take a seat beside her. “This is my husband, Keegan, and my mother, Elena.”

Keegan rose partially out of his chair and offered me something of a bow. And Elena inclined her head slightly, her eyes—like Jonathon’s the day before—full of curiosity.

“It’s nice to meet you, Riley. I’d like to say that my son here has told us a lot about you, but he really hasn’t.”

“He’s a private man,” I said, trying to ignore the way he was staring me down at that moment.”

“That he is,” Elena agreed. “Always kept his thoughts to himself. With the exception of Lila here, of course. The two of you were always thick as thieves.”

“I thought we still were,” Lila said. “But then I had to hear from the tabloid press about his upcoming nuptials, so maybe we’re not as close as we were.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” Miles said. “It was just…”

“…a whirlwind romance,” I said. “Neither of us really had a chance to share the news with anyone.”

“If only we could all be so spontaneous,” Elena said.

“Your aunts seemed pretty supportive,” Lila said.

“Yes. They’ve always only wanted me to be happy.”

“What about your parents?” Elena asked. “How do they feel about all this?”

“Mother,” Miles began, but I cut him off.

“My parents died when I was five.”

“Oh,” Elena said, a cloud moving over her pretty features. I could see where Miles and Lila, even Robert, got their good looks. Their mother was very beautiful. And those green eyes were the same shade as Miles’; they even had the same emotions dancing in them so clearly that anyone could see what she was thinking. Even I could see that she was hurt and saddened. By Miles decision to marry without her, I would assume. And she seemed to understand that I could see that because her expression softened a little when she caught me looking at her.

A heaviness settled over the table for a minute that was only broken when a maid brought a tray of pastries to the table.

“Help yourself,” Elena said, addressing the table in general but looking at me. “Our cook is an amazing baker.”

I picked up a cinnamon roll and tried to catch myself before a loud sigh slipped from my lips with the first bite. It was heavenly. When I looked up, Miles was watching me, a rare smile softening his expression.

Conversation took a turn I couldn’t quite follow. They were talking about business, it seemed. I caught that Keegan was some sort of executive with their family finance company, but that’s all I really pieced together. After a while, Elena caught my eye and said, “Have you had enough of this yet?”

I didn’t know what to say. She stood and came around the table, taking my arm as she tugged me out of my seat. “Let’s go walk those delicious pastries off.”

“Mother, are you sure you should—”

She waved a hand at Miles. “I want to get to know your young wife, Miles. Let us be, will you?”

I glanced back at him, as she led the way into the garden. He looked deeply concerned, but so did Lila and Keegan as they watched us. What was it they were so worried about? Surely they didn’t think I would say something to upset her, did they? I may have been a wife of convenience, but I wasn’t a complete idiot. I knew how to be polite.

The garden was terraced, not unlike the much smaller version in the backyard of the house I currently shared with Miles. We made our way down the first level, stepping into the second and its wild abandon of native plants. Cranberries and azaleas, honeysuckle and Mountain Laurels filled this space, the vibrant colors awe inspiring, even this late in the summer. I reached out to touch the petals of a marigold, causing Elena to chuckle softly under her breath.

“Ironic that my son should marry the only person to appreciate this garden almost as much as myself.”

“Why is that ironic?”

“Because I could never get him out here when he was a child. He said it was boring to pick weeds and plant new seedlings.”

I thought about the half-completed garden back in Texas, and I could see that. As much as he wanted to emulate what his mother had done here, he’d lost interest somewhere along the way. And that suggested a complicated relationship with his mother. And it made me want to get to know her all that much better.

“He cares a great deal for you.”

I glanced at her. “You think so?”

“The way his face lights up when he talks of you tells me so much more than anything he might have said over the phone would have.”

I tried to imagine Miles’ face lighting up, but couldn’t quite get there. “He’s complicated.”

“He is. He hasn’t exactly had it easy. His father was always much too hard on him.”

“I suppose that’s something father’s do.”

“It is. But Jackson was always harder on Miles than either Robert or Lila. And that took a toll.” She squeezed my arm a little as she slowed the pace. “Lila is the eldest, but Miles was the first son. Jackson thought he was preparing the boy to take over his business as his father had failed to do with him. But what he was really doing was pushing him away.”

I remembered Miles’ comment about how he went to law school but never took the bar because it was what his father wanted. The more I heard about Mr. Thorn, the more I was interested in meeting this man who could bring out that rebellious streak in Miles.

“It breaks my heart when I think about it.”

Elena’s voice seemed to be growing weaker with every step we took, and our pace had slowed quite significantly since we stepped onto the lower terrace. I had thought she’d slowed to enjoy the flowers, but now she was dragging on my arm so hard that it was obvious the movement was just too much for her. I saw a stone bench a few feet away, so I carefully directed her there.

“Thank you,” she said softly as she settled down, sliding over a little to make room for me.

“What is it?”

“Ovarian cancer.”

I’d expected her to say something like an infection or anemia or something innocuous that wasn’t life threatening. But she said cancer like it was innocuous, like it didn’t really matter.

I was at a completely loss for words. All I could say was, “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” she said, touching my knee lightly. “It’s been a long battle that I’m glad Miles wasn’t here to watch. But I’m content with my situation now.”