Jacqueline stared at him, momentarily stunned.
So… this had all been his doing.
Charlotte's sudden enthusiasm, the carefully chosen path, the way she had led her here it all made sense now. She had been guiding her to him the entire time.
Clever.
Very clever.
But Jacqueline wasn't about to admit that.
After everything that had happened, they needed to talk. There were too many unresolved things between them too many questions left hanging in the air. And yet… standing here, surrounded by something so breathtaking, it almost felt wrong to taint it with conflict.
She shifted her weight uneasily, her silence stretching thin.
Her heart began to race as he started walking toward her.
Without thinking, she slipped the rose behind her back.
What would he think?
Just last night, she had argued with him, pushed him away and now here she was, clutching the flower he had left her, as if it meant more than she wanted to admit.
"Come," he said softly.
