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EXCERPT REVEAL:
“How did this happen?”
I asked the blank walls of my apartment. I collapsed on my sofa, still in shock
from my encounter at the coffee shop. On a whim, I had walked by Rex after work
and wanted to give it a try. It was like fate had taken me there and then
played a cruel joke on me. All week long, I’d wondered what had happened to
Mister Mystery on the dating app. Now I knew. He was out of my league.
Wealthy.
Good looking.
Polished.
In the same category
I’d put Lucian Black. Hell, he was
Lucian Black. And he had to be worth millions—maybe more. My head was a mess.
And he had a child, according to the pictures I’d found when I searched him
online while walking through Central Park before coming home.
A child.
Words like “powerful
mogul” and “strictly private” were common in the articles I’d found when I’d
finally stopped at a bench to sit down. That seemed at odds with what I knew
about Mister Mystery.
The articles had
confirmed that he was divorced.
His ex-wife seemed to
be something of a problem.
My head spun more. Part
of me wished Lucian had tried to stop me from leaving. But he hadn’t. At least
I knew… at least I knew. The conference calls and drab functions from my
conversations with Mister Mystery made sense.
But a child. He had a
child.
It was like déjà vu
from my marriage to Braden, although logically I knew it wasn’t the same. But
finding out like that was… jarring, to say the least.
Mister Mystery had
never brought up a child. Not that he’d had to, of course. In fact, it made
sense that he hadn’t. Children were precious and needed to be protected. But
the news had shocked me. The entire situation shocked me.
I got a pint of ice
cream and slipped on my fuzzy slippers before dropping onto the couch and
staring at the wall. My phone vibrated. When I saw the name mister mystery flash across the screen,
my heart stopped.
Mister_Mystery:
And now that you’ve had time to think about what happened, what are your
thoughts?
I took a big bite of
the cookie dough ice cream and stared at the text. Another message came
through. Mister Mystery could tell I had seen the message.
Mister_Mystery: I understand if you never want
to talk to me again. I should have asked you to stay earlier so we could talk
more. I haven’t handled this well.
I took another big
bite.
Mister_Mystery:
Have a good night, Addilyn.
It was odd to see him
use my real name and not Aurora. I
set the pint of ice cream aside so I could reply.
Me:
I’m still in shock and I shouldn’t have searched your name online. It’s very…
overwhelming.
Mister_Mystery:
I’m just a guy, Addilyn.
Me:
A guy with a lot of… exposure.
Mister_Mystery:
That’s true at times. But my life is also very private.
Things felt awkward
between us. Before, it had been easygoing. I was afraid our time was drawing to
an end. I wasn’t in the right head space to make any type of decision. But I
couldn’t get him out of my head, either. And was there really a decision to
make? My heart beat a little faster now that I had a name and a face to go with
the person I had gotten to know over the last month.
Mister_Mystery:
Night, Addilyn. Sweet dreams.
Me:
Night. Sweet dreams to you, too.
I closed out the app,
unsure what to make of it all. I’m just a
guy, Addilyn. What was that about?
Had Lucian wanted to continue our conversation? Or was he just being nice? From
the beginning, Lucian had been clear he wasn’t looking for any kind of
relationship.
Minutes turned to hours
as I sat on my couch and got lost in another old movie. My mind drifted to
Lucian. His lean, muscular body, his dark hair, those enigmatic eyes. At nearly
six in the morning, I had only nodded off every now and again for a few minutes
each time. I brought out my phone.
Me:
Did you sleep?
Me:
I mean how’d you sleep?
Me:
I mean good morning.
I groaned and threw
back my head. Way to be smooth.
Lucian saw the messages almost immediately.
Mister_Mystery:
Good morning. I didn’t really sleep last night. You?
Me:
Me either. Were you working?
Mister_Mystery:
No. You?
Me:
No.
Mister_Mystery:
I think we both have a lot to say. Why don’t we meet?
I bit my lip. Yeah, I
needed to talk to him a little more. At least for closure.
Me:
When? Where?
Mister_Mystery:
I’m north of Central Park.
Me:
I’m west of Central Park.
Mister_Mystery:
How about an hour? Meet me in Central Park at the hot chocolate stand near the
carousel?
I knew the place well.
It would be busy as the city had just opened the carousel for a special
occasion. I wondered if Lucian picked that place specifically to make me feel
comfortable.
Me:
I’ll be there. See you soon.
Mister_Mystery:
Until then.
MEET THE AUTHORS:
Kristin Mayer tries to live life to the fullest during every moment. She loves to travel, meet new people, and mark items off of her bucket list.
