The commotion outside of my office had me heaving a deep sigh before I yanked open the heavy door. Chloe was standing in the hallway next to a guy I didn’t know, which was interesting. I had been expecting Prim to send Ford.

“Who are you?”

“Seth. I’m with them,” he said by way of explanation as he walked over and shook my hand.

“Rowan,” I said, returning the shake.

“I know. I read the article Times did on you.”

“Ah.” I smiled. It seemed like everyone I met lately had read the article.

I looked at the two of them. “Prim sent you for this then?”

“Uh, yeah, but—"

“We’re ready,” Sam announced as he rounded the corner.

He looked odd, his expression not alight the way it normally was when Chloe was around. I was about to ask who we were when Tessa rounded the corner behind him. I sucked in a breath. My heart, which hadn’t seemed to function correctly since I’d last seen her, was launched into my throat. I put my hands in my pockets and leaned against the doorframe, watching the way her hips swayed in that wine-colored hip-hugging dress. It should be illegal for her to walk around in that dress. All I could do was picture myself pulling it over her hips—

Jesus.

One look at her and she did this to me.

I needed to focus on something else, but I couldn’t stop staring. She looked lethal, self-assured. Confident.

She was a woman who could walk into a meeting with just about anyone and slay. Knowing that person was currently me was both seductive and scary. She stopped in front of me and met my gaze head-on. I cleared my throat, hoping to regain some kind of balance in this situation.

“This is a surprise,” I said. It was a lie, but she didn’t need to know that.

“For both of us, I can assure you.” Those almond-shaped eyes cataloged my features. “You have a beard.”

My lips twitched. “Thanks for noticing.”

“Kind of impossible not to.”

Something bloomed inside me, ran through my blood like wildfire. A sense of belonging I couldn’t seem to find anywhere else, and I didn’t bother to try to suppress it.

Not this time.

I knew about the kid, but the boyfriend didn’t seem like a sure thing. I reminded myself that this was strictly business. I needed her in my corner for the sock company I wanted to open. I straightened, pushed off the frame, and walked past her, my hand up as if to lead the way.

“Let’s meet in the conference room.”

I didn’t want her inside my office. I didn’t need the scent of her perfume lingering or any of that magic weaseling her way into me long after she was gone. On my way over, I composed myself. This project was important; this project was for both Sam and me. Inside the conference room, everything was set up. I idled around the seat at the head of the table, my normal seat. It felt presumptuous to take the spot with Tessa here. A part of me wanted to offer it to her. I shook the thought away. Kid. Boyfriend. I took a seat across from where she stood. She was talking quietly to Chloe, who was swiping that digital clipboard as Sam took a seat to my right. Tessa kicked off the meeting by describing the four projects we were providing fabrics for. She went on to explain some ideas they’d come up with. What she knew was the fabrics that would work, and that was enough for me since it was the only thing I needed to know. Unfortunately, the fabric that stood out most was one of the ones the Colombian women had and refused to sell me. I wouldn’t bring that up yet. I’d work on it in private, and when I knew it was something I could bring to the table, I’d offer it. In the meantime, we’d have to go in a different direction. I could tell she knew what she wanted to do for the Spring Collection and the hotel, but the car seemed to be eating at her.

“Do you have a concept for it?” I asked once Tessa was finished speaking.

“No.” Her jaw clenched when she said it.

I bit back a smile. She was mad about this. I stood and walked over to her, not missing the way she took a step back and her eyes widened the way they always did when she thought I was going to do something crazy. My heart did a little skip. She was standing directly in front of the blueprint of the interior of the hotel and didn’t move when I stood beside her and my arm brushed against hers. I wondered if she felt the spark.

There was no way she didn’t feel the spark.

I splayed my hand on the paper and scanned it as if I had anything to do with the actual design or concept, which I didn’t.

“It’s a nice space to work with.”

“It is,” she agreed with a little shaky laugh that made me smile. She reached her hand out and Chloe handed her clipboard over. It was nice to see she still had the gift of not saying a word and having people know exactly what she needed. She clicked a tab and pulled up a picture of the first project she reviewed with us, the car.

“How do you like working with Ryan?”

Her gaze snapped to mine. “You know him.”

“You can say that.”

I’d met Ryan while my father was still the head of Hawthorne and our business relationship had only gotten stronger after I took over. He was always very professional and had exceptional instincts when it came to business. The man also had a different woman at his side every time I saw him. I wasn’t sure that I liked knowing he was working closely with Tessa. Kid. I reminded myself. Possible boyfriend. I fought an annoyed groan and looked at her left hand. She had no ring on it, so either the boyfriend had become an ex or he still hadn’t asked her to marry him, in which case, he was a fucking moron. Hypocrisy at its best. I knew it, but I owned it.

“I haven’t met him yet,” she said. “He’s been on vacation all week.”

“Did you get here this week?”

“No.” She blinked away from me. Briefly looked at the clipboard in her hand and then back up at me. “I started working this week. We all did.”

Sam cleared his throat from the other side of the room. I glanced up at him. He raised an eyebrow as if to ask me what the fuck I was doing.

The project.

Right.

“You’ll have to let me know what your concept is so we can narrow down fabrics, unless you already have exactly what you want in mind. Colors, materials, etcetera.”

Tessa handed Chloe back the clipboard and picked up her phone to look at the time. In the two-seconds she had it lit up, I caught sight of a little boy smiling at the camera. He had the bluest blue eyes I’d ever seen. My heart slammed hard in my chest. She had a boy. I glanced away quickly.

“I have to go,” she said quickly.

“We haven’t even discussed fabrics,” I argued.

She exhaled, bringing her hands up and rubbing her temple with the tips of her fingers. When she dropped them again, she looked at Chloe. “I need you to—”

“I got it.” Chloe stood and grabbed her things before giving my brother a quick hug. Watching them together was almost painful. It reminded me of what I didn’t have and seemed to crave these days. Who would have ever imagined that?

“Thank you,” Tessa called out as Chloe walked out of the room. Chloe flashed her a smile.

“I should stay, right?” Seth asked.

“No. Go back to Prim and work with Tommy to finish the designs.” Tessa exhaled and looked over at me. “Do you have fabrics here? Swatches of colors? Anything?”

“Yes, to both.”

“I’ll need to see them.” She looked back at Seth. “I’ll see you Monday. Meeting at ten. Don’t forget. Once that’s done, we’ll meet and discuss. Hopefully by then, one of us will have come up with something.”

Seth stood, did a little salute, and walked out.

“And then there were three,” Sam said, smiling.

Tessa smiled. I felt myself smile as well. It felt both foreign and familiar, and not for the first time since she walked into the building, I wondered how I’d ever let this woman go. If I were to rewind, I wouldn’t take any of it back, especially not after seeing how all of this had affected the unbreakable Camryn. If it had been Tessa in her place, I would have alienated her. Not purposely, but it would have happened. She had a demanding career and I’d wanted more out of mine. Things would never have worked between us and I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself if I’d purposely pushed her away. Looking at how guarded she seemed around me, I guess I ended up doing it anyway.

We sat and focused on the fabrics, textures, and different colors. She seemed to hate everything I showed her. When Tessa pulled the third fabric book toward her, Sam stood and stretched.

“I need to get going. If the furniture company doesn’t get the fabrics delivered by Saturday, this guy’s gonna have our heads.” His gaze turned to Tessa. “You good? Do you need me to—”

“Nope. It’s taken care of. Thanks.”

They were finishing each other’s sentences and even though I knew it was stupid to let it bother me, it did. They’d stayed in touch these years while I’d disappeared and I knew he had a relationship with her son even if he never actually talked about the little boy. He’d also never spoken to me about the kid’s dad. I’d found out enough information about the guy to appease my curiosity and retracted before I went any further. It wouldn’t have been fair to either of us. But now that she was here? I’d have to keep myself in check. I wouldn’t be the Mariah in this situation, pulling her away from her boyfriend.