Lured into Love (Blossom in Winter #2) - Melanie Martins Page 0,4

so.”

He nods pensively and then asks, “Can she talk, see, and hear?”

“So far she seems okay…”

But Roy doesn’t stop there. “What about walking? Does Dr. Nel know if she will ever walk again?”

“Dr. Nel is still in there. But I believe after an intensive physiotherapy, she should be able to walk again, yes.”

Roy exhales quickly in relief. “So what are you so worried about?”

Knowing there’s no escape, my heart keeps thundering as I look him in the eye and decide, for better or worse, to tell him the truth. “We are engaged,” I announce. “And before you say anything, she’s the one who proposed.” Then I remain silent as Roy draws in a deep breath, and, in a failed attempt to calm himself down, starts rubbing his eyelids tiredly. “That is not what we agreed upon,” he snaps back in a strident voice. “Engaged or not, you will have to leave.”

I observe the distress written all over his face, and as I do so, I realize how easy it is for him to lose his temper when his reputation is at stake. “There must be another way,” I tell him. And leaning over, I ask in a low tone, “Did they find anything against Tess?”

Roy glances around before leaning closer to me and saying, “They searched quite a lot, but no. They could find neither the files, nor anything against her. Not even a damn traffic ticket.” He exhales once more, his gaze darting down for a moment, before looking back at me. “As it said on the report, she’s the apogee of a law-abiding citizen.”

I can’t help but chuckle at his comment. “What a good, obedient woman she is,” I tease. “I’m surprised she didn’t share your lifestyle.”

But Roy is not in the mood for jokes. “You will have to leave,” he says once more, his tone unusually grave. And since I don’t reply, Roy keeps observing me. “You know that, right? We’ve discussed it many times.” But I’m not convinced, and as he reads my answer in my gaze, his torment keeps growing and his voice rises. “I thought we had an agreement!”

The fear I might break it is something we both share. “I know.”

As I ponder my next words, Roy asks, “When are you going to tell her?”

“I don’t intend to tell her anything.” And before he can yap or get physical, I add, “Tess is coming back in three weeks. We have some time ahead of us.”

“And what do you intend to do until then?”

Leaning back in my chair, I observe him for a second more before saying, “I intend to invite my family over and have an engagement party.”

Roy doesn’t hide his bewilderment. “Oh, I see…” he mumbles pensively. “An engagement party? But of course!” His sarcastic tone is now borderline offensive. “Have you lost your fucking mind or what?”

“Petra would like one. It’s the least I can do before—”

“Before you leave?”

Leave. I hate the meaning of that word, and I hate even more the fact that Tess is anxiously waiting for me to do so. Maybe even Roy. But for now, I just nod at him in agreement. Today is a great day. A day I’ll never forget, August 27, 2020—the day Petra woke up, the day we got engaged, and the day my life made sense again.

“Very well. I guess having a farewell party before your departure seems appropriate.”

I ignore his nasty comment and say, “One more thing: be nice to her.”

Roy looks at me with raised brows. “Of course I’ll be nice to her! Why on earth wouldn’t I be?” He might look outraged, but he knows very well why.

“And no remarks about the engagement,” I add as Roy mutters something under his breath. “You might not approve, but don’t scold her about it.”

I’ve never seen Roy shed a tear. Not even the day he found his daughter in a coma. His face might have gotten unusually gloomy and somber, but I never saw him cry.

Until now.

Until he met his daughter’s blue eyes for the first time in nearly six months.

“Hey, darling,” he greets softly before plunging Petra into a hug. “I missed you so much,” I hear him saying in a broken voice.

“I’m sorry…” she mumbles, sniffling against his shoulder.

“Hey, it’s not your fault. You are finally awake, that’s all that matters.” I’ve never seen Roy being so soft, compassionate, and friendly. It’s good to see this side of him for once. Then, with a contemplative smile, he asks, “How are