Chapter 3 - Three Years Later
Rain pattered softly against the glass windows of the small, independent bookstore café in downtown Seattle where Grace now worked part-time on weekends.
At three years old, Clara was a whirlwind of bright laughter, chaotic energy, and stubborn curiosity, currently sitting at a corner table with a box of crayons and a coloring book.
Grace watched her daughter from behind the counter, a soft smile touching her lips.
Building a life from scratch hadn't been easy, but she had carved out a safe, peaceful existence.
The terror of being found had faded over the years, replaced by a quiet acceptance that Daniel Mercer was a ghost from another lifetime—a chapter closed and sealed.
Or so she foolishly believed.
The bell above the café door jingled merrily as a gust of cold autumn wind swept into the warm shop, carrying with it the damp scent of the Seattle rain.
A tall man in a dark, impeccably tailored wool overcoat stepped inside.
He shook the water droplets from his broad shoulders, his dark hair slightly damp, framing a sharp, chiseled face that stopped Grace’s heart dead in her chest.
Older.
Harder.
The dangerous aura around him was palpable, cutting through the cozy bookstore atmosphere like a razor blade.
Daniel Mercer.
Grace froze, the ceramic mug she was wiping slipping from her fingers and shattering loudly against the tiled floor behind the counter.
The noise caused several customers to look up, but Daniel’s gaze didn't wander to the broken porcelain.
His eyes locked onto Grace instantly, as if a magnetic compass had guided him straight to her across three thousand miles of concrete and ocean.
For a terrifying, suspended second, neither of them moved.
The ambient noise of the café faded into a distant hum.
Then, Daniel started walking toward the counter.
Panic surged through Grace’s veins, cold and sharp.
She spun around, intending to bolt through the back employee exit, but her sneakers slipped on the wet tile near the sink, sending her stumbling backward.
Before she could hit the ground, a pair of massive, iron-strong arms caught her around the waist, hauling her securely against a broad, familiar chest.
May you like
She inhaled the scent of cedarwood, rain, and expensive cologne—the exact scent that had haunted her dreams for three long years.
“I’ve got you,” a deep, rough voice whispered against her hair, trembling slightly with an emotion Grace had never heard from him before. “I’ve got you, Grace.”
