All Chapters of The Road That Leads Us Home (COMPLETED): Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Flynn trailed the oak branch in the dirt, stopping now and again to whack at the weeds growing next to the ruts. Dammit to hell. She'd confided in him and he couldn't tell Roman. She wouldn't ever trust him again. No doubt when his stepbrother found out, he'd never speak to him again. Roman could hold a grudge better than most. But considering all he'd been through, and the people in his life who'd disappointed him, Flynn couldn't blame him. He just didn't want to be added to that list. His reason for staying extra days wasn't a lie. He needed to get his head straight about Céline, but more than that, he wanted to see Mariana. She was the only person he'd never been able to forget, and for months, he'd thought more and more about her. The way her skin looked in the moonlight. How she'd fit perfectly against him. The sound of his name on her lips. Oh God, how he'd loved that. No one had ever said it the same way. N

Flynn waited until Zoya left for work before he came from his room. Last night, he'd told Roman and Ophelia not to say anything to her about extending their visit. From the way she'd acted when he asked about Mariana, he got the idea Zoya knew about the summer fling he and Mariana had years ago. The word stopped him. Was that all it had been? No. It'd been much more, but the timing had been wrong.                    He'd had a full scholarship and a long distance relationship wasn't feasible. The thing he regretted most was he'd not explained that. But he'd tried. Every time he'd visited Arcadia, but somehow Mariana was always out of town. He thought for sure he'd see her at Charamel's funeral, but again, she'd been a no-show. She probably hated him and he couldn't blame her. Back then, he'd not had enough experience to handle the situation, but he did now and hoped to make things right.    &nbs

Someone pounded on Roman's bedroom door and he woke with a start. Jumping to his feet, he jerked on his boxers and grabbed his pistol. Zoya sat up straight and pulled her knees to her chest, then covered herself with the sheet.                    "Roman! Wake up," Flynn yelled.                    Roman yanked open the door, staring Flynn down like he was a raving lunatic. "What the hell? You're about to get your ass shot."                    Flynn pushed past him and paced back and forth babbling a mile a minute. "I have a son. Can you believe it? I'm a dad." He looked at Zoya, not really registering anything. "You knew about Tommy, didn't you? That's why you said not to give up."                    Roma

Roman wanted to get shit-faced and forget about what he'd done, but wasn't in the mood. Liquor wouldn't solve anything. When he sobered up, he'd still be the one who'd allowed Zoya's wicked step-mother to find her. The question now—what to do about it? Marry her?                          Maybe it wouldn't be such a big deal. It could be short term. That's all she needed. An eight-month union and then she'd divorce him. That way, she'd save face. It'd be perfectly acceptable. The rich girl finally came to her senses and realized she'd had a lapse in judgement concerning an ex-con. Plenty of uppity girls liked to slum. Typical behavior for an affluent twenty-four-year-old.                          Why had the PI even mentioned marriage? Why was he waiting two days to report? He'd said he didn't like his client

Standing at the window, phone in hand, Zoya watched the gardener trim shrubs. Garrett came each Thursday, quickly removed his shirt, and tied a bandanna around his head like a warrior. More than once, Delphine had tried to get her tenant interested in the guy, and he was nice to look at. Lean planes, hard muscles, and a light dusting of hair on his tanned chest. From an artist's standpoint, Zoya wanted to capture his image on canvas but figured she'd come across creepy if she asked him to pose.                    A photo would be enough. She waited until he fired up the hedge trimmer again, then framed his body within the screen, and clicked several times. Zoya chuckled. Across the way, Delphine had binoculars. The artist in her couldn't resist a beautiful body.                    There was something about the male form that fascinated Zoya. P