Broken Vows and Buried Twins novel Chapter 56

A harsh, incredulous laugh escaped Hester's lips. She met his furious gaze dead-on and slowly pushed herself up from the sofa. "Julian, I've known you for a very long time, but this is the first time I've ever truly realized just how monumentally stupid you are."

With that, she didn't waste another second looking at him. She spun on her heel and strode straight toward the front door.

Stopping at the foyer to slide her shoes on, she cast one final, piercing look back at the furious man cradling the child. "If you honestly believe Melody is fully capable of keeping Bella calm, I'd be more than happy to let her move right in. Then I won't have to force down my own nausea to come back here and play pretend with you!"

Stepping out of the grand estate, Hester tilted her head to stare up at the sky. The brilliant, clear blue morning had rapidly deteriorated into ominous, brooding thunderclouds.

Sudden, torrential downpours were notoriously common in Northwood City during the summer.

Since she had arrived in Julian's car, she was stranded. She would have to call someone to pick her up.

Hester walked slowly along the manicured driveway heading toward the main road. She scrolled through her contacts, intending to dial Gael.

But before she could even hit the call button, her screen lit up with an incoming call from Jasper Kane. She answered immediately. "Mr. Kane."

The line was met with dead air.

Hester furrowed her brows. "Mr. Kane? Are you there?"

There was still no response from the man, but she could hear a faint rustling sound in the background, followed by the clatter of something plastic dropping onto a hard floor. Immediately after, a sweet, milky little voice babbled, "Mama!"

Hester's heart skipped a beat.

A moment later, Jasper's deep, smooth voice came through the receiver. "Ms. Carrington, my sincerest apologies. My daughter hijacked my phone to play with it and accidentally dialed your number."

Hester had already guessed as much. The mere thought of Gigi's adorable, squishy little face was enough to melt away the suffocating irritation gripping her chest.

"It's perfectly fine. Honestly, I was just starting to miss Gigi a little myself."

"Well, as her father, I'm immensely proud of how charming she is." Jasper paused for a brief second. "Are you busy right now, Ms. Carrington?"

Hester stopped walking, contemplating for a moment. "No, I'm actually completely free at the moment."

"It seems Gigi is missing you too. If it's not too much trouble, would you care to join us for lunch?"

Jasper easily hoisted Gigi out of her car seat, bumping the door shut with his hip. He turned to Hester with a warm, easy smile. "Shall we? The elevators are just ahead."

"Lead the way," Hester replied.

They escorted Gigi to a lavish, fairytale-themed children's restaurant on the third floor. Since the peak lunch rush had already passed, the dining room was pleasantly quiet.

A hostess guided them to a cozy booth, and the three of them settled in.

Jasper sat across from Hester, while Gigi stubbornly glued herself to Hester's side. Acquiescing, Hester had the waiter pull a highchair right up next to her.

While they waited for their food, the waiter brought over a complimentary set of wooden puzzle toys for the toddler. Gigi squealed with absolute delight.

Hester gently stroked the little girl's hair, instructing softly, "Gigi, what do we say? Say thank you."

Gigi blinked her massive doll-like eyes, looking up at the waiter. "Tank yoo!"