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The moment Lynn Winslow answered the phone, she snapped, “Ian Sterling, are you insane?”

Despite being yelled at, Ian Sterling just chuckled and asked, “Lynn, miss me?”

“Miss you, my ass. Have you even been back in Veridia for twenty-four hours?” Lynn rolled over, annoyed. “If that’s all, I’m hanging up. I need to sleep.”

‘She’d only just managed to fall asleep. Now that Ian’s call had woken her, she’d probably be staring at the ceiling until dawn.’

“Actually, there is,” Ian Sterling chuckled, his voice dropping into a slow drawl. “My flight is tonight. How about you come pick me up?”

Even half-asleep, Lynn was a little stunned. “Already?” she asked, baffled.

“Yep. I was afraid you wouldn’t be willing to wait for me.” Ian Sterling stood to one side of the garden, where a wall was covered in roses. He plucked at the petals as he spoke.

By the time Nina Norton found him, a considerable pile of petals had already accumulated at his feet.

She yelled through gritted teeth, “You little brat, what have you done to my wall of flowers!”

Ian Sterling glanced back at Nina Norton in confusion, then looked down and startled himself.

Lynn, who had heard Nina Norton’s voice over the phone, gloatingly tossed out a “Good luck with that,” and hung up.

Before Ian could say a word, Nina Norton was in front of him. She stood on her tiptoes, grabbed him by the ear, and started dragging him into the house.

“I never should have praised you,” she said, still tugging. “I was just telling your father how sensible and mature you’ve gotten, and now you’re here picking my flowers! Are you a child? Did you really have to destroy my flowers just to make a phone call?”

Ian was in a good mood now, so he was willing to play along, wailing theatrically as he was dragged into the living room.

Zoe and Selene Sterling were huddled over a phone nearby. Seeing Ian’s predicament, they snickered quietly. Not chiming in to help their mother was the most pity the sisters could show their little brother.

Nina Norton was itching to give him a couple of good kicks, but she figured her son was a grown man now, and kicking him would be too humiliating.

‘And pulling his ear *isn’t* humiliating?!’ Ian didn’t know what his mother was thinking, or he definitely would have argued back.

Luckily, Nina didn’t press the issue. After dinner, she shot him a few exasperated looks and let him go, not forgetting to remind him to take the gifts for Lynn with him.

He arrived in Morelia just as the sun was setting. The weather wasn’t great; the sky was overcast and gloomy.

Ian had brought a suitcase with him this time, stuffed full by his mother and sisters with things to help him win Lynn over.

Lynn was standing outside the arrivals hall, leaning against her car door and playing on her phone. She only looked up when Ian came out and called her name.

She hadn’t wanted to come. The whole thing felt awkward, but Ian had insisted, pestering and wheedling until she had no choice but to reluctantly agree. In truth, it was a lie that she didn’t want to see him.

Ian closed the distance in a few strides and pulled Lynn into a hug, whispering close to her ear, “I’ve missed you so much.”

Lynn didn’t hug him back, but she didn’t push him away either. She simply let her gaze fall, leaning against his chest and mumbling, “I know. You’ve said that a few times already.”

“So you didn’t miss me?” Ian let her go, bending slightly to look into her eyes, his expression completely serious.

Lynn met his gaze but quickly grew shy under his intense stare. She turned her head away. “Nope.”

“Really?” Ian chuckled. “I don’t believe you.”

“Nothing I can do if you don’t believe me.” Lynn rolled her eyes and got into the car.

The car was cool. Lynn exhaled, pressing a hand to her cheek. Only after a moment did she feel the heat finally begin to fade.

After tossing the suitcase in the trunk, Ian got into the car. He leaned toward Lynn and said, “The suitcase is full of gifts my mom and sisters wanted me to bring you. You can open it later and see if you like anything.”

“Why would they give me gifts?” Lynn asked, confused. ‘She’d assumed his mother and sisters wouldn’t like her; after all, she was the reason Ian had been hospitalized.’

Ian guessed the source of her confusion. He smiled, pressing his lips together. “I guess it’s ‘love me, love my dog.’ They know I love you, so they’ll treat you well too.”

Lynn rolled her eyes, started the car, and drove off.

When they arrived at southshore, Lynn parked the car. Seeing Ian following her toward the front door, she frowned and asked, “What are you doing?”

Ian blinked innocently. “To show you your gifts, of course,” he said with a grin. “Besides, I miss Kiki and Huffy. I want to see them.”

Lynn rolled her eyes. “They’ve only met you a few times. Why would they miss you? Don’t flatter yourself.”

Ian gave a few noncommittal hums and stepped past Lynn into the villa.

Kiki and Huffy must have heard them talking, as they were already waiting in the foyer. The moment they saw Ian, they both leaped into his arms, letting out a series of MEOWS that sounded like complaints.

Ian cooed softly to them while Lynn stood to the side, frowning. While her two cats were very affectionate with her, it was nothing compared to how they acted with Ian.

Lynn grumbled, “Why are they so excited to see you?”

“Same ‘love me, love my dog’ principle, I guess.” Ian looked back at her with a soft chuckle. “Maybe they know you love me?”

‘Yeah, right.’ Lynn decided to ignore him and walked into the living room first.

Ian watched her go, a soft chuckle escaping his lips.

‘It was only because he’d fed them so diligently before and spoiled them with an endless supply of canned food and treats. If you asked who they really loved, it was still Lynn. They probably just saw him as their loyal and devoted poop-scooper.’

He set the two cats down, dragged the suitcase into the living room, and knelt on the floor to open it, laying out the contents one by one.

Lynn wanted to help, but she didn’t know where to begin.

“All this…”

“Ah, I didn’t know what you’d like, so I just brought everything.” Ian smiled and gave his wrist a shake. “It was exhausting.”

Lynn pressed her lips together. Crouching down beside Ian, she said, “You really didn’t have to bring all this.”

“Why not?”

Seeing his expression fall a little, Lynn said softly, “Because I’m definitely going to visit Veridia again.”

Ian seemed to understand. He put down the item in his hand, stood up, and took Lynn’s. “I’ve booked a restaurant for tomorrow evening,” he said. “It’s supposed to rain tonight, so it’s not a good time to go out. We can talk about everything tomorrow, and I’ll explain it all in detail, okay?”

Feeling the warmth of his palm, Lynn nodded.

Before long, rain began to fall outside, and it seemed to be coming down harder and harder, giving Ian the perfect excuse to stay the night.

“It’s raining so hard. If I get soaked on the way back, I’ll definitely catch a cold. I’m all alone here in Morelia, with no one to take care of me. You wouldn’t have the heart to let that happen, would you?”

“Even with an umbrella, I could still get wet.”

Lynn crossed her arms and stared at him. Seeing him sprawled on the sofa without any intention of moving, she finally gave in to his shameless persistence. Tossing out a “Fine, do whatever you want,” she went upstairs.