Free Unforgettable Lover by Rosalie Redd

what is it?” Anxiety filled her mother’s voice and mirrored the concern Leonna felt in her own chest.
    He rubbed his pale face, his eyes focused on a spot over Leonna’s shoulder. “Nothing, it’s nothing. I stood up too quickly. Just a little light-headed.” 
    “Papa, we should take you to see Gaetan.” 
    “No!” He slapped his palm on the table. “I’ve already visited the Haelen. There isn’t anything he can do.”
    Leonna flinched.
    He let out a long breath. “I’m fine, really.”
    Leonna glanced at Maman. They locked gazes. She could tell by the doubt in her mother’s eyes that she didn’t believe him either, but based on prior experience, there was no getting through to him.
    Leonna stepped back, and her mother did likewise. Leonna’s hands shook. The lines in his face and his pale skin, made her want to cry. She couldn’t imagine anything happening to her father.
    He stood. His fingers gripped the edge of the table for a moment, as if he needed the extra support for balance. He looked hard at her. “Meet me at the cart after you’ve eaten.”
    He meant business. “Yes, Papa.” She bowed in respect.
    He reached to open the door.
    Knock. Knock.
    He flinched at the noise, but turned the knob. “Ah, Blaine, good morning to you. Welcome, come in.” He spread his hand wide, beckoning her qithan into their home.
    Her heart skipped a beat, and not in a good way. Her mother’s comforting hand squeezed Leonna’s arm.
    Blaine strode into the room. He held a bouquet of red roses. The sickly sweet smell of the flowers permeated her senses. He lacked that special connecting spark in his eyes. She didn’t feel any sort of attraction to him, not like she did to Nicholai, and the difference was like a splash of cold water on her soul.
    “H…Hello, Leonna. These are for you.” He extended his arm. The flowers shimmied in his grasp as if he was unsure about her reaction. 
    Against her will, her desire to please kicked in. She took the flowers from him and glanced at the ground. “Thank you.” 
    She turned to get a vase, eager to escape both males in her life.
    “Well, then, I’ll be off.” Her father’s voice had an extra lilt. The door shut with a soft click.
    Leonna cringed. She pulled out a vase from a nearby cabinet, filled it with water from their drinking pitcher, and placed the beautiful, yet depressing, flowers on the center of the table.
    “May I walk you to your cart today?” His voice squeaked on the last word.
    She wanted to run, hide, do anything but spend time with this male, but after the episode with her father, the reality that Blaine was to be part of her future weighed on her. 
    “Sure.” Somehow, she managed to force the word out.
    With tentative steps, she approached him. He held out his arm, and she wrapped her hand in the crook of his elbow. 
    “Leonna, I’ll meet you there. I forgot my shawl in my room.” The soft padding of her mother’s feet receded.
    She peeked at Blaine. He stared at her mouth. With a sense of dread, she licked her lips. He cupped her head with his free hand and kissed her. 
    No. Sparks. Whatsoever. 
    Instead, a weird sense—like kissing her brother crossed her mind. Eww.
    He released her and cleared his throat. “We should get going. The carts open soon. We both have responsibilities to our families.”
    A thought occurred to her that maybe, just maybe, he had been coerced into this arrangement as much as she had. She wanted to ask him, but maman reappeared in the room. The opportunity was lost.
    As they exited her family chamber, a strange sensation, like tentacles from a giant octopus, clamped around her chest, taking her breath away. She felt trapped and hopeless, with nowhere else to go.

Chapter Thirteen
     
    Leonna picked at her food. The carrots and corn on the cob blended together as tears formed in her eyes. She fisted her hand and blinked, willing herself to take control, to not let a single drop spill from her lashes.
    A