Chapter 18 Adrian asked , " Mom , you'll still come home at night , right ? " Rhea closed her eyes , letting her tears fall freely . " I will . " " Yay ! " Rhea wished she could steel herself and let go of her feelings for the two kids immediately and decisively . But even though it was hard , she had to do it . Carter was right . She was just the stepmother . Lauren was back now . So , she should step aside . That afternoon , Rhea's mood was heavy . She napped for two hours . When she woke , the kids were gone . " Where are the kids ?" Alisha hesitated before saying , " M - Mrs . Jamison , while you were napping , Mr. Jamison took them out . " That was normal . She figured that they were probably keeping Lauren company . Rhea gradually calmed down . But then Alisha added something that sent a spike through her chest . " Ms. Jamison still had a bit of a fever when she left . " Her fever hadn't broken yet . Where could Carter be taking them ? " Did they go to the hospital ? " Rhea asked . Alisha shook her head . " I don't think so . The bodyguards were carrying gifts . " They were clearly visiting someone . Still , Carter was their father . He wouldn't put them in harm's way . Worry nagged at her , but she didn't call him . Then , her phone rang . It wasn't Carter . It was a Draventh number . Her heart skipped a beat as she answered , " Hello ? " After a few seconds of silence , a calm , steady male voice came through . " This is George . " Rhea was surprised . " George ? Did something happen at home ? " She had only met George a few times as a child , always in Nathan's company . They had never had any private contact with each other . So when he called , she instinctively thought something was wrong at home . " No , " George replied . " I'm in Colburn on business , Nathan asked me to bring you something . " Nathan sent her something ? That hadn't happened in six years ! Rhea's excitement bubbled up . " Where are you ? I'll come find you . " Chapter 18 " Right outside your house . " +25 BONUS Five minutes later , Rhea jogged to the neighborhood entrance . A car with Draventh plates was parked by the road , hazard lights blinking . A ride like that was rare in Colburn , except for Carter's two cars . Rhea hurried over . The window rolled down . When she saw the man in the back seat , she froze in surprise . It had been years since she had last seen George . She had always known him to be even better - looking than Nathan , but now , nearing 30 , he carried a calm , quiet confidence . Rhea snapped out of it and smiled . " Hey , George . " George's deep brown eyes scanned her face . Her eyes weren't swollen , and her voice sounded normal , which meant that yesterday couldn't have been too rough . His driver , Edward Price , got out and unloaded the whole trunk . " Ms. Ravelle , didn't you bring any help ? " There were too many bags for Rhea to carry alone . Most were local Draventh snacks , many of her favorites . Since coming to Colburn , she had only had them once when she took the kids to the Draventh amusement park . Her chest warmed with gratitude . " I can manage . Thank you , George . " However , he said , " Get in first . " Rhea was puzzled , but she figured he had something extra to say , so she got into the car . The windows rolled up , sealing off the outside world . However , Edward didn't get in . A pack of tissues suddenly landed on Rhea's lap , and she froze . After a moment of silence , George turned to glance at her . " You said last night that you wanted to cry . Go ahead . I won't laugh . " Rhea was rendered speechless . She hadn't blacked out from drinking and remembered calling Nathan last night . She regretted it this morning , but she had already made the call . So ... " You were the one who answered ? "