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I blinked in surprise. “I…I wasn’t expecting anyone to be home.”

A tired smile crossed his face. “I was just heading out. One of my clients had an emergency.”

His gaze dropped briefly to the parcels in my hands before returning to me.

“What brings you here? Izzy’s at the beach house. Martina finally won that battle.”

“I know, sir.”

I’d heard the same thing from Kinsley this morning when I called to say goodbye. I held up the wrapped gifts.

“I just wanted to leave these for Isabella. I thought Julia could put them in her room.”

His eyes lingered on them. My stomach tightened. Maybe this had been a mistake. Maybe I should’ve mailed them. Maybe showing up here had only made things harder. I took a small step backward feeling utterly foolish.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t think this through. I shouldn’t have come.”

“Pasha, don’t apologize for loving my daughter.”

The words stole every coherent thought from my head. He stepped aside, holding the door open.

“Come inside for a few minutes.”

“I don’t want to keep you.”

“You won’t.”

“I know you’ve got somewhere to be.”

“I do. But I also have a young man standing on my doorstep looking like the weight of the world is still sitting on his shoulders.”

He gestured once more, and his eyebrows furrowed, causing wrinkle lines to appear on his forehead. “Son, don’t make me ask again.”

There wasn’t really room to argue after that. The familiar scent of the house wrapped around me the moment I crossed the threshold. The faintest trace of Isabella’s perfume lingered in the hallway, and for one impossible second I closed my eyes, pretending she was just around the corner.

Vincent led me into the living room before taking a seat. His attention settled on the gifts between us.

“So, would you mind telling me what you’ve brought my daughter?”

I carefully placed both items on the coffee table. My thumb brushed over the wrapped box, and I swallowed hard.

“The first is a locket. It has our girls’ ultrasound pictures inside. The second is a sketchbook.”

Silence settled between us for a moment. Then he asked quietly, “Why today?”

I frowned. “I’m sorry?”

“Something tells me you’ve had these for a while. Am I right?”

I nodded once.

“So why didn’t you bring them sooner? You could have given them to her yourself.”

“She doesn’t want to see me. She asked me to let her go.”

Surely his wife had filled him in. I shifted in my seat, suddenly very aware of Vincent’s steady gaze.

“I meant no disrespect in showing up today. I knew everyone would be at the beach house, so I assumed it would be…safe.”