Page 71 of Hunted
“Us. You have us,” Kingsley says from the doorway. He gives me a smile, then motions into the hall. “Ready for the rest of the tour?”
I nod my head and grab Weston’s hand as we move down the hall. “West, that’s your bathroom,” Reece says, pointing to the door beside his. “This is my room,” he says, pushing the next door open. Dark gray walls and black bedding. At first, I think it’s very impersonal, but as I step inside, the back wall snags my attention, and I drop Weston’s hand and move to stand in front of it.
My eyes roam everywhere as I take it all in. It’s covered in framed photos of… me. Most are me and Reece growing up, but quite a few are images of me, ones I remember him taking on his phone.
“This is…” I trail off, unsure how to finish.
“Obsessive,” Weston says, planting his hands on my shoulder as he takes it all in.
I chuckle and look over at Reece’s guilty face. “I was going to say sweet.”
“Wasn’t this… painful?” Weston asks, his eyes still taking it all in. “Staring at images of her every day, thinking she was gone?”
Reece nods from where he leans on the wall just inside the room. “Yeah, but when I didn’t have them up there, it was worse. Like I was afraid I’d forget what she looked like.”
Tears spring to my eyes at the thought of him being out here this whole time, missing me. I thought it was bad on the island, but if the situation was reversed, I’m not sure I would have held it together as good as Reece did. I probably would have broken down and ended up in a mental facility.
I quickly step over to Reece and stand in front of him as I tilt my head up to take him in. He looks sad, like he’s remembering all the time we've lost. I’m unsure what to say. None of this was either of our fault, but we can’t seem to get past the pain of losing each other, and I’m tired of it. I want to move on.
Feeling like a normal hug isn’t enough, I reach up and jump onto him. His eyes widen and his hands catch me by my thighs as I wrap my legs around his waist and my arms around his shoulders. I press my face into the crook of his neck as I whisper, “I missed you so much.”
He squeezes me tight and sways me gently back and forth. “I fucking missed you, too, my darling Darla.”
I smile in contentment as his childhood nickname for me slips from his lips. I used to love it when he called me that. But hearing it fromtwenty-eight-year-old Reece feels different somehow, like it holds more meaning.
We stay that way for a few minutes until I finally unlatch from him and slide down his body, feeling something large and firm against my center as I go. I suck in a sharp breath, and my eyes dart up to his.
I expect to see him smirking, but there is no amusement found in the look he’s giving me right now. There’s a fire brewing behind his eyes, and it’s so intense I take a step back, afraid I’ll get burned if I stand too close.
He shakes his head, and the look is gone, his normal, calm, intense gaze back in its place. “Ready to see your room, darling?”
I nod and take his offered hand. He points out his attached bathroom, telling me I’m welcome to use it, then we move into the hall.
Bower points out his room directly across from Reece’s and it’s a little messier than everyone else’s, which doesn’t surprise me. It has cream-colored walls, and there seems to be no clear color theme in here, with mismatching blankets and pillows thrown about. He happily shows me his blue Siamese fighting fish, Seymour, before I’m led back out into the hall.
“This is your room,” Reece says, directing me to the one beside Bower’s at the end of the hall. “Sorry it’s not furnished yet.” Inside is a room much larger than all the others. It spans the end of the house, so it has windows at both ends, giving me a view of both the front and the back of the house.
There’re a couple of doors on the same wall as the bedroom door and Reece shows me the walk-in closet and the ensuite bathroom, complete with separate shower and tub.
“This is huge,” I say, taking it all in.
“I thought you might want to help pick out the furniture for it, instead of me doing it for you?” Reece asks hopefully. I nod my head, but the thought of picking out furniture makes me a little anxious. I don’t have the first clue what to choose.
“We can paint it any color you like.”
I nod and give him what I hope is a reassuring smile.
“Dinner will be ready in an hour, so feel free to relax until then. Unpack, explore, nap, make yourselves at home.”
Kingsley looks at Bower and takes a deep breath, “We better go call Mom. She’ll be mad if she finds out we waited more than five minutes after getting home to call her.”
Bower chuckles and turns to me, “We’ll be in King’s room if you want to join us.”
I nod and Reece moves to the doorway before turning back to face Weston and myself. “Make yourselves at home here, really. Let any of us know if you need anything. Darla, I still have that cell phone for you, whenever you’re ready for it.”
I nod, remembering they offered me one when we were in the hospital in Madagascar, but the idea of owning one again felt overwhelming. The thought wasn’t quite so stressful now, but the simple thought of having to keep it with me and remember to take it everywhere made my stomach tighten with anxiety, so I knew I wasn’t ready yet.
Baby steps, right?
