Page 80 of The Reaper
ChapterThirty-Seven
LEAH MAY
Icouldn’t believe what had happened over the last few months. Things hadn’t been easy, but through it all, Devon had been my rock, my happy place. I couldn’t wait to move into The Sanctuary and be with him forever.
We pulled into the car park and then took a few boxes from the back seat to carry up with us. There was other stuff in the boot and a few things we’d decided to collect later, but right now, all we wanted to do was get inside, close the door on the world and be in our little bubble, losing ourselves in each other.
When we reached the top floor, we heard Colton calling out to us from the living room. Devon rolled his eyes then said, “We may as well get it over with. If we don’t go in, he’ll only end up knocking on our door until we open it.”
“I don’t mind being with them all, Colton makes me laugh.”
“That’s why he keeps monopolising you whenever you’re here, you’re the only one who laughs at all his jokes.”
I did laugh, but that’s because I’d never been around someone like Colton before. He could see the funny side of any situation. I had my suspicions that he might be slightly psychotic, but after my father’s diagnosis of a mental health disorder, I wasn’t about to throw shade on anyone’s state of mind.
We walked into the living room with the boxes still in our hands.
“Make it quick,” Devon barked. “We’re tired and want to be alone.”
“You have the rest of your lives to be alone. Come and sit with us.” Colton patted the sofa next to him, but Devon stayed standing, putting his arm on mine to stop me from sitting down too. “Okay then,” Colton said in a sing-song voice, then reached to the side, picked something up from the floor, and stood up, hiding it behind his back. “I just wanted to say, on behalf of all my brothers” ––he glanced at Liv and winked––“and sister here, that we are so glad you are now officially part of the family.” He took his arm from behind his back and held out a little pink box tied up with a red ribbon.
“Oh, hell, no,” Liv said. “Whatever he’s put in that box, we weren’t a part of it. We’ve all clubbed together to buy you a weekend away. Some time alone, away from Brinton. Whatever twisted gift Colton’s got is all on him.”
Devon went to put his box down and take it off him, but I sprang into action, dropping my box onto the table and grabbing the present.
“Thanks, Colton.”
He bowed and then grinned up at me.
“You know, I admire you. You, and these two.” He pointed his thumb at Adam and Liv. “But it’ll be a cold day in hell before you ever see me settling down.”
“It’ll be a cold day in hell before any woman chooses to settle down with you,” Tyler added. “No need to stock up on thermals quite yet.”
Colton ignored him and stood proud as he announced, “The women out there are pining for a bit of the King. Colton King, love machine. Why tie myself to one girl when they all have their merits?” He shrugged, believing every word he said, and nobody in here wanted to argue with him.
Why argue?
It was pointless.
But we all knew that one day, some girl would come along and knock him off his feet. And we couldn’t wait for that day to arrive. Watching Colton King fall in love was going to be something.
“What did he get?” Will asked, coming over to stand next to Colton.
I pulled the ribbon and it fell away. When I opened the box, I half expected something to jump out or to be drowned in exploding confetti, but there was delicate pink tissue paper lining the box, protecting whatever was inside.
I put the box on the table and knelt on the floor, moving the tissue paper aside, and then, when I saw what was in there, I gasped, pulling it out carefully and placing it on the table.
“I hear you singing in the shower most mornings. Hell, we all hear you sing all over the damn place. We love your voice. Please don’t ever stop. So, when I saw this in the jewellers on the high street, I had to buy it. It plays that Carpenters song you sing a lot of the time, see?” He leaned down and started to twist the bottom of the snow globe that had silver hearts suspended inside. It really was the prettiest thing I’d ever seen. As he shook it, twisting and winding it up, the glitter snow swirled inside. Then he laid it back on the table and it tinkled the melody that my mum used to sing to my dad and me when I was little. I’d hear her sing it in the shower, when she was washing dishes, even outside doing gardening.
A Song for You.
I started to well up hearing the familiar tune, and I heard Liv say, “Colton, that’s beautiful.”
“Yeah,” Devon replied. “That’s really thoughtful. Thank you.”
I stood up and went to Colton, hugging him my own thanks, and he hugged me back. “I’m glad you like it.”
I picked it up in both hands, holding it tightly to my chest. “I love it. I’ll cherish it. Thank you so, so much.”
