“I know,” I say.
I put the paper down and accept the croissant she’s holding, just to appease her.
I can barely hold anything down, I’m so sick to my stomach over this.
Tinsley rocks Sebastian slowly, he’s been fussier than usual.
He knows something is wrong.
“Leigha, I can’t get him to stop crying, help me please,” Tinsley says, sounding helpless indeed.
“Here,” Leigha says gently.
She takes the baby from him and walks a little way down the beach, rocking him, so that the sound is lessened.
No one can imagine the hellish thoughts passing through Tinsley’s mind.
“Evan,” she breathes.
“Tinsley,” I say.
“What if they don’t find Noah?” she asks.
She finally says the words we’ve all been thinking.
“They will,” I try to assure her.
I don’t sound too confident.
It’s been two days.
I’ve got everyone and anyone searching for my father.
Once he was able to do so, Merc called in his people, and they agreed to help, but only because we’d managed to get Elizabeth Darlington to them alive.
They’ve held her for questioning.
Aidan and Lucius have been searching around the clock, and neither of them has slept in two days.
Lucius had someone look at his leg, bandage it up, and then he was right back alongside Aidan looking for my father.
He can’t be gone.
“I don’t know what to do,” Tinsley tells me.
I have to pull whatever of my father is inside of me into the light, to be the man he thought I could be.
“You have to be strong, Tinsley. Sebastian needs you. I know you want to shut down, I know you want to shut everything out and just forget this, but your son is alive, and he’s going to need you his entire life. Be strong for him, for my father,” I encourage her.
Tinsley grabs me and pulls me into a tight hug, her body shaking with grief as we cling to each other for support.
I can hear her horrified sobs, and the tears slip down my cheeks automatically.
Even I can’t take her pain.
“I love him!” Tinsley sobs into my chest.
“This can’t be happening!” she protests.
All I can do is hold her tighter, let her cry and sob and protest.
I’m powerless in this situation.
Wholly powerless and that’s not a good feeling.
By dinner time it’s apparent that, after two days, we should call off the search.
“I can’t do that,” I tell Athena.
“We can’t give up on him,” Levi agrees with me.
“But,” he says.
Dear God, there’s always a ‘but’ with him.
The rational voice of reason always has something else to say.
“It’s probably prudent that we do not drain all our resources, we can keep looking but need to concentrate more. Fewer people, but in the areas he would’ve ended up,” Levi explains.
He points to the search map and circles the islands surrounding my father’s in bold red marker.
“He could be in any of these islands,” Levi explains.
“I’ll go with Aidan,” Athena says.
“We’ll keep looking, But Evan, Levi is right. We’re going to lose a lot of money, very, very fast if you’re not careful here. This isn’t limitless, and we’ve got the children to think about now,” Athena says.
“We’ll use Grayson’s trust,” Ava offers.
Everyone looks at her, not wanting to say anything.
“We have to find him!” Ava screams at the top of her lungs.
Everyone quiets at her outburst.
I expect Ava to burst into tears, but she doesn’t.
“He’s my father, I just got him back, I can’t lose him again!” Ava says passionately.
No one is going to say what we’re all thinking.
So, I say it.
“What if he is dead?” I ask.
I decided not to look at Tinsley while I say this.
Not a word passes between all of us.
It’s like the suggestion has frozen everyone in time.
Ava, Levi and I would lose our father.
Tinsley would lose the father of her child, her fiancé, the love of her life.
Athena’s brother would be gone.
Lucius’ best friend taken away.
“We have to face that, don’t we,” Athena’s voice is so quiet it almost doesn’t sound like her own.
“We do,” I say with a nod.
Tinsley says nothing, but I can see her nodding as she presses her lips together, and wills herself not to cry.
“Come here,” I tell Tinsley.
She comes to my side, and I wrap an arm around her as silent tears spill down her cheeks.
“We’re not giving up, not yet, but Levi is right, we need to concentrate if we haven’t found him yet, chances are, he just might find us instead,” I say.
“My brother wouldn’t dare drown on me anyway,” Athena sniffs.
We all laugh because she finally sounds like herself.
“I shall keep looking, with Lucius and Aidan, as long as Lucius gets that leg looked at when he’s supposed to. Tinsley, dear, I don’t think it’ll be any good for you to wait around here. Go home with the children, and we’ll bring my brother back to you,” Athena says with authority.
“It’ll be for the best,” I tell Tinsley.
“The second they find him, they’re going to call you, the jet will be ready and you’ll be back together before you know it,” I lie.
Tinsley just nods and rubs her eyes.
It’s better if she’s not suspended in time, waiting for my father.
May 4, 2017
At Heathrow I watch the boards for my flight, scanning them endlessly until I find it.
I should very well already be through security, but instead, I take a seat and wait.
Is Leigha going to show?
I know what I’m offering isn’t much, but I can’t take London anymore.
Or New York.
She could quite quickly go back and build up her father’s business now that he’s been cleared of all charges.
As was my father, officially, yesterday.
I’m done with the States, and I’m done with England.
I need something brand new.
The clock continues to tick, and still, I see no sign of her.
With a heavy heart, I go through security and show my ticket.
I hear the last boarding call for my flight and rush through the gate.
That’s where I see Leigha waiting.
Part IV
Six Months Later
1
Leigha
November 1, 2018
“Alright, I’ve got you all booked for tomorrow. Yes, Evan is the best pilot on the island, you’ll be perfectly safe. The flight includes video, yes. Okay, perfect, have a great day,” I say into the phone.
Then, finally, I hang up.
Evan and I are the last calls of the day, and I can finally close the office.
I shut the computer down and lock the door, then brace myself for the heat as I walk through the lobby of the hotel.
Nassau isn’t nearly as hot in November as it is during the summer, but I still haven’t quite adjusted to the heat here.
“All booked for tomorrow?” Evan asks through a mouthful of burrito.
He offers me a bite, and I take it.
I chew before I answer.
“Just evening flights tomorrow,” I tell him.
“That’s awesome, I get to sleep in,” Evan says.
Then, he smirks at me, and it feels like I can’t breathe.
It’s been six months since Noah disappeared, Evan is lighter and happier than I’ve ever seen him.
“The best idea I ever had,” Evan states.
We start our
slow walk down the beach towards home.
“Being a full pilot time? Honestly, I thought you’d hate entertaining tourists all the time,” I joke.
“No, I meant taking you with me,” Evan says.
“Oh, that,” I respond.
A blush rises into my cheeks, and I’m not one hundred percent sure how to respond.
We sleep in the same bed, spend all our time together, once in a while there’s a kiss, but things haven’t entirely been the same.
I know that’s because Evan hasn’t been the same.
He’s needed time, and I’m more than willing to give him time.
Here, in Nassau, under the same roof, it feels like we have all the time in the world.
There’s no rush.
The most important thing to me is that Evan’s happy.
He’s freer, there’s so little stress because I rarely overbook his days.
We can come and go as we please.
It’s a long walk home, but I never mind.
“What? No answer? She’s speechless?” Evan fakes a gasp.
“Shut-up,” I laugh.
“I mean it, I couldn’t have done any of this without you, literally,” Evan says.
He begins to walk backward in the sand, his shoes in his hands.
“You mean managing your business for you?” I laugh.
“Well, that too,” Evan says.
“But, I can’t imagine anyone else I’d want to do this with,” he tells me.
The truth is I can’t imagine anywhere else in the world I’d rather be, but I’m afraid to admit that to Evan as if he might somehow break my heart all over again.
I don’t know why, maybe because I watched his heartbreak when his father disappeared.
I watched him crack and break until he couldn’t take it anymore, and he needed out.
So, we left, and there are no plans to go back to England in our future.
The problem is, I don’t know what is in our future.
“I’m glad I came,” I tell Evan.
“Me too,” he says.
Evan stops walking and wraps his arms around me.
The glow of the sunset on the beach casts us in orange light as he leans down to kiss me.
His lips are warm, soft, and welcome.
I lose myself so easily in Evan’s lips, his soft kiss quickly turning more passionate.
We are hungry for each other, and quickly lose ourselves in the moment.
A shiver runs down my body as his hands move up the back of my shirt.
When we finally break away, the look in his eyes tells me everything I need to know.
“Let’s go home,” Evan tells me.
Our apartment is small, and far from the minimalist style that I’m used to, but it feels like home to me.
Evan has so far refused to use any of the money except for the business start-up, and as far as I’m concerned, that’s all well and good.
There are days where we’re worried about rent or getting all the bills for the business paid, but it comes with the territory.
I’ve always been of the firm belief that some stress is actually good for you.
It reminds you that you’re alive, and I believe Evan needed that reminder.
Between balancing the checkbook and flying as much as he can, Evan is a different man.
“You want dinner?” I ask.
Evan grunts noncommittally and slips off his sandals, then drops his keys on the row of little hooks by the door.
We’ve plastered our walls with pictures, mostly taken by us, and our favorite movie posters.
Plants line all the window sills, and the cat swirls around Evan’s feet, meowing for his evening treat.
I take the soft food out of the can and plop some into the dish, instantly grabbing Bond’s attention.
Bond, our little runt-of-the-litter tuxedo cat, instantly runs towards the sound of his metal bowl being set on the ground.
Evan strokes the cat lightly a few times as he eats; he didn’t even want the cat, but I think Bond had a lot to do with letting go of what happened, because now, Bond is Evan’s favorite.
I’ve taken second place to the cat.
I watch him stroke the cat as he purrs.
“You love him more than me,” I joke.
“I couldn’t love anyone more than I love you,” Evan says seriously.
There, in the middle of our swelteringly hot kitchen, I blush like crazy.
The room feels hotter than it is as I press my lips together.
I know Evan loves me, but it’s been a while since I’ve heard him say it.
“You do, now?” I ask coyly.
My face is probably as red as a cherry.
“You know that,” Evan says gruffly.
“I do,” I admit.
I bite my lip and look at the floor for a moment, but when I turn my face, to look back at Evan, his expression says everything.
This is real love, the kind of love that withstands months of pain, arguments about nothing and screaming matches over whether or not he should call for news on his father.
My love for Evan is precious, beyond sex, beyond our friendship.
We’ve lived together six months, while Evan went through hell, and sure there were moments when we hated each other, but love isn’t supposed to be a smooth ride.
One night we got into such a bad fight I had to leave, go for a long walk, and settle down.
I walked around the island mostly.
When I returned, Evan was on his knees, begging me not to leave.
He actually thought I was going to leave him.
It was then that I promised him I wasn’t going anywhere.
No matter what he did.
Here we are, barely any money, miles away from home, removed from everything and Evan and I are still standing.
Together.
My heart beats faster than ever as our eyes settle on each other.
Evan’s look is a mixture of admiration, thankfulness, and love.
With his eyes looking into mine, his gaze reaches right down into my soul and touches a part of me I know I’ll never get back.
“I’m yours, you know that? I’m yours completely if you want me,” I tell him in a clear voice.
I shake from my own words, not used to going after what I want.
But, the truth is I’m not the same person, either.
I want this man, and nothing is going to stop us from being together now.
“And I’m yours, Leigha. One hundred percent of me is completely yours,” he says, and his voice is soft.
Evan crosses the room and pulls me towards him by the waist, a firm grip on my hips.
He lowers his mouth to mine, and I can feel the anticipation building between us, that hot fizz of electricity that sends a shiver down my spine right before our lips meet.
I always forget where I am when Evan kisses me.
The first kiss is slow, soft and hypnotizing.
When Evan pulls away for a moment, I see the fire in his eyes that hasn’t been there in a while.
Our lips smash together this time in a passionate, heartfelt kiss that forces me to cling to him and wrap my arms around his neck.
I melt into him all too quickly.
He backs me out of the kitchen, down the short hallway, and into our bedroom without his lips ever leaving mine.
It’s amazing what a few kisses can do to spark that heat inside me.
I’m desperate for Evan now.
“I need you, Leigha,” he whispers hoarsely.
All I can do is nod as we continue kissing.
Ravenous, hungry kisses, that don’t need to be contained.
We are more than ready for this.
Months of waiting has been torture.
But torturing ourselves by doing something physical when Evan was going through so much, would’ve been worse.
It strikes me that this is our first time, since the incident when he was with Vic and the threesome with
Merc.
This is us, alone, removed from all the other people in our lives.
Suddenly, I’m nervous.
Evan’s hands have a slight shake to them as he unbuttons the front of my blouse.
“I think I’m nervous,” he laughs.
I sigh in relief, laughing.
“Me too,” I tell him.
We both realize how monumental this is.
We’re going to make love, and it’s going to mean something.
Under Evan’s lips, as he eases my blouse down my shoulders, the nervousness easily melts away.
The blouse falls to the floor, and we tumble onto the unmade bed, Evan kissing every inch of my bare skin.
He kisses down my shoulder, my stomach, and further down to undo my shorts and pull them off.
Then, Evan is kissing my legs, between my legs and along my inner thighs.
I need him so badly I can’t stop squirming until, finally, Evan slides off my panties.
His finger moves against my slick clit, and I can’t help but spread my legs for this man.
Evan rips his t-shirt over his head to reveal that hard, muscular body.
I want him, I want that body pressed against me now.
My breathing picks up as our eyes connect, and Evan slowly slides a finger inside me, then two, curling them in that familiar way and I’m already gasping.
He uses his other hand to rub my clit in slow, tortuously delicious motions.
“Evan!” I gasp.
Evan growls in return, then I get the delight of Evan’s tongue flicking across my sensitive nub as his fingers work their magic.
In-and-out, then in, and he presses against a gloriously sensitive spot that makes me bear down with my hips against his hand.
Evan knows precisely what to do, rubbing against the sensitive spot with every thrust, pushing my lower half down at the same time.
I’m begging and pleading for him not to stop, moaning his name and expletives that only seem to make him work harder.
“Are you going to cum sweetheart?” his thick voice is full of desire.
I can only nod and moan.
“Don’t stop! Please!” I beg Evan.
I’m so close that when I tip over the edge, I don’t expect it.
A blaze of pleasure lights my body on fire, every nerve ending tingling as the orgasm takes hold of me.
Secret: A Stone Billionaire Series Novel (The Stone Billionaire Series Book 5) Page 28
