Corrupt(132)

“Michael,” she said louder, reaching up to take my face in her hands.

But I tore myself away, leaning back on the sink and bowing my head, feeling pain everywhere.

Was this what she wanted? For me to be vulnerable and feel the fear I felt tonight?

Is this what she felt for me?

“I thought you were gone,” I said, barely audible. “The water was so black, and I couldn’t find you. I thought I’d never get to you.”

She came up to me, taking my face again.

And I looked up into her blue eyes, knowing that would always haunt me. What if she had never come back up? What would I have done?

I slid a hand around the back of her neck and wrapped my other arm around her waist, taking her lips in mine and kissing her so deep the heat of her mouth filled my entire body.

I could kiss her forever.

Touching my forehead to hers, I ran my thumb across her face, caressing it. “I love you, Rika.”

I’ve always loved you.

She broke out in a smile, tears streaming down her face as she circled her arms around my neck and pulled me in close. I squeezed her tight, burying my face in her hair, never wanting to let her go.

After all the years and all the times when I should’ve known, it took her nearly getting killed for me to realize what she meant to me. For me to realize how ingrained in every moment of my life she was and how she’d always been there, right in front of me.

Her, riding her bike around my driveway when she was five. Her, learning to swim in my pool. Her, running around and doing cart wheels in my backyard.

Her, biting her nails when I entered the room.

Her, sitting next to my mother at every basketball game in high school.

Her, refusing to even look in my direction when I hung out with a girl.

And me, barely able to hold back the smile at the little looks she stole and how nervous she was when I was close.

She was always there, and it was always us.

Trevor made me want to resent it, but it was seeing her with Kai last night that made me feel it. Nothing could shake us. She was mine, and I was hers, and it would never break.

I inhaled a deep breath, finally feeling my stomach unknot. “Did they hurt you in any other way?” I asked.

She pulled back, shaking her head. “No.”

“Damon’s still out there.”

“Damon’s gone,” she stated, so sure.

She took the hem of my wet shirt and pulled it up, over my head.

“How are we going to tell your parents about this?” she said, worry written all over her face. “About Trevor?”

“I’ll handle it,” I told her, pulling her shirt off as well. “I don’t want you to worry about anything.”

And I scooped her up, wrapping her legs around me and sitting on the sink edge, just holding her close.

She hovered her lips over mine, sinking her body into me like she was about to melt. “You really love me?”

I closed my eyes, breathing her in. “I love you so much,” I whispered, tightening my hold on her. “This is where I live.”





Present



WALKING INTO THE CRIST HOME, I gave Edward a small smile as he took my coat and then helped my mother with hers.

She looked so beautiful.

It had been three weeks since she’d returned from the facility in California, and although every day was like a ticking time bomb, I grew more and more relaxed as the days passed that she wouldn’t relapse.

Her A-line black dress hugged her body that no longer looked so frail, and the color in her cheeks made her seem ten years younger. She was looking more and more like the mother from my childhood every day.

I wore an ivory-colored dress that fell to the tops of my knees, and my mother had politely mentioned that it might be too tight for Thanksgiving dinner. I didn’t hesitate to let her know that Michael liked looking at my body, and I liked him looking, so there.

She blushed, and I laughed.

“Rika,” I heard Mrs. Crist call.

I looked up to see Michael’s mother strolling through the foyer, decked out and looking elegant and as usual.

“Darling, you look wonderful.” She embraced me, giving me a quick peck on the cheek.

Then she turned to my mom. “Christiane,” she said, hugging her. “Please come and stay with me. Since your house won’t be ready until next summer, I don’t see any reason why you shouldn’t be here.”

My mother pulled back and smiled. “I would love to, but right now, I’m enjoying the city so much.”

No one except Michael, Kai, Will, and me knew the real cause of the fire, and since the restoration on our house here had slowed down due to the falling temperatures, I’d brought my mother to Meridian City with me. I’d offered her the spare room in my apartment, but she wanted to give Michael and me our privacy, opting for a hotel instead.

I’d stayed with her there for a couple of weeks—to make sure she was okay—but I slowly relaxed when she started spending her time at the gym, getting her health back, and volunteering at a shelter to keep busy and meet some new people. She was eating well, sleeping even better, and surprisingly, in no hurry to return to Thunder Bay.

Eventually, though, I gave her some space and took myself back to Delcour. Much to Michael’s relief.

Not that he didn’t want me around her, but he still got antsy about my safety. He said it had to do with Damon’s unknown whereabouts, but I knew it was something else.