Descending Darkness(64)

Jane stands up and asks me, “Do you know where Ryanne went? I want to talk to her before we leave.”

“You’re leaving?”

“Yeah, it’s probably better if we’re not standing in your way, and you guys have a lot of people here already.”

“You can’t go back to your house. It’s not safe,” I tell Jane. “It’s safer here.”

“I know. We won’t go back to our house yet. I was thinking of a second honeymoon.” Jane looks up and smiles at Ross. He looks down at her with more emotion than I’ve seen him express before. When he smiles, she seems to become breathless. Ross laughs, and Jane clears her throat and looks back toward me. “So, do you know where she is?”

“Where who is?” Ryanne asks as she skips back into the room.

“You. Can I talk to you?” Jane asks her.

“Umm, yeah sure,” Ryanne says as she follows Jane out of the room. I wonder what Jane wants to talk to her about. I look toward Ross, who just shrugs and sits back down.



******

Jane walks out of kitchen and through the living room, leading me to the back door. Opening it, I am hit with the cool breeze. The smell of the ocean envelopes me while the sound of the gulls flying around echoes down the beach. I walk past Jane and lean against the railing watching the foam from the waves wash up on the shore. I close my eyes and let the sun beat down on my skin for a few moments before I ask, “What did you want to talk about?”

“Ross and I are going to go. I think it would be better for everyone if you don’t have to worry about us.”

“I could protect you; you don’t have to go. It’s not really safe for you to go back to your house,” I tell her.

“We’re not going to go back to our house for a while. We’ll go on vacation. We have enough vacation days between the two of us that we can go away for a little over a month. We’ll be fine. And if you ever want to get in contact with me, you have my number,” she says.

I turn and look at her. “I’ve missed you, Jane. I know I never did a good job at showing it, but I really appreciate all you did for me this past year.”

Walking over to me, Jane hugs me. “I’ve missed you too. I don’t like what you’re doing, but I understand why you feel the need to do it. Just promise me you’ll not get yourself killed.”

“I’ll do my best.” I know I can’t promise her anything. What I am doing is dangerous. There is always a chance that something could happen, and I’ve come to accept that.

“And about that boy…” Jane starts. I groan and step back.

“Yes?” I know that nothing Jane can say about Colton will change how I feel about him, but I don’t want her to not like him. I lean back against the railing and wait for her response.

“I like him,” she says. That isn’t what I was expecting. I stare at her, waiting for my mind to correct my ears and tell me what she actually said. “I can tell that he obviously loves you. It’s written all over his face when he looks at you.”

“I love him too, Jane.”

“I know. I can tell. You light up whenever you’re around him. I’ve never seen you look so happy before. I just want to make sure you know what you’re doing. That you’re not taking everything too fast because you know he’s your soulmate.”

“Jane, I understand what you’re saying, but Colton’s a complete gentleman. He doesn’t pressure me to do anything. I know what I’m ready for and what I need to wait on. I know that I’m not ready for sex. You won’t have to castrate anyone.” I laugh and look back toward the water. “I had a vision about him the other day.”

“What happened in it?” She walks up beside me and leans against the railing.

“I saw us in the future. I looked to be in my mid-to-upper twenties. Colton and I were married, and I was pregnant with our first child.” I turn toward Jane. “I was really happy, Jane. I want that vision to come true. I’m not going to do anything to jeopardize that.”

She wraps her arm around my shoulders and squeezes them. “I’m really happy for you, Ryanne. You deserve that happiness.” I lean into her and hug her back. “Don’t cry,” she whispers to me.

She starts to wipe away my tears. I hadn’t realized that I was crying. “I’m sorry. There’s just a lot going on. It scares me, but I know that this is where I’m meant to be. With these people. Doing what I’m doing.”

“Ryanne, just trust in your abilities, and everything will fall into place. I can tell that all the people in that room care for you. Even Mr. tall, dark, and handsome.” I laugh at her. Even married Jane isn’t immune to Kyril’s looks. “You’ll be unstoppable together. You have your own little Avengers team here.”