The Forbidden Trilogy(217)

But they weren't here, and I couldn't stand another moment of being alone in my head—well, as alone as I could be with other peoples' thoughts flowing around in there.

Darren could offer comfort—had offered. "I'm here, night or day, if you need to talk," he'd said. I'd nodded, knowing I couldn't take him up on that offer.

But I had to do something other than sit here, moping and crying, while my daughter and all the people I loved most stood in harm's way. For two hours, I'd tried to channel my new powers, but all attempts to connect with Ana and Tommy fell flat. Their mental signatures eluded me, and I felt so empty and alone without my daughter.

I needed someone to talk to, someone who'd do whatever it took to help me. Darren. He'd already done so much, already proven how far he would go to help me and Ana.

Oh, what the hell. I'm not seducing the guy, just asking to talk. I set the sketchbook aside and headed to Darren's room the next hall over.

I paused in front of his door, fist poised to knock, but couldn't complete the action. No matter how I justified it, he would take this as a sign of hope for us, and a relationship didn't seem likely given my current state. Was that really fair to him?

It didn't matter. I needed an ally who would help me save my daughter.

Decision made, I braced myself again to knock, but before my fist hit the door, it opened, and Darren stood there, smiling.

His smile faltered at my puffy, bloodshot eyes. He opened his arms, and all of my resolve faded as I gave in to the comfort he offered.

No more tears would come, but I let go of the last of my self-pity with my cheek pressed against his chest.

I looked up at him, ready to tell him of my plan, when he leaned down to kiss me.

My body froze as I tried to decide whether to pull away or see what it felt like to kiss another man.

A knock at the front door made my decision for me. I pulled away. "Someone's here. It could be about Ana."

He nodded and followed me out of his room, the heat between us fading in the cold hallway.

I opened the front door, and my jaw dropped in shock.

Drake stood on the porch, dripping wet, looking every bit as wonderful as the first time I'd met him.

I slapped him in the face, hard. "How could you leave me?" My response shocked me, but all the tension and fear and anger sprang free of my heart now that it finally had a target.

He didn't stop me or defend himself, which very well might have saved his life in that moment. As quick as lightning, my anger turned to grief and relief, and those tears that I'd only recently pushed below the surface rose up to swallow me.

Drake pulled me into his arms, and I couldn't help but hold him close. To have him here, to finally hold him and lean on him—it was too hard to stay mad through all that.

When my tears died down, Drake wiped my eyes. "I love you, Sam, and I'm so sorry I ever left you and our child. I screwed up in the most unforgivable way, but I'm back now, and I'll never leave either of you again. I swear. Can you forgive me?"

I pulled out of his arms and stepped back enough to gain perspective. Could I forgive him? Would he hurt me again? "I will," I decided. "I will forgive you, but not yet. I'm not ready. It will take time."

Darren coughed lightly behind me, intruding on what might have been an intimate moment if I hadn't been on the verge of kissing him a few moments prior.

Drake's face fell like a kicked puppy, but he nodded. "I understand. Let me show you, Sam, that I'll be here for you forever."

What could he show me while standing on the porch dripping rain into the house?

But then he got down on one knee.

Oh crap. No. Not now. It's too soon.

He pulled something out of his pocket and held it out to me. "Sam Smith, will you marry me?"





Chapter 98 – Drake



"No."

Drake shook his head as if that would make her answer differently. Her refusal hung in the space between them, building a wall even as he stood helplessly by. He'd screwed up, but he'd come back and wanted to make it right. They belonged together, Didn't she get that?

She frowned. "Drake, I'm focused on one thing right now: getting our baby back. I can't think of you or our future."

He squeezed her hand and pulled her closer. "Then don't think. What do you want? Right now?"

She pulled away. "I want Ana back. I want to find out what happened to my friends, and I want to save Tommy. That's what I want right now."

Her cold, hard stare made him wonder whether any chance remained to be together. He pushed the ring box into her hand, but she made no move to open it. "Just take the ring. Keep it with you as a symbol that I'm here for good."

She looked at the box, then back at him. "Are you here for real? Will you help me get Ana back?"