Page 84 of Unfulfilled Promises
“Do you remember where?” I asked.
“To the inch,” she returned with a smile.
“Then we need to get the information so one of us can go and see if it survived,” Lucian remarked.
“Nope,” Regan stated, and Lucian snapped his gaze at her. “I bled for the contents of that book, so if anyone is going to retrieve it, it’ll be me.”
“And me,” I added. Looking at her, I asked, “When do you want to leave?”
“Tomorrow?” she asked back, only for James and Rhys to interrupt.
“It can wait,” Rhys stated.
James, at the same time, said, “You don’t have to do this.”
Regan stood, and I followed her lead, proud of my woman for taking what could have been distressing news and turning it into determination. She looked at everyone, and when I glanced around, I could tell Stella was proud, Devlin and Lucian wanted to be in control, and James and Rhys wanted to shield Regan.
But she wasn’t broken, and she wasn’t fragile.
“Seth and I are going to find the book while you run the test. If it says what you think it will, then we need to sit down and decide what needs to happen with the money. If it doesn’t, thenwe’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. No matter what, I’m not keeping his money.”
“Why?” Stella asked and stood from her chair. “He was a bastard who made everyone’s life miserable. Everyone but yours, Regan. He was kind and gentle with you. He protected you, and if I hadn’t killed him, he may have been a good father to you. No matter what, the money is yours. You said it—you bled for it, and you deserve to be compensated for your pain.”
A few of them went to speak when Regan held her hand up, silencing them all as Stella retook her seat. “I appreciate everyone wanting to make sure I don’t lose my shit again. But,” she said, taking my hand into hers and looking up at me, “I’ve got someone who has my back, so from now on, I need you to back off and let me find my own way.”
I glanced past her and saw James shake his head at Rhys before he took a seat, unsure of her request but apparently willing to honor it.
“Will you send me the address so I can get packed?” Regan asked Stella.
“I’ll text it now,” Stella remarked.
Regan walked up to Rhys and James, pulling them both into a hug. She spoke loud enough we could hear her. “I know you’re worried about me, but you don’t have to anymore. I’m going to be okay.”
They didn’t seem to believe her, but I knew she was telling the truth. She was getting stronger every day, remembering things she used to keep pushed into the darkness of her mind, and with each new revelation, she seemed to be happier. I promised the universe I was going to make sure she was happy for the rest of her life, and I remade that promise as we walked out of the war room and into the unknown.
WE PULLED INTO THEsmall town in Missouri just after midnight, and Regan was practically falling asleep as I turned into the parking lot of a motel and parked the car.
“Stay awake a little longer, baby, and I’ll get you into bed,” I said, and she nodded while yawning. “I’ll be back.”
Quickly, I got out of the SUV and walked into the lobby of the hotel. The woman behind the counter smiled and asked, “Can I help you?”
“I need a room for the night,” I explained, and for the next few minutes, we went through the check-in procedures.
She handed me a cardkey, explained where to park and how to get to the room, and smiled as I thanked her and walked away. Regan was looking around from the passenger seat when I got back into the car, and as I pulled around to where our room was, she began to gather her stuff from the front seat and floorboard.
Carrying everything into the room as she walked beside me, I worried about how she was handling all of this. We’d spoken some on the trip up here about how she was feeling, but all she could say was it was confusing. I could understand how she would be on edge, but from outward appearances, she seemed calm.
“Do you want to get showered before bed?” I asked, and she shook her head as she sat on the end of the bed.
“I’ll take one in the morning. I just want to sleep.”
I helped her stand and pulled the covers back as she removed her pants, shoes, socks, shirt, and bra. Crawling into bed, she looked up at me as she blinked rapidly, showing her exhaustion. I sat down, slipped my shoes and socks off, pushed my pants down my ass and kicked them to the floor, then I pulled my shirt off and tossed it with the rest of the items.
Lying down, I lifted my arm and Regan crawled beside me as she rested her leg over mine and her arm went across my chest.Wrapping my arm around her, I kissed the side of her head and whispered, “I love you.”
“I love you too,” she returned and snuggled closer to me.
Her breathing evened out as she succumbed to the exhaustion that had been plaguing her for days. Since Waylon died, she’d been worried, and even though she slept all night, it didn’t seem like restful sleep, so having her passed out on me gave me hope she was finally on the road to her redemption.
