Page 8 of Shattered Reign

“At six in the morning?”

“Doesn’t matter the time. Come on, get in.”

I did as he said, and soon the car was heading toward the highway. I waited for my father to break the silence between us since he was the one who had intruded on my ride to the airport. Not that I was keeping anything a secret from my parents, and they had been the ones to help me organize the trip with the private flight.

“Easton,” he started, the word loud in the quiet car. “I wanted to be here to support you. Your mother did too, but she had a headache this morning and is trying to get some rest.”

“Thanks for helping me plan all of this on short notice and for understanding that I might not be around for the holidays this year.”

Dad nodded. “I’m sorry it took as long as it did.”

In reality, it hadn’t been that long. Dad had lent our plane out to one of his friends, so I had to wait to use it until the next day. All that mattered though, was that I was on my way now.

“I’m glad you’re doing this,” Dad said, cutting through my thoughts.

“You are?”

He looked me in the eyes and said, “I’ve seen the way you look at her, son. It reminds me of the way I looked at your mother when we started dating. I still look at her like that most times. I’ve never seen you happier than when you’re talking about her.”

Despite the seriousness of the moment, a smile tugged at my lips. He was right. Bianca brought me happiness I hadn’t known I was missing until she entered my life. It just occurred to me that my parents hadn’t seen me interacting with Bianca much because we were at college, and she had been doing her best to avoid me. That would change when we returned too.

“Thank you, Dad,” I said, and I meant it.

“We Beaumonts love passionately,” he said. “It can be our greatest strength and our biggest weakness. Protect yourself and your heart, Easton, but don’t be afraid to give it either.”

I glanced out the window as I saw the small airport I would be flying out of today. I repeated his words in my mind as I processed what he said. “I won’t forget, Dad.”

With a final nod of approval, he patted my arm as the car pulled to a stop. “Go get her, son.”

I smiled at him and opened the car door, too excited to wait for our driver to do so. As I grabbed my bag, my dad stepped out of the car and gave me a hug before giving me another pat on the back. As I walked toward the airport, the short conversation that I had with my father weighed heavily on my mind. With my father’s words in my mind and heart, I was more prepared than ever to tell Bianca how I felt.

And it was about damn time.

6

BIANCA

Iwalked out onto the cobblestone street near my hotel. The sun was shining, and I felt completely relaxed as I took a deep breath of fresh air. I’d been in Italy for three days now, and today, I was going to visit the Museo della Carta. The museum was nestled in an old thirteenth-century paper mill and was dedicated to the history of papermaking in the region.

As I walked toward the museum, I felt a little nervous. I was exploring yet another place that I’d never been to on my own, and I knew there could potentially be danger lurking around every corner. The text message that I’d received from the unknown number haunted me and made me wonder if the person knew where I was. But I tried to shove those thoughts into a dark corner. I knew I needed to do this because I had to take control of my life.

The museum seemed to be rather small, and I strolled up to the ticket office and purchased a ticket. Once I was inside, I noticed there were displays of ancient papermaking techniques all around. I couldn’t help but study the machines that I could see because I was so stunned by how much history was in this one place.

The hour that I spent in the museum passed by quickly as I immersed myself in learning as much as I could. I made sure to pick up a few things from the gift shop before I found myself bundled up in the back of a car, headed back to my hotel.

The drive back didn’t take long, and all too quickly, I found myself stepping out of the car and walking toward the hotel’s lobby.

I was so caught up in thinking about my experience that I jumped when someone tapped me on the shoulder and said my name.

“Bianca?”

My heart jumped into my throat as my blood froze in my veins. I whirled around automatically. I gasped as my eyes landed on the tall, muscular man standing behind me. But it was his eyes that held me captive. His green eyes sent a jolt through me as my mouth dropped open. I was as familiar with them as much as I recognized my own.

“Easton?” I said. My voice was barely above a whisper. My mouth was dry, making it hard to speak. There was no way this was a mirage, right?

He nodded before pulling me into his arms. Everything about this hug reminded me of the warmth I felt when I sank into the newly cleaned sheets in my hotel room. We stood like that for a moment in the middle of the lobby, and I didn’t care how awkward it looked.

“We need to talk.”

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