Page 10 of Neverland

“Well, you have me.” She shuts her laptop. “I’ll do and trade whatever needs to be done.”

“I know.” It’s why I trusted her with this. She and my mom are practically best friends. Miranda might as well have been an aunt to me growing up. All the dots have connected for her.

“I would say I hope you find what you're looking for or I supposewhoyou’re looking for, but we both know you will. If you’re anything, Easton, it's relentless.”

“I will find her,” I agree. There has never been another option.

Miranda exits the conference room, leaving me alone. I know I’m minutes away from finding out where Melody is, but then what? I’ve never let my mind get past this point. My one goal has been to locate her.

What if she doesn’t want me to find her? I clench my fists and try to take a deep breath. My anger has been an issue. Especially after the day Melody disappeared from my world. I’d lost my cool more than a few times, but I knew I had to get it together if I wanted to find her. I knew I had a choice to make. I could rage through life and die miserably, or I could fight to get her back.

I don’t know why, but that anger I thought I’d taught myself to control is rising to the surface again. Reality is setting in. This might not play out how I want when I thrust myself right back into her life. What if she’s married or has a family? The thought of that alone almost brings me to my knees.

What if her book was a goodbye, a way of moving on? What if someone else has touched her? I close my eyes, the rage wanting to let loose. The ‘what ifs’ of life can drive you to the edge.

I’ll take her.

The irrational thought pops into my mind. They took her from me. Why couldn’t I do the same? Who could really stop me? The idea is insane, but I find I don’t care.

“Sir.” Tray steps back into the room. “Vegas. I got an address and already told the pilot we’re headed his way.” I nod. “Are you okay?” I’m sure he’s surprised that I appear to have no reaction.

“No.”

“I thought this was the plan.” Tray’s expression turns to confusion, which is odd for him.

“I need to arrange for a few more things.” I have to be prepared. I hadn’t been before. It was too easy for Melody to slip through my fingers. It’s not a mistake I’ll ever make again.

“What kind of things?” Tray is ready to make a list for me.

“This might not go how I want, but one way or another, she’s going to be with me.”

Tray’s brows lift, but he nods. The man is so loyal that he would help me bury a body if I asked.

Maybe I’ve gone crazy. I honestly don’t care. They pushed me here, and now it’s my turn to take control.

My Neverland will always be my home, and that’s the only place I want to be.

9

MELODY

All morning I haven’t felt right. I should be excited. My agent is in a war with my publishing house about the next few books, and I still owe them one. It’s not due yet, but they are pushing me to get it in sooner because of how well the first one has done. They want to move up the preorder date.

I think I’m writing fan fiction of my own life. Even in this second book, it’s still Easton and me. This time, we met by accident. I think he’s my blind date. He quickly realizes and plays along to steal me away. That would be something Easton would do. Or something he would’ve done back when I knew him.

My heart grows heavy at the thought. I don’t actually know what he would do now. The Easton I know was always mine. Now he’s engaged. What did I expect? I should be happy for him.

He should get to move on. He already waited for me when I was in high school. I shouldn’t expect him to wait again. If I’m being honest with myself, the reality is he could have already forgotten all about me.

I want him to be happy, but it’s so damn hard. No matter how hard I try, I can’t pull myself out of this rut. Change is coming. I know it. A shift. I wrote what I always wanted our story to be, and now I have to move on. He has.

“I’m going out,” I tell my dad, poking my head into his office. “Do you need anything?” Maybe getting out of the house for a while might help. God knows my sister is never home. She caught on to my secret, but she’s holding tightly to her own.

“I’m good, sweetheart.” I step into his office and give him a kiss on the cheek. There is always so much sadness in his eyes. I wasn’t going to let resentment rip another person I loved from me.

As mad as I feel at times, I wish there was something I could do to make my dad whole again. But what do I know? I can’t move past Easton. A boy I shared a kiss with. It was more than a kiss, but it can be a little easier to tell myself that it wasn’t. How the heck do I expect my father to move on from the love of his life, my mother?

In a way, I can almost relate to my father. After he lost Mom, he went down a dark path. He thought if we couldn’t have Mom, he would give us so much more. The best of everything. He took a risk and lost it all.

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