Page 60 of Like a Hurricane

Conversation falls easily and we talk about everything and nothing in between, I tell them about the lingerie I help design and create while Vanessa tells me about college. She was studying to become a doctor but since Ethan was born, she hasn’t been able to do much. She was now permanently back on the island after her last trip made her miss home. She told me she wanted this place to be where her son grew up and on her last visit, she had left her son with friends, but it felt wrong to be so far from him. I could only imagine how that must feel, to leave a part of yourself behind. I open my mouth to ask more but the door behind us opens abruptly, banging so hard against the wall it rattles the picture frames.

“It’s a door, Everett,” Ruthie is already scolding, “Not a barricade, it opens like any other.”

“Lovely to see you too, my dear Ruthie.”

She rolls her eyes, but a smile pulls on her lips, “Delinquents.”

Despite the words, Rett walks over to her and kisses her on the cheek in greeting before he steps towards me, and his hand finds the small of my back. “Did you enjoy the tour?”

“This town is so pretty,” I sound almost dreamy when I say it.

His hand goes to my hair, and he strokes it down, fingers scratching at my scalp almost enough to make me purr. I had a newfound love for someone – namely him – playing with my hair.

Torin sticks close to Maya, his hand immediately finding her abdomen.

It felt like family here, a home, even for me, an outsider.

We end up at the diner where I meet even more people, Imogen and Shawn run the single diner in town. We’re all squidged into a little booth, the laughter from the table so loud it overpowers the juke box that plays old country in the corner. It was dim but warm and smelled of fried food and beer.

Everything had become a comparison to before, and this was another one. I would never have stepped foot in a place like this back on the mainland, though there were plenty of them and they’d always seemed like so much fun, but it was bad for my image.

But here I wasn’t Arryn Lauder, the heiress. I was just Arryn, and I could enjoy a beer and some fried food if I wanted to.

Harper coos at Ethan who throws more food on the floor than he puts in his mouth. Rett sits by my side, his hand on my back but his focus has been elsewhere since we arrived. I follow his eyeline to see him focused on the boy, his brows pulled low in thought, an emotion I can’t name twisting his face.

“Are you okay?” I lean in and whisper.

He turns to me quickly, flicking his eyes back to the child one last time, “I’m fine.” He says but a week spent in close proximity to him gives me some knowledge to know that he was lying.

Something uneasy twists in my stomach, turning sour incredibly suddenly.

I pick up my beer and down the contents in a few gulps. “Areyouokay!?” Rett chuckles in disbelief.

“Just fine,” I squeak, “Perfectly fine. Can I get another one?” I ask the passing server.

“Sure!” She chirps cheerily.

By the time we’ve called it a night and are heading back to Torin’s house I’m tipsy. Okay I’m drunk. My legs wobble under me but Everett holds me up, laughing when I stumble and slur.

“I’ve got you princess,” he whispers, “I won’t let you fall.”

I may have spiraled a little with the thoughts, “Is he yours?” I blurt.

“Is who mine, little storm?”

Torin and Maya are further ahead, Harper holding her mother’s hand, the picture of a perfect, cute little family.

My brows draw down, “Ethan.”

“Vanessa’s son!?” He gasps.

“Unless there’s another,” I hiccup, “Ethan.”

He’s silent at my side and that does not help one bit. I mean if I really think about it, the boy has his dark hair, it wasn’t impossible.

“I mean it’s okay,” I continue on a slur, “Having a kid.”

“Ethan isn’t mine, princess.”

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