Page 98 of Arranged Devotion
“I know. I know.” He closes the distance between us and pulls me against him. I gasp, hugging him tight as the smell of him envelopes me, the warmth of his arms and the firmness of his chest bleeding into me, giving me enough strength to stay upright as he tightens his grip on me. “I’m here, love, I’m here and I’m bringing you home. I don’t care what your father saidto you. He doesn’t matter anymore. We’ll find your brother and we’ll fix this.”
“I want to believe you.”
“You don’t have to. I’ll show you.” He pulls back enough to kiss me. His mouth devours mine and I tumble into it, shocked at how good it feels and how it brings me back from the brink. I moan into that kiss, whimper and gasp, tears streaming down my face.
“I want this,” I tell him, kissing him again, desperate for more. “I want it and I’m afraid of it.”
“I care about you, Regan, so fucking much it hurts. I love you. I broke for you already. You take me somewhere… somewhere safe, somewhere I never thought I could go.”
I gasp with the shock of hearing those words coming from a man I didn’t think would ever be capable of saying them. I kiss him furiously now, holding on tight, and even though my brother’s still missing—even though he’s gone somewhere far away, probably into hiding?—
Somewhere safe.
I pull away from Liam with a jerk and a startled yelp.
“What’s wrong?” Concern burns across his face. His eyes scan the park. “Are you okay?”
“I know!” I kiss him again, beaming now. “I think I know where Luke is hiding?”
He smiles like I’ve lost my mind, which, to be fair, I probably did a while back.
“Alright then love. You lead the way and I’ll happily follow.”
CHAPTER 28
REGAN
The tires of Liam’s BMW crunch over gravel. The car sways as we roll down the rough road. He scowls around, at the massive, towering pines, the leaves scattering light across the brush.
“This is not my scene.”
"Huge shock there.” Nerves pluck at my fingertips. I’m worried we might’ve wasted a long ass drive, but if I’m right?—
I refuse to let myself think about what’ll happen next.
“You know how many times I’ve left the damn city?”
“Let me guess. Never.”
“Dozens. I’m not a freak.” He smiles sideways at me. “But I still hate the countryside.”
“It’s upstate New York, not somewhere in rural middle America.”
“Feels like an alien planet.” He squints out the windshield as we come around a bend and angle toward a large gravel parking lotwith a crumbling welcome center perched at the far end. RVs, trucks, SUVs, and family minivans are crammed into the poorly lined spaces. Liam’s car stands out here.
We get out and I take the chance to stretch my legs. It was a long trip based entirely on a hunch. I’m fully prepared to apologize and eat crow if this doesn’t work out, but I’m hopeful.
Memories flood me. I didn’t expect them to hit this hard. It’s been a long time since I was last here, but seeing it again is like traveling back to when I was a different person.
“Want to hear something sad?” I ask when Liam joins me. We walk toward the main campsite.
“God, yes. Make me weep.”
“I don’t have many happy memories of my whole family together. Mostly Dad was a piece of shit, Mom was always afraid of him, I learned fast how to stay hidden, and Luke did everything he could to please him. But the few times we came out here, I felt… free in a way I couldn’t in the city.”
“Must be that fresh air.” He wrinkles his nose.
“It was more than that. I don’t know. Me and Luke wandered a lot when we were here, went swimming in the lake, met other kids and played games. I remember coming back to the camper, sunburnt and exhausted, and my dad’s bad mood didn’t seem so horrible. I didn’t worry about Dad doing anything stupid because there were always other people nearby, and we weren’t surrounded by his cronies kissing his ass. He was forced to act normal, and I think that let the rest of us breathe freely for the first time in forever.”
