A piece of tree rips off, and branches fly toward me. I hold up my arms and tuck my head around Archie to protect him. The branches scratch my face and arms, but the pain is just a shallow sting.
Archie whines, his body shivering.
“Shh, little guy. I know. Me too,” I whisper. We should get out of here, but a bolt of lightning hits somewhere close again, followed by the clap of thunder, and I jump in fear. Staying right here might be the safest bet. I lean over and look out the window and stare in shock as an umbrella from the patio goes flying past.
I close my eyes and pray.
A slam causes my eyes to pop open, and from my position under the desk, I see Ryder in the doorway.
He’s soaking wet, breathing heavily, frozen, staring at the branch in the middle of the room, in the middle of what was once my bed. I can’t make out his expression in the dark, but he lets out a cry that’s not quite human. He tears to the bed, rain drenching him from the hole in the ceiling.
“Ryder,” I cry. Fear constricts my voice, so at first, he doesn’t hear me.
“Daisy! Oh fuck, Daisy!” he screams my name over and over as he tries to lift the enormous branch and clear the debris that the bed is buried under.
“Ryder!” I try again, forcing my cracked voice as loud as I can.
He whips around, and I see the moment he realizes where I am. The split second his face shifts from anguish to joy, I can’t ever again think he doesn’t care.
“Daisy. You’re… You’re—” He gasps. In one stride, he reaches me and bends down. “You don’t know how much you scared me. I can’t—” he says on a ragged breath. “Are you hurt?”
I shake my head. “No. I was sitting here when…”
“We need to get out of here in case the structure’s unstable now. Are you sure you’re fine?”
“Just a little scared,” I say. At that, I’m in his arms. He’s good at sweeping me up like this. Because, practice.
He holds me. And I hold on to Archie. We’re all three shivering, not with cold, but emotion. We make it back to the main house and into the living room. It feels like an oasis with the sounds of the storm still raging outside. As I bury my head in Ryder’s wet T-shirt, inhaling his warm scent on wet skin, taking the feeling of safety deep into my bones, all I can think is that I’m safe.
Ryder’s here. I’m safe.
His presence has always done that. From the very first time we met.
He strides upstairs with me in his arms and lays me on his bed. I set Archie down, and he settles at my feet. Ryder watches me with the deepest, darkest, most unfathomable expression.
And I realize that tonight, at least, nothing else matters. Not overprotective brothers or overheard phone conversations. Not age or time or distance.
It’s just me. And Ryder. And a life I don’t ever want to take for granted again.
“You’re bleeding,” he says, touching my cheek and holding out my arms, inspecting the red scratches.
I touch my face. “It was just some branches. It doesn’t hurt.”
“You could be in shock.”
“I’m not in shock.”
I can’t keep the joy from spreading across my face.
“Why the hell are you smiling? You could have died. Don’t you understand? You took forty years off my fucking life.I’min shock. When I saw the bed buried in rubble, I thought… I thought…” He lets out a shaky breath. “I couldn’t handle what I thought,” he says darkly.
“But that’s why I’m smiling. I’m alive. Thanks to you. And Archie, actually.”
“Archie?”
“He woke me up. I think he wanted to be let into the mansion so he could find you. Apparently, he couldn’t decide who he wanted to sleep with. And once I was awake, I got up to watch the storm.”
Ryder scratches Archie’s head. “You’re going to get steak tomorrow, little guy,” he says roughly.
