Chapter 235

Victor pulled me into his arms as we stood in the darkness while the hurricane raged around us.

Another loud crash against the roof made me gasp. My heart raced, and panic began to flash through my body. But then I felt the warm glow of the moonstones against my chest, and calm began to fill me.

“We’ll be okay in this room,” Arthur yelled over the storm. “It was built to withstand any storm, and then the rest of the house was built around it.”

“It wouldn’t be so bad if the lights were on,” Cathy shouted. “Why didn’t the generator kick on when the solar power failed?”

“The wind must have taken out the lines to the house,” Arthur answered. “It’ll be okay, honey. Let’s settle in and wait for the storm to pass.”

That’s all we could do was wait to see what would happen and keep each other’s spirits up.

Even though the room was sturdily built, the walls seemed to move slightly with every powerful gust of wind that slammed into the house. And occasionally, a louder crash would make us jump.

A glow stick began to shine with an eerie green light, and I saw the strained expression on Arthur’s face as he handed us several blankets.

“It’s going to be a long night,” he shouted. “You should try to get some rest. You can lay on the mattress if you want. Cathy and I will make ourselves comfortable in the bathtub.”

“No, you take the mattress,” Victor shouted back. “Daisy and I will be fine in the tub.”

Arthur nodded and handed us two pillows, a glow stick, and a bottle of water before he and Cathy lay on the mattress.

“Come on, sweetheart,” Victor said into my ear. “Let’s lie down, and I’ll hold you until the storm is over. These sturdy walls will keep us safe, and Alex is sending help as soon as the storm passes.”

I climbed into the bathtub with the pillows and snuggled under the blankets. It wasn’t too bad. I was warm and safe in Victor’s arms. Soon, the shrieking of the storm lulled my senses, and I fell asleep.

Like the others in the bathroom, I dozed off and on in the coming hours, but the roar of the wind made me shut my eyes tighter each time, and I snuggled deeper into Victor’s arms.

Finally, after I didn’t think I could huddle in the bathtub any longer, the wind died down to occasional weak gusts.

Arthur rose from the mattress. “We made it through the storm. I hope there’s something besides this bathroom left of the house.”

“I’ll go with you to look,” Victor said as he climbed from the bathtub.

Cathy and I watched Arthur unseal the door and slowly open it. The men stepped out of the bathroom and closed the door behind them. They returned in a few minutes.

“There’s a lot of wind damage,” Arthur told Cathy. “But the ocean water didn’t make it into the house, and there’s nothing we can’t fix like new or better.”

“We were planning on redecorating anyhow,” Cathy said with a wry smile.

I walked out of the bathroom with her and took her hand when she fought to hold back a sob.

Part of the roof was gone. Daylight shone through the rafters, and debris covered the kitchen and living room floors.

“But we’re alive,” she reminded herself. “We can rebuild.”

Arthur opened the front door and looked outside. I could see a blue sky mixed with swirls of dark clouds and small branches littering the porch.

“I’ll set up the camp stove on the porch,” Arthur said. “Cathy, while you and Daisy make breakfast, Victor and I will start clearing the fallen trees from the path to the beach.”

Everyone worked together, and soon, the sound of a chainsaw and the smell of bacon and eggs filled the air.

After eating breakfast, the guys went back to work, clearing the path while I helped Cathy begin to remove the debris from the house.

It would take a lot of work to make the house livable again. I wanted to help.

But before we got much done, the sound of a large helicopter circling the island made us run outside.

Cathy pointed. “It’s landing on the beach.”

“My father must have sent it,” I said.

We ran down the path to Arthur and Victor. They had seen the helicopter and were working on the last two trees blocking the path.

The four of us worked together and moved them aside before running down the beach to the helicopter. I was surprised to see Alex standing next to it.

He grinned as I ran into his arms. “I’m so glad to see you,” I told him.

He squeezed me tightly. “It’s good to see you in one piece, my darling girl. You’ve had quite a few adventures lately.” He kept an arm around my shoulders while he greeted the others.

“Is there room on that helicopter for Cathy and me? The storm smashed our boat against the trees, and the house needs a lot of repairs before it will be livable.”

“Of course,” Alex replied. “Can I help you gather anything you want to bring along?”

Everyone, even the pilot and copilot, walked back to the damaged house to help carry Cathy and Arthur’s things to the helicopter.

We then climbed aboard, and the helicopter took off. The view of the ocean from the air was stunning. There were a handful of other small islands in the vicinity, and a few boats and ships were on the water.

The ride was over when Hallston Beach came into view. I spotted some damage from the hurricane, but nothing like what happened to Cathy and Arthur’s house.

Victor’s beach house was slightly damaged, but his Lamborghini was safe in the garage.

“Are you and Victor staying here at the beach much longer?” Alex asked as we stood alongside the helicopter after it landed in front of the beach house.

I shrugged and gave Victor a sheepish look. “I’d like to go home now. I’m exhausted and sunburned, and I’ve had enough adventure to last me for a while.”

“I’ll get our suitcases, and we can be on our way,” Victor agreed. “Cathy and Arthur, you’re welcome to stay at the beach house for as long as you need it.”

“Thank you. I think we will,” Arthur said. “This town was named after my great-grandfather, but I haven’t spent much time here in years.”

Victor got our luggage from the master bedroom while I waved to Alex as the helicopter took off. Then we said goodbye to the Halls and climbed into the Lamborghini.

Victor started the engine and kissed my lips before pulling out of the driveway. We were on our way home, stopping only once for gas and drive-thru food.

I was yawning and having trouble keeping my eyes open by the time we reached the mansion. Victor looked as weary as me, but he walked me to the front door and enfolded me in his arms.

“I wish we could sleep together in my room tonight,” I whispered as I kissed the soft skin of his neck.

“But?” he asked. He knew me so well.

“But …I don’t want everyone to know we’re sleeping together yet,” I admitted. “I’ll get used to it, but right now, it makes me feel strange.”

“I understand,” he said. “Go on in and go to bed. I’ll call you in the morning, my love.”

He gave me a last kiss, and I went inside.

Benson walked across the foyer to greet me. “I’m glad to see you home safely, Miss Wilson.”

“Thank you, Benson. I’m glad to be home. Please tell my father I’m home and that I went to bed.”

Wearily, I made it upstairs to my bedroom. I stripped off the filthy sweatpants and t-shirt I borrowed from Cathy the previous day and climbed into the shower.

I regretted sending Victor away. I missed him the moment I came into the house, but I was just too shy to let everyone know we were now intimate with each other.

They probably guessed from our time alone at the beach house, but I didn’t want to confirm it yet.

Maybe after everyone saw my ring and knew we were officially engaged, I would feel differently.

After washing my hair, I reached for a towel to wipe away the water from my eyes. I was too sleepy to dry it well tonight, but it felt too dirty to wait to wash it.

While replacing the towel over the shower door, I saw something moving on the other side of the frosted glass.

I screamed at the sight of the dark, shadowy figure entering my bathroom and stood outside the shower doors.