Unbreakable (A Mermaid's Curse Book 3) Page 6

  She looks up at me and there are tears in her eyes once again, “For what it’s worth, I think your mom would be very proud of you.”

  “Thank you,” I say before turning around and going back in.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  After dinner, Owen asks me to go outside with him.

  Blake is deep in conversation with Jones and Carol is in her room, so I end up going.

  Owen starts a fire on the beach and we sit in front of it. He pulls out a bag of marshmallows, grabs two, putting each on a stick before handing me one and putting his in the fire. I mimic what he is doing.

  “You’ll like this,” he says. “It’s one of the little pleasures in life. On my list of top favorites, it comes right after making out with a beautiful woman.”

  I laugh. “You’re so… so… I don’t even have a word to describe you, Owen.”

  “Awesome?”

  “I would go with inappropriate.”

  “Ouch,” he says. “Try it out.”

  I bite into the marshmallow.

  “Good, right?”

  I nod. “Delicious.”

  “Better than making out with Blake, I bet,” he laughs.

  “You’re terrible.”

  He laughs again and then his smile turns into a frown.

  “So how are you really doing?” he asks.

  “Better. We’re taking things slow. We are going to be okay. I know we are.”

  “Good,” he says.

  I hear Blake from behind me, “What are you doing, Owen?”

  He smiles, “Introducing your girl to one of the little pleasures in life,” he throws Blake the bag of marshmallows as he gets up. “I’m going to go back in. Do you need anything?”

  “Maybe a blanket?” says Blake.

  Owen smirks at him, “Yeah, I’m not getting you that, but have a good night.”

  He disappears through the door. A few minutes later, he comes back out holding a blanket. He throws it toward Blake, winks at me, and goes back inside.”

  Blake spreads the blanket out on the sand, near the fire. He sits on the blanket.

  “Come here,” he says.

  I get up and go sit next to him. He leans over and kisses me, lowering me down on the blanket. My heartbeat races, partially wondering what he is going to do next, but also afraid of how far he will go.

  He kisses me gently for a while, and then, he pulls away and lays down next to me. He slips his hand into mine, our fingers intertwined, and we lay there, just watching the stars.

  “What was that?” he asks once we hear sounds coming from the ocean.

  I laugh. “Dolphins.”

  Dolphins have always made me smile. This time is no different.

  I quickly sit up. “Let’s get in the water!” I say excitedly.

  He laughs. “I’m pretty sure the water is freezing!”

  But I’m already up and when I reach for his hand, he holds onto mine right away. With clothes on and all, we go to the water.

  He was right. The water is freezing, but we keep going. We swim until the water reaches my shoulders. I look at him. His lips are shivering, and without giving it a though, I get closer and cover his lips with mine. I can feel his arms around me and I relax into his body.

  He doesn’t let go, even when we stop kissing. He leans his forehead against mine and he looks worried.

  “What is it?” I ask.

  “Do you think you could… transform back into a mermaid if you wanted to?”

  “Maybe,” I say. “But I don’t want to. This is me now… this is who I am.”

  I kiss him again, until he practically jumps forward, pulling me with him.

  “What was that?” he asks nervously.

  I laugh. “Turn around.”

  He turns and sees the dolphin right in front of us. The dolphin splashes water toward us, then disappears again.”

  “Jesus. For a minute I was afraid it was a shark.”

  I notice that Blake is tense and keeps looking around so I suggest we go back in.

  Once we reach the blanket, he grabs it and puts it around me.

  “Go ahead,” he says. “Change into something warm. I’m just going to put the fire out and I will be in.”

  I take a quick shower, as there is only one bathroom, and get dressed. When I go to the living room, I look outside and see Blake standing by the fire. As if sensing me there, he turns toward the house. He then puts the fire out and comes in.

  I wait for him at the door. He walks up to me with his head down. It’s not until he gets closer that he looks up. He is cold and water is still dripping from his hair. He is soaking wet, but I don’t care. I clash into his body, wrapping my arms around him and whisper in his ear, “I love you.”

  “I love you too,” he says before kissing me.

  “Come on, let’s go inside where it’s warm. I’m going to take a shower and then maybe we can watch a movie?”

  I agree and I suddenly realize how Blake pulls away a little whenever things start to get intense. For the first time, I realize that Blake might just be as afraid as I am.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  BLAKE

  I wake up around four in the morning. Arianna has been tossing and turning for a while now so I know something is wrong.

  “Arianna?” I whisper.

  She opens her eyes.

  “Are you okay?” I ask.

  She doesn’t move much, but when her forehead touches my chest, I feel that she is burning up.

  “Something is wrong with me,” she says sleepily. “My head hurts and—” she coughs.

  “I think you might have caught a cold.”

  “I’ve never been sick before,” she says.

  The moment she says that, I start freaking out. She is from a different world. If she has never been sick before, she might not have the immune system to fight this.

  My heart is racing. I’m nervous and worried.

  “Arianna?”

  “Huh?”

  “I’m going to move so I can go get Carol, okay?”

  “Carol?” she says confused.

  “Yes, she will know what to do.”

  I slowly shift her to the side and move from underneath her. I lay her back down on the couch and rush toward Carol’s room.

  I knock and at first there is nothing but silence. Then I start banging on the door.

  Jones opens the door, still half asleep. “What is going on?” he asks.

  “I need Carol’s help. Arianna is sick.”

  “Sick?” he asks.

  I sound stupid saying what I’m saying and looking as worried as I am. “I think she has a cold—but she has never been sick before so I don’t know how serious this is.”

  Jones takes a deep breath. “Relax, son. She will be okay. I will wake up Carol.”

  I head back to the living room and sit on the floor, near her. A few minutes later, Carol comes out holding a thermometer and a medicine bottle.

  She looks as worried as I am, which doesn’t make me feel any better.

  She takes Arianna’s temperature and sighs.

  “Can you go get her a glass of water?” Carol asks.

  I rush to the kitchen and when I get back, Arianna is half awake and holding a pill.

  She takes the medicine and lies back down, closing her eyes right away.

  “Please tell me she will me okay,” I beg Carol.

  “I believe she will,” says Carol. “I will never forget the first time I got sick. It was a simple cold too, but I had a high fever for a couple of days. It was just my body learning how to fight this.” She takes a deep breath. “She will be okay. Why don’t you carry her to my room? You can stay with her or we can take turns. Mike and I will sleep here.”

  “Are you sure? I can wake up Owen and take his room.”

  “No, it’s fine. She will just need a lot of rest.”

  I pick up Arianna, cradling her in my arms, and carry her to the room. I lay her down on the bed and, afraid that I will fall
asleep, I pull a chair close to the bed and sit there.

  Her fever spikes throughout the day and she starts to talk in her sleep. At first, I can’t make sense to what she is saying, but then, her words become more clear. “I missed you father… But I love him… there will never be anyone else.”

  She is still sleeping, but she becomes agitated. I lay down next to her, pulling her close and she finally calms down, her breathing returning to normal.

  Carol comes in to check on Arianna every so often, and she brings me something to eat during meal times. She offers to stay with Arianna, but I don’t want to leave her side, so I stay.

  She has a couple more dreams, some of which I know are upsetting her. She repeats a few times that I’m the one for her. This last time, I reach for her warm hand and whisper in her ear, “I know I’ve asked you before, but one day, when things settle down, I’m going to ask you to marry me.”

  ARIANNA

  I can smell the ocean. I’m surrounded by water and a few dolphins swim nearby. I’m laughing and feeling relaxed and then, I feel someone’s hands wrap around my ankles and I’m dragged to the bottom of the ocean.

  I can’t see who is dragging me down, but when we reach the bottom, I’m free; yet, I can’t leave.

  “Father?”

  He smiles at me. “I’ve missed you.”

  “I missed you too,” I say.

  “Then stay. You won’t have to be with Bram anymore. Just please stay. This is where you belong.”

  I shake my head. “I can’t, father. I’m so sorry, but I can’t leave him.”

  “He is human Arianna. His family will destroy you. You have to let him go.”

  “But I love him. I belong with him.”

  The water changes color; it gets darker and I’m pulled back up by an unexplained force.

  My head hurts… my whole body aches and I feel cold. Then, I feel his body next to mine and I relax, falling asleep again. I know a few days have passed and I remember him by my side, always.

  I had many dreams throughout that time. I feel glad that even if in a dream, I was able to see my father for a little while, but the thing with being away is that I always missed Blake so much it hurt.

  ***

  It’s our last day on the beach when I start to feel better. I literally wake up feeling like a new person. I see Blake next to me and he is sleeping, but as soon as he feels me move, he is awake and alert. There are dark circles under his eyes and he looks exhausted. I just lay back down, resting my head against his chest and he starts playing with my hair.

  “You should get some rest.” Before I’m done saying it, I can already hear the change in his breathing. I stay there with him until he wakes up around noon.

  We go out to the living room, where we find Carol and Jones having lunch. Carol smiles at me, “How are you feeling, sweetheart?”

  “Much better. Thank you.”

  “Where is Owen?” asks Blake.

  He is out there.

  Blake and I step outside and we see Owen on a jet ski with a woman sitting behind him.

  Blake and I end up sitting outside; watching them for a while. It is weird watching Owen, knowing that he’s had the same upbringing as Blake. Owen is just so carefree.

  After a while, they come out of the water. The tall blonde woman, who is wearing a white bikini, laughs at something he said.

  I look over at Blake, almost expecting him to be watching the woman, but he is staring at me.

  “Sometimes I wish I knew what goes on in Owen’s mind,” I say.

  Blake laughs. “No, you don’t. I love my brother, but he gets around too much. I’m sure we would be traumatized if we knew what’s in his mind.”

  I laugh. “He is just so… carefree. It’s like he lives in his own little world.”

  “Honestly, I think it’s sad.”

  I give him a puzzled look.

  “I think Owen is the way he is because he is afraid to get close to anyone.”

  I guess I never saw it that way.

  Owen hugs the girl and smacks her behind before she walks away.

  Blake looks down and shakes his head. “There is no hope for him.”

  Owen approaches us and it’s as if he knows we were just talking about him. “What?” he asks.

  “Nothing,” says Blake. “Just commenting on how much you get around.”

  “Hey! For the record, I have been a saint for almost a week.”

  “Wow. A whole week?” says Blake sarcastically.

  “Yeah, I’m not liking your tone, big brother. I’m starving though. Do you want to throw something on the grill?”

  “Sure.”

  Within a few minutes, Jones and Carol join us. We spend the afternoon laughing and having a good time. I love watching the way Jones and Carol treat Owen and Blake like they are family. And I can tell they crave their attention, especially Owen.

  “I have an idea,” says Carol. “I will be right back.”

  When she returns, she is holding a camera.

  “Here,” she says, “stand next to Blake.”

  As soon as she takes the picture, she shows it to us on the camera. Blake and I stare at it until he finally says, “Sorry. It’s just… this is our first picture together. Do you mind if we get a copy?”

  “Not at all, sweetheart. Do you mind if Owen takes a picture of you, Blake, Mike, and me?”

  Owen gasps dramatically. “Mrs. Jones, how come you don’t want the hottest person here to be in the picture? It’s because my hotness is intimidating, isn’t it?”

  Carol laughs. “Yes, Owen. That is it.”

  At the end of the day, we are all sad to have to leave.

  ***

  BLAKE

  Going back is bittersweet. We miss the beach, but we fall back into our routine right away. It feels good to go back ‘home’. That is what Jones and his wife have given us… a loving home where we feel safe, happy, and hopeful. I just wish Carol would tell Arianna the truth about who she is.

  Owen went back to his apartment, but I talk to him all the time to get the new cases organized. Between Arianna volunteering, and me working, the week goes by fast. We continue to sleep in the living room, allowing the time and space that we both need to heal.

  Everything is perfect and we are both excited for Molly’s birthday party. I know that Arianna misses her just as much as I do.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  BLAKE

  She comes out of the room looking as beautiful as always.

  I hesitate. “We don’t have to go.” I don’t know why I’m so nervous, but I am.

  “I think it will be okay,” she says. “Your mom and Molly flew here just to have this party for Molly. Jones will be there and so will Owen, and Molly would be disappointed if we weren’t there.”

  I run my fingers through my hair. “Alright. Are you ready?”

  She nods and we leave, getting in the car with Jones and Carol.

  The drive to the park where we are having Molly’s birthday party is short. They are already there when we arrive and Molly runs toward us as soon as she sees us get out of the car. I expect her to come straight to me, but instead, she tackles Arianna, giving her a big hug.

  “I miss you too, sis,” I say jokingly.

  She pulls away from Arianna and gives me a hug too.

  She then grabs both of our hands and drags us toward the area where mom and Owen are waiting.

  It’s been a while since I’ve seen mom. She watches Arianna and I curiously. I wonder what she thinks, what she suspects… Sometimes I stop to think about how she can stand being married to my dad. She has got to know about the other women, I mean, I was a kid when I figured out all on my own. I know part of the reason she stays with him because of Molly, but I can’t even begin to imagine how she lives this life day in and day out.

  “Hi mom.”

  She comes over to give me a hug. When she turns to hug Arianna, Arianna steps back. I’m thankful for Owen, who cuts in distracting everyone.
>
  He puts one arm around Arianna’s shoulder and one around my mom’s. He laughs. “I keep telling mom that not everyone is a hugger like she is.” Mom laughs and I feel like I can relax again.

  We are having a nice afternoon, cooking out at the park while we play cards with Molly. She is so happy too. She is sitting across from Arianna and I, and she is happy to be winning. When her smile turns into a frown, I ask her what is wrong.

  She is looking over my shoulder then looks down. “I know you have to go. I know you are mad at daddy. I heard him talking about you.”

  “Oh. But why would I have to go?”

  Owen is sitting next to Molly and when he looks up, the blood drains from his face.

  I turn around to see what he is looking at and I turn cold as I see dad standing by a dark car. Mom and Jones are with him. Mom seems upset and I can hear Jones starting to raise his voice.

  I look at Arianna and see that she looks pale and terrified. I slip my hand into hers. I lean toward her and whisper, “I’m here. Nothing is going to happen.” But she is afraid. I can feel her hand trembling. “Let’s go,” I tell her as I stand up.

  Molly starts to cry. “Don’t leave!”

  “I have to, sweetheart. I will see you again soon.”

  “Daddy was right about everything. He said you would leave and not come back. That you don’t care about us anymore.”

  She takes off running in his direction, leaving me standing there, stunned.

  When I meet his gaze, he grins, then looks at Arianna from head to toe. I move in front of her, blocking Arianna from his view and my next instinct is to go toward him and make him pay for what he did.

  “Don’t!” Owen says as if reading my mind. “You don’t want to do anything in front of Molly. Not to mention that Arianna needs you by her side more than she needs you to beat him up.”

  He is right. I turn my back to dad. I can’t go to the car because that means going in his direction. I pull Arianna closer to me and tell Owen that we are going to the other side of the park and to call when it’s clear for us to come back.

  She is still trembling, so I let go of her hand and put my arm around her waist, bringing her even closer.

  I can hear Molly crying from the short distance and it kills me, but I keep going. I have to. I remember what Jones said, one day she will understand. It doesn’t make me feel any better, but I know dad is going to use Molly against me and I can’t allow him to control me anymore… never again.