Supposed To Be Mine

Chapter 25

UNEDITED

THE FOLLOWING DAY....

To say the trip was over was an understatement. When River and Ryan were rescued, although not needing to be, she was immediately taken to the hospital. The family was contacted and also rushed there to meet them.
Once she was released and the nightmare was over, everyone agreed they should cut the trip short.

River apologized profusely for ruining everything. She felt horrible, like a party pooper, like a kill-joy. Thankfully, they were understanding and more relieved than upset.

Other guilt still tormented her though. What she had done with Ryan wouldn't let her mind be at peace. Ana giving her a tight hug, and expressing her relief, haunted her. If she only knew.

Even now over-excited butterflies had taken ownership of her stomach, never letting it settle. She was sitting by the kitchen table with her foot extended on a chair and propped on a pillow while waiting for Landen. He called asking to come over, saying he wanted to talk. So she made a cup of tea and sat down. It was easy to get lost in a repetitive cycle of thoughts and not notice when he entered. He pulls out the seat beside her and shrugs off his light jean jacket before sitting.

"How you feeling?" He lays his arm behind her chair. Then he notices that she was wearing the same sweat pants and baggy shirt from yesterday, but doesn't say anything.

She blinks. She just now registered his presence. If only her mind would rest in one spot. "Okay, I guess." She mumbles before meeting his gaze. "I'm sorry. I spoiled the vacation."

He cocks a brow. "So it was on purpose? You wanted to run away, have everyone worried, and get yourself hurt."

Her forehead creases. "No"

"Then what are you apologizing for?"

Her eyes revert to her lap. It was what she was doing while everyone was worried.

"Hey." He softly calls for her focus back on him. He uses his index finger to lift her chin so she would give him eye contact. "You know you scared me yesterday." He admits.

"Payback, for all those times you scared me." She manages to smile.

"I'm serious." He whispers.

Her mouth opens. Nervously, she puts her mug to her lips. "Come on Brenner." She sets the cup back down.

"Hmm mm," He shakes his head subtlety while grabbing the cup. "No more Brenner." He takes a sip. "Landen, or you can come up with a cute pet name for me."

"How about La- la- Loser?"She directs her eyes out the window. Like it was the naturalist thing, she sees the image of last night in the RV. Ana became very affectionate towards her fiancé when they were driving back. She wouldn't stop touching him and even sat on his lap for a while. It was pretty hard to ignore or eliminate from her memory.

Landen grabs her hand bringing her back to reality. "How about la-la...Lover?" He cups her jaw and turns her back to face him again. "Where are you?" He questions. Right away he sees welled up tears in her eyes. "Is something bothering you? Did something happen?"

Tears fall, but her lips didn't part to reply. She couldn't, nor did she want to. So Landen Encircled her shoulders and pulls her close to his chest. His comforting warmth and steady heartbeat made her feel better. That everything was going to be okay. Sleep to the sleepless.

He rubs her forearm gently to give her comfort, and then unexpectedly, in a low tone; he begins the talk he came there for. "I want to be with you Ree. Yesterday, solidified that for me. It hurts me to see you hurt. It makes me happy to see you happy. When I'm around you, I feel like I can be me. I've never felt like this. And if you give us a chance, I promise to bring and keep happiness in your life. I promise to be loyal, understanding, and patience."