Lost for Him [possessive billionaire romance updated Saturday and Sunday]

FIFTY-SEVEN

We ran through the trees. Free with nothing to stop us. The wind in our faces, ducking under the long branches that tried to stop us. Only when I couldn't run any more did we stop for a breath of air.

"Show off," I told him.

He didn't say anything, just raised a brow in question.

"You're not even out of breath," I explained.

He smiled at me. "Practice."

I smiled back, seeing him smile wasn't something that came often, it filled me with joy that he would share his smiles with me. "Shall we head back yet?"

"Do you want me to carry you?"

I felt my mouth drop. "Bloody show off! No, I don't want to be carried."

I 'stormed' off, but his laughter – even though it was at me – meant more than anything in the world. When Ethan caught up with me, I changed the subject from his laughter to his family. His smile disappeared like the sun behind the dark rain clouds.

"You know we're going to have to apologise to your family."

"And why is that, Morgan?"

"Because that world made us crazy. Because no one in this world will ever understand what it was like in that place. Because we freaked out over a dog. Because I don't want your mother to hate me because I want her in my life because I want you in my life."

Ethan didn't reply as we walked back, lost in our own worlds. It wasn't until we entered the house and found Ethan's family discussing us in the living room that we paused around the corner so they couldn't see us.

"I don't want her with my boy!" Theresa said.

"Good luck with trying to get rid of her," Derek replied. "He's like a dog with a bone– actually, he's worse, a dog will let go. He won't."

"But she–"

"Mum! Listen to me," Derek said. "If you want to stay in your sons life, you need to learn to get along with her."

"I want to apologise," I spun to see that Ethan had moved into the doorway so that Theresa and Derek could see him. Theresa and Derek paused at seeing him. "Morgan said that the place were we were lost made us crazy. I agree with her. I struggle with this place with so many people and no monsters waiting on the other side of the wall. For ten years I fought to live so that I could come back... Then Morgan appeared... I thought my mind broke, but she was there, she was real in that place. The only thing that made sense."

"Then she got us back. I do not know how, but she managed to do in months what I had not managed to do in ten years. She navigated us back, I followed because I knew that without her, I was lost. Lost more than I ever was in that place. Derek is right, I am worse than a dog with a bone for her, and I won't apologise for that, but I will apologise for attacking you. I react before I think, so for that, I am so sorry."

At the end of Ethan's long speech, Theresa and Derek were staring at Ethan with surprise, sadness, joy, and pride. Pride for how long he survived in that other place, I think. But I knew that when Theresa looked at me, she didn't care. She wanted her boy back, and I was in the way.