“Is he going to be okay?” Luke asked me, his hand grazing mine deliberately. “I’m sorry, I should have warned you that it would hurt Alexander if he ever found out. I just assumed you knew.”
“He’s so okay with it right now,” I said quietly. “He encourages it, even.”
“That’s because it’s his idea,” Harlow said over my shoulder. “Can’t you see that about your fiancé? He needs to be number one. Maybe not with you, because I see how much the two of you struggle for control, but for some reason, it works. With the other two men, he needs to know he’s first and above them, or else he feels like he’s being used.”
“Have you ever thought about going into therapy?” I asked, surprised by her insight.
“You mean to fix my broken brain?” she snorted. “I thought that was a legit analysis.”
I realized what she meant and exclaimed, “No! I mean as the therapist, not the patient! That was an excellent analysis. Thank you for that.”
She laughed, but she seemed to be pleased by my suggestion. I hoped she would consider something along those lines if she was able to.
Alexander showed us around a little before taking us upstairs to see our rooms.
At the end of the hall, after everyone else was settling in, he swung open the door to a beautiful suite with a king-sized bed.
“This one’s yours, little sparrow,” he said with a grim set to his lips. “I trust it will suit your needs.”
“It’s perfect,” I said, looking around. My bags were already on the bed. “We need to talk.”
He drew in a breath to reply, but from downstairs, we heard a booming voice.
“Alexander! Where are you and your friends?”
Mr. Remington was here, and my body turned ice cold at that simple sentence.
Alexander seemed just as surprised as I was, at least, but that didn’t help the panic that started rising in my throat.
I closed my eyes, and my breath choked off, and I began to fall.
Luckily my fiance was there to catch me, even though he may or may hate my guts at that moment.
He kept me safe.
CHAPTER18
“Willow, wake up,”Alexander said. “Please, don’t fall back asleep.”
“She fainted?” Rome asked in fear. “What caused this?”
“His father, obviously,” Harlow said. “I can’t stand the sound of his voice either.”
“He wasn’t supposed to be here,” Rome said. “I’m gonna head down and see if I can keep him occupied.”
“Thanks for that,” Alexander said. “Tell him we’re resting and will be down soon.”
“Does he know Willow is here?” Rome asked.
“I don’t know,” Alexander said. “Better keep it to yourself. Thanks again.”
I heard Rome leave the room, and I worked to open my eyes. They fluttered, and I dragged myself out of the darkness that clung to me like an anchor. I was desperate to leave it behind me and inhale the light, to enter the world again and escape the world inside my head.
“Little sparrow,” Alexander whispered and stroked my cheek with his hand. He cupped my face and said, “she’s waking up. She’s coming back to us.”
“Why do I keep fainting like that?” I asked, opening my eyes at last. “How pathetic could I possibly be?”
“Pretty fucking pathetic from where I’m standing,” Harlow laughed.