Surviving Us (20 page)

On our way to the main house, we find Ashleigh and Charlotte heading down the road towards us, who both engulf me in a big hug once they get their hands on me.

“Are you okay? We were so concerned about you, but Isaac wouldn’t let us get out in the storm to come find you,” Charlotte says, kissing my cheek in a motherly way.

Ashleigh has a hold of my hand and is inspecting me from head to toe, as Davis has taken a few steps back from the three of us, allowing them to make sure I’m okay.

“Yes, yes, I’m fine,” I assure them. “From the looks of things out here, it wasn’t all that bad, despite the way it sounded. And thankfully, Davis,” I turn to smile at him, “was there to help me through my minor breakdown during the worst of it.”

They both thank him repeatedly as he rejoins our group, and I think Charlotte may have even worked in a little hug. The small smile playing on his face isn’t lost on me as the four of us continue the trek down the short path to where the majority of our group has already gathered, standing inside the main lobby discussing the storm.

“Oh good, there you all are,” Isaac bellows as we walk through the door. “How did everyone hold up overnight?” He sidles up next to me, placing his hand on my shoulder. “All go well?” The conversation is asked to all of us, but truly directed at me.

“Yep,” I boast cheerfully, “I feel even better than I did beforehand. Experiencing that was something I really needed.”

He nods as if it was exactly the answer he expected. “I’m glad to hear that. Now, today we need to help out with a little clean-up around the resort and on the beach, and everything should be back to normal tomorrow. We got lucky that it turned more north than they originally projected, and we only got the bottom side of the storm.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Charlotte chimes in. “Are we having breakfast here first, or should we grab a bite from the food they delivered yesterday before we start?”

“Let me go see if the dining room is ready to be opened,” he replies. “I’ll be right back.”

Not two seconds after he walks away, a loud, booming male voice travels across the room as the door flies open. “Bristol, where are you?!”

Kayden stalks inside, his eyes roaming the room until they land on me. “Oh, thank God,” he rushes over to where I stand with Davis, Charlotte, and Ashleigh, gathering me into his arms, ignoring everyone else. “I went to your room and you weren’t there. I’ve been worried sick about you,” he says gruffly, lowering me back to the ground. “That must have scared the shit out of you.”

I take a step back from him, not wanting Davis to feel uncomfortable or threatened in any way after our previous discussions. Smiling politely up at Kayden, I grab Davis’ hand and lace my fingers between his. “I stayed in his cottage, and yes, it did terrify me, but he,” I shift my focus and grin up towards Davis, “provided the perfect support.”

Kayden does nothing to hide his disapproval of Davis, his glare full of annoyance and irritation. “You should’ve been with someone who knows you and your history,” he snarls, “like Charlotte or Ashleigh . . . or
me
. Someone who will care about you and be there for you when you’re back home and needing reassurance and encouragement.”

Davis pushes in front of me, his chest puffing out as if he’s just been challenged to a duel. “You don’t fucking know me or my story. Who the hell are you to judge?” he spats.

“When you go home in a week, she’ll never hear from you again, and when she wakes up because the nightmares won’t allow her to sleep, or because she feels guilty for having a fun night out with her friends, guess who will be there for her? We will, just like we’ve been for the past two years.”

“What are you trying to say?” Davis’ voice begins to elevate along with his anger. “You think I don’t care about Bristol, just because I haven’t known her as long as you have? You’ve got no fucking clue what you’re talking about, man.”

I glance over at Charlotte and Ashleigh for help with the escalating situation, but they’re both too busy watching the tennis match of words between the two guys to look at me. Thankfully, however, no one else around seems to be paying any attention as Kayden steps closer to him. “I’m not
trying
to say anything,
man,”
Kayden grits through his teeth. “Truth is you only
care
about getting one thing from her, just like all punk-ass kids your age, and the only thing you want to
help
her with is getting her panties down around her ankles.”

And . . . I’ve had enough.

I jump in front of Davis, wedging myself between the two men, now pissed-off myself. “That’s enough, Kayden.” I glower. “I’m a big girl and know exactly what I’m doing. I appreciate your concern and the fact you’ve been there for me, but I’m here to experience new things, make new friends, and have some fun, which is exactly what I’m doing. There’s no reason for you to get your panties in a wad, nor do you need to worry about where mine are.”

“Good news, everyone!” Isaac exclaims, walking back over to our now-heated group. “The dining room is opening now, and the internet should be back up within the hour. Wait,” he stops and looks around at all of us with crinkled brows, apparently picking up on the tension, “is everything okay here? Any issue I need to help resolve?”

On cue, we all force a fake smile and shake our heads, murmuring a collective ‘no’. Gratefully, Charlotte steps towards him. “We were all discussing the storm last night, and how we’re blessed it wasn’t any worse than it was. Would you like to grab a cup of coffee with me and Ashleigh?” She links her arm through his elbow, tips her head at Ash, and leads them towards the tables, away from the three of us.

I return my attention to Kayden as I reach behind me for Davis’ hand. “Are we good?”

He drops his chin and runs his fingers through his dark blonde hair. “I’m sorry, baby girl,” Kayden mutters lowly. “I didn’t mean to disrespect you like that. I just don’t want to see you get hurt. I care about you and want the best for ya.”

“And?” I prod, standing my ground. His behavior was completely uncalled for, and he better make it right on all accounts. The Kayden I know and love will.

“I apologize to you too,” he says, lifting his eyes to meet Davis’, who slides his arms around my waist, pressing his front to my back. “It’s none of my business and I, of all people, shouldn’t judge anyone else. Thank you for taking care of her last night.”

I hold my breath, hoping and praying Davis accepts the apology and moves on. I don’t want to deal with this again.

“Yeah, no problem, man. It’s cool.” I exhale a huge sigh of relief, leaning my head back on his chest.

“One more thing,” Kayden adds before walking away. “Once everything calms down around here today, I’d like for all of us, Ashleigh and Charlotte too, to go on an excursion together or something . . . just spend a day of fun with friends, if you are both good with that?”

I tilt my head up and back to peer at Davis’ face, gauging his reaction to the idea. He smiles down at me, giving me a quick kiss, and then looks back at Kayden. “Yeah, that sounds good. I wanted to take her to the Pitons, so maybe we can all do that together.”

“Perfect. I’ll set it up.”

Kayden smiles and waves as he makes his way towards Isaac and the others, leaving Davis and me alone. Spinning around in his arms, I loop mine around his neck and rise up on my tiptoes to bring my lips to his. “Thank you, and I’m sorry,” I whisper against his mouth.

“Anything for you, Trouble.” Then he kisses me hard, claiming my mouth and a small piece of my heart.

AFTER EMAILING GRANNY
and Alyvia, letting them both know all is okay and I’m doing fine, we spend most of the day cleaning up small branches strewn about and helping the Ti Kaye staff re-set up everything they’d packed away for the storm. Needless to say, once everything is finished, I’m completely and utterly physically exhausted. However, over an earlier-than-normal dinner, I detect a different, lighter even, atmosphere amongst our group as a whole
. Even though we all arrived as ‘survivors’, after the storm and working together all day towards a common goal, a new sense of camaraderie has settled over us, and it fills me with happiness.

Most everyone, including Davis and me, excuses themselves shortly after eating, promising thoughts of a shower and bed at the top of the list following the day of manual labor. We trudge—well, I trudge, while he walks just fine—down the already-dried up dirt road towards our cottages. Once again, I find myself questioning, overthinking, what to expect from him tonight. We had developed a routine before the storm of alternating places after dinner, then the other returning to their own place to sleep, but last night, we stayed together all night. Since there isn’t a storm tonight, do I assume we revert back to the way it was?
Ughhh.

We arrive at his place first, and thankfully, he answers some of my unspoken questions. “Let me run in and get some clean clothes, then we can shower at your place. ‘Kay?”

“Yeah, that’s good,” I reply as I stop walking and wait for him to return, feeling stupid for even worrying about this stuff.
Fun, Bristol. It’s all supposed to be fun, remember?

He reappears as I’m internally chastising myself, with a change of clothes in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other. Grinning, he lifts the bottle up in the air. “Thought we could put this to good use after today. Do you want me to grab any of the food too?”

“No, I’m stuffed, but the wine should be perfect after the shower.”

“I thought so too.” He bounces down the steps to the ground next to me. “Come on, let’s go clean up so we can relax.”

Once we’re inside, neither of us wastes any time stripping off our grungy clothes and making a beeline for the open-air shower connected to my cottage. The area truly is my idea of paradise
—rock wall surroundings, colorful flowers and plants lining the perimeter, and a forceful rain showerhead to stand under. Davis turns the knob to full force, testing the temperature of the water with his foot, and once it’s to his liking, he grabs my hand and pulls me under the spray with him.

The warm water feels no less than amazing as it beats down on the top of my head, immediately rejuvenating me as it washes away the dirt and mud caked on various parts of my body. Moaning with delight, I close my eyes, lift my arms, and twirl under the spray, nearly forgetting Davis is even there with me.

“Do you have any idea how fucking sexy you are when you do that?” he growls lowly in my ear from behind, grabbing my hips and poking me in the back with his erection. “Are you trying to kill me?”