The Texan's Surprise Return. Jolene Navarro

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СКАЧАТЬ my quirks aren’t new. Not sure how I feel about that.” His eyes turned darker. “Why did that room upset me?”

      “Sorry about that.” Selena moved the wicker chair from the small white desk closer to the bed. To him. “Did you remember the room?” A catch in her voice warned her she was barely holding on.

      He shook his head. “There were shadows reaching for me, pulling me under. A major anxiety attack was hovering, waiting to hijack me.” He lowered his head and massaged his temples. “This room doesn’t do that. All the pink and purple scares the shadows.” He looked up and the crooked grin that melted her heart every single time emerged. That smile had gotten him out of trouble more times than she could count.

      Her throat constricted, and she pressed her lips together to stop the sob. She didn’t think she’d ever see that smile again.

      “I think it’s okay if we’re confused and overwhelmed.”

      He scoffed. “That might be an understatement. What was that room?”

      “Your father’s office. You always hated that room and refused to go in it.”

      Shaking his head, he pinched the bridge of his nose. “It was like dark clouds were trying to swallow me in there. I couldn’t breathe. Memories were fighting against my own brain.”

      She grimaced. “Sorry. I imagine some of his worst punishments happened in there.”

      He jerked his head up and sat straight, on high alert. Unspoken horrors flooded his gaze. “My father. Where is he?”

      The heaviness of something close to hatred crept into the room. Her skin crawled.

      She felt the need to hold him and went to him, taking one hand in both of hers. She savored the feel of his warmth. “I’m sorry.” She bit her lips. There was so much to tell him. “He’s dead. He died six months ago.”

      His eyes narrowed, shifting between green and gray. He tilted his chin to the ceiling as if looking for answers. “I should feel something, right? Is it wrong that I’m not upset?” Confusion clouded those beautiful eyes. He shook his head. “How?”

      “Damian found him on the back five hundred when his horse came in without a rider. Basically, he drank himself to death.”

      For a while, the room was shrouded in silence. Selena’s hand stayed on his forearm. She just wanted to stay here, not push or pull him. Xavier was alive and well. There were so many problems lingering over them, but for now she wanted to forget everything and absorb this marvel of him sitting next to her.

      She wanted to live here, in this peace. The man that had held her hand as she grew into a woman was home. Even if everything was different now, she wanted to hold off from reality as long as possible and just be in this bigger-than-life moment.

      A sound on the other side of the door jarred her. Xavier shifted so that he was between the door and Selena.

      It eased open and Belle stepped through. She moved to the end of the bed, her fingers interlocked in front of her. “Is it okay if I sit next to you? Please?”

      The corner of his mouth twitched. “I don’t remember you ever asking permission for anything before.”

      Selena scooted back, dropped contact with him. How could he know so much about his family but not her? “You remember that?”

      “It was a guess.” He shrugged, then reached out and took Belle’s hand, stopping her from moving away from him. “Sorry. Yes, please sit next to me.”

      The bed squeaked slightly as her weight came down next to him. Her hands found his, twining their fingers together.

      Belle stared at him as if she still couldn’t believe he was here, sitting with them. Selena totally understood that.

      She glanced at Selena. “We went ahead and cleaned up. I thought y’all might want a little time to yourselves.” Her gaze went back to Xavier. “All of the guests have gone home. My girls went with—” Belle shot a questioning look at Selena.

      Frantically, she shook her head. Oh, no, she hadn’t told him about the triplets. She hoped Belle would get the message. Telling him about the boys was too much tonight.

      “Your girls…” Xavier pinched the top of his nose. “Cassie and Lucy?”

      Eyes wide, Belle nodded. Raising her hand to touch his cheek, she smiled. “You remember the girls?”

      “Just now, when you mentioned them, their names came to me. I was there when they were born.”

      “You were my birth coach. You and Selena.”

      How did he know their names but had forgotten hers? Selena bit her lip. Now was not the time to cry, not here in front of them.

      “So we were raised together? What about your parents? How—” His words just stopped. He closed his eyes.

      “My mother is your aunt. She dumped Elijah and me here when we got in the way. No clue about our fathers. But it doesn’t matter. We’ve always had each other’s…” she bit her lip. “And now your back.”

      Xavier wrapped an arm around her and pressed his forehead to hers. “You were the only thing I remembered from my past.”

      “They told us that the company you were traveling with was ambushed. Everyone was killed when your vehicle took a direct hit and exploded. So how are you here?” Belle now had both of her hands wrapped around his left one, as if she was afraid he would disappear again if she let go.

      Horror filled Selena’s brain. Her voice cracked several times as the words came out, one by one. “Should we have come looking for you?”

      “No. It wouldn’t have made a difference.” Xavier tilted his head back. “The only information I have on the timeline of events is the version the authorities gave me, but it still feels like it all happened to someone else.”

      She could tell he didn’t want to talk about it. The strain of stringing the words together took so much from him. She stood and was going to suggest they stop for the night and get some rest, but he spoke.

      “At first my brain was a complete blank. When I woke up, I was a hostage in a guerrilla camp.”

      Belle’s fingers tightened around his.

      Selena took his other hand in hers. The calloused skin over strong fingers was so familiar. It was as if he had never been gone.

      “You’ve been a hostage for the last two years,” Belle whispered.

      Selena could hear the harsh emotion in Belle’s voice.

      He took his hand out of hers and tucked a loose strand of hair behind Belle’s ear. “My memories had been confused. I thought they were lying when the authorities told me you were my cousin.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “We were raised together? We survived my father?”

      Belle’s breath caught, as if she was holding back a cry. She nodded. “And you survived Colombia.”

      He СКАЧАТЬ