A Masterpiece Of Our Love (The Masterpiece Trilogy Book 1) (15 page)

He had to be strong. Be a man. But all he wanted to do was cry. He swam through the rough waves, through the blinding rain. The plane was on fire, even in the water. He'd wanted to pull all the bodies out even if it did no good. Hunter couldn't think clearly. He should get away.

What happened to the youngest girl? He hadn't come across her yet. Her parents and her sister were still on that plane. Where had she gone? He'd first noticed her when she'd been singing some kid song that her older sister yelled at her to be quiet about. He thought that would start an all out war, but the girl instead quieted down and went back to her coloring. That was right before the lightning hit and all hell broke loose.

If she wasn't in the plane, then she had to be in the water nearby. The thought of another young life taken and him being the only survivor made him sick. He swam against the current in the cold waters and searched for her, his hope fading fast. From the corner of his eye, he spotted a large piece of debris and someone hanging onto it. Please let that be her!

It was so hard to see in the dark. The only thing lighting his way was the orange glow from the fire.

"Hey! Just hold on! I'm on my way!" he yelled, even though she probably couldn't hear him over the loud roar of the wind and the rain. Still, it probably helped in case she did. He swam toward her as fast as his tired, aching arms would push him. As he neared, he saw her little arms slipping off the debris. He had to get to her in time! "Come on, just a minute more. Hold on, just hold on!"

She raised her head and he gasped at all the blood. She was in much worse shape than he was. She coughed and sputtered, but she seemed to hear him, or at least understand the dire urgency that she hold on. Hunter finally reached her and he made a grab for her.

"I've got you now," he whispered, holding on to her. He wasn't the only survivor! Part of him wanted to cry for the fact that now there were two children that lost their families. "I think we're close to shore. I don't know where we are, but we'll be better when we're on dry land. I'm sure it won't be long before someone comes to find us," he reassured the shivering girl. How much truth was there to it? It wasn't like this was a large plane, and this place had so many little islands it would be hard to figure out which one they were on. But he had to hold on. He couldn't just give up hope now. They had to make it out of this alive. Both of them.

"I want Mommy, Daddy and Ellie," she said through chattering teeth. She clung to him as he held one arm around her. The other he used to swim. "Where are they?"

His stomach clenched. How did he tell this kid that her family was dead? She had no idea. Hunter had to do a lot of things in his twelve years of life, but to tell a kid she was an orphan? He didn't want to do that. He thought long and hard about what to say before answering her."Right now, they want you to get to safety with me, okay? I know you are scared. So am I. We have to stick together right now. My name is Hunter."

"I'm B-Becca," she replied. Geez, they were shivering, bleeding, and had no dry clothes. What were they going to do?

"Just hold on to me, Becca. I think we're coming to shallower water. My feet are touching something. We should be near land." And then what?

"It hurts!" Becca cried.

"I know. I hurt too. We'll stick together. I promise I'll keep you safe." What a thing to promise. He had no idea if he even could. At this point, whatever he could say to keep the kid calm would work. "We're in shallow water. Ready to walk?"

She shook her head. " I can't! There's something stuck in my leg!"

What? He never even asked her what hurt and why. He never thought of it. Damn it, what would he do now? Carry her? Get whatever it was out of her leg? He was just twelve. He wasn't meant for this stuff!

"I'll carry you, then we'll look and see what's wrong." Hunter held her in his arms. The sight of a large metal piece from the plane sticking out from her leg with a ton of blood seeping out made him turn his head and vomit. He couldn't hold it in. As they reached land, a loud boom came from behind them. Even though they were faced away from the sound, a large, orange glow lit up the air. He knew exactly what that was. Oh God, the plane had to have exploded.

"Mommy!" Becca screamed, bursting into uncontrollable tears. She buried her face in his chest and clung to him, sobbing.

Hunter couldn't take it anymore. He broke down and sobbed with her. His vision blurred. Still holding her in his arms, he fell forward onto the wet soil. "I'm sorry, Becca. I'm so sorry. It's just you and me now. I know you don't know me, but I'm going to protect you." He held her close to him. As he raised his hand, he noticed it was soaked in blood.

*****

Becca woke up to Hunter shouting. She tried to figure out what time it was and why he was yelling. He was thrashing about. She realized he must be having a nightmare. He cried in agony, yelling her name.

She dodged an elbow before she reached for him, holding his hand down. "Hunter! Wake up!" She shook him forcefully. He was drenched in sweat. She removed the blanket and shook him again, this time even harder. Finally, he shot up and out of bed. His breathing was heavy, as if he'd just run a mile. Becca leaned over and turned on the light. That must have startled Hunter, because he yelped.

She flew out of bed and was at his side in seconds. Becca took Hunter's hands in hers. "It was just a nightmare. You're okay," she soothed. Was this why he barely slept? Was he having nightmares? She never noticed this last night, but he'd mentioned being restless.

He practically bear hugged her. "Oh Becca, I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry." Was he crying?

"Sorry for what, Hunter?" His heart was beating like crazy. Whatever the nightmare was, it rattled him big time. "Hey, you're okay. It's all right."

"Until recently, I haven't had one of those in a long, long time," he whispered after a while. His breathing went back to normal.

Becca pulled back. "Had one of what?"

"I had a flashback of the accident. It was still so damn vivid. I carried you to shore. Then the-" His voice cracked.

Becca reached for him again. Hunter trembled as he fell into her arms and clung to her. She knew exactly what he was talking about. The explosion of the plane as they made it to shore. She hadn't had a nightmare about it in a long time either. Maybe Hunter was having it because of his guilt from the boat incident. Not that he had anything to feel guilty for, but he seemed to anyway. Her heart ached for him. "Hunter," she whispered, not even sure what she could say to comfort him.

"You're all I have in the world," he said very quietly.

"That's not true. I mean, you do have me, but I'm not all you have." Where was this coming from? What would make such a strong man feel so defeated? She had no idea how to help him right now. That's all she wanted to do.

He untangled himself from her arms and made his way to the sink. Another burst of light made her wince as he flicked on the switch and turned on the water. He splashed his face, then reached for a cup and filled it with water, downing the entire contents in a few chugs. After he set the glass down, he turned to her again. "Did I hurt you? I know when I have these nightmares, I end up tossing around a lot. Please tell me you didn't get hurt."

"Hunter, I'm fine! You didn't hurt me. I was startled and worried more than anything. It's scary waking up to someone yelling. I just wanted to know you were okay. You want to lay back down? We can talk about it, or I'll just hold you until we fall asleep again."

"I'm afraid to go back to sleep at this point, but I need it. That dream was so vivid. It was like I was back there all over again. I don't know why it's coming back to me like this, but I hate it!" His voice rang out in the otherwise quiet night. "Shit. Sorry. I'm on the agitated side right now and I'm kinda freaking out."

"It's all right. You don't have to explain yourself. I remember the nightmares and they did seem so real. It was like I relived that night over and over when they kept occurring." Becca moved to shut off the bathroom light. She took Hunter's hand and led him back to bed. Once they were settled, she turned off the bedside light and went to reach for him, snuggling close to him as his arm came around her. He brushed a kiss on her cheek before she rested her head on the pillow.

"Thank you for everything," Hunter said quietly.

"I can say the same to you," she replied.

They'd become each other's lifeline. When everything else seemed to fall apart, when everyone looked at them as if they were crazy or fragile, they'd been the ones to bring each others' spirits back up. She held Hunter as they both attempted to get back to sleep. Becca's mind raced a million miles a minute, most of her thoughts revolving around Hunter, the accident, and the past few days.

"Are you ready?"

Becca cracked an eyelid open the next morning to see Hunter's wide awake gaze fixed on her. Had he just been laying there watching her sleep? She mumbled and sat up. "Please tell me you got some rest."

He nodded. "Surprisingly, I did. Just woke up about ten minutes ago and was debating on the best way to wake you. Then I got lost in watching you."

She let out a laugh as her heart fluttered. "Surely I can't be all that interesting while sleeping."

"Oh, but you are. I wish I were artistic like you, so that I could capture your innocent beauty when you sleep on a canvas. A simple picture wouldn't do. You had this sense of peace that I longed for. You looked content, like all was right in the world."

The man had a way with words. They always went straight to her heart.

"So, are you ready for the big adventure? We'll have breakfast and see if we can go parasailing today. I can't wait to be up there next to you, the wind in my face and the amazing view from up high."

"You know it's not the being up high that scares me about flying," Becca said softly.

He took her hand and lifted it to his lips for a kiss. "I know. It's crashing. I'm hoping that this will help you realize you can still land safely. For years I was afraid, too. I wouldn't fly. I hated it! But then I decided I needed to push myself. I worked hard and got my license and bought a plane. The first few times scared the shit out of me, then I got used to it. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with you having a fear. I just want to help if I can. I'd love to take you places. See the world. Your mind would go into overload from some of the amazing sights."

"I want that, I really do!" Becca flew into his arms, needing a warm, comforting hug. "I'm nervous, but I'll do it. Then we'll see if I can gather the courage to get on a plane one day. I see one and I cringe."

Hunter kissed her forehead. "I'll help you. We'll go to my plane when I take you home. You can walk around, sit, and get used to being on it. No rush, no hurry. We'll work it at your pace. I promise. Now, let's get ready and hit the water. What do you say?"

"I'm ready for a day of fun with you." Becca smiled, even though she wasn't quite sure how she felt about being up in the air.

As they finished getting dressed, her phone rang. Who could that be? When she checked the caller ID, Vince's name popped up. She held back a groan before answering. "Good morning," she said warily.

"Rebecca, I'm sorry for the way I acted last night. I'm going to go back home. I really did worry about you and wanted to make sure you're all right, but it's obvious you don't need me here."

Well, that was a shocker. She hadn't expected him to call and apologize. "I accept your apology, Vince. Thank you for respecting my wishes about me staying here. I may as well tell you now, I plan on going home with Hunter for the summer. I'd appreciate before you leave if you'd give me my spare key back, and I'd also like the letter that you took from my apartment."

Silence.

She was about to say something again when Vince's angry voice came back over the line. "Why would you do that, Becca? I could give you the life you deserve. I've tried to win your affection and have failed miserably. What does he have that I don't?"

"The heart wants what it wants. I haven't felt the things that you and my grandparents wish I did. That was the case long before discovering something with Hunter. Don't you go blaming him. He also understands me and listens to me. He encourages my dreams, where sometimes you brush them aside. I'm sorry I can't make my heart love you. You should find love with someone that can give that to you. It isn't me."

"I wish it was you," he said quietly, hurt in his tone. "Why don't you meet me downstairs in ten minutes so I can say goodbye and give you what you asked for."

"Fine. See you then." She hung up as quickly as she could before turning to Hunter.

"Still not happy, huh?" he asked.

"No. He's pretty upset. I just don't get it. I don't think he cares for me the way a man should. He's got the wrong intentions. I don't know what his are, but it isn't love."

"Some people's intentions are never fully clear. He makes me nervous, but if he's going home and leaving you alone, I feel better. I'm glad you asked about the letter, and good for you for getting your key."

"I never wanted to give him a copy, but I'd given one to my aunt. When she died, my grandparents found it and gave it to Vince against my wishes."

Hunter hugged her. "I'm sorry about her passing. When? The last time we spoke she was doing well. I've missed so much, haven't I?"

"It was last year. She was in a car accident."

He swore. "Oh baby, I'm so sorry." He stroked her hair. "I should have been there for you. You two ended up getting close. I know she meant a lot to you. She was the one always willing to help me stay connected with you."

"I need you to do me a favor." She pulled away from his hug. She hated that he kept beating himself up mentally for things he felt he should have done.

His brows arched as he waited a reply.

"Stop kicking yourself over every little thing. I know you're upset with yourself for missing out on the last four years. I was hurt over it, but now that I know the reasons, I understand. Let's just go forward and be positive." She reached out for his hand and twined her fingers through his. "Will you please do that? For me?"