Chapter 4
It Begins…
I truly have lost my ever-loving mind, I think as I follow Fallon down a short, narrow flight of stairs on the yacht we just boarded. I know I’ve already said it today, but what the heck am I thinking?
Fallon opens a door and leads me into an expansive, stately room that resembles a luxury hotel suite.
A large king-sized bed filled with pillows of various sizes sits at one end.
A low shelving unit stands directly across from the bed with a television mounted on the wall above it.
An elegant wood desk, a dresser, and a small loveseat and coffee table finish the room’s furnishings.
The room is decorated in muted shades of dusty blue and gray.
“There’s a selection of clothes in that closet that should fit you,” he tells me. “We’ll pick up whatever else you need along the way.”
Opening the small closet, I find a myriad of colorful blouses and skirts. There are also tailored slacks and dresses draped across pink velvet hangers. I finger the fabric of one of the blouses. It feels like satin.
I turn to Fallon. “Whose clothes are these?” If he says they belong to his mother, I’ll refuse to wear them. That’s just freaking creepy.
“They’re my sister’s. She’s shorter than you, but I think most of her stuff should fit.”
“Wait a minute. You have a sister?”
“Older sister. She lives in Spain with her husband.” Fallon leans a shoulder against the door frame and crosses his arms over his chest. “You’d like her.”
“What’s her name?”
“Tatiana.”
I catalog that bit of information for later. I spy a phone on the nightstand and Fallon follows where I’m looking.
“Just so you know, the phones on the yacht need a code to dial out, and the laptops on board are password protected,” Fallon states with a bit of a challenge in his voice. He’s letting me know that any attempts to sneak a call or send an email to the boys will be futile.
“Duly noted,” I curtly reply.
Without another word, he straightens and walks away from the cabin’s doorway.
Once he leaves, I close the door and remove a few garments from the closet and lay them on the bed.
Next, I investigate the contents of the dresser drawers.
I find a selection of sleepwear, underwear, bras, and socks.
I grab the items I need and throw them on the bed next to the other clothes.
I slowly turn in a circle, taking everything in, while continuing to question not only how I got here, but also my sanity.
After we left Fallon’s house, he drove us to a marina where I refused to get out of the car.
That led to an argument involving school and Daniel.
“Trust me,” Fallon kept telling me until I finally relented.
Luckily, by then it was around four in the morning and the marina was quiet.
Only a few people were there to see me make my second walk of shame in the past six hours.
Fallon was dressed in dark charcoal trousers and a nice sweater.
I, however, was still wearing the clothes he had given me along with a pair of men’s slippers to wear on my feet since I didn’t have any shoes.
He walked me down a long dock then stopped in front of an enormous yacht.
“Holy crap, Fallon,” I said in disbelief. “Is this your boat?”
“Yacht, kitten. And yes, it’s my family’s.”
Despite my newfound curiosity, Fallon practically had to drag my figurative butt onto the boat.
“What am I doing here?” I asked him while watching several crew members moving around doing whatever people do to get a yacht ready to set sail.
One of the crewmen approached me, carrying a tray with prepared drinks.
He greeted me by name and asked if I needed anything.
I declined. This was insane. I tugged on Fallon’s arm
“Fallon.”
“Give me your phone, kitten.”
“What?”
He reached a hand out, palm up, waiting. “Give me your phone.”
“Not a chance,” I told him.
“You want time to heal? You want to find out which Elizabeth you’re going to be? I’m giving you that chance. Now kindly hand me your phone.”
“Why do you need my phone, Fallon? I need to call Daniel, and Ryder, Jayson, and Julien, to let them know I’m okay.” Then I thought about Meredith and Trevor. They’re going to kill me for skipping town without a word. Especially Meredith.
“Already took care of that.”
“What? When?” He must have done something earlier when he left his room and I fell asleep.
“Elizabeth, you came to me for help. I’m helping.
You might not understand how right now, but you will.
The first thing you need is time and space away from Ry, Jay, and Jules.
You can’t do that if you’re texting and calling them at all hours every day.
Now, put your phone in my hand right this second or I will take it from you.
“Jesus! Fine! Here.” I scowled at him and slapped my phone into his hand.
“Good girl.”
“Fallon, I have classes I can’t miss. AP classes. I can’t fall behind.”
“How many times are we going to have this same conversation? Will you just shut up and trust me?”
That was when he took me down the stairs to his sister’s stateroom, which is where I’m currently standing.
Wanting to be in clothes that fit me better, I decide another shower is in order—a proper one this time. The Arnica stuff Fallon gave me truly was a miracle cream. My skin isn’t red anymore, nor does it sting like it did earlier.
Stepping into the shower stall, I inspect the various shampoos and soaps, opening the tops and sniffing each one.
They all smell like flowers. I choose one with a cherry blossom scent.
After I’m done, I take my time getting ready.
Finding a hair dryer, I blow dry my hair before piling my thick blond mass on top of my head in a loose bun.
Next, I try on several items of clothing until I find a blouse that I like.
The trousers are all too short for me, so I choose one of the longer skirts.
Fallon was correct about Tatiana’s stuff being my size.
Other than our apparent height difference, most of her clothes fit me.
Knowing it’ll be chilly above deck, I wrap a thick shawl I find in the closet around my shoulders and upper arms.
I’m about to head out of the room when there’s a light knock on my suite door. “Miss Fairchild? Mr. Montgomery would like for you to join him up on deck,” a male voice tells me through the closed door. I open it to find an impeccably dressed man standing in front of me.
“Hi,” I say, unsure of what to do.
“Hello, Miss Fairchild. My name is Robert. I am at your service for the entirety of your voyage.
Seriously? My own personal manservant? It takes a lot of effort to stop myself from rolling my eyes. Rich people are so freaking weird
Robert continues, “Should you need anything, do not hesitate to ring me at any time by pressing the number seven on any phone you find on board. May I escort you to the upper deck?”
I catch a faint British accent and want to ask Robert where he’s from, but I decide not to.
I give him a polite smile in greeting, and he offers me the back of his hand like we’re about to walk out onto a ballroom floor to waltz.
As we walk, he points out various rooms to me.
Fallon’s suite is right next to mine, which makes sense given that I’m staying in the one his sister uses.
Robert escorts me to the upper deck. I look around, taking everything in.
We’re already sailing in open water, the marina now visible as only a tiny, illuminated speck in the distance.
I look up and am mesmerized by how many stars I can see in the inky, black sky.
It’s absolutely breathtaking. I wish I could take some pictures, but Fallon has my phone.
You never realize how much of the night sky you miss out on when you live in a town.
The night sky is usually obscured by light pollution from streetlamps and buildings.
Gazing upon the star-filled expanse above me makes me think of the night Ryder took me out to his quiet place where we danced under the moonlight.
I remember the night of my first date with Jayson when he lit up our tree and we perched on top of one of the branches as we cuddled amongst the fairy lights. God, I miss the boys so much.
But there’s my problem in a nutshell; the reason I ran to Fallon for help.
The old and new parts of me are battling for control inside my mind, leaving me yearning for both Ryder and Jayson.
This insane idea of Fallon’s is my chance to decide who I want to be and who I want to be with once and for all.
Will Old Elizabeth win out, or will I choose the new life I’ve been creating with Ryder?
There’s also the fact that sooner or later, I’m going to have to properly grieve my parents.
Not to mention that I need to find Hailey and bring her home.
So many things to do, so many choices to make, but I’m currently not in a place mentally or emotionally to do those things.
I’m literally placing my life in the hands of Fallon Montgomery.
The breeze is strong and whips some of my hair out from my bun.
The brisk wind feels refreshing against my heated skin.
I breathe in and smell the salt of the ocean.
Grasping the top railing, I lean over, trying to get a better look at the ocean below.
I can barely make out the small white caps that form along the side of the yacht as it trails through the rippling Atlantic waters.
“I’ve got it from here, Robert,” Fallon says from behind me. Robert quietly slips away, and I feel a tad guilty that I got lost in my own ruminations and forgot he was there.
Fallon comes to stand beside me, his hands shoved into the front pockets of his trousers. “You look beautiful,” he tells me, and I give him a derisive snort. He shoulder-bumps me in response.
I breathe in the open ocean air once again. Instead of the heavy saline smell I detected before, the air now smells like freedom. Corny, I know.
“Ready to find yourself, kitten?”
“I’m trusting you, Fallon. Don’t make me regret it.”
He gives me one of his classic Fallon smirks and slings an arm around my middle, pulling me into his side.
He places a kiss to my temple like a protective older brother would a little sister he adores.
Fallon is a complete conundrum to me. He can be a foul-mouthed, loud jerk, but at times like now, he can also be tender, sweet, and caring.
For some strange reason, I like all his sides, even the jerk-ish ones.
With his arm cradling me against him, we stand together near the railing and stare off into the nothingness of the Atlantic.