Once she was alone, Sakura closed her eyes and sighed pleasantly. It wasn’t long before she drifted off to sleep again. When she woke some two hours later, she felt significantly better. Her headache had disappeared so she didn’t feel as exhausted as she had earlier.
Determined to make the most of what was left of the day, she slid out of bed and headed into the bathroom to shower. Some twenty minutes later she was done; dressed in a lovely summer dress, with her long, wet hair hanging down her back. Her face was minimally made up with just a light foundation and lipstick, which made her look less sickly. After she’d finished tidying up her mess and making her bed, she headed toward the door.
The moment she stepped foot in the hallway, she jumped and came to a surprised halt.
“Darcy,” she said softly between her lips as she gazed at the man standing across from her door. She cleared her throat and asked, “What are you doing here?”
Darcy, simply gorgeous in casual jeans and a T-shirt, raked his fingers through his dark hair as he said, “Waiting for you.”
She blinked. Waiting for me? Then she thought he must have knocked while she had been in the shower, which she couldn’t have heard.
She curiously asked, “How long have you been waiting?”
“A while.”
So, he didn’t leave when there was no reply from her and waited until she was done? How very patient of him indeed. Did he want to see her that much? Even after what had happened last night?
Oddly enough, she was delighted that he was so committed to her. At the same time, however, she felt a little guilty for having made him wait.
“Sorry, I was in the shower,” she said, casting her eyes downward.
He came over to stand in front of her and placed his hand under her chin. Then he tilted her face up so he could look at her properly.
“I wanted to check up on you, knowing you’re unwell. But I couldn’t just barge into the room since you’re sharing with Akira and Jane.”
Sakura smiled. He is that worried about me, eh?
She said, “I’m okay now. Just a headache.”
Darcy tugged the strands of her hair behind her ear gently as he said, “About last night…”
Sakura stiffened at the introduction of the topic. Suddenly, she didn’t want to face him and simply wanted to run back into her room and hide. Yes, she admitted, she was a coward, but she couldn’t help herself.
He continued. “I didn’t mean to pressure you like that. I’m sorry, Sakura. I might have felt more than a little anxious and…” He chuckled darkly. “Maybe insecure.”
Sakura gazed at him long and hard, as if she couldn’t believe his words. Darcy isn’t here to pressure me like he did last night, then? Furthermore, he was apologizing.
What was even more interesting to her was that Darcy had expressed his concern to her, which pleased her.
So Darcy’s anxious? And insecure? About my feelings for him?
It was then that she realized Darcy had self-doubt, and she knew the reason behind his apprehension was her. She, after all, had not made herself clear and confirmed to him her feelings for him, that she, too, loved him. Though they had been intimate, such as kissing and holding hands, she had yet to declare to him that she’d become officially and exclusively his.
She shook her head, meaning to tell him she had no qualms about his actions from last night.
“No, it’s all right,” she said. “It’s not right for me to leave you and Sebastian waiting like this. But I promise, I’ll give you both my answer by the end of this work vacation.”
She knew her voice was shaking when she made that declaration. She was bluntly telling him she’d be choosing one of them to be in an exclusive relationship with in a few days, after all. This also meant she’d be losing one of them, for good, and it hurt her deep inside because they were both good men, and she loved them so dearly.
Darcy nodded in understanding. “Sure,” he said. “We’ll wait for your answer. You need time to make your decision. I understand that, but last night, I was in the heat of the moment. I’m sorry about that, Sakura. I’m sorry I hurt your feelings.”
Sakura felt her heart melt. God, he was so considerate, worrying about her. This was the side of Darcy she had loved when they’d been little, before that incident happened when Alaina had been pushed out of the tree house. Sakura had been blamed as the culprit by Tara, and Darcy turned his back on her, excluding her from his life. This was the kind, sincere Darcy who would always apologize and make it up to her when he knew he did her wrong or hurt her feelings.
Suddenly, she didn’t feel so anxious and stressed out anymore. Suddenly, she felt quite light, as if she could really walk on air.
She smiled and then said, “That’s all right, Darcy. I understand it’s hard not knowing. It’s hard waiting.”
And it was damned hard making up her mind, too.
The two were both quiet for a moment, grinning at each other, now that they finally understood one another.
Darcy took a step forward and gently kissed her on the forehead.
Sakura sighed pleasantly, savoring the moment. Then she said, “By the way, good morning.” She giggled. “Or should I say good afternoon?”
Darcy nodded. “Yeah. Good afternoon, all right. And you’re still a bit too warm for my liking. Your temperature, I mean. Did you have a fever last night?”
Sakura shrugged. Honestly, she didn’t know, but perhaps she did. “I took some aspirin before going to sleep, though, so that might have helped cool my fever down if I did have one.”
Darcy frowned at this, and Sakura knew he was probably blaming himself for causing her anxiety, which could have led to her slight fever. Of course, all of the activities of the previous day would have also played a part.
“Sorry,” he said.
Sakura pretended ignorance and asked, “About what?”
Darcy sighed. “Nothing. Never mind. But honestly, if you weren’t sharing a room with Akira and Jane, I might have gone right in last night and looked after you.”
She chuckled. It amused her because he sounded so bold. “But you didn’t even know I was sick until today.”
He shrugged his powerful shoulders and even smiled with glee, which made him look so endearing and hot at the same time. “I might have just barged in regardless, considering my feelings last night.”
“I see,” she said, staring long and hard at his lips, remembering their kisses. For sure, it had been beautiful, wild, and passionate. And now she wanted more.
God, she felt like a wanton wench. Honestly, she had never been like that before, certainly not before the Princeton brothers came into her life again anyway.
Finally, Darcy said, “Why don’t we go down?”
This drew Sakura’s thoughts away from their kisses and her sinful desire. She nodded in agreement and was just taking a step toward the stairs when she felt herself being lifted in the air.
“Darcy!” She shrieked in surprise, finding herself in the man’s arms. “What are you doing?”
Darcy chuckled with amusement. “Taking you downstairs. You’re obviously unwell, so it’s only natural that I behave like a gentleman and carry you. Otherwise, my brothers will berate me.”
Pleased with his answer, she smiled and eagerly wrapped her arms around his neck.
She said, “Your brothers will berate you, eh?” At him nodding his head, she continued. “I can totally see that, especially Tristan.”
Darcy said, “Yep. Although, that one would probably prefer he was the one to carry you.”
Sakura chuckled merrily at his statement. “You’re right.”
A few moments later, they reached the ground floor, and Sakura wondered, since Darcy was here, if everyone had returned from their games along the beach.
“Where’s are they?”
Darcy answered, “Everyone’s at the back.”
“I see,” she said, nodding.
The instant they were outside at the back of the mansion, loud hums of chattering and laughter reached them. Sakura could only stare in wide-eyed awe at the entertaining, chaotic scene before her. Indeed, the whole garden had been turned into a racecourse.
She noted that the adults—Daddy James, Mom Brenda, her biological mother, Haruka, and Beth, along with Katherine and the heavily pregnant Mary—were sitting on the sidelines, watching and cheering on the others who were currently going about an egg in a spoon race. At the moment, Nicolas was leading the pack, followed by Michael. Not far behind them were Sebastian, Tristan, and Hayden. Logan, Sosuke, Luke, Peter, and Jim were at about the same pace, while Conrad and Akira were only a few steps behind. And Jane was, of course, the last one, inching her way at a snail’s pace after the others. The poor girl was doing her best not to drop her egg from the spoon.
Sakura chuckled with delight. “Go, Jane! You can do it.”
The moment she spoke out, all eyes turned to her, and Sakura blushed at the attention she received.
Michael, who was just behind Nicolas, managed to grin and enthusiastically waved at her with his free hand. He shouted, “Sakura! Look at me. I’m winning. I’m winning!”
At his self-proclamation, the spectators cheered him on, urging him to win the race. After all, he was the spectators’ favorite competitor, since he was the youngest. Not to mentioned the most adorable.
“Go, Michael! You can do it! Michael! Michael! Michael!” they hailed loudly.
Sakura joined in with the cheers as well. She shouted, “Go, Michael! You’re a winner! You can do it!”
At the encouragement, Michael increased his speed, so much so that he surpassed Nicolas, who seemed to be slowing down. Of course, everyone knew Nicolas, along with the other competitors, slowed their pace on purpose to allow Michael to pass them and, hence, win the race.
“Go, Michael!” Katherine shouted. “You can do it, son!”
And indeed, Michael did do it. He reached the finish line and passed it, thus winning the egg in a spoon race.
He screamed hyperactively, “Yeah! I won! I won! I won! Yahoo!” He even shook his backside and then jumped up and down in excitement to express how happy he was.
The viewers clapped, cheering him on as, one by one, the rest of the competitors crossed the finish line. And of course, Jane was the last to do so.