Sakura was so exhausted that she slept soundly throughout the morning, her body snuggled comfortably in Sebastian’s arms. When she woke again, it was to an empty space beside her and Akira’s voice calling her name.
“Hey, Sleeping Beauty,” Akira said softly. “It’s time to get up.”
Sakura fluttered her eyes open as she yawned. Then she asked, as she rubbed her tired eyes, “Is it morning already?”
Akira chuckled. “No. It’s not morning, Sakura-chan. Youwent to bed in the morning. Now it’s noon. Just about time for lunch. Anyway, don’t you remember last night? But never mind about that, we’re departing for Honolulu in an hour.”
Sakura sighed, still feeling exhausted. “Departing for Honolulu? But why? Didn’t we just arrive on St. Thomas Island yesterday? We’re supposed to be here for two weeks, aren’t we?”
Akira wasn’t surprised Sakura had completely forgotten about what had happened last night. The girl had been through a lot, after all, especially when she’d been kidnapped in the middle of the night during a rainstorm and was nearly murdered by the woman who had tormented her since she’d been a child.
She said, “Didn’t you said you want to see Darcy?”
The moment Darcy’s name was mentioned, Sakura straightened up, and everything that had happened last night came back to her in full force.
“Darcy,” she whispered softly under her breath. She turned to Akira then and asked, “Has Nicolas called? How’s Darcy doing? Did the surgery go smoothly?”
Akira smiled gently and said, “Darcy is fine. Nicolas called a few hours ago to tell us the surgery was a success. Darcy will be in the hospital for a few days, for recovery.”
Sakura sighed with relief upon hearing the good news and collapsed back against the pillows. That was when she remembered Sebastian was supposed to be beside her in bed. She glanced around the room, more than a little frantic at the thought of losing him. When she remembered they were on St. Thomas Island with family and friends and nothing alarming was going to happen to him, she had to tell herself to calm down. When she managed that, she wondered where the man had gone off to.
Akira said, “Sebastian left about half an hour ago, getting things ready for departure.”
Sakura returned her gaze to Akira and nodded in understanding. “Then I should get up and get ready, too.”
“I’ll help you pack. How about you go and freshen up?”
“Okay,” Sakura said. A moment later, she managed to get herself out of bed and into the bathroom without much drama. Although, she did have to pause for a little while so she didn’t get too dizzy and faint right there in front of Akira, which would be embarrassing.
As she was brushing her teeth in the bathroom, she heard Katherine’s voice, which was followed by Michael coming into the bedroom and greeting Akira. After she’d finished and dressed in a pair of skinny jeans and a T-shirt, she came back out and saw Katherine helping Akira pack.
Michael was sitting on the bed, watching. The moment the boy saw her, he rushed over.
Sakura wrapped her arms around him and said, “Hey, Michael.”
When he moved back, Michael said, “Hey. I’m glad you’re safe, Sakura. I was so scared last night when I saw them take you away.”
Sakura frowned, confused as to what Michael was talking about. “You saw me being taken away?”
At the boy nodding, Sakura uttered, “Oh,” in disbelief.
Michael said, “I followed them, but it was too dark and stormy, so I ran back for help. See, I knew they were bad people the moment I saw them. That’s why I followed them, to save you.”
“Oh, Michael,” Sakura said, her throat dry with emotions. She pulled the boy into her arms again and hugged him tight. “Thank you so much for helping me. You’re such a brave boy.”
Michael beamed with delight. He couldn’t wait to tell Nicolas how many praises he had received from everyone since this morning. Without him, the Princeton brothers wouldn’t have been able to save her on time. Sakura was glad Michael had insisted on coming to fetch her last night.
After Akira and Katherine were done with helping her pack some fifteen minutes later, they and Michael left the room and came into the dining area for a quick lunch. Once they had finished that, too, and their stomachs were filled, the party then departed for the yacht to head back to Honolulu.
When Sakura noticed almost everyone, including Beth, was boarding the vessel, she asked Conrad, “Everyone is coming back to Honolulu? What about the vacation?”
Conrad chuckled. “You’re not the only one who worries about Darcy, you know. Plus, they said it’s not fun when Darcy can’t join them.”
Akira nodded in agreement. “That’s right. Besides, we can always resume our vacation on St. Thomas Island once Darcy is out of the hospital.”
Michael said, “Darcy promised me he’d go snorkeling with me. He told me the coral reef is super awesome.”
Sakura smiled. Darcy was surely loved by family and friends, and that made her heart glow with happiness.
It wasn’t until they were setting sail that Sakura realized neither Daddy James nor Hayden were onboard. Looking up to Sebastian, who was sitting beside her on the couch, she asked, “Daddy James and Hayden?”
Sebastian said, “They left for Honolulu early this morning. They were at the hospital with Nicolas when he called with Darcy’s status.”
Sakura nodded. “I see.” So Daddy James and Hayden had left for Honolulu while she had been asleep. She wasn’t surprised that the head of the family would rush to be by his son’s side in a time such as this. Only, she wished he would have asked her to come along with him.
She sighed and rested her head against Sebastian’s shoulder. Then she shut her eyes and made herself comfortable in his arms. They were currently alone in the lounge, while everyone else was outside, enjoying drinks, snacks, and scenery as the vessel sailed across the sea.
Sebastian tightened his arms around her as he watched her. Though still breathtakingly beautiful, he didn’t miss the pale complexion of her skin, dark circles under her brown eyes, and the bruises on her cheeks. He had no doubt those were results of blows to the face by either Tara or Mrs. Clark. Or both. Instantly, he felt anger erupt within his being.
Fuck! If only I had been there with her.
Calming his turmoil, he asked, “Still tired?”
With her eyes shut, she nodded. “A little. Mind if I sleep?”
“Go ahead. In fact, I’ll join you. I didn’t get much sleep either.” He moved over and made himself comfortable by reclining on the couch. Then he pulled her into his arms again and made her rest against him, her face snuggling cozily on his chest. “Comfortable?” At her nod, he smiled.
He watched as she slowly fell asleep, and it wasn’t long when he, too, slipped into a slumber. When he woke again two hours later, it was to see Michael sitting on the armchair opposite them, playing an online game on his smart phone. “Hey, Michael.”
The boy looked up and grinned. “Hi. Did you have a good nap?”
Sebastian nodded.
“Is it nice to have Sakura sleeping with you?”
Sebastian was taken aback by the boy’s question. “Come again?”
Michael, with a serious expression, said, “Dad said it’s nice to have Katherine sleep beside him in bed. He said it’s cozy and it makes him happy. Is it the same with you and Sakura?”
Sebastian thought Michael was asking a rather adult question for someone so young. Boys his age weren’t usually interested in something like that.
“Yes, it makes me happy to be by Sakura’s side. Any more questions?”
Michael grinned cheekily in return. Obviously, he had many more. “Are you going to marry her?”
At this point, Sakura made a soft groan in her sleep. Sebastian gently stroked her arm to soothe her. When she was quiet again, he said, “That’s a rather difficult question to answer.”
Michael frowned. “Why is it difficult? You love her, don’t you? Dad loves Katherine, so he married her. And Peter loves Mary, so he married her. Nicolas loves Akira, so he’s obviously going to marry her. You love Sakura, so why is it hard to decide to marry her?”
Sebastian didn’t know how to answer Michael’s straightforward query. “Our relationship is unconventional.”