Page 27 of Abigail's King
“Are you worried about seeing your brother again?”
I saw him pondering his answer.
“I guess. We didn’t exactly part on good terms. I’m even surprised he picked up my call the other day, let alone agreed to come over here.”
“Kye, Mateus is your brother. It doesn’t matter what happened in the past. He is still just that. You’ve both grown up and have probably been through a lot since you were teenagers. I know you have. Just promise me you will give him a chance. For yourself. You need a family around you. I know you have the team, but it’s not the same. Take it from me, having lost both my parents, you don’t know what you’re missing until they are gone for good.”
I saw another lone tear fall down his cheek. I needed to lighten the mood a bit, and me trying to get more information out of Kye was never going to do it. I got up from the lounger, stood next to Kye, and held out my hand.
“Let’s walk along the beach now that the sun has set. I don’t think I have ever been on a moonlit beach walk before, and I may never get the chance again.”
I could see the hesitation in his eyes. After a few moments, though, he got up from his seat and took my hand in his. I still couldn’t get over the jolt I felt whenever our hands touched. We walked together along the beach. Kye was lucky that his house was on part of the island that had a sandy beach. It was so tranquil here, and I could see myself spending the rest of my life here, or at least retiring here. We continued around the beach outside of his property line without any issues. I could understand why Kye wanted his brother here. It would be quite easy to get to the house from the beach without any problem at all. I saw a smooth rock just up the beach a bit, perfect to sit on.
“Let’s sit up there for a while and listen to the waves.” I pulled him over to the rock and sat down.
He sat down next to me and I was shocked when he put his arm around me and pulled me to his side. I rested my head on his shoulder. Dare I hope I was breaking down his defenses again? Or was he just worried I would get cold?
We sat there in silence just listening to the sounds of nature around us. This was something I hadn’t managed to do in years. Just relax. I was always jetting around the world for some photoshoot or fashion show. But all I really wanted was times like this. I was starting to doubt if I wanted to model anymore, but there was a short window of opportunity when people would want me, and I had to “make hay while the sun shined,” as they said. I would have my time to relax, but I was going to make the most of this moment while I could.
“Thank you for agreeing to come to Madeira with me, Kye. I would never have known how beautiful your island was without you.”
I felt him give me a slight squeeze.
“It was my pleasure, Bonita. Now, I think we should get back to the house. We have a busy few days ahead of us and you need your beauty sleep. Not that you could be any more beautiful.”
I smiled at him and we headed back to the house. When we arrived, I thanked him for another lovely evening and headed towards my bedroom, where suddenly I felt my bed calling out to me.
I’d just woken up with extreme thirst, so I decided to head out to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water. Usually, I took one before I went to bed, but the memories of Kye holding me at the beach caused me to forget. As I walked down the stairs and towards the kitchen, I saw a light coming from one of the rooms, where the door was slightly ajar. As I got closer, I heard a piano playing. Instantly I recognised the song being played. I adored listening to Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman records, and the one that was currently being played, “Heaven Can Wait,” was one of my favourites.
I moved closer to the door and had to stop myself from gasping at the sight in front of me. There, with his back to me, was Kye, sitting at the piano playing this beautiful song. I couldn’t see his face, but the way he held it, I could tell he was sad. Part of me wanted to rush in there and put my arms around him, but I knew he needed this time, especially after how much I had been pushing him the past few days. I stood there for a few moments and then decided to leave him alone. I went and got a bottle of water from the fridge, then went back to my room and to bed, with the sound and images of Kye playing the piano still in my mind.
