She was not being selfish!
No, Allysyn meant a lot to her, and she would make sure she kept in touch with him…
Well, she was not sure whether he would pick up her calls after what just happened, but she was going to try.
Reyona paced to and fro in her bedroom as she felt like her skin was too tight for her.
What did he have to look so hurt for?
She liked Allysyn!
She wished that whoever was the bastard who lay his hands on the girl would be instantly caught and dealt with.
She hoped the girl wouldn't be plunged into the gloom she had once gotten into.
Of course, she knew it was Allysyn!
He didn't have to make her seem so heartless while looking at her like…
"Oh my god!" Reyona sobbed as she rushed towards the nursery they had just started working on together.
*****
"What?"
"Where are you?!" Reyona asked urgently. Chest heaving, she hoped she was not too late already.
"I am on my way to the… what do you want, Reyona?"
"Just tell me where you are unless you don't want me to come any…"
"You…stay right there!" He said urgently before he disconnected the call.
Reyona swiped at her eyes and tried to calm her breathing.
She had only a duffel bag as she walked towards the edge of her driveway.
He didn't even ask where she was. What if …
Her breath caught in her throat when she saw the familiar car coming towards her.
He rushed out of the car before it fully stopped.
Unbidden tears flooded Reyona's eyes as she said "I am sorry. I should…"
He reached her and grabbed her face to kiss her soundly, then threw his arms around her in a tight hug.
"Thank you," he said in a heartfelt tone.
Reyona nodded against his shoulder as tears glistened in her eyes again.
They separated, and he wiped her tears before grabbing her hand and turning towards the car.
"Hi," Reyona said to the driver as they entered the back.
The man responded and Maxwell told him to hurry to the landing pad.
He turned to pat Reyona's hand as he said "She will be fine."
Reyona was unsure if he was trying to reassure her or himself, but she nodded, and he did the same too.
With their hands entwined, they silently rode to the landing pad.
Stefan, the pilot, was ready for takeoff when they got there.
Maxwell guided Reyona aboard and helped her buckle in.
Apart from telling the two air hostesses to take proper care of his wife, Maxwell was on the phone for most of the flight.
Alternating between calls and messages.
Reyona couldn't keep up with his agitated pacing anymore, and she finally stood to go meet him.
His worried expression turned to concern when he heard her approach.
"Do you need something? I told them to…"
"They are doing a good job. I don't need anything." Then she held his hands and gave him his earlier statement, "She will be fine. Come and sit with me."
She held his hand and led him to the plush seat that one of the hostesses had reclined for her.
"Tell me what you have found out." She said to get him talking.
Reyona was very worried too. When she closed her eyes for a moment the other time, she couldn't help but see the oddly vacant eyes of Allysyn back when she was not saying anything to anyone.
Her heart constricted in pain as the images changed gradually from the very closed, adult expression that was perpetually on the girl's face to how vulnerable she had looked when she confessed to them that night, then to the recently carefree and happy face of the current Allysyn.
This beautiful man beside her was the one who had been a big part of that change.
Even when Reyona had finally agreed to do a video call with the kids the week before, she could see how much more they had changed.
The uncertain and scared kids had bloomed under Maxwell's care.
Even when Reyona had tried her best to guard her heart against totally going all the way with the kids, Maxwell had done the opposite.
He had given himself to them fully without holding back.
Reyona was beginning to understand the kind of man he was.
One who never did things halfway.
He loved those kids like they were his, and she could feel it in the tensed muscles of his shoulder as she lay her head against it. "Tell me," she said softly while holding his arm.
He covered her feet again with the shawl she had tossed off when she stood up to go to him.
Then he laid his head against his headrest and sighed.
"They have not found anything. The Langdon's frontal CCTV camera had a malfunction. They have not been able to pick up anything from the surrounding cameras. Many of them are so far back that they only focused on the driveway of the owners and the range of the door, not as far as the street itself. Reyona, Allysyn is…"
Reyona patted his arm and said "Let's not think about that. Let's be positive. What about… have there been any…"
She trailed off as her statement would have confirmed what she had not wanted to acknowledge.
But he seemed to understand anyway because he said "No, there has been no call for ransom."
"Oh my god," Reyona said as she covered her face with her hand and leaned forward.
"Hey, hey." He said as he reached for her shoulder and moved her back until her head was against his shoulder again. "I don't want you to worry about this, okay? We are going to find her. Allysyn will come home where she belongs, and we will all forget about this madness. It means so much to me already that you are coming with me, and I am sure if we…when…we find her, she will be so happy that you left everything to look for her. She is a very sensitive child."
"Yes, she is," Reyona said as she turned her face to his chest and sniffled.
"Rey," he said as he laid his chin atop her head and held her tightly to himself. "I am sorry that I have to bring you into this. I am beginning to think I shouldn't have…"
Without raising her head, Reyona laid her finger against his lips. "No, you didn't make me do anything. You were right. This is Allysyn. I am here because I want to be. I am here because I wouldn't have been able to stay away for long anyway. Now, let's go bring our baby home." She said passionately.
He held her tighter to himself and said "What did I do to be gifted with such an exceptional woman like you?"
Reyona merely smiled, and they stayed like that for a while.
Reyona didn't want to, she had been trying so hard not to mention it since they started the journey, but she knew it was necessary.
"Have you told him about it? Did he know already?"
"Who?" Maxwell asked in confusion.
Reyona raised her head from his chest and said "Thomas. Does he know that Allysyn is missing? Is he at your place right now? Waiting for you…us to arrive?"
She felt his body still instantly.
"What?" She asked before he could say anything.
He had that look on his face.