“You said she went to the house so let’s start there,” Ryder said. “Mia, you go and tell Liam what’s going on. Check with Callie to see if she’s seen her, and then get Donovan and Reece to check around the barn.” Finished issuing orders, he turned and started heading towards the house.
“Ryder wait. When Rebecca brought me the garter,” she blushed, “I asked her where Thalia was and she said she’d gone off to meet Jack.” Mia had tears in her eyes.
“Okay, what’s with the church meeting?” Reece asked. We all turned to see him standing not too far away with Donovan and Callie, and between the two of them stood a nervous looking Rebecca.
I lost it. “Where the fuck is Thalia?” I was practically nose-to-nose with her as I yelled the question. I felt like strangling the bitch, and if anything had happened to her there’d be hell to pay.
“I told her you wanted to see her, and that you were waiting by the...river for her.”
“You fucking bitch,” I roared.
Rebecca burst into tears. “I’m sorry.”
I turned away before I did something I’d never done before; hit a woman.
“Which part, Rebecca?” Ryder asked.
“The bridge.”
God no. I turned and started running towards the bridge. The bridge that I’d been meaning to replace, but hadn’t gotten around to. I could vaguely hear Ryder yelling something about paramedics, but I wasn’t stopping for anyone. I needed to get to my girl, and just prayed she was still on land.
I ran so damn fast I had a hell of a stitch in my side, but as I broke through the trees, I came to a stop on the bank and shouted for her. I couldn’t hear a damn thing though with the racket the rapids made.
Walking closer to the bridge there was still no sign of Thalia, until I stood on the edge and looked down.
My heart dropped. “Thalia,” I shouted.
She turned her head and looked up at me, her eyes frantic, and then she started to cry.
“I’m going to get you up here baby. I promise.”
She had obviously slipped over the edge of the bank and was in the water, but had managed to grab on to the roots of a tree that had grown out through the earth about a foot above the water.
“Where is she?” Ryder shouted, running towards me.
“Down there. She’s slipped over. I need to get to her.”
He stopped and looked down. “You can’t go down there yet. We need some rope; otherwise you’ll end up stuck down there with her.”
He was right, but I just needed to get to her. She looked terrified.
“Get over here.”
I looked towards the trees to see whom he’d been shouting to. Reece, Donovan and Callie were running towards us, and Reece had a rope in his arms.
“You’re good to go in a minute.”
Ryder grabbed the rope from Reece, tied one end around my waist then ran to one of the trees, took the rope around before getting Donovan and Reece in on it. He nodded to me.
At the edge I made my way down slowly. It was about eight feet from the bank to the water at this point, with the embankment sloping steeply downwards, and after the rain we’d had yesterday and early morning, it was muddy as hell.
About a foot away, I looked at her and could see how cold she was, not to mention frightened.
“Phoenix. Be careful.”
“No sweat,” I said, realizing I was going to be getting wet.
“I’m coming, but I need to get in the water to get a proper hold on you. One minute, then I’ll have you back in my arms, and you’re never leaving again. No matter how much I piss you off, you’re not going anywhere. Is that understood?”
A frightened chuckle escaped her lips, “Yes Phoenix.”
That’s my girl, I thought with pride. “I like that kind of response.”
I slid into the water to the side of her, trusting everyone up top to have a proper hold on the rope; I grabbed her around the waist and wrapped her up in my arms. She cried out and wrapped her arms around my neck, holding on real tight.
“I love you, Phoenix, so much.”
“Marry me,” I blurted out. “I love you. I’d planned on asking you later. I didn’t mean to blurt it out while you’re freezing to death.”
“Yes. Yes I’ll marry you. Now will you get me out of here.”
With a quick kiss on her lips I felt a tug on the rope. “Wrap your legs around me.”
“I can’t. My dress.”
I’d forgotten she was wearing a bridesmaid dress. “Okay babe. Hold on, while I lift your dress.” I chuckled in her ear.
“You can lift my dress anytime, just hurry up.”
With her holding on tight, I grabbed her ass and quickly tried to raise her soaked dress enough to enable her legs to go around me. “It’d be easier if we ditched the dress.”
She groaned into my neck.
“What the fuck is going on down there?” Ryder shouted.
“I need her to hold on, but her dress is weighing us down.”
“Then take it off and get up here.”
“I can’t. I’m only wearing a thong,” she cried.