Forty Nine

After a morning of emotional goodbyes, the group headed back to Amaris Castle just as they had planned.

Unlike the previous day, the car journey back was much less eventful. Reid blasted out his favourite Kelly Clarkson songs, Scarlett grumbled over his ability to stay on key, Harlie was still in a daze over watching the Queen in action, River was concentrating on driving and Brielle and Ryker calmly enjoyed the views from the backseat.

River would sometimes catch Brielle’s gaze through the rear-view mirror, but any thoughts remained unsaid. They had made progress on this trip, progress which they both hoped would continue. But they both knew they had a lot to discuss before any real developments could be made.

A small smile fell on Brielle’s lips as she thought back to how he took care of her last night, she didn’t know he had that side to him and it had been a welcomed surprise.

He held her in his arms until the sun rose and despite all the conflict between them, she felt comple