Reece picks Bella and I up from our house just before six, much to my dismay. I had tried to tell him that I was perfectly fine to drive us there myself, but he insisted. One we arrive, we walk up the front porch steps of the house that is now fairly familiar to me. Before Reece can even reach out to open the front door, it is thrown open and we are greeted by a very energetic set of twins.

"Layla!" They exclaim as soon as they see me, jumping onto me in a hug.

I bend down to hug them back, avoiding Sophie's bright pink cast as I bring them closer to me. "Hi, Princesses."

When they step back from me, they look up at Bella unsurely. I stand up as well and introduce them. "Girls, this is my little sister, Bella. Bels, this is Sophie and Macy."

"Do you like dolls?" Macy asks her immediately.

Bella laughs, "Of course."

Macy grins then, taking Bella's hand in hers and dragging her into the house. "You need to come see my new doll."

Sophie giggles and grabs my hand to pull me after them. "I need to show you my new doll as well!"

I glance back at Reece with wide eyes and he only chuckles, waving me on to follow after her as she tugs me through the house. I spot Novah and Lucas both in the kitchen and I give them a quick wave and a 'hello' before I'm dragged into the living room.

Macy is already on the floor with Bella, showing her he doll she got, and Sophie quickly pulls me along to join them. She starts showing her doll and I set all my attention on her until I notice Max entering the room. He stops when he sees Bella, his eyes stuck on her.

Let's see how this plays out.

Bella looks up at the new addition to the room as well, stopping when she sees Max. She gasps softly when her eyes land on him. "I love your shirt!"

Max pauses to look down at his shirt, his eyes widening as he looks up at her. Smiling hesitantly he asks, "You like Supernatural?"

"Like it? I love that show!" Bella grins. She quickly gets up and crosses the room, the two of them immediately engaging in a conversation about the TV show."

I smile with a shake of my head before returning my attention to Sophie who is rambling on about her doll. I continue to listen attentively. Little kids' ramblings are always the cutest.

Soon enough, everyone is ushered into the dining room where we all dig into the lasagna Novah and Lucas prepared for us. The food was delicious and before I know it, everyone is finished and completely full.

"That was so good." Max mumbles, leaning back in his chair after he's finished his plate.

"Agreed." Bella says, mimicking his position.

"It really was. Thank you." I tell Novah and Lucas with a smile.

Novah smiles, "You're welcome, Dear. Come over for dinner anytime."

Anna stands and starts collecting plates, "I'll do the dishes."

I stand up as well, "I'll help."

Reece stands and looks down at me, "No you won't. You helped last time."

"So did you, Reece," I shoot back, staring up at him challengingly.

"I'll help Anna," Liam says with a roll of his eyes, chuckling at our bickering.

Reece and I reluctantly follow everyone through to the living room. The twins settle back on the floor to play with their dolls while Max and Bella sit in the two bean bags in the corner of the room. Novah sits on the armrest of the armchair Lucas is sitting in while Cody sits on the couch. I walk over and take a seat on the new addition to the living room, a grey loveseat.

Reece takes a seat beside me, shaking his head. "Mom came home with this thing a couple days ago. She does this like twice a week."

I chuckle, looking to my right to lock eyes with him, "I like it. It's comfy."

"Yeah, it is. A bit too clean for our house though. No marker or anything on it yet," He lifts his arm so that its resting on the back of the couch behind me, "I'm sure the kids will take care of that soon."

I laugh, looking towards the kids in question. "I like the little things like that the give things character. Makes it homier, don't you think?"

Reece hums, "It does."

"Can we watch a movie?" Cody speaks up, looking towards his parents hopefully.

"I don't think so, Bud," Lucas says, shaking his head.

Macy pouts, joining the conversation, "Why not?"

"I think it's time for bed, Love," Novah replies, "Five more minutes and then you guys can get into your PJ's and brush your teeth, yeah?"

Cody huffs, "Fine."

"Don't you dare turn on Friends without us!" Anna calls from the kitchen making me chuckle.

"Hurry up then, we're waiting!" Reece calls back, shaking his head slightly as his lips quirk up into a small smile.

A moment or two later, Liam and Anna both walk into the room, both taking a seat on either side of Cody.

"Alright, we're ready," Anna says through a sigh as she sits down.

"I think it's time for these three to go to bed," Novah announces, getting up from her seat.

"Mom! Please just five more minutes!" Sophie complains.

Novah laughs, "I've already given you five minutes. Come on, say goodnight to everyone."

Cody, Macy, and Sophie all take turns going around to say goodnight to everyone before heading off with a final, "Goodnight."

"Now, time for Friends," Anna says excitedly, grabbing the remote to turn the show on.

Reece grabs his phone out of his pocket and turns it on, muttering a couple curses under his breath when he sees the time.

I frown, turning to face him better, "What is it?"

His eyes meet mine as he lets out a sigh. "I've gotta head for the gym soon. I have training tonight and I completely forgot about it. I was going to drop you home on the way, but you can stay longer, and Liam can drop you off if you want..." He trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck uncertainly.

"It's fine, Reece. I've got to get Bels home anyway."

His lips quirk up into a small smile, "Alright then, let me just grab my gym bag."

When he stands up, I get up as well, looking down at Bella with a smile, "Come on, Bels, we better get going."

"We're going already?" She asks, looking up at me with her eyebrows furrowed.

I nod just as Anna speaks, "But we didn't even get to watch any Friends."

I smile, "I guess that gives us an excuse to come back then, doesn't it?" I turn to Lucas and Novah who have just walked back into the room after putting the kids to bed, "Thank you so much for having us over for dinner."

Novah smiles, "It was our pleasure, Dear. Come back anytime."

Reece walks back in then, his gym bag over his shoulder and his car keys in his hand. "You ready to go, Sunshine?"

At my nod, Bella gets up and we both say goodbye to everyone. We follow Reece out towards his car and I hope into the passenger seat for what feels like the hundredth time. I've grown quite accustomed to sitting shotgun in Reece's car. It feels weirdly normal now.

We start the drive, striking up a conversation about Reece's boxing before his phone starts ringing. I look down to where it rests in the cup holder between us as Reece asks, "Who is it?"

"Uh, Gunner," I read out the name that shows up as the caller ID.

Looking up at Reece, I see his eyebrows furrowed, "Can you answer it and put it on speaker for me, Sunshine?"

I nod, picking up his phone to answer the call and quickly put it on speaker.

"Hey, Gunner," Reece greets the person on the phone, his eyes still focused on the road as he drives.

"Reece, uh, I don't think we can train tonight." A deep voice says on the other end of the phone. He sounds Australian.

Reece's eyebrows furrow further, "Why, what's happened?"

"Uh, Ariella's gone missing."

Reece's eyes widen and his fists tighten on the steering wheel, "She's gone missing? Fúck, was she at the gym with you?"

"Yeah, she came to work with me today. Took my eyes off her for two seconds and she was gone." Gunner sounds as though he is moving around. Yup, he's definitely Australian.

"I'll come and help you look, she can't have gone far." Reece tells him, his eyes hard as he keeps his gaze on the road.

"Really? Thanks, Carter. That means a lot."

"I'll be there soon." Is all Reece says in reply before Gunner hangs up. I place the phone back in the cup holder, not taking my eyes off Reece.

"Was that-"

"My Coach? Yes, his daughter, Ariella, has gone missing." Reece cuts me off gently, already knowing what I planned to ask.

I gasp softly, "Oh my gosh. Go straight there. Bels and I can wait for you."

"No, Sunshine, I need to get you home-"

"Reece," I cut him off gently, "finding that little girl is more important right now. Bels and I can wait inside the gym and you can drop us off when we are sure Ariella is safe."

He lets out a sigh, lifting one hand off the steering wheel to drag it through his unruly hair. Slowly, he nods, taking his eyes of the road for a second to glance at me with a grateful smile. "Thank you, Sunshine."

We arrive at the gym soon enough and Reece turns into a parking spot in front of the building. The gym is on the rougher side of town and the surroundings look a little run down. We are one of the very few cars parked in the parking lot of the area.

Reece stops the car and takes the key out of the ignition before turning to look at both Bella and me. "You guys stay with me, okay? And if I'm not with you, don't talk to anyone else. Got it?"

Bella and I both nod before we all climb out of the car and follow behind Reece as he leads us towards the building. It's cold outside at this time of night, and even in my long-sleeved shirt and jeans, I'm still close to shivering.

Reece holds the door open for Bella and me when we reach the entrance of the gym then steps inside after us. He leads us around a corner and we are immediately met with a wide open training area. Punching bags are hung from the ceiling around the place and different kinds of equipment are placed around the large room. There are a few doors that I assume lead off to private training rooms or locker rooms and bathrooms.

A door to our right suddenly opens and a tall, muscled guy walks out with a phone to his ear. "Baby, listen, we'll find her, okay?" He stops just in front of us, his eyes on the ground. I recognize the Australian accent from over the phone. It's even thicker in person. This must be Gunner.

He glances up at us, eyes falling on Reece before he continues speaking into the phone. "Reece is here now, he'll help me look for her. Nothing's going to happen to her... Yeah, okay... I love you too... Bye, Sweetheart."

He takes the phone away from his ear and directs his attention to Reece. "Sorry about bailing on training tonight, mate, we-" He pauses suddenly when he finally notices Bella and I standing beside Reece. "Who's this?"

"This is Layla and Bella, they're friends of mine. I was just dropping them home when you called, they'll wait in your office while we look for Ari." Reece tells him.

Gunner nods, looking to Bella and me, "G'day, I'm Gunner."

"Nice to meet you, I'm sorry about your daughter, if there's anything I can do to help..." I trail off unsurely.

He shakes his head with a small smile, "Nah, she'll be 'right. She can't have gone far."

"We'll find her," Reece assures him, then turns to meet my eyes, "Come on, I'll show you to his office."

Reece walks in through the door Gunner came out of only moments ago, Bella and I following suit. The office is pretty standard, a desk with a chair and a couch on the wall next to the door.

Bella and I sit on the couch while Reece leans back against the desk. His eyes find mine again and I hold his stare. "I'll be back soon. Don't talk to anyone other than Gunner and me, okay? Some of the guys here aren't very nice." He looks down at the desk beside him and picks up a picture frame, handing it to me. "Ariella's the little girl in the picture. If you see her, call me, okay?"

I look down at the framed photograph in my hands. I immediately recognize Gunner standing next to a beautiful woman. She's holding a little boy with blonde hair and Gunner is holding a little girl who looks a little older. If I had to guess, I'd say she's four or five years old in the photo.

Reece's words suddenly click in my head and I look back up at him with a small smile. "I don't have your number."

His eyes widen with that realization and he holds out his hand. With a soft laugh, I take my phone out of my pocket and unlock it before handing it to him. He hands it back a moment later once he has put is number in it. He then stands up, heading towards the door. "I'll be back soon."

As Reece is about to walk out of the room, the door opens and another muscly-looking man walks in. He looks to be around my age – maybe slightly older – and he is very good-looking.

He stops when he sees us, his eyes going from me to Bella to Reece a few times. "Uh, hi?"

Reece sighs, "What do you want, Jace?"

"I was looking for Gunner..." Jace trails off, his eyes moving back to me.

"He's gone to look for Ariella," Reece says, clearly looking agitated.

Jace's mouth falls open, "What do you mean he's gone to-"

"Don't worry about it, just-" Reece pauses," Actually, you can stay here and look after these two. Make sure they don't get in any trouble, okay? Thanks, bye." Then he leaves, abandoning Bella and I here with this complete stranger.

Jace turns towards the door that Reece just walked out of before turning back to me and Bella. He does this a few times before stopping and frowning, his eyebrows still furrowed.

I smile and stand up, sticking my hand out for him to shake. "I'm Layla."

He looks down at me, a smile quirking up his lips as he shakes my hand. "Jace. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, " I release his hand and turn to Bella, "This is my younger sister, Bella. Sorry you got stuck babysitting us." I roll my eyes at Reece's behavior.

"Nah, it's alright. I love making new friends. Especially with beautiful blondes," He shoots me a wink, sitting down in Gunner's desk chair.

I laugh, looking down for a moment before glancing back up at him. "Good. So, I'm guessing you train here with Reece?"

Jace nods, "Reece and I train together sometimes. How do you know him? He's not really the type to make friends all the time."

I smile, "We go to school together."

"Ah, so I'm guessing you're a Senior in high school?"

"You guessed right."

He smiles, "Nice. I'm in my Freshman year of college." His eyes move to Bella and he gives her a friendly smile. "What grade are you in?"

"Eighth grade." She replies shyly.

"So, high school next year? Wow..." I zone out of their conversation for a moment as I look back down at the picture frame in my lap. My eyes land on the little girl in the picture, Ariella. In the photograph she's wearing a beautiful white summer dress and she has beautiful golden curls. She has the most adorable, bright smile on her face.

I really hope she's okay. She has to be okay.

I look back up at Jace and Bella. They look to be getting along pretty well. He seems to be a nice guy, and if Reece trusts him, I don't see why I shouldn't either.

I stand up from my seat and ruffle Bella's hair, "I'm going to help look for Ariella, be good for Jace." Then I walk out of the room the same way Reece had a mere few minutes ago.

I push open the main door of the gym and step outside, my shoes crunching the gravel beneath my feet with each step I take away from the building. Puling the sleeves of my white cotton shirt over my hands, I try to fight off the chill of the night. I really should have brought a jacket.

I mindlessly look around the parking lot as I try to think of where the little girl may have run off to. Waking towards the back of the parking lot, I wonder if she is hiding between the cars. I stop when I come across and alleyway, looking down the narrow gap between buildings. My heart stops when I hear the faint sound of crying. It sounds like a little girl.

Without another second of hesitation, I start walking through the dark alleyway. My nose crinkles at the smell of the many large rubbish bins. It doesn't deter me though, and I keep following the sound of the soft sniffles and sobs.

I stop abruptly when I look behind one of the bins and find a small girl curled into a ball, shaking softly. She looks up when she hears me, her eyes showing her fear. Blonde curls, blue eyes, tan skin. It's Ariella.

"Hi, Ariella. It's alright, I'm here to help you." I take another step forwards but stop when she shuffles away from me.

I crouch down to her level and smile reassuringly, "My name's Layla. I'm friends with your dad."

She untucks her head a little, her bright blue eyes meeting mine, "You know my Daddy?"

I nod, smiling, "Yes. I'm friends with Reece, do you know him?"

"Reecey? Wait..." She pauses for a second, wide eyes scanning my face, "Are you the Princess Sunshine he told me about?" She lowers her voice to a whisper as she asks the question.

My hearts warms. Reece talks about me?

I laugh, "Is that what he calls me?"

She nods, "Yes. He was right about you being pretty."

I bite back a grin. And he called me pretty? "How about we go back inside? Your dad and Reece are both waiting for you."

She frowns, turning her attention to her leg. "But I hurt myself."

I follow her gaze and notice the small gash on her shin. Frowning, I hold out a hand to her. "I'll carry you back and then we'll get you all fixed up, okay?"

She nods with a smile, holding her arms out to me. I gather her into my arms and stand up, turning to walk back out of the alley. But I'm immediately stopped when I notice an unfamiliar man standing there, blocking my path.

I hold Ariella closer to me protectively, "Who are you?"

The gives me a creepy smile, showcasing his crooked teeth. "Whoever you want me to be, Cupcake."

I laugh nervously, looking around for some other escape route. I see two more men standing behind me and my eyes widen. I quickly turn so that the men are on either side of the two being behind me. "Uh, I don't think so. I really need to be going, so-"

"Not so fast, Hun, we haven't had any fun with you yet," The guy chuckles to himself, starting to advance towards me.

I quickly back away in an attempt to go around him. "I actually prefer having fun inside. In a well-lit room. With lots of people. That aren't you."

"Well, that's not very nice. We're just looking for a good time," He looks me up and down, "You're not dressed like most of the whores 'round here, but I'm sure you got a nice body under there, what do you think guys?" The three of them join together and start backing me further into the alleyway.

I clutch Ariella to me tightly, burying her head into my chest and hoping she doesn't understand anything these men are saying. It's revolting. "Y'know, I'd really rather you didn't put your hands on me. Cool? Cool." I once again try to move around them, but they stop me again.

"You're not going anywhere, Doll. Why don't you take those jeans off so we can-" Before he can finish his sentence, he is suddenly punched in the face.