Broken Bonds (Unbreakable Bonds #1)

Chapter Thirty-Seven

chapter thirty-seven

ACE

The sheer panic in Amber’s voice was what made me think about going back to Florida in the dead of night. Lying in the small single bed, my feet dangling off the edge, I stared at the ceiling and thought about Celine—her brilliant blue eyes, pink kissable lips, inviting smile, sexy, toned body always teasing me. I groaned and pushed her out of my mind. I couldn’t think about her anymore. She was in my past. I had moved on.

Who was I kidding? She was always on my mind—all day and all night. I saw and heard her in everything I did. Every night I dreamed. She’d burrowed herself beneath my skin and was still a part of me a year later.

Mostly, I wondered how she was doing after her surgery, if she recovered well, if she was seeing someone else. The thought left an ache in my chest.

What did Amber mean by she needs me?

A sleepless night followed the two-minute phone call, and then, as the sun was rising, my mind was made up. After a quick shower, I packed a small bag with the few essentials I would need.

I left the small apartment that I shared with my mother and grandmother with a note that said call me. And then, I hit the road, headed for Florida. Headed for Celine.

The ten-hour drive to the place I once called home felt agonizingly slow, especially after a restless night. Every three hours, I stopped for gas, the John, and then an energy drink and something to munch on.

The following evening, I was parked outside Celine’s house, too nervous to park on the driveway. I left my bike idling on the curb. Jogging up the driveway to the dark home, I knocked twice, then rang the smart bell. It lit up in the night—a bright green color—and then, I heard Mr. Wilson’s stern voice. “Who’s there? I can’t see you.”

“It’s me—Ace Danvers, sir.” I took a step closer to the tiny camera on the bell, hoping he could see me in the minimal light cast from the streetlamps.

“What are you doing outside my house?!” the aging man yelled, and a chill curved up my spine. I wasn’t welcome here.

“Amber called. She said I needed to come see Celine.” I figured the truth was best, even if it sounded like some made-up crap.

Mr. Wilson sighed. “Well, she isn’t home. None of us are.”

“Can you tell her I stopped by?” I tentatively asked. Scratching the back of my neck, heat flooded my cheeks as embarrassment invaded my body. I should have never asked such a stupid question. I had no right to ask anything of them. Not when I’d essentially abandoned Celine when she needed me the most.

But we hadn’t been ready for each other yet. Both of us were filled with too much trauma. So, I’d left to deal with my mom and heal our relationship. I wanted to be a whole man for her and not just random pieces to a puzzle.

“Son,” he said on a sigh, “I think it would be best if you came down to the hospital and saw her yourself. I’ll be waiting for you in the lobby in thirty minutes.” The line ended with a beep.

Hospital?

What kind of trouble had she gotten herself into?

Getting back onto my idling back, I got back onto the main road and headed for the hospital, Celine the only thought on my mind. Walking into the hospital a few minutes later, I found Mr. Wilson in the lobby as he promised, a grim expression meeting me. I walked up to him with as much confidence as I could muster and extended my hand in greeting.

He accepted it, much to my relief, and furrowed his brows as he led me to a pair of empty chairs in the waiting room. “I don’t know what Amber told you, but Celine isn’t in good condition, Ace. You need to brace yourself. This is going to be one of the hardest things you are ever going to witness. I have to prepare you for this.”

“What happened?” My mind was racing with possibilities, each scenario getting worse with every passing second.

“Come now. Let’s go see her.” My gut filled with trepidation. Why wouldn’t he just tell me what happened to her?

He stood, and I followed him down a long hallway crowded with nurses until he finally stopped in front of a door. “Wait here while I clear the room.” He opened the door a crack and mumbled to the people inside. “He’s here; let’s give him some space, girls.”

Mrs. Wilson was the first one out of the room, her soft, caring eyes offering me warmth that I didn’t deserve. A young brunette followed her out with a small, timid smile. Amber came out last, her mouth set in a scowl as she took me in, her green eyes unnerving.

“Nice of you to show up,” she grumbled, pushing past me with a shove and an eye roll, her famous red hair in a low knot at the nape of her neck, pieces standing up in all directions. The young girl followed her, and the two got into a heated debate, hushed whispers thrown back and forth.

“Ace, honey, this is going to be unsettling. Please prepare yourself,” Mrs. Wilson said, catching my attention, her cold hand resting on mine. With a nod, I reached for the door handle and pushed it open, eager to finally see Celine. I stepped into the dark room, and the breath escaped my lunges with one exhale.

I wasn’t prepared for the sight before me. Unsettling was an understatement as my eyes took in the broken girl lying helplessly on the small, white bed. I dropped to my knees at the sight of her swollen face, her eyes closed, black and blue bruises covering every inch of her exposed skin, white casts on her left wrist and right foot.

A tear escaped my eye as I found the strength to stand and walk over to her, falling into the plastic chair beside her bed. “Who did this to you, baby girl?” I rasped, my gut twisting uncomfortably.

I held her bandaged hand in mine and found myself begging that this girl who had my entire heart would be okay. The steady beep of the heart monitor filled the silence of the room until eventually, Amber slipped into the room and slid into the other plastic chair on the other side of Celine. We shared a glance before the strong-willed girl I knew burst into tears.

“It’s all my fault,” she cried, her face falling onto the bed near Celine’s arm.

“Who did this?” My voice was soft and rough from the sadness and anger clogging it.

“Her worthless, piece of crap boyfriend.” Anger lit up in her eyes at the mention of him while tears still flowed down her cheeks.

“Who is he?” I demanded

“Julian Scott.” Hatred gleamed in her red-rimmed, green eyes. I tried to remember the guy; his name was familiar. Suddenly, I could see him clear as day in my mind.

“Of all the guys to choose from, she falls for him,” I scoffed. Shaking my head, I looked at Celine’s frail, battered body and momentarily saw red. “Where is he now?”

“Waiting for bail in a cell.”

I rolled my jaw around before forcing it to relax as I ran my eyes over my battered princess. “When is she going to wake up?”

She shrugged. “Hopefully soon.”

I looked at her then, ripping my eyes from Celine’s bruised face. “Where is Ryan? Why didn’t he stop her from dating Julian like he did me?” Sadness crept back into her features at the mention of Ryan.

“He enlisted in the military last summer—left on New Year’s Day. I can’t get in contact with him right now, but I don’t want to tell him over a voicemail.” She sighed. “There’s nothing he can do for her now anyway.”

I frowned. “Then why did you call me?”

“Do I really need to answer that, dumbass?” she snapped, narrowing her green eyes at me.

I drew in a deep, painful breath. “She isn’t going to want to see me when she wakes up.”

Amber shook her head. “She’ll come around, but she’s going to need time, Ace. You can’t just up and leave again. She’s going to need time to heal from this…” She gestured to the bruises all over Celine’s body. “And from you.”

I swallowed thickly, reaching up to brush Celine’s tangled, blonde hair back from her face. “I’ve got all the time in the world for this girl.” I wasn’t leaving her again. Never fucking again. I should have stayed. Even with Ryan pushing me away. Even with all my broken pieces, I should have fucking stayed.

A day later, we were all sitting in the room, staring at the broken girl on the bed, our hearts heavy when suddenly, she whimpered, the sound pulling at every piece of my aching soul.

“Cece?” Amber was right by her head, clutching her arm like it was a lifeline. One bleary, ocean blue eye opened and then the other before they fluttered back closed and then opened again, her eyes shifting all over the room.

“Mom?” she croaked, her eyes searching the room until they landed on Mrs. Wilson, and she began crying, breaking my heart. “It hurts.” Her voice broke, as did every person in the room.

It took a long time to get Celine to stop crying. I stayed in the shadows of the room, scared of her reaction, but eventually, there was only so much hiding I could do in the small room.

“How are you feeling, princess?” The term was foreign coming out of my mouth, but the shocked look on her face made it right.

“What…” She swallowed thickly. “What in the hell are you doing here?”

I shrugged and shoved my hands into the pockets of my jeans. “Came to see you.”

“Get out.” I flinched, clenching my jaw. I hadn’t expected a nicer welcome, but I’d hoped for one, nonetheless. Everyone shared a look before redirecting their gazes back to Celine. “Get out of my room, Asshole.”

Taking a step back, I couldn’t hide the pain that flashed across my face. Sighing, I turned on my heel and left her room as she requested, dropping onto the bench right outside. I wouldn’t go any further than this.

Amber and Jamie, Amber’s little sister, I came to learn, left the room first with a wave and tired goodbyes. They went home to finally get some sleep. Mr. Wilson was the next one to leave, complaining of a sore back and a need for a decent cup of Joe.

He waited with me outside until Mrs. Wilson joined us, exhaustion pulling at her usually eccentric features. “She wants some things from home. Let’s go get them and get some food before coming back,” she said with a deep yawn.

“You haven’t slept since she was admitted. You need to get some rest to take care of her. She can wait a few hours. Ace can keep her company. The two need to talk anyhow.” Leaving her no room to object, Mr. Wilson stood and whisked her away with a gentle tug.

Standing, I stretched with a yawn and entered the dimly lit room, the television flashing in the corner of the room. Pain flared in her beautiful, half-lidded, still-swollen eyes. “Why did you come back, Ace?” she asked softly.

I stopped at the edge of her bed and studied her face, resisting every urge in my body not to clench my fist, to keep my simmering anger at bay. I wanted to fucking kill Julian for doing this to her. “I told you I would always be here for you. I let you down. I’m sorry, princess, but I’m here to protect you. You aren’t alone.”

She shook her head, then moaned a little in pain. “It’s too late. The damage is done. You can’t take back what he did to me. You can’t take back the bruises all over my body, Ace.”

Her words made me wince, my eyes scanning her fully clothed body, lingering on the bruises.

“How many, Princess?” I asked softly, letting my eyes meet hers.

Her throat bobbed with a swallow. “Too many.”

I pressed my thumb to the tips of each of my fingers, trying to keep calm. “I asked how many, Celine.”

Tears welled in her eyes. “I lost count over the last four months, and you never answered my calls. You never answered when I called, begging you to help. Ryan enlisted, and I had no one. When he beats me to the point where I almost die, that’s when you come, with your tail between your legs, spouting all this crap about being here for me? Where were you when I needed you?!” Desperation seeped into her pained voice, and it echoed in the small room.

I stepped closer to her bed, anger simmering just beneath the surface of my skin, ready to explode from me like a volcano at any second. “I’ll make him pay for this,” I swore. “I’ll make him regret the day he ever laid a hand on you. I promise I’ll make this right, princess.” My fists were balled up at my sides. Barely controlled rage was ready to be unleashed on the trash that hurt my girl.

“You’re not my hero, Asshole. You left . You left me , and you ignored me when I needed you the most!” Her bandaged fist hit the bed as tears rolled down her flushed, bruised cheeks.

Pain gripped me, making me stumble closer to her. I reached for her, the need to touch her outweighing the knowledge that I needed to give her space, and gently cupped her bruised cheeks, my thumbs brushing her damp skin. Her eyes fluttered closed with a sigh, her tears slowing at my touch.

“I’m sorry, princess,” I whispered, leaning forward to press my lips to her forehead. “I’ll forever regret not coming home to you sooner.”