Save Me From the Dark (20 page)

“Yes, I’m ready to move on with my life away from here.”

Her face drops at the prospects of losing out on having Ace at the ceremony. “Nothing I can do to convince you to stay?”

“For an education or so you can use the fact that I’m with Ace? I’m done here.”

After a few moments, she finally walks away. Ace pulls me into his arms.

“I can’t stay long beautiful. I’ve got to leave for an appearance interview tour for the second leg of the concert tour.”

Nodding my head, I look down at my hands. “Well, thank you for coming by to see me. I’ll see you some other time,” sadness filling me.

Before he has a chance to reply, I hurry out the side door, down the hall and enter the ladies room. Right when I realize where I’m meant to be, he announces that he’s leaving. The insecure, unworthy, part of me wants to think about all the girls he’s going to meet on this appearance… tour… thing he’s got going on.

AJ:
Baby? Talk to me.

Me:
Why? You’ll just leave me again so it doesn’t matter.

AJ:
What are you talking about?

Me:
I can’t compete, AJ. I just can’t. I knew that something was going to come between us…

AJ:
My music? That’s coming between us?

Me:
No. The fact that you’re not around does.

AJ:
You left me, remember?

Me:
Yes, I’m aware of that. I left because you deserve better than who I was… am.

AJ:
So, because you feel unworthy to yourself, I have to suffer. At no point have I ever felt you weren’t good enough for me. I wanted to be everything for you to prove that I was good enough for you.

Sighing, I grab some toilet paper and wipe my tears from my cheeks. This is not going the way I thought it would.

Me:
I’m not fighting with you. I know I made a mistake when I ran away, but it was something I had to do.

AJ:
Good, I don’t want to fight either. I love you my beautiful Bella. No matter where I go, where my career takes me, you are first on my list. I’ll always come home to you.

Me:
Don’t worry about me Ace. I’m used to being alone. Take care of yourself while you’re gone. I couldn’t handle you being hurt. We’ll talk when you get back.

AJ:
I love you. If I hadn’t been practically pulled from the school, I’d be in front of you holding you close to me. I’ll be home before you know it until then… I love you beautiful. Enjoy the rest of your day.

Staring at the screen, I decide not to reply. Shaking off the feeling of loss that is building in my chest, I square my shoulders and walk out to the sink. After washing my face, I head back to the auditorium grab my bag and carry on with the rest of my day as I normally do.

It wasn’t until almost time for school to let out when I am cornered by three of my tormentors. They shove me, pull my hair, hit me, one even rips my shirt. By the grace of God, I’m able to get one good head butt in on the one holding me and am able to run. They follow, laughing behind me. My heart constricts in my chest.

This shit is never going to end.

<
Knock
> <
Knock
> <
Knock
>

The constant knocking has been going on since I came back home. Hansen had asked for today off because there was some personal stuff he needed to handle. Right now, I just didn’t want to see or hear from anyone. I shut my phone off hours ago because it wouldn’t quit ringing.

The knocking is getting on my nerves. Flinging the covers off me, I storm out of the bedroom and toward the door. My anger taking over the sadness.

“What the hell do you want Hansen?” I yell as I fling open the door.

When I look up and meet his ocean blues, my heart stops. Without a second for me to fully register, he’s gathering me in his arms and holding me closely. Still stunned, it takes me a moment to hug him back.

My Ace is here.

“Baby, I’ve been so worried. Why wouldn’t you open the door for Hansen?”

“Because I don’t need him feeling bad for not being there and shit happening,” I say into his chest not letting him go.

“What do you mean?” he asks pulling back shocked.

“Well, uh, um,” I stammer.

“Tell me,” he pleads.

So, I do. Caving quickly, but what can I say? I love him. He’s my everything and thinking that I’d lost him… well, I need to be honest with him for my own wellbeing.

“God,” he breathes as he holds me tighter against him.

“I’m fine, Ace. I can take care of myself. Nothing really happened. It shook me up, but I’m okay. They just scared me and brought up some flashbacks is all.”

“Baby, promise me, if something like that ever happens again, you call me or Gary. We’d be here without a moment’s pause. I’m so sorry, baby.”

“Stop it. I’m fine. I’m glad you’re here though. After our text conversation, I thought maybe…”

Kissing me lightly, effectively cutting me off, he smiles, “You can’t get rid of me that easily.”

But what if it was that easy? What if this is… Mentally, I shake my head and force the thoughts from my mind. For tonight, Ace was mine. For tonight… Nothing matters but us.

“What are you thinking about my beautiful Bella?”

“I was just thinking that this has to be some kind of dream. Why are you here?” My eyes meet his as I plead silently with him.

He runs his hands down my cheeks. “Baby? You really can’t believe it, can you? I’m so hopelessly in love with you and you can’t even see it. I’m here because there’s no way in hell that I’m staying away from you this Christmas.”

“You’re here to spend Christmas with me?” I squeak out.

He laughs softly. “What is Christmas without being surrounded by those you love?”

“Wow!” I breathe.

Ace chuckles as he lowers his head to mine. His soft sweet lips caress mine in a way that I’ve never felt before. We’ve shared some pretty insane kisses up until now. Lowering his hands down to my butt, he begins to squeeze lightly, but enough to pull me into him. My breath catches in my throat and Ace breaks the kiss.

“I’m sorry. I know. We got a little carried away. Well, I got a little carried away,” he groans.

Giggling, I place my hand on his chest. “I’m sorry, Ace.”

He steps away from me and flops down on the couch. “Oh you sure sound it,” he says right before he busts up laughing.

Walking over, I sit down next to him. Resting my head on his chest, I take a deep breath. Ace wraps me in his arms and sighs heavily. It is these moments that I long for now. Just lying in his arms with no worries of tomorrow, I wish I could stay like this forever.

We move into the bedroom. Curling in next to him, we are watching some kind of movie that I can’t even begin to explain what’s happening. The only thing that registers is Ace’s strong, powerful, steady heartbeat in my ear.

Moments later, the rumble of his soft snores vibrates against my ear. Smiling to myself, I let myself fall asleep with him. Tomorrow will be here before we know it. Sadly, I still had school tomorrow. Hopefully, break will be better with him here at least for Christmas.

Ace

Morning comes too early. The sound of the wake-up call is not a welcome sound at all. However, the woman that is currently draped over me with her hot breath puffing against my neck is. Our legs are tangled together and her hand lies awfully close to the very spot that needs her fiercely. But I was telling her the truth a while back when I said I’d wait however long it takes.

Lifting my hand to wake her, she startles me by talking.

“Please don’t wake me up.”

Laughing softly, I say, “I think you’re already awake.”

“Yes,” she sighs. “But if I don’t open my eyes it means that I don’t have to leave you.”

It is my turn to sigh. “Sadly, it doesn’t work that way. Remember, it’s the last day before we get almost three amazing weeks together.”

Groaning, she untangles from me and pushes off the bed. “I know. I’m getting in the shower. I’ll be out in a minute.”

Nodding my head, I watch as she walks into the bathroom. Once I hear the door click close, I grab my phone to call Gary to make sure that everything is in place for my Christmas surprise. As I wait for it to load up, I grab my clothes and slip them on.

Man I was so exhausted last night that I don’t even remember undressing. Since Bella left, I’ve barely slept with worry that something’s going to happen to her.

My phone vibrates like crazy signaling me of missed calls and messages. When I look at who they were from my mouth practically drops open. Shaking my head, I dial Gary.

“I was hoping you’d tell me that you’d convinced her to stay home and never leave again,” Gare says in lieu of saying hello.

“I wish,” I say sadly. “Is everything in place?”

“Yeah, I have talked to Hansen, who feels like shit by the way, and he understands he’s not to leave her side. Also understands that personal time needs to wait for when you are around to be there. The guys should be down tomorrow to help relieve him when he does need to leave. From my understanding she’s not fond of the guys, so let’s limit her alone time with them.”

“Okay, as long as she goes nowhere alone, I might be able to breathe a little easier.”

“I know, that’s why I have Hansen staying with her because he can take her wherever she wants to go and the big thing is she trusts him.”

“Thank you. I’ve been thinking too.”

“Oh really? Did it hurt?”

“Huh? What are you talking about? Did what hurt?” I ask completely confused.

“To think, did it hurt? I bet there as steam coming out of your ears,” Gary tries to joke.

“Oh you are hilarious this morning… not!”

“Oh come on, I was just trying to boost the… Oh never mind. What were you thinking about?”

“I was thinking that I’m going to take time off before going to Saldotna for the interview. I want to spend Christmas with Bella, wherever that is.”

Gary laughs. “I expected that. Already called and let them know.”

Looking around to make sure that Bella wasn’t around before I spoke, I took a deep breath.

“We have another problem to be cautious about.”

“What is it?” The concern thick in his voice.

“Alexis has somehow gotten my phone number and has been calling me all night long. I had to shut my phone off before I even got to the hotel to keep Bella from flipping out. She’d called the night before Bella left and I didn’t recognize the number so I answered it. She starts talking crazy shit. When I tell her I’m busy, she accuses me of cheating on her. She’s lost her damn mind, but I want this nipped in the bud and quick. I don’t want Bella thinking there’s truth to any of it.”

“I’m on it. We’ll meet you downstairs in fifteen,” he clips before hanging up.

A few minutes later, I hear the sounds of my girl coming out of the shower. Taking one cleansing breath, I try to push all the nerves away. Bella is my only focus right now.

“My God,” I breathe. “You look incredible.”

Walking over to her, I wrap her in my arms. She smiles up at me. Her wet hair hanging messily down around her shoulders, it is an incredibly enticing look for her. As my arousal builds, another thought occurs to me.

“No, go blow your hair. No, I mean go heat your hair. Shit, you know what I mean,” I scream flustered.

Her laughter is music to my ears. I can still remember the first time I heard it. The way it just seeped into my very soul and took all my daily frustrations away. Honestly, I’ve seriously thought about taping it and playing it every time something really started to piss me off.

“What is wrong with my hair?” She finally asks after she stops laughing.

“You look sexy as sin right now. I don’t want anyone else having the same thoughts I have going through my head right now,” I practically growl.

“Oh Ace,” she smacks me and starts to giggle again as she walks over the bed. “God, I love you.”

I freeze and she stands straight up. “What… What did you say?”

She doesn’t move or say anything. Bella is like an ice sculpture in the middle of this fancy hotel room. Moving over to her, I grab her elbow and turn her around to face me. Her face is pale and her eyes wide as saucers. Leading over to the bed, I make her sit and kneel between her legs.

“Baby? Look at me, please.”

Slowly her attention turns to me. She slowly shakes her head. “Does this mean you’re going to leave?”

My mouth drops open in shock. Of all the things I expected her to say in this moment, it isn’t that. Opening my mouth several times, I try to get the ability to speak back.

“Why would you think that I’d leave after hearing the words… the words that I’ve only dreamed you’d say?”

Bella’s lip starts to tremble and my heart begins to race. “No one that loves me is still here. Loving someone means they’ll be gone soon,” she cries.

Wrapping her in my arms, I hold her tightly against me. “I’m not going anywhere Bella. I’m right here for the long haul baby. For the long haul,” I try to reassure her.

She continues to cry as I hold her. Reaching into my pocket, I pull out my phone. Holding the one down for speed dial, I wait for Gary to answer.

“Did you forget to tell me something not even ten minutes ago?”

“No,” I try to hear him over Bella’s crying. “I need you to call the school and let them know she won’t be in today. She’s in no shape to go to school. Make sure no one disturbs us.”

“Is she okay?” The fatherly tone coming out in Gary once again.

“Yes, well, she will be. I’ll explain later. Can you handle that for me?”

“You know I can. Update me later, please.”

After promising to update him, I hang up and shut my phone off completely. Tossing it into a chair not far away, I lift Bella into my arms and carry her into the bathroom. Setting her down on the counter between the sings, I move over to the tub and start filling it. Grabbing the bubble bath mixture, I pour a healthy amount into the water. Soon it’s bubbling like crazy. Turning back to Bella, she’s looking at me confused through her tears.

“I’ve already taken a shower,” she says between sobs.

“I know. This is to relax. Today is us. Just us. No one else. By the end of today, I hope to prove to you that together, we can beat all odds. Even odds stacked so high against me from your ten years of loss and pain. We can beat it, together.”

She didn’t look convinced, but I didn’t expect her to be. It is not words that is going to prove this to her. It is actions. Even I’m not exactly sure how I’m going to go about this, but I’ll figure out. There’s no way, I’m coming so close to this bliss to be denied at the door.

“I’ll close my eyes. You undress and climb in the tub,” I instruct.

Turning around, I wait patiently for her to undress and climb into the water. After a moment, she finally lets me know she’s done. Turning around, I move to shut the water off, giving her a small kiss as I stood back up.

“I’ll be right back,” I smile and leave the room.

Quickly, I call room service and order her breakfast favorites. When I walk back to the bathroom, I roll up my pants and rest a foot on either side of her. Gently, I begin massaging her shoulders. The knot at the base of her neck tells me how tense she is. She needs a full body massage for sure.

There is no talking just our breathing, the gentle movement of the water and occasional moans of how good I’m doing. After a few minutes, I can feel the muscles in her shoulders and neck loosening. She sighs heavily as her head falls back into my lap. Her eyes open halfway and she smiles.

“This feels amazing. How did you learn to do this?”

“When you’re on tour as much as I was, you read a lot, or well I did because I wasn’t into the whole groupie thing. I decided to take a massage therapy course. You’re looking at your own personal licensed masseur,” I grin.

“My, I am on lucky lucky girl,” she mumbles.

Leaning down, I kiss her incredibly shortly. As I pull back, I think she’s thinking the same thing. Just as I go to say something, knocking at the front door fills the silence.

“Why don’t you climb out and join me for breakfast,” I wink as I climb off the tub and go to answer the door.

By the time, I turn around to see if Bella is joining me. She stands next to the bed dressed once again.

“Are you hungry?”

“Can I ask something of you?” She asks in lieu of answering me.

“Of course. Anything.” I walk toward her, worry creeping in.

“Can you take me to my happy place?”

Stopping mid-step, I look at her confused. Her happy place? A little hurt creeps in because I thought I was her happy place, but apparently I was wrong. Swallowing my pride, I look at her.

“Where’s that, baby?”

“At your place, in your bed, with your arms wrapped around me?”

The air whooshed from my lungs audibly. “Of course. Let’s eat then we can head that way.”

Smiling big, she walks over to the table and starts to dig in. Laughing, I walk over to the table and join her.

“I love you, Ace,” she says after a moment.

Choking on my drink, I stand quickly coughing and pounding on my chest. When I finally get myself under control, I look at her and can see she’s barely containing herself.

“What,” I croak.

“I love you, Ace,” she says again, but with finality to it.

“Oh, baby,” I quickly move to her and kiss her deeply. “Let’s go to my place now or we may not leave and something you may not be ready for might happen,” I half joke.

Quickly gathering everything she needs, we head out the door as I call Gare. Within ten minutes we are off in the direction of our happy place.