Vengeance (4 page)

“We’ll see you in a few hours?” I asked Lucas, at the same time planting a seed in his mind to make sure he told his father that we were back.

“Yep. Sure thing,” he said, completely unaware of my tampering.

“See ya.” Aiden pulled me back against him and kissed the top of my head. He was undoubtedly trying to make sure Lucas didn’t think there were any problems between us and tell Nathan. I was sure that wouldn’t be something Lucas would divulge voluntarily, but I wouldn’t put it past Nathan to
make
his son tell him.

Lucas smiled, then disappeared.

I waited for Aiden to loosen his hold on me, but he didn’t. The whole charade seemed to be easy for him, but it made me really uncomfortable.

“Right then,” I said, pulling away from him. I put my hand over Chelsea’s. “I think it’s time we get this one to bed.”

“Are you staying here?” Anna asked, hoping we were.

I shook my head. “I think it’s best we don’t stay anywhere Adam knows.”

Both Anna and Dave didn’t look happy that we were going off somewhere secret, but they both understood why we couldn’t stay there.

“Okay,” Dave conceded. “I’ll give Kai a call and let him know what’s happened. And we’ll see you all back here when you’re awake, right?”

“Absolutely,” Aiden said.

Chelsea let out another yawn. “So where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise,” Aiden said.

“I don’t care where it is, so long as it’s got a comfy bed.”

Aiden laughed. “That, I can promise.”

Chelsea pointed at Aiden. “Make sure to get two rooms, okay?”

He glanced at me. “Two rooms it is.”

For once I had to agree with her because I planned on spending the night in her room.

“Be careful—” Anna said as Aiden disappeared.

“We’ll be okay,” I told Anna. “Adam won’t know where we are.”

“I know.” She still worried we could be wrong.

“So have you spoken with your mum yet?” Dave asked.

“Not yet.” I knew I had to see her at some stage, but I wasn’t ready to find out the truth about what my mother had done. Thankfully, Dave didn’t push it any further.

Chelsea rested her head on my shoulder and closed her eyes.

I laughed and lifted my shoulder a little. “Don’t go to sleep just yet.”

“Mmm,” she muttered, already starting to drift off.

“Okay, I’m ready. You can come on over,”
Aiden said.

I put my hand on Chelsea’s knee and shook it. “Wake up.”

“I’m awake, I’m awake,” Chelsea said, snapping out of her sleep.

I looked between Anna and Dave. “We’ll call you later, okay?”

Anna smiled. “Okay. Make sure you get some rest, too.”

“Will do.” I phased out with Chelsea.

We arrived at a hotel with adjoining rooms that overlooked Sydney Harbour. The sun was just starting to set, making it perfect for sleeping.

“Night all,” Chelsea said as she walked toward the adjoining room.

“Just a sec,” I said, turning to follow Chelsea.

Aiden caught my arm, stopping me from taking another step.

“What?” I asked.

“Can we talk?”

“Umm. Okay,” I said, as Chelsea closed the door behind her.

Aiden loosened his grip on my arm and slid his hand down to mine, causing my stomach to do all sorts of crazy things that I prayed would stop. I didn’t get why he was still putting on a show when there was no one around to see.

“Why are you doing this?” I asked, my voice cracking.

He narrowed his eyes at me. “Why are you freaking out when I touch you? I thought you wanted this?”

“I don’t want this. I don’t want you to feel like you have to pretend we’re together when there’s no one else around.”

Aiden smirked. “You can’t hear my thoughts, can you?”

“No.” I hung my head.

“Why not?” When I didn’t answer, he squeezed my hand. “Why aren’t you listening?”

“Because I can’t handle hearing how much you pity me.” I looked up into his eyes. “Every time you touched me, all you could think about was how hard this had to be for me, and how you knew I still love you, even though you no longer feel the same way.”

Aiden smiled. “Just because I don’t love you anymore, that doesn’t mean I don’t think you’re cute as hell.”

“Huh?”

“Jade, you took away my love for you, but you didn’t take away my brain. I still think you’re gorgeous, kind, caring, funny… did I mention gorgeous?”

I stood there looking at him with my mouth open. I didn’t know what to say.

“Take a look for yourself if you don’t believe me.”

I balked for a moment before deciding he was right. I needed to see for myself. I pushed open the barrier I had placed between our minds and took a peep inside his. He was speaking the truth. He did have feelings for me, even if they weren’t up to the level they used to be.

He smiled. “See?”

“I… I have to go.” I quickly turned around and walked toward Chelsea’s room. So many things were running through my mind, and I didn’t know how to feel about all of it. I needed to talk with someone, but Aiden wasn’t that person. I needed my best friend.

“Jade…?” he called.

I opened the door then quickly shut it behind me. The curtains were drawn, allowing only the smallest amount of light into the room. Chelsea was almost asleep, but per the BFF code, staying awake and talking to me was her duty.

“What?” she asked groggily when I flopped onto the bed beside her.

I rolled onto my side, facing Chelsea, and tucked my arm under the pillow. I slowly pushed inside her mind and restored all the memories I had taken from her that morning.

Chelsea jolted awake, knowing I needed to talk. “What happened?”

“While you were at the hospital, I told Aiden why I had left.”

“How did he take it?”

“He didn’t care that Nathan had made him love me. He was happy to go on living in denial.”

She narrowed her eyes. “And you weren’t, were you?”

I shook my head. “Aiden came up with the idea that I strip his love for me, and then he would prove to me that he would fall in love with me again.”

“Aw, how sweet.”

I rolled my eyes.

“So what’s the problem?”

“The problem is that he’s still attracted to me. He doesn’t love me, but he still wants to be with me.”

She joined Aiden in thinking I was crazy. “And the problem with that is?”

“The problem with that is… how am I supposed to be okay with it when for all I know the reason why he’s even remotely attracted to me is because of Nathan? Nathan pushed Aiden into meeting me, and maybe he had also pushed him into thinking I was hot.”

Chelsea rolled onto her back, laughing. “Oh, my God! That’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard.”

Aiden burst into the room. “Chelsea’s right. That is the craziest shit I’ve ever heard, but I’m not laughing.”

I quickly sat up. Stupid me! I had forgotten all about how he could hear through walls.

“I don’t think there’s a guy alive that wouldn’t think you’re hot,” Chelsea said.

Aiden rubbed the back of his neck. “Look. Maybe I will fall in love with you again. Maybe I won’t. But how the hell do you expect me to find out if you won’t give us a chance?”

“He’s right,” Chelsea said, sitting up. “It doesn’t matter that he’s in your life only because of Nathan. You can’t change that. But it doesn’t mean you have to punish yourself or him”—she gestured at Aiden—”for something you have no control over. So many couples get together because certain events bring them into each others’ lives. And maybe you two getting together is the one good thing to come out of your father’s fucked-up games.” She also thought her meeting Lucas was on that list, but decided it was best to leave that one out. “Now go back in there”—she cocked her head toward the other room—”and get all this shit sorted out so I can get some sleep.” She pushed me off the bed.

I phased to a standing position just before I hit the floor. “Chelsea!”

“Go on.” She pointed at the door and glared at me. “And when I wake up, I want you to tell me you’re back together.”

“Yes, Mum,” I said, brushing past Aiden as I headed for the door.

“Thanks,” Aiden said to Chelsea, then he followed me out and closed the door behind him.

I sat down on the end of the bed, and he sat beside me. “Bet you weren’t expecting that from Chels.”

“No.” I let out a strained laugh. “But sometimes you need your best friend to snap some sense into you, even if it isn’t done in the nicest of ways.”

He put one knee up on the bed and turned to face me. “So are you saying you’re going to give me a chance?”

I looked at him, tears welling in my eyes. “I… I want to.”

He sighed. “But?”

I chewed my lip as I tried to think of how I could say what I was feeling. My mind was a jumbled mess, trying to process what my father had taken from me, and I didn’t know if I could ever get it back. “I feel cheated.”

“How so?”

“Nathan said he was going to take something from me, and at the time, I think he was trying to take away my freedom and sense of safety, but what he took was so much more.
Everything
in my life has been a lie. When I look at you, all I can see is how much I’ve lost. You were my everything, and now I know that wasn’t even real. My father has orchestrated every single aspect of my life, and I don’t know who I can trust.”

Aiden reached over and tucked a few strands of hair behind my ear. “You can trust me.”

“Can I?” I asked. “I mean, how can I know for sure?”

“When have I ever given you any reason not to trust me?” When I didn’t say anything, he added, “If you don’t believe me then take a look for yourself.”

I shook my head and looked down at my hands clenched together in my lap. “No, it’s okay.”

“No, it’s not.” He cupped my cheek in his hand as he turned my face so I could look into his eyes. “If we’re going to get past this, then you need to know for sure.”

I shook my head again. “No. I don’t need to.”

“Why not?”

I looked away. “Because I just don’t.”

“Or maybe it’s because, deep down, you know I’m telling the truth. You know you can trust me, but after everyone betraying you, you’re too scared to believe it.”

A few tears slipped down my cheeks. Aiden pulled me into his arms. At first, I tried to resist, but I quickly gave in. I rested my head against his chest and pulled my knees into his lap.

He rested his cheek against my head. “This is weird for me too, you know. I’ve still got all my memories of how much I loved you. Yet there’s this empty space in my heart… I want to feel that love again.”

I tilted my head up so I could look into his eyes. That was not what I thought was going to happen. I had imagined that he would see me as no more than a friend. I never imagined he would still want me.

Aiden brushed a piece of hair behind my ear. “Let me have the chance to fill this void. Let me have the chance to love you again.”

I reached up and put my hand on the back of his head, pulling until his lips met mine. He turned me in his arms, our lips never parting. Fear still burned brightly in my heart, but Chelsea and Aiden were correct. I needed to give us a chance. I just hoped I didn’t come to regret my decision.

As if hearing my thoughts, he pulled away. “You won’t regret this.”

Chapter 6

I slowly opened my eyes to find Aiden resting his head on his hand and staring at me. Had he been watching me sleep?

“Morning, sleepy head,” he said.

I smiled a true smile for the first time in days. “Morning.”

Chelsea stepped inside from the balcony. “Ah, she’s finally awake.” She plonked down on the bed beside me. “I’m glad to see everything’s sorted between you two.”

“Yep.” I sat up. “You gave me the kick in the butt I needed.”

She laughed. “Glad I could be of service.”

Aiden raised up to rest his back against the pillows. He lifted his arm so I could snuggle into his side.

Chelsea asked, “So what are the plans for today?”

I sighed. “I’m going to have to face Nathan.”

“Face him as in kick his arse?” Chelsea asked with a gleam in her eyes.

Aiden and I laughed. “I don’t think it’s going to be that simple,” I said. “I wish it were, but somehow I know I’m going to be in for the fight of my life.”

“Fight of
our
lives,” Aiden corrected. “We’re in this together, okay?”

I smiled. “Okay.” But I still believed it would inevitably come down to me against Nathan.

Chelsea looked down at her watch. “Oh, crap! I’ve got to be back at the hospital in twenty minutes.”

“We’ll come with you this time,” Aiden said.

A knock came on the door. “Room service.”

I looked at Aiden. “Did you order something?”

“Yep.” He hopped off the bed, walked over to the door, and opened it. “Thanks,” he said as he took some coffees from the waiter and placed them on the small bar area.

While Aiden signed the slip, the waiter peeped into the room. He smiled at Chelsea and me, but his thoughts were anything but polite. I had to give Aiden credit for not flinching when the guy silently cheered him on for having two girls in his bed.

Aiden ushered the guy out and shut and locked the door. He handed Chelsea a cup of coffee. “It’s already got your sugars in there,” he said when she wondered where the sugar packets were.

She smiled. “Thanks.”

Aiden handed me a cup then climbed back into bed beside me.

“Don’t get too comfortable,” Chelsea said to Aiden. “I wanna get to the hospital early.” Apparently, the last few times I’d transported her to the hospital grounds, she’d had only seconds to spare before they started on her mum’s bandage changes.

“Just let me go to the loo, and then we can go,” I said and climbed off the bed. I put my coffee down on the bar then went to the bathroom, closing the door behind me.

After I’d emptied my bladder and brushed my hair and teeth, I joined Chelsea and Aiden in the room. I picked up my coffee. “You ready?”

“Yep.” Chelsea hopped off the bed and Aiden followed. She put her arm around my shoulders. “Let’s go to the trees.”

“Hang on a sec,” I said. “You know I have to strip your memory before we go.”