Chapter 30
Chapter Thirty
Aurora
“Another round,” Bree lifts her hand up, pointing to our table. The waitress nods as she walks by, heading toward the bar.
“Are you sure you don’t want a drink?” I ask Presley, as she sits at my side, nursing a bottle of water.
“I’m fine with being the sober one, believe me. Being hungover and dealing with Kayson isn’t fun.”
I feel for Presley; her ex is a fucking mess. She isn’t one for talking about everything that happened, but what I do know is the guy is a douche. She has never admitted it, but I’m pretty sure he’s hurt her physically before. She up and left him in the middle of the night and showed up on our doorstep with a two month old. The mark on her cheek and a handprint sized bruise on her arm said all I needed to know. She isn’t one to ask for help, and she doesn’t trust easily. In her mind all men are the same, selfish assholes and in the end all they do is hurt you. In one way or another, everything ends badly.
“Lauren is a Godsend, but she has class tomorrow so there won’t be any relief. This,” she holds up the water, “is all I need.”
She seems so sad.
She has seemed sad for weeks.
The waitress pauses next to our table, placing another round of shots and taking the money Bree offers.
We’ve been here for a few hours, talking, laughing, and drinking. Luna, Bree and I, all feeling pretty good and Presley babysitting us. She’d already warned off a few men that moved in thinking we were single ladies on the prowl. Hearing her tell them that we each had big, mean tattooed men that would eat them for breakfast if they got near us was hilarious. I don’t know if she made some kind of deal with Daxton, or even Jace but tiny or not she was one hell of a bodyguard.
Luna somehow convinced Pres to go dance with her, leaving both Bree and I behind, swaying in our chairs to the beat of the music.
“It’s probably not the time, but I’m not sure when the right time is.” I look to my left to find Bree watching me. Tears in her eyes and instantly my own emotions flare up without control. “Why didn’t you ever come to me?”
“What? When?”
“You know when,” she places her hand over mine, giving it a squeeze, “I could have been there for you.”
“You have Piper and Daxton and you don’t?—”
“No,” she interrupts me, her nostrils flaring. “If you’re hurting you come to me, you don’t hurt in silence. Damnit Aurora, I am here for you, always.”
“I know,” and I do. “I was confused and ashamed…and so angry.”
“Nothing will ever stop me from being here for you. Yes, I have Piper, and Daxton, but never will that mean I am not right here for you too. You are my family, my best friend.”
“I didn’t know how to face what I was feeling. It all sort of came rushing out of me at once and the person to witness it was Zac.”
“I hate that I was living my life and you were hurting. I hate that I was blinded to it all and that you felt I had too much going on that I couldn’t be there for you too.”
“I knew you would be, it was never that. I think this was more me hating the fact that some stranger took my sense of security.” I take a deep breath. “He made me feel weak and you know more than anyone that I hate that feeling.”
My parents made me feel that way my entire childhood and they still degrade and belittle me whenever they can. They called me after I was released from the hospital not to ask me how I was, but instead to tell me how embarrassed they felt. How Jace, my husband , made them feel unwelcome. I’m not oblivious I know how they are; they barge in attempt to toss around their power and in this situation, they had none.
Jace took that power from them.
He stood up and took charge. He protected me without a moment of hesitation and the fact that it was my parents he protected me from didn’t stop him.
“Right now,” Bree clears her throat leaning a little closer. “You promise me that you will always come to me. I don’t care where we are, or what we have going on in our lives, we come to each other. We are in this together Aurora, always and forever, me and my bestie.” She smiles, and I try to blink away the tears, but one escapes rolling along my cheek.
“You got it, I promise.”
“Why the tears ladies,” Luna bumps into the table as her and Presley rejoin us.
“Just happy,” Bree chooses to focus on the good. “I’m here with three of the greatest girls and I’m about to marry an amazing man, I have a beautiful little girl. All is good.”
“All is great,” I agree and Luna hollers out for another round making us all laugh.
Maybe it’s because of my emotional breakthrough with Bree, or maybe it’s because I felt like the past was finally where it belonged. I’m sure it had a lot to do with the shots and frilly drinks I’ve had tonight, but my mind was finally at ease.
Presley dropped each of us off, me being the last and the words she said just before I got out still play on repeat in my mind.
“ Let him love you Aurora, it may have taken you two a bit to get where you are, but he loves you. You didn’t see him at the hospital, you didn’t see him each day while you lay in that bed and recovered. He was devastated, his world had been titled, he was lost. The idea of losing you, it did something to Jace. It did something to us all .”
I enter the house and find it quiet, the only light on is the small one above the sink. As I walk toward the kitchen, I hear the radio playing from the back deck.
Gliding my hand over the countertop I peek through the window and see Jace with his head laying back as he soaks in the hot tub. Water beaded on his chest, a beer in one hand as his arms are stretched out to his hide.
He is breathtaking.
Again Presley’s words echo in my head.
I round the counter, push open the French doors and he lifts his head, our eyes connecting immediately.
“Hey baby,” I love when he gets all sweet and endearing. “How was your night?”
“Good,” I grab my shirt and pull it over my head, tossing it to the chair, before I start unbuttoning my jeans. “And yours?”
“Better now,” Jace grins as he watches my movements. I feel beautiful, the way he watches me leaves me breathless.
When I reach around my back and unclasp my bra, pulling my arms free and allowing it to drop to the chair his lips part. Next I hook my panties, and shimmy out of them, before tossing them to join the rest of my clothes. Then I join him, the hot water feeling amazing as I lower myself to his lap, straddling him.
Cupping his face, I kiss him softly and then pull back, ensuring he is looking at me. My throat feeling tight, I take a calming breath. My pulse is racing, tears cloud my vision and I see the concern, but I don’t give him the time to ask.
“I love you,” his eyes widen slightly and I know it’s because he’s said it to me so many times already and I’ve given him nothing in return. “I’m so in love with you, that it terrifies me and excites me all at once. I know you could break me Jace, I know you could destroy me and I?—”
“No,” he cuts my rambling off. “Protecting you, loving you, and doing everything I can to make sure you are smiling is all I want. Hurting you, I know I’ve done that, I’ve messed up with you enough, babe, that’s done. You’re safe with me,” he holds my stare. “I’ve never been this content, not once in my life. I’ve struggled; I’ve fucked up a lot. In fact, I’ve searched for it, I’m a magnet for the bad shit, but you make it all better. I’m keeping you,” I smile at his words. “You are my happy Ror. You’re my peace.”
“I don’t ever want this to end,” I whisper, allowing my forehead to rest against his.
“I won’t let it,” he assures me.
Sliding forward, I press my lips to his and shift against him, making him moan. Reaching between us, I slip my hand into his shorts and grip him, stroking him slowly.
With his help he lowers his trunks and I lift enough to let him inside me. Together we moan as I begin to rock my hips.
“You’re my home too,” expressing just how much I need him too.
When I try to pick up speed he grips my hips holding me still and I pause seeing him staring up at me. “Slow,” he whispers, “go slow baby, I want this to last.”
And for the next hour Jace and I do something we’ve never done before. We make love, nice and slow, dragging out the connection.
Loving each other thoroughly.