CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
BLAKE
When we get to the other side of the park, we sit on the bench near the water.
Arianna is still shaking and I know it’s a stupid question, but I ask it anyway, “Are you okay?”
She shakes her head. I expect her to distance herself, but instead, she gets closer and buries her face against my chest. I put my arms around her, embracing her as she sobs.
We don’t move until I get a text from Owen. ‘We already left. Jones and Carol are waiting for you when you are ready. There is some tension there too. I think Carol is trying to find out what exactly happened.’
‘Thanks,’ I text back.
“He is gone,” I tell her. “Are you ready to leave?”
She nods as she wipes the tears from her face. She takes a deep breath, slips her hand into mine, and we walk back to the car.
I can feel the tension between Jones and Carol even before we get to the car. We get in and they drive back without saying a word for a while.
Finally, Carol turns and meets Arianna’s gaze. “Are you okay, sweetheart?”
Arianna nods. “Yes, I am. Thank you.”
She manages to force a smile, and then Carol turns back around.
When we get to the house, Carol and Jones excuse themselves saying they are going to go out for a while. They drive off as soon as we step foot in the house.
To say that I’m devastated about Molly is an understatement. It won’t even matter what mom tries to tell her, dad is a master in brainwashing and my little sister will grow up hating me.
I feel so down and exhausted, I just want to close my eyes and forget everything for a while.
I give her a quick kiss. “Are you going to be okay?”
She nods.
“I’m exhausted. I think I’m going to go lay down, unless you need me to stay out here.”
“I’m okay,” she assures me.
I can feel her watching me walk away.
When I walk into the room, I don’t even worry about taking my jeans off. I just take my shoes and shirt off and practically fall on the bed.
My eyes are almost closing when I hear a soft knock on the door.
“Come in,” I say.
The light shinning through the window allows me to see her silhouette. I sit up, looking at her.
“Are you okay?”
She doesn’t answer. She just walks closer to me.
“Can I stay with you tonight?” She asks.
“Of course.”
I move to the side, making room for her.
She lays down next to me and I’m surprised when she gets closer, putting her arm over me. She puts her face against my chest. My arm instantly goes over her and I pull her even closer. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. Everyone else aside, this is the first time in a while that I feel like I can breathe again, like things might actually be okay between Arianna and I.
I keep my eyes closed, taking in her scent. We lay like that for a while until I can feel that she pulls away and I can feel her lips on mine. She moves her hand from my back to my collarbone and starts to trail it down my chest. I put my hand over hers, stopping her and look into her eyes.
“We don’t have to do this.”
She gives me a nervous smile. “I want to.”
She sits up, moving so she is straddling me. She grabs the hem of her shirt to pull it off, but then, she freezes. I can tell by her body language how afraid she is.
“We really don’t have to—“
She leans down and kisses me, a long, soft kiss.
“I have an idea,” I whisper against her lips.
I put my hands on her hips and she flinches, but she tries to play it off like everything is fine. I move her to the side. I get up, walk over to the chair and grab a scarf from my suitcase.
I go back to bed, holding the scarf. She gives me a puzzled look as I sit down.
“I thought… maybe… I’m going to put this scarf over my eyes and I’m not going to move my hands at all. I want you to feel comfortable. If we are doing this, I want you to be in control. Nothing happens unless you want it to.”
“Why?” she asks in a shy tone.
“Trust me.” I move my hand up, and slide a lock of her hair behind her ear. “I know this is not easy for you. I thought this might help.”
She nods and I put the scarf over my eyes as I lay back down.
I can feel the shift of movements and I can tell that she has gotten off the bed. My heart starts to race in anticipation. After a while, it gets quiet and the only reason I know she hasn’t left the room is because I haven’t heard the door.
Then, I can feel her breathing close to me. She gives me a quick kiss before pulling my pants off. She straddles me again, but this time I can feel her warm skin against mine. She leans down again and feeling her like this drives me insane. I start to move my hands, but stop myself, and then, she slowly takes the scarf off and stares into my eyes. Every inch of me is well aware that she is no longer wearing anything, but still, my eyes never leave hers.
“I don’t want to be in control,” she says. “This is not about control. This is about us, being together like we are meant to be.”
My heart literally melts at her words. I lift myself enough to where I can reach her lips and as we kiss, I slowly flip her on her back and lean protectively over her. She is smiling up at me. At that moment, she is relaxed, trusting, and I’m confident that I will never let anyone hurt her in any way ever again.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Waking up with her… feeling this close to her… it’s perfect, which also makes me fearful that something will happen. I think back to Dr. Patton saying that was something that I need to work on. She said that I’m afraid of being happy because of my belief that when things seem to be too good to be true, something happens to destroy that happiness. That is easier said than done.
I think back to when Arianna asked me to live in the present. I take a deep breath. I love how she knows what I need even without me saying the words.
She is still sleeping but she rolls over and gets closer.
A few minutes later, her fingertips graze against my chest and that is when I know she is awake.
“What are you thinking about?” she asks.
“About how everything seems perfect right now.”
Her arms go around me and she leans her head against my chest.
My phone goes off and I look over to see a text from mom, “Blake, please tell me what happened. I can’t stand being in the dark anymore. I have to know.”
I turn my phone off. I put all problems aside and we lay here for a while, until my alarm goes off.
“I should get up,” I say. “I’m going with Jones to some of his meetings today.”
We both get up and as she gets ready to go to the shelter with Carol, I get ready for work. Another text message comes through. It’s from mom, “Blake, please call me when you can.”
I pick up the phone and start to dial her number, but then I stop myself. I know I can’t lie to her, and I can’t tell her the truth either.
“Is everything okay?” asks Arianna when she notices me just standing there, staring at my phone.
I put the phone in my pocket. “Yes, everything is fine. I was just thinking, I have a break during lunch today. I would love to come by the shelter and see you.”
She smiles and gives me a kiss. I think about the night before and about how much I want to spend all day in the room with her… in bed, but I pull away afraid of pushing her too hard, too fast.
We both go to the living room and have breakfast together while we wait for Jones and Carol.
We are just starting to eat when the doorbell rings and Arianna gets up to get to the door. I watch her and she reaches for the door and opens it, and then, our world shifts. She drops the glass she is holding and takes a few steps back, away from the door.
She looks terrified. I rush toward her, blocking her from the view of the
man who is standing outside the door.
“Can I help you?” I ask.
The tall, tanned man with green eyes, stares at me, then tries to look past me at Arianna.
“Who are you?” I ask when he doesn’t say anything.
“My name is Bram,” he says before he looks into my eyes. “I’ve come to collect my wife.”
Something in me changes. I know he is who he claims to be. I don’t know if it’s jealousy or a need to protect her, but even my tone changes.
“You need to leave!” I warn him.
“I’m not leaving without my wife.”
“She is not your wife. She never was.”
He cocks his head to the side before trying to move past me. I step to the side and block him.
“She is, and she knows she is. Our marriage may not mean anything to you, but it’s binding where we came from.”
I glance back at Arianna. She is standing against the wall. Her fists are clenched and her eyes widened with fear.
“Please, leave.” I ask him.
He shakes his head. “Her father is very sick. He is asking for his daughter and I’m not leaving without her.”
I glance at her once more. She looks lost and confused.
“Arianna, please get Jones and stay back with Carol.”
She doesn’t move and Bram is trying to force his way in.
“Arianna, please, get Jones!”
She blinks a few times and rushes toward Carol and Jones’ room as Bram tries to push me back. As he does, I spot a car outside, waiting on him… my father’s car.
That moment of surprise is enough to distract me, and Bram gets in the house. I ignore dad and focus on Bram, who is going to the back of the house, where Arianna went. I grab him by his shoulder and pull him around, just as Jones comes out of his room.
Jones blocks his path. “Bram, is it?” he asks and Bram nods.
“You need to leave.”
“I’m not leaving without my wife.”
Jones looks down at Bram’s legs. “I know who you are and you being here has consequences to everyone, including yourself. I’m going to give you one chance to go back without those consequences.”
“I’m not leaving without talking to her first.”
Jones sighs. “Did you not notice how scared she was to see you? Why would you want to force her back? She loves someone else.”
Bram looks at me and shakes his head. “She is confused. That is all.”
Jones is getting more and more frustrated by the minute. I notice it and Bram notices it, and that is when Bram changes his tact and I can see right through him.
“Please let me talk to her. If she wants me to leave then, I will.”
Jones looks over at me and I shake my head, begging him not to believe this.
“It will be up to her,” says Jones. “And we will be in the room while you talk. Now have a seat and wait.”
Bram sits on the couch with a pleased look on his face. He seems certain of what he is doing and I have a bad feeling about this.
Jones grabs me and pulls me to the side. “Trust me, son, she will be safe. She will not leave with him.”
I hesitate.
“I will go talk to her,” says Jones.
I nod and start pacing back and forth in the hallway until they come out.
Carol stays back and I wonder if she is afraid Bram will recognize her.
When Arianna comes out of the room, she seems like a different person. She just goes along with the motions. I get closer to her and hold her hand.
“You don’t have to do this.”
She looks up at me and she seems uncertain.
I squeeze her hand. “I’m not leaving your side,” I say, “and I’m not letting anything bad happen to you.”
I start to let go of her hand to try and not make things worse, but her grip tightens around my hand and I know this is what she needs.
When we go around the corner into the living room, Jones is there, standing behind the couch where Bram is sitting.
Bram’s gaze goes to mine and Arianna’s hands. He tries to get up, but Jones puts a hand on his shoulder and pushes him back down.
“Say what you came to say,” he orders.
Arianna and I stand and Bram starts speaking.
“Your father is very sick,” he says. “There is no easy way to say this… he is dying and he has asked to see you.”
I feel her knees give-out and I hold on to her to keep her from falling. As if that wasn’t enough, he goes on.
“He has no one else, Arianna. He only has you and he needs you. I’ve made a deal for you to be able to go back with me. You’ll be accepted and forgiven for all of this. I promise.”
She doesn’t say anything.
“Stop!” I yell. “Aren’t you ashamed of what you are doing to her right now? I know this is just a game. I saw my dad’s car outside of the house. This is just… All of this has to stop.”
He ignores me completely. “We need to leave soon, Arianna. I only have so much time on land. I will give you a few hours to say your goodbyes if that is what you need, but your father is alone and he needs you. You belong in your world… not theirs.”
“I need time to think,” she starts to go toward the room. I start to follow her, but she stops me, “I need to be alone,” she says. I stop in the middle of the room, where I stand with Jones and the one person I might just hate as much as I hate my father.
I go to the corner of the room and grab a glass and a bottle of whiskey that Jones keeps to entertain clients.
“It’s not worth it, Blake.”
My back is to him and my hand is around the bottle. I can almost taste it.
“I just need to take the edge off.”
I feel Jones’ hand go around my wrist as he uses his other hand to take the bottle. “It’s not worth it, son. Go talk to her. She needs you.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
I knock on the door. When she doesn’t answer, I slowly open it. Arianna is standing by the window, staring outside. I get closer and stand right next to her.
“I don’t know what to do,” she says.
I put my arm around her and pull her close, then I lead her to the bed where we sit next to one another. I turn enough to where I can look at her and move a lock of her hair behind her ear.
“I don’t think he is telling the truth,” I say, “my father’s car is outside. This has got to be a plan to get you away from me.”
She sighs, “But what if it is true?”
I run my fingers through my hair and look down at the floor for a moment before I look back into her eyes. “I can’t tell you what to do, and I feel selfish to ask you this, but please don’t go. You know my father is no good and I have a feeling that this guy is no different. Nothing good can come out of them working together.”
She sighs.
“I wish there was another way to see my father, to make sure he is okay, but maybe you are right.”
“So you will stay?” I ask.
She looks uncertain, but she nods.
“I will tell him to leave,” I say.
She stands up, “No, I should be the one to tell him that.”
I hate it, but I give her space to do what she thinks is best.
“Will you come with me?” she asks.
“Of course.”
When we step in the living room, Jones and Bram stop talking. Neither of them look happy.
“Are you ready to go?” asks Bram and I can’t believe he has the guts to assume that she is going with him.
I put my hand on Arianna’s lower back, and he glares at me.
“I’m staying,” she says.
He cocks his head to the side. “Do you realize how selfish you are being? I’m giving you the opportunity to right your wrongs and you are going to waste it just like that? Your father raised you alone after your mother left him and this is how you thank him?”
Arianna starts to cry and turns to me, burying her face agai
nst my chest. I wrap my arms around her.
“That is enough. You need to leave,” I tell him.
He is about to say something when Jones interrupts him, “You’ve said your piece, she has made her decision; you need to go. In fact, I will escort you out. I need to have a word with our friend outside,” he practically pushes Bram out the door as he goes to talk to my father. I have a few words to say to him myself, so as soon as they are out of the door, I ask Arianna if she will be okay alone while I go outside for a moment. She seems too upset to even care, and I hesitate, but knowing that I won’t be gone long, I step outside.
ARIANNA
My head hurts so much. I feel uncertain about everything. I wish I could see my father to make sure he is okay, but then, I would eventually leave him again. And what if Bram is lying? Or what if he isn’t lying and when I get there, it’s too late for my father? What if I won’t be able to leave? My mind is filled with doubts and I hate the thought of my father thinking that I chose not to see him.
My mind takes me back to when I was a child and memories of him playing and taking care of me fill my mind, making this feeling of guilt and regret, unbearable.
I turn around to go back to the room and see the bottle of whiskey lying on the table.
“I drank because it made me forget… it made me feel numb,” I recall Blake’s words and for the first time, I wonder what it feels like to be able to get rid of my problems, even if momentarily.
I grab the bottle and go to the room, closing the door behind me. I step into the walk in closet and sit on the floor, in the back corner.
I open the bottle and drink. I cough as the liquid burns the back of my throat. It tastes horrible. I ignore the feeling, and take another sip, and then another. I start crying when I realize the drink has not impacted me at all. I feel just as horrible.
And then, I feel even worse at the look on Blake’s face when he opens the door and sees me.
He approaches me and sits on the floor, next to me. He takes the bottle from my hand and thinking that he is about to drink it, I try to ask him not to, but the words come out in a slur.
Unbreakable (A Mermaid's Curse Book 3) Page 7