I leapt off the couch, my stomach plummeting to my feet. “Belle? What’s going on? Are you okay?”
I heard her breathe heavily through the phone and my gut twisted more. “Can you just please come get me?”
There was the unmistakable sound of tears in her voice and it tore at my insides. What the hell was going on?
“Where are you?”
She gave me the name of a bar I wasn’t familiar with downtown, but I had no doubt I’d find it. Anything to get to her as quickly as possible.
“Are you okay? Are you somewhere safe?”
She sniffled and my heart cracked in my chest. “I’m sitting at the bar. I’ll be okay until you get here.”
I nodded and patted my pocket to make sure my keys were in there. “Okay. I’m leaving now. Just stay put and I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Thank you,” she said so softly I almost missed it.
I swallowed harshly and lowered my voice too. “Do you want me to stay on the phone with you?”
“No,” she said, her voice a little stronger now. “This is the bar’s phone and I don’t want to tie up the line.”
“What happened to your phone?”
She sighed. “Can we talk about this later, please?”
Focus, Remy! The number she called me from wasn’t important. I didn’t actually give a damn about her fucking phone. All I needed was to get to her as soon as humanly possible.
I nodded again. “Okay, Belle. I’m coming.”
“Thank you,” she said again, her voice breaking on the last word. With that, she disconnected the line, and my heart stopped beating for a fraction of a second. I stared down at my phone as my mind raced.
“Remy?”
I turned to my grandfather, my body kick starting again. “Gramps. I gotta go.”
I strode quickly across the living room before coming to an abrupt stop at the doorway. I glanced back at him. “Are you okay for the night?”
His eyes were clouded with worry, but I knew it wasn’t for himself. “I’m fine. I can do my own damn dishes. You go take care of that girl of yours.”
I almost corrected him. Almost reminded him that she wasn’t mine, but that wasn’t really the truth. At least it didn’t feel like the truth. Belle was mine whether she wanted to admit it or not. And right now, I needed to get to her like I needed air in my lungs.
I nodded once and spun around to leave when his voice stopped me.
“You just do me a favor, Son. You let that girl take care of you too sometimes, okay? You need her help as much as she needs yours.”
I wasn’t sure what that meant, and my head was too crowded with worry for Belle to try to make sense of it. Knowing it would make him feel better, I decided to just agree. “I promise, Gramps. Have a good night and I’ll see you tomorrow.” I turned to leave again before stopping and throwing one more sentiment over my shoulder. “Love you, old man.”
“Love you too, Son. Now, get out of here.”
He didn’t have to tell me twice.
I raced out of his house, barely taking the time to slam the front door closed behind me. Once in my car, it took me only seconds to start the engine and pull out of the driveway before I was speeding down his street toward the highway.
My mind spun with all the worst-case scenarios as I broke traffic law after traffic law. Honestly, at this point I couldn’t care any less. As long as nothing stood between me getting to Belle, I’d take a hundred tickets.
I made it to downtown Providence in record time and followed my phone’s GPS to the bar Belle said she was at. I parked out front, not caring that I wasn’t in a legal spot, and jumped out of the car before running inside.
The interior of the pub was dim, of course, but I made a beeline for the bar and soon found Belle. She was sitting in a corner, one of her hands clutching her shirt to her chest and the other holding her neck. I hurried over, wondering what kind of situation I was walking into. My eyes roved over her body in a continuous loop as I crossed the space between us to stand by her side.
I wanted to reach out for her, but kept my hands fisted at my sides. “Belle?”
Her head whipped toward me, her amber eyes filling with tears before she slid off the stool and wrapped her arms around my waist. Surprise froze me in place for a single moment before I pulled her tighter against me and pressed my cheek to the top of her head. Her shoulders shook as we stood there, and my heart continued to break.
“What’s going on?” I asked softly in her ear. “What happened?”
She shook her head and mumbled against my chest, “Can we please just go home?”
“Of course.” I ran my hands up and down her shaking back as I tried to figure out what the hell happened and why she was so upset. It was killing me to not know because that meant I couldn’t fix it.
The bartender walked over and looked me up and down, her eyes narrowing. “Is this the guy who did that to you?”
Belle pulled out of my arms and shook her head as she wiped at her damp face. “No. Not at all,” she croaked.
My stomach clenched as I pieced together her words. I grasped Belle’s arm and turned her to face me. “Who did what to you?”
She shook her head again. “Not now, please.”
I pressed my lips together to keep the words at bay, but it didn’t help. “Belle, I need to know if something happened to you. I need to know you’re okay.”
She looked up at me, sincerity shining in her red-rimmed eyes, and in that moment, I’d never seen her look more beautiful. “I’m okay now that you’re here. Just, please, take me home.”
I wrapped an arm around her still-shaking shoulders as the bartender caught my eye again. She slid a card across the bar toward me and I picked it up. “If you need a statement or anything, give me a call.”
My hands fisted at her words, clutching the card between my fingers. I looked back down at Belle, but her face was pressed against my chest again and I knew I wasn’t getting any more information from her right now.
I nodded at the bartender. “Thanks. We’ll be in touch.”
For what, I wasn’t sure, but I had a really bad feeling about this. My gut churned as the possibilities whipped through my mind, but I had to set that aside. Belle needed me to be strong and level-headed. I’d have to save losing my cool for later, once I’d taken care of her.
I led Belle toward the front door, and the second we stepped out of the bar, her whole body tensed, her head swiveling on her neck as she scanned the street. I did the same, looking for anything that seemed out of place, anything that could be the cause of her distress, but nothing stood out.
“Belle?”
She shook her head. “It’s fine. He must have left.”
“Who?”
“Nick,” she said before wincing.
I pulled her around so she had to face me. “Nick? The asshole that works at your gallery? Did he do something to you? Is that what happened tonight?”
Her eyes filled with tears again and this strong woman slowly crumbled in front of me. “Please,” she begged. “Not now. Just take me home. I promise I’ll tell you everything. I just want to be home right now.”
I let out a deep breath and nodded, stowing my rage and setting aside my need to have all my questions answered right away. It didn’t matter what I needed or wanted. All that mattered was Belle.
I helped her into my car before hurrying around to my side. Firing up the engine, I pulled away from the curb, watching her from the corner of my eye as she stared out the window, her head twisting to keep the bar we just left in sight. When we’d finally driven far enough away that she couldn’t see it anymore, she turned back around and stared out the windshield.
Belle’s shoulders hunched inward, and she crossed her arms over her chest until she looked even smaller than she was. My stomach churned again as I watched her fold in on herself. Unable to stop myself, I reached out and placed a hand on her arm, hoping it would comfort her in some way, knowing I wa
nted to do so much more than that.
She wrapped both hands around my arm and clutched it to her chest like a lifeline. The rest of the ride was quiet as she held onto my arm and I drove us home as quickly as I could. When we got home, she kept ahold of my arm for a long time after I’d pulled into our lot.
Finally, she turned toward me. “Thank you for coming to get me.”
I watched as a tear streaked down her sad face and reached out to catch it. “Of course, Belle. I’d do anything for you.”
She sniffled and looked down at her lap. I slipped out of the car and hurried around to help her out. She leaned on me more than she ever had as I walked her into our dark apartment. Her hands clutched me tighter until I turned the kitchen lights on, and she finally relaxed a little.
We stood in the middle of the room, her looking lost and me feeling so lost I didn’t know which way was up. I squeezed her shoulder, pulling her closer to my chest. “Do you want to take a shower or something?”
She shook her head. “I think I just want to lie down.”
Finally, something I could do.
I led her to her bedroom and stood in the doorway as she walked inside. When she turned around, I finally got a good look at her ripped shirt and the bruises on her neck. My feet moved without my permission.
I crossed the distance between us in seconds and ran my fingers up each side of her destroyed blouse, noticing the buttons had been pulled from the fabric as if someone had tried to tear it from her body. Next, I lightly traced the purple bruises on her neck, my blood boiling with rage.
I grit my teeth so hard my jaw ached. “Did he do this?” I asked, my voice deep and quiet.
She nodded and sniffled as her head fell forward. I rushed to pull her into my arms again, my chest hollowing as I felt her shake beneath my hands. I rubbed her back in soothing circles as I waited for her to calm down. Finally, she pulled away and looked up at me. “I want to change.”
I didn’t know if that meant she wanted me to leave, but I didn’t think in that instant I could have forced myself to walk out her door. Instead, I carefully peeled the wrecked shirt from her shoulders and tossed it aside. Turning to her dresser, I reached to open a drawer when she called, “Next one down.”
I opened the drawer she indicated and found an old oversized t-shirt. Once I’d pulled it over her head, I carefully unzipped her skirt and let it fall to the floor at her feet. Grasping her hand, I brought her over to the bed. “You should lay down. Maybe take a nap or something. We can talk in a little while.”
She nodded as if in a daze before crawling under the covers and curling into the fetal position. I stood there watching her for a long minute as my heart contorted in my chest. I’d never seen Belle this way. So frail. So wounded. So broken. Every second I stood there killed a little piece of me.
Finally, I released a deep breath and ran a hand through my hair. “Okay, I’ll let you rest.”
I’d only taken a single step toward the door before her voice rang out. “Please. Don’t leave.”
I turned around and frowned at her. “You want me to stay?”
She nodded and held up one side of the blankets. “Please. I need you to stay with me.”
My heart clenched in my chest as I kicked off my shoes and unbuttoned my dress shirt, sliding it off my shoulders before I climbed into bed next to her. Within moments, she wiggled closer until her head was resting on my bicep and her arm was around my waist. I closed my eyes and swallowed harshly as I pulled her even closer.
We lay like that for a long time, the only sound breaking the silence between us was our soft breaths. I didn’t know what to do for her, but every bone in my body screamed at me to do something. To fix it. To fix her any way I could. I just didn’t know how. So, I held her, squeezing as tight as I dared, hoping I could hold all her pieces together until she was strong enough to do it herself.
Finally, the silence was broken by a loud sob as Belle pulled out of my hold and met my gaze. My heart cracked in half as I looked into her sad eyes and watched this beautiful woman fall apart.
“I’m so sorry,” she cried.
I reached up to wipe away her tears, but they fell faster than I could keep up with. “What? Why are you sorry? You didn’t do anything wrong.”
She shook her head, her bottom lip trembling. “I’ve treated you so badly, Remy. I’ve been so unfair when all you’ve done is give me everything I want.” She let out a deep breath and wiped angrily at her own tears. “I never should have ended things with you. I never should have walked away from you at the wedding. I was so awful to you and you still came running the moment I needed you.”
I tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and cupped her face. “It’s okay, Belle. Please stop crying. Of course I’d come get you when you needed me. I’d do anything for you.”
Her face crumpled, and she dipped her head as she sobbed harder. “I know,” she wailed. “I know you would, but you shouldn’t. I don’t deserve it. I don’t deserve you.”
I shook my head and reached up with my other hand to frame her face. I waited until she was looking at me to speak again. “Yes, you do. You’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever known. You’re smart and funny and sweet and so beautiful it hurts to look at you sometimes.” I leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “How was I ever supposed to stop myself from falling in love with you?” I asked softly, mostly to myself.
She shook her head and pulled away again. “Don’t say that. Please. You can’t still love me. Not after everything I’ve done.”
I grasped her chin and waited until she met my eyes. “I do though.”
She shook her head again, letting it fall forward as she continued to cry. I pulled her close and kissed the top of her head over and over as I listened to her. Every sob broke my heart and every tear that wet my undershirt twisted my gut until I was a complete mess.
When her tears finally lessened, I kissed her forehead one more time. “Why don’t you get some sleep? We can talk when you wake up.”
“Will you stay with me?” she asked, her voice so small and uncertain.
I kissed her again. “Nothing could make me leave you, Belle.”
Chapter 40
Remy
I watched her for hours. Watched as the tension slowly slipped from her features as she fell asleep and then watched her slow and heavy breaths as she slept peacefully in my arms. I thought she’d be more restless after what happened, but she slumbered peacefully for a long time as I kept watch.
Finally, sometime around midnight her eyes fluttered open, and she turned to look at me. A small smile spread across her face and I yearned to kiss her. I held back though because I didn’t know where we stood. I knew what I felt and what I wanted with a clarity I’d never felt before, but she was still a mystery.
“How do you feel?” I asked gently.
She stretched in my arms and sighed. “Drained,” she said, her voice still raspy.
I pushed some hair out of her face, and she closed her eyes. “Do you want to tell me what happened now?”
When her eyes opened again, they were wary. “I guess.”
“You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”
She shook her head. “No. You deserve an explanation. I’m sure I pulled you away from something you’d rather be doing than babysitting me. The least I can do is tell you why.” Her eyes darted away from my face and her jaw tensed as she spoke.
I chuckled. “Gramps will be fine for a few hours on his own. It was more important for me to be here for you.”
Her eyes darted back to my face. “You were at Gramps’?”
“Where else would I be?”
She averted her gaze again and focused on her fingers as they played with the edge of the blanket. “I thought maybe you were with that bridesmaid from the wedding.”
I chuckled and her eyes snapped to mine again. “Um. No. I wasn’t. I only talked to her for a couple minutes at the reception.”
“Y
ou two looked friendlier than that.”
I shook my head, my smile so wide it was beginning to hurt my cheeks. “How could I possibly go home with another woman when all I can think about is you?”
She pursed her lips and shrugged, and I struggled to hold in another laugh. She was so ridiculous. How many times did I need to tell her how I felt about her before she got it? Before she understood that there wasn’t anyone who held even a fraction of my attention when all of it was constantly focused on her. When every single thought in my head, every single beat of my heart was dedicated to her alone.
I lifted her chin until she met my eyes again. “You thought I was with Taylor all weekend?”
She shrugged again. “Is that her name?”
This time I couldn’t stop the chuckle from escaping. “It is. And I’m sorry you thought that, but that’s not what happened at all. I Ubered back to Gramps’ that night and only stopped by on Sunday to pick up my car before heading back there.”
“Why?”
It was my turn to look away. I blew out a deep breath and answered as honestly as I could. “I needed some space to think. Somewhere I could go to try to get you off my mind for a little while.”
“Did it work?” she asked quietly.
“No. Nothing does.”
She was silent for a long time as I pulled myself together and dragged my thoughts out of that dark place. Now wasn’t the time to dwell on my issues or focus on the ways I hurt. I needed to know what happened to Belle so I could figure out how to fix it.
“Tell me what happened,” I urged.
She nodded slowly, her shoulders tensing as she resumed playing with the edge of the blanket. “I was working with Nick at the gallery and he asked if I wanted to get a drink with him and I agreed.”
“Why? I thought you couldn’t stand the guy.”
She shrugged. “I didn’t want to come home to an empty apartment,” she said softly.
My stomach twisted as dread filled me. This was my fault. If I hadn’t been hiding from her and my issues, if I’d just come home and faced her, this wouldn’t have happened. She wouldn’t have felt the need to take a sleaze bag like Nick up on his offer to buy her a drink.
Beyond Beautiful (Love in Providence Book 2) Page 35