She just stopped crying about five minutes ago. She hasn’t moved from the seat that she dropped into and I can tell that, even though she’s stopped crying, she hasn’t been able to stop shaking.
“I am, Chelc. I really am.” I smile weakly and walk over the mugs of coffee I’ve just brewed. “Here, I have a feeling we won’t be going to sleep anytime soon. Do you want to talk about it?” I grab her cold hand and offer her the only thing I can, my strength. I know without a doubt that if I didn’t have Beck by my side during all this, I would be feeling the same way as Chelcie. Alone, afraid, and hopeless. This isn’t the first time that I’ve realized how far I’ve come in my own healing, but right here, in this moment, I realize that I finally, finally have all the power in my own happiness. I no longer fear the love Beck has to offer, but I also don’t have the weight of every single ghost from my past choking me anymore.
I’m mentally free from all the pain I’ve been carrying around. Now, all I have to do is get past this mess and enjoy the life I’ve been running from for too long.
It’s time to take the love and strength being offered, and fight with every single breath in my body to make sure I win.
Chelcie’s deep sigh pulls me from my mental ‘ah-ha’ moment. I hate knowing she’s worried, but I know how strong she is, and if anyone has the power to get past this with no scars, it’s my girl.
“I’m here, Chelcie. I’ve had a little bit longer to come to terms with the fact that Adam has turned my life into this mess, but please, tell me you know that the guys won’t let anything happen to us.”
She nods but doesn’t speak. My heart breaks a little when I see a single tear fall from her eyes. She just looks at me, her dark brown eyes pleading with me to take everything away and make it all better.
“I don’t even know how to express how I feel right now, Dee. I feel like just yesterday you were in the hospital, and I was terrified that you weren’t going to wake up. Knowing that sicko is still out there, watching both of us now, is so scary.”
“I know. I’m not going to lie. When I think about someone out there watching my every move, I feel the same way. We’re going to get past this, and then we can look back and laugh.” I smile, but I can tell by the look on her face that she knows I’m just trying to make light of the situation.
There isn’t anything good about this mess. We have no idea where Adam is, and even if we did, I don’t know how I feel about turning someone over to a psycho, regardless of what he’s done to get me into this position to begin with. There is no way I can come up with all that money, and even if I could, I wouldn’t give it to him. My only hope is that the guys get lucky and find some hidden clue as to who he is . . . or we find Adam and get our answers there.
“What if they don’t find him? What are we supposed to do, spend the rest of our lives in hiding? This guy beat you, Dee! He beat you so badly you almost didn’t wake up! This isn’t just some small time asshole. This is huge!” She’s starting to get hysterical, and I have no clue how to answer her. I just nod my head and hold her hand tighter.
Beck comes into the room a few minutes later and stands at the doorway. His face looks hard, and I can tell from the way he’s holding himself that he isn’t happy. My gut clenches in fear, but I quickly bat it down. I need to hold it together and prove to myself that I can handle this, but also be the rock that Chelcie needs.
“Coop and Maddox are coming over in a few hours. It’s late, and there isn’t much we can do at three in the morning, so dump the coffee, and let’s get some sleep.” He walks over to Chelcie and crouches down next to her seat. He waits for her to look at him before placing his hand on her shoulder, offering her the strength she needs. “No one is going to hurt you, Chelc. You and Dee are safe here, and I’m not leaving you two until we figure this out, okay?”
She nods, gulps a few times to try to calm down but loses the fight. I watch with my heart heavy as her body falls forward and she sobs into her hands.
Beck stands before pulling her up from her seat and wrapping his arms around her. He looks over at me, and I give him a small nod so that he knows I’m okay. He looks more worried about the fact that he’s holding another woman in front of me. I give him a smile and reach out to squeeze his arm so he knows that I’m not upset with him. Chelcie needs him and I know how comforting those strong arms are. He continues to hold her while she sobs into his chest, rubs her back, and reassures her that everything is going to be okay. Not once does he take his eyes off of me.
If I weren’t already head over heels in love with this man, this moment would have had me sold. Watching him hold one of my closest friends as she falls apart doesn’t register anything other than the knowledge that he really would do anything to make sure that I, and all those that I love, are protected and happy.
I love you. I mouth.