Page 22 of Healing Bonds

“I wanted to surprise you tonight with a special dinner, but that plan went to a ball of shit after today,” she murmured, sitting up straight on the couch.

“What’s so special about tonight?” I asked, honestly confused. A frown tugged down the corners of my lips, my hands stilling. She smiled, and her eyes sparkled in the dim lighting.

Fuck, she was so beautiful.

“I’m pregnant, Ace! We’re going to be parents!” she squealed.

It took a second for the words to truly settle in, but when they did, my eyes widened. I launched myself across the couch,my lips meeting hers as I dragged her to me. Her moan instantly reached my ears.

We were finally getting what we had been hoping for—a family.

Chapter Nine

RYAN

In bed that night, Amber’s body was wrapped around mine, her velvet-smooth skin cool against mine. Her red mane of hair was fanned out over my bare chest, tickling me, but I resisted the urge to move and scratch as her soft breaths blew over my chest.

After Celine and Ace left, she had wrapped her arms around me and cried into my shirt. She whispered over and over how sorry she was for not being a better girlfriend all these years. Her guilt for my own actions made my chest ache. The pain in her voice with every whispered apology tore my heart in two.

This woman was so incredibly selfless, and I was damn lucky to call her mine.

I had been staring at the dark ceiling for the past hour since we got into bed. She had happily curled her body around mine and fell asleep within minutes, whereas I was too afraid to shut my eyes. I knew the nightmares and flashbacks of the hell I had gone through weren’t far away. I wasn’t ready for her to see what they did to me, what those flashbacks turned me into. Most importantly, she wasn’t ready to see the weakness in me. Besides, judging by her deep, even breaths, she needed the sleep more than me.

With a soft sigh, she buried her face further against my chest, her cold nose rubbing against my skin. I tightened my arm around her—an automatic response.

I start back at work in the morning, and I knew that everyone was excited for some sense of normalcy. My dad wanted to groom me into the next version of him, ready to take over the family company, but truthfully, it was the last thing I wanted or needed right now.

Celine had always wanted the company more than me. Hell, she’d put in all the time and effort over the last six years while I’d been gone. If anyone should be groomed to take over from Dad, it should be her, but Dad insisted it was a man’s world and she would never be taken seriously. I begged to differ. Celine was headstrong, and she could command an army when she needed to.

Soon, I would have to get out of bed, leave Amber’s warmth that was surrounding me, and start the day with a hot cup of coffee. I would have to pretend that I was okay in front of everyone at work, people I’d known since I was sixteen—people who didn’t know how much I had changed.

And I was dreading it.

In the silence of the night, Amber sighed, her arm tightening around me. The soft flutter of her lashes brushed my chest, and her breathing changed as she woke up.

“Awake, baby?” she mumbled, her soft lips moving against my skin, sending a trail of heat throughout my body. God, it was insane how much I always craved this woman.

“Go back to sleep, baby girl.” I ran my fingers through her unruly hair, hoping I could coax her back under.

“What’s wrong?” She sighed, pulling her face away from my chest to look at me, her green eyes barely open. They were still heavy with sleep, dreamland still tugging at her.

“I’d rather keep my eyes open,” I told her, trying to be as honest and open with her as I possibly could. Especially after the shit show the night before.

“Why?” She sat up slightly, her head resting on her propped-up elbow to look at me.

“I see them in my dreams.” I dragged a hand down my face, exhaustion and stress weighing heavily on my heart.

“Maybe we should go to a doctor?” Her voice was so soft, almost like a lullaby in the night. When she spoke, it felt like everything would be okay. That I could make it through this. But I knew it was just an illusion.

“They can’t fix what I’ve done, Ames. They can’t make it go away. I just need you. I just need you to love me, and I’ll be okay.” Her lower lip trembled, and the hand stroking my chest, which had been drawing lazy circles, stilled.

“I’m here, baby. I’m right here, and I love you.” Sadness lingered in her voice, along with a tinge of fear in her tone. She wrapped herself around me, cradling my head to her chest. I shuddered. I didn’t realize how much I needed her to hold me until now. “I love you,” she whispered near my ear, placing a soft kiss after her words to seal her silent promise.

I wrapped my big arms around her small, curvy body and squeezed her to me, finding comfort in my woman, finding peace from the chaos in my mind through her. She stroked a hand through my short hair, her fingers massaging my scalp and lulling me into a dreamless sleep. Her soft voice reminded me of her love, and it was the last thing I heard before the loud blare of an alarm clock a few hours later yanked me out of my sleep.

She was no longer holding me. Instead, she had her face buried into her pillow and her plump butt pressed against me. She moaned in protest at the intrusive sound and turned, pressing her face against my chest.

“Make it stop.” I chuckled and reached over her to mute the alarm clock.

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