Page 47 of Broken Bonds

He went against my parents and tried to teach me in the driveway because I wanted to learn so badly. I fell off as soon as he let go, and I cried so much when I hit the ground. Ryan wasso upset; he ran for my parents, crying that I was hurt, not even caring that he would get in trouble. But at his core, that was my brother. Always my knight ready to come in and save the day.

“Once my legs healed, my dad and Ryan spent an afternoon teaching me. After that afternoon, I went riding with Ryan every day. We’d spend hours on our bikes, just riding around our neighborhood.”

I turned to look at Ace in the dark room, but he wasn’t looking at me. He seemed to be reliving his own memories.

“What’s yours, Ace?” I asked, wanting to break the silence.

“The day Jack was born.” His voice was thick with sadness and heartache, and I could feel that sadness wrapping around me like a heavy blanket. I grabbed his hand and squeezed it. His remained slack, but I continued holding it anyway.

“Why?” I tested the waters because if I had to share, he had to do the same.

“I always wanted a mini-me,” he explained, his voice soft. “I wanted someone to play with and boss around. He was so tiny because he came weeks early. There was talk of him not making it, but he did.” He was lost in thought, and I didn’t know what to say, so I didn’t think I should say anything.

“We were stuck to each other like glue. He said my name first—before ‘dad’ and ‘mom’—because I was always around him. He was everything, Celine.” Pain leeched into his words. “He was the sweetest child, never got angry, and he would hug me every time he saw me. I miss him so much.” His eyes closed, and a lone tear rolled down his cheek.

Ace had let his walls down in front of me. And it hurt to see him so broken. So devastated. I wanted to take his pain away and make it my own just so he didn’t have to feel like this any longer.

He opened his eyes and stared into mine, grief I knew and understood all too well swirling in the blue depths of his eyes.

Against my better judgement, I let go of Ace’s hand and threw my arms around his neck. His arms wrapped around my torso, pulling me closer. His body was stiff, his head in the crook of my neck, and then, I felt his tears. And each wet drop cracked my heart more and more.

We didn’t move. I played with the hair at the nape of his neck to soothe him, and eventually, the tears stopped. He pulled away abruptly, pushing me off his lap to stand up. He paced the big room, wiping his hands down his face repeatedly. I watched his reflection in the mirrors as he tried to bring himself back together, to stitch his open wounds back together. After a while, he came to sit beside me again, leaning against the mirrored wall.

He must have been regretting playing this foolish game in the first place.

“Have you guys always lived in that big house?” he asked, his red eyes pulling at the strings of my heart. I shook my head, afraid the overwhelming sadness clogging my throat would come pouring out.

It burned with the tears I had been keeping inside. Tears forhim.

Ace didn’t press for more this time. He just nodded and looked away.

“Ryan and I lived in a small comfortable house growing up,” I began. “Mom and Dad shared the master bedroom while we each had our own room but shared a Jack and Jill bathroom. It was fun when we were younger, running between the small bathroom to each other’s room, and I always felt so connected to Ryan. Well, until I turned thirteen.”

I was hoping to lighten the mood, and it seemed to be working, a small smile playing at his lips.

“Sharing a bathroom was no longer fun for either of us by that age.” Ace’s amusement let me know I didn’t have toelaborate on why. Puberty was a bitch. “Nonetheless, Ryan and I did it for three more years until we moved to Highpoint. Then, we all had our own bathrooms and a few extra just in case.”

Mom and Dad designed our house, and it took almost three years to build, a few months to move in, and finally, we were all happy. We had our own space. Our own privacy.

“I’ll never forget our first night in the new house. We all slept on the floor of our rooms with a pillow and a blanket. Mom took the only blow-up mattress and refused to share—even with Dad.” Ace snickered. “We were then woken up the next morning at the crack of dawn by the rising sun streaming in through the windows.”

The same year that we moved into the new house, I met Aidan, and a year later, my parents bought the beach house, which meant Ryan and I were sharing a bathroom yet again, though it was only for a short period of time when we did. But things were different then. Ryan had started college already, and it was the summer before my senior year, so time had changed us. Molded us into different people.

“I couldn’t handle sharing a bathroom with a girl,” Ace said, breaking the silence. “I think I’d go crazy.”

“What are you going to do when you get married?” I asked with a snort.

“She can have the master, and I’ll have my own. A man needs his own space.” I couldn’t help the giggle that passed my lips. I was rewarded with a real smile from him. My heart swelled in my chest.

“Tell me about the homes you grew up in.” His smile disappeared quickly, and I instantly regretted the question. But I couldn’t take the words back.

“I lived in a small house with two bedrooms and one bathroom the majority of my life until Mom met Hank, and we became rich as soon as she took his last name. I had myown room and bathroom that was decorated like a fishbowl for a long time.” I snorted a laugh, and the barest hint of a smile tugged at Ace’s lips before it fell. “I felt like a pauper turned king overnight. It was very exciting and new, and I didn’t have to share with my mom anymore. I only had to keep it clean as per Hank’s instruction and that, I could do.”

I hated thinking about a young Ace always looking for someone’s approval and love. I hated Hank for making Ace feel unworthy of being loved. Like he was second best. Because he wasn’t. Sure, Ace could be a dick, but under that tough-boy exterior, he was tender. Sweet. And hecared.

“When Jack died, my mom and I had to leave Hank for our own safety. We found a haven in my gran’s one-bedroom apartment. It at least had two bathrooms, but unfortunately, only one had a shower. My mom and gran shared a double bed while I spent many sleepless nights on the couch with a lumpy pillow and a thin blanket.”

He paused as a loud clap of thunder shook the building, reminding us of the storm raging outside. It seemed to mimic Ace’s feelings and his story.

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