Page 43 of Broken Bonds

“What is this place?”

I shut off the truck’s engine, put my keys in the pocket of my jacket, and then turn to face her.

“Thisis a rage room. You can go in there where I’ve reserved a room for you, and it will be full of things for you to smash to absolute hell to let everything out that’s been consuming you since the wreck happened. And before you ask, yes, it is safe, and you can do it while you’re pregnant, but to ease any worries, I have some protective things you can put on if you want. I’m sure they’ll have some in there for you already, though. I also have some spider tape in case you wanted to try it out because I read it can help reduce pressure from the extra wei—” I stop when I notice her glassy eyes.

“What? What did I say? Ah, shit. I’m sorry Ramsey. Hey, hey. Don’t cry. It’ll break my damn heart if you cry. Shit. This was a terrible idea. I don’t know what I was thinking. Dammit,” I mutter as I lean my head back against my seat, groaning into my hands when I bring them up to cover my face.

I’m an idiot. I don’t know what I said to make her tear up, but it was like a knife to the chest to see her pretty green eyes fill with tears. I hear her shuffle in her seat, but don’t remove my hands from my face. I can’t see those tears in her eyes without yearning to pull her into my arms and hold her.

“Hey, it’s fine. I’m fine. It’s nothing. Seriously. This is great,” she says eventually, her hand landing on my arm, sending all the way to the tips of my fingers.

I drop my hands and roll my head towards her. “You don’t have to try to make me feel better if I fucked up. I just thought smashing shit would... I don’t know... give you a chance to let it all out.”

“I’m not trying to make you feel better. This is areallynice gesture, and Ireallyappreciate it. So come on. Take me inside and let me destroy this room because obliterating shit sounds pretty fucking great right about now,” she says gently, the smallest hint of a smile making its way across her lips.

That small smile gives me hope.

Hope that she can beat this depression.

That she can heal and grow. That she’ll beokay.

“Yes ma’am,” I say, unable to take my eyes off her until she turns away from me and opens her door.

I blink my eyes several times before obeying her command and hopping out as well, walking by her side toward the doors.

ChapterTen

RAMSEY

As we step insideof the warehouse, I immediately note the lack of furnishings and how the walls are covered in colorful graffiti art. Forde goes straight to the counter and checks us in. He verifies it’s safe for me to do this with me by his side, making sure I feel secure by confirming it in my presence. Something I appreciate more than he knows.

Once we’ve been assured, the nice beta behind the counter goes over the package he paid for with him. While they chat, I learn he’s requested the largest package they offer, which gives us glassware, electronics, and several other items that I imagine will be quite satisfying to destroy. I’m nearly giddy at the prospect of breaking things, the most emotion I’ve felt other than grief in weeks.

When the woman informs him that he can add extra items for an added fee, he happily hands his card over after telling her to throw in some extras. I feel slightly guilty when I hear the total, but when I offer to pay for it the look Forde gives me makes my throat go dry, and a warmth spreads through me I’m choosing to ignore.

When he explained what this place was, I felt a bit stunned, and as more words came pouring out of his mouth, I felt a bubbly sensation within me. The thing that caused my eyes to become watery was when he mentioned the tape. That he took the time to look into something that might give me some reprieve from the weight of my ever-growing belly was endearing.

It may seem like a silly thing to get emotional over, but not to me. All I could think about were my alphas and the amount of effort they had put into researching remedies that could help me feel more comfortable as the babies grew.

Once we’ve completed the sign-in process, another beta comes out and leads us down the hallway to a room. Inside, he hands us safety gear and goes over the rules with us.

The safety gear consists of coveralls, a padded chest protector that reaches past my belly, thick gloves, and my choice of a mask or hard hat and goggles. I’m about to go for the hard hat and goggles, but Forde quickly chooses for me, immediately passing me a full coverage mask with a stern expression aimed my way, and I can’t help but laugh under my breath. I shake my head, but take the full coverage mask without complaint because I can tell he just wants to make sure I’m protected.

It’s actually kind of sweet how determined he is to help me.

The rules appear to be fairly straightforward and self-explanatory.

Don’t hit other people with your tools or breakables.

Don’t hit the walls, cameras, or stands.

Don’t throw tools or weapons.

Stuff like that.

Once we’re both in our protective gear and all the safety rules have been explained, we’re led into another room that’s of a decent size and filled with an assortment of items.

Just inside the doorway, there’s a table with a variety of tools and weapons that you can choose from. The collection ranges from crowbars and golf clubs to baseball bats and hammers.A decent selection of glassware waits on another table, which contains buckets and tubs that are full of items such as wine glasses, vases, plates, and crystal. An old-fashioned box tv is in one corner of the room and a newer model flat screen is nestled in the other. There are also a few kitchen appliances scattered about, like a microwave and stove.

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