Page 22 of Scar

He sighs and kisses me on the cheek. “I will see you tomorrow. Be good,” is the last thing he says before walking out of my room.

I sag with relief and finish getting ready to go wedding dress shopping for the wedding I didn’t even want.

“You seehow the fabric swoops elegantly down, it really flatters your shape.” The saleswoman smiles as I look at my refection in the huge mirror they made me stand in front of. No smile, no emotion. This dress felt like hand cuffs.

I cleared my throat. “It’s great, I will take it,” I say with a nod, not caring what it looks like. I just know it’s a type of dress Layton would approve of and that was all that matters. My life was his.

The woman looks surprised but soon masks it, quickly realising that she’s made a sale and to take my money. I quickly change, wanting the dress off of me, feeling like it was burning my skin. As I hand her my credit card, well Layton’s credit card, I’m sure he would get the notification of the transaction and be happy to see that I am doing what I said I would be doing. The woman smiles kindly, and she pauses for a moment, looking at my face. Concern flickers in her eyes and that’s when I realise I’ve tucked my hair behind my ear. Even though I have applied heavy make-up, the dark bruise is still visible. I quickly untuck my hair and give the woman a tight smile.

“Thank you.” I smile as I snatch the card from her hand and turn and leave before she can start asking questions.

I walk quickly down the street, heading to my car. As I hear a deep rumble in the distance, I look up and see motorbikes approach. I freeze at the side of my car, just watching them.

Is it him?

My heart, my entire body freezes as I watch them get closer and closer. Waiting, wanting it to be him, needing to know he made it back okay. Even now I don’t know if he made it. He could have collapsed and died in the woods for all I know. Hell, my father could have found him and killed him without me knowing. I would just like to see that he’s alive. That’s all I need.

The bikes turn left to a diner just ahead of me, and it’s then that I notice their club patch on the back of their cuts. Black Hearts MC. A sob almost escapes my throat as I squint, trying to see if it’s him. I can’t tell as the sun burns my eyes. They all enter the diner and I move, not even thinking to check the traffic as I walk straight across the road. Car horns sound but I don’t care. I need to know he is okay.

Opening the door to the diner, I see them sat in the far corner. My feet shuffle me forward and as I approach, one of them looks up. “You okay, darlin’?” he asks.

The others turn around, and it’s not him. I tense, my heart feeling like it’s about to shatter.

“Sorry, I thought, er... I thought you were someone else,” I mutter, giving them a small, embarrassed smile. I quickly turn to leave and hit something hard. “Shit, I’m sorry,” I whisper, keeping my eyes cast down. I just want to get out of here. The damn of tears felt so close to breaking and I needed to get back to my car.

“Angel?” his deep voice rasps, as if he can’t quite believe what he’s seeing. I lift my eyes to look up into his, and that damn breaks as a sob rips from my throat. I cover my mouth as tears fall, but my smile is wide. He moves quickly and picks me up in his arms. I bury my face in the crook of his neck, letting the tears fall as I breathe him in.

He’s alive. He’s here and he’s alive. It’s not been for nothing.

“Lizzie, you got somewhere private?” I hear him ask.

“Straight out back. Use my office,” a woman offers.

I feel him moving, but I don’t look up or let go. Fear coursed through me that if I did, I would realise that this isn’t real. I hear a door shut and Scar places me down on my feet. Leaning back, I look up at him. He grins and I smile back.

“You’re alive,” I whisper.

He nods. “I’m alive. Thanks to you,” he states warmly.

I sniff, still unable to stop smiling. Reaching up, I wipe my cheeks. “God, your friends must think I’m totally insane,” I scoff. “I’m so sorry for losing my shit out there. It was, well it was such a surprise. An amazing surprise.” I beam, feeling happiness for the first time in a long time.

“You got time for a coffee?” he asks.

I nod. “Yeah, I’ve got time.”

“Good, because clearly you’ve been busy,” he states, nodding down to the huge engagement ring on my finger.

I internally groan, not wanting to talk about Layton.

We stand there for a moment, just looking into each other’s eyes. He looks good, healthy. My heart swells at the sight of him, and seeing him here right now makes all the pain, the hell it’s been worth it.

CHAPTER TWELVE

ELSIE

Claspingthe hot cup of coffee in my hands with Scar sat opposite me, I want to freeze time. I don’t want this small bubble of happiness to end.

His eyes slowly assess me. “So, tell me what you’ve been up to. You’re feeling okay?” I ask.

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