Now That I Found You: A Tortured Heroine Standalone Romance (Heart's Compass Novella)

by Brooke O'Brien

  He stands there for a moment, almost frozen in place as a smile stretches wide over his face. It’s as if it’s finally hitting us all at once, it’s here. The day is finally here.

  I expect Callum to kick it into gear, and patiently rush me around the house to grab our bags and get out the door. He takes me by surprise as he steps in closer to me, dropping to his knees on the floor. I can’t help but stare down at him in wonder.

  “You ready, sweetheart?”

  He presses his hands on either side of my stomach, leaning in and presses a kiss against my round belly.

  “I’ve been counting down the days, Callum. I can’t believe it’s happening now.”

  Any of the nerves and anxiety I felt a moment ago lessen, just having Callum near me.

  “It’s gonna to be okay. I promise I’ll be there with you every step of the way.”

  Tears fill the brims of my eyes. Letting out a deep sigh, I breathe out slowly, which isn’t easy to do, trying to hold back the tears as one escapes and streams down the side of my face.

  “Don’t cry, baby.” His voice is smooth and reassuring. “You’re too beautiful to cry.”

  I run my hands over Callum’s, where they’re pressed lightly against the sides of my tummy.

  “Alright, buddy! This is it,” he says to my tummy. “It’s the day we’ve been training for the past several months. Now I know you’re excited, you want to make your debut, but let me get your momma to the hospital safely, then you can rock ‘n roll.”

  This has become a regular occurrence for us lately, where he spends time talking to me and our son. He likes to talk to him as if he were here, and I can’t help but love hearing all the stories he tells him.

  Callum stands, tangling his fingers in my hair as he presses a kiss against my lips and once more on my forehead.

  “You go get your shoes on and grab your purse. I’ll get the bag and meet you at the door.”

  I’ve dreamt about this day happening, about seeing Callum’s face the moment we both meet our son. Callum holds my hand the entire way to the hospital. He kisses the back, reassuring me it is all going to be okay.

  A lot has changed over the past few months, but in the best way possible. Shortly after we found out we were having a boy, Callum surprised me with a trip back to my hometown, Garwood. He didn’t tell me about it until the day we left. A part of him worried it would set back my progress.

  The trip ended up being the best thing for the both of us and our healing. For me, it was an opportunity to show Callum were I was from. I took him by the cemetery where my dad and Grams were both buried. They were the two most important people in my life before I met Callum. They are the reason I had the courage to leave Garwood in the first place and, had that not have happened, I know I wouldn’t have found Callum either.

  For a long time, it felt like I was running away from the past but being able to go back there helped me finally see how far I’ve come. I’m so grateful Callum took me on the trip. It gave me a sense of closure I had been searching for.

  There was no preparing me for the moment I held my son for the first time. Sitting in the hospital bed as I stare down as his precious face and feel his soft skin against mine, I’m reminded of all the good there is in the world as a feeling of contentment washes over me.

  “He has your nose,” Callum whispers, sitting on the edge of the bed with one arm wrapped around me and the other helping cradle our son.

  “He does.” I smile, leaning forward to press a kiss against his cheek.

  “You want to hold him?” I ask, glancing up at Callum.

  “Oh boy, do I ever.” He grins, leaning closer to slide his arms underneath mine. Callum takes over, standing near me at the hospital bed as he bounces him in his arms. His face is pressed in close to our son’s, whispering softly to him before he pulls back and says, “Yeah, buddy. She’s beautiful, isn’t she? She’s also the strongest and most loving woman I know. We’re two of the luckiest guys in the world.”

  “You look good holding our son, Daddy.” I grin, as Callum leans over to press a kiss against my forehead.

  “Mm, I like the way that sounds coming from you.” He winks. “Think you’re gonna have to give me a few more of these, baby.”

  “I’m holding you to that,” I sigh, leaning back as I watch my husband pace around the room as he kisses him on the forehead before he starts talking to him once again.

  “You hear that, Liam? I think you’re going to have a little brother or sister soon.”

  All I’ve ever wanted was for us to have a family and grow old together. Our road to where we are now wasn’t always easy. But watching Callum hold our son, I know I’m where I’m meant to be. I’ve found the love I’ve been searching for and now that I found him, I’m finally home.

  * * *

  Thank you for reading NOW THAT I FOUND YOU! I hope you love catching up with Callum and Ellie’s as much as I did.

  If you enjoyed Now That I Found You, be sure to check out the rest of the Heart’s Compass series at www.authorbrookeobrien.com/booksbybrooke.

  If you loved the Heart’s Compass crew, I’d love to give you a sneak peek at my Tattered Heart Duet. Remember Maverick, Graham’s best friend? He has his own duet! It’s a brother’s best friend/military romance that can be read as a companion to the Heart’s Compass series. Just for signing up for my newsletter I’ll give you the first book for FREE!

  When you sign up for my newsletter you’ll get updates on my upcoming releases, along with exclusive giveaways and more. I’d love to have you join my Facebook Group, Brooke Rebel Readers too.

  I appreciate your help in spreading the word, including telling a friend. Reviews help readers find books! Please leave a review on your favorite site.

  Now, turn the page for a sneak peek of Torn…

  Sneak Peek of Torn

  * * *

  Prologue

  Maverick

  It was never my intention to fall in love with my best friend’s sister. I was thirteen when I moved down the street from Dean Blake. He had come into my life at a time I struggled to cope with the world around me. Our friendship came without any pressures, it was easy. He didn’t ask questions, but I think he knew what would happen if he did.

  I closed off the door to my heart a long time ago. I didn’t want to feel. The pain that comes with letting the emotions in is more than I could ever bear. Even through it all, I still remember the way I felt when I met his twin sister, Ryan. It was like a jolt to my heart, forcing it to beat out of rhythm.

  Ryan was all legs, chocolate brown hair flowing in the breeze covered by her backward snapback. The first thing I noticed was the intricate detail of the designs covering her skin, like vines wrapping around her arm.

  If the sweet and innocent look on her face was any indication, she was too young to have tattoos of her own. I was drawn to the outward shell she presented to the world because I recognized it for what it was. A distraction from all the parts you want to keep buried deep. She was like a mirage of walking contradictions, which I knew to be true the moment she opened her smart mouth.

  The passion she withheld under the surface was like a beacon of light shining in the dark night. Her fiery personality was the first thing to trigger a spark in the hollows of my heart.

  All these years I’ve spent keeping my distance from her, out of fear of facing my feelings and the consequences that could follow. The hard part is, I know she feels the connection between us, too. The pull that keeps us tethered to each other, despite never allowing her to get close enough.

  She’s turning eighteen in two days and the resistance I’ve been struggling to keep hold of is starting to wear thin. Nothing good can come from going down this path because no matter how much my heart aches for her, it’s inevitable I’ll leave her heart torn in two.

  One

  Ryan

  “Roll the window down, it smells like sex in here!” I shout, waving my hand in front of my face. Sticking my head outsi
de, I take a deep breath and turn my head toward my best friend with a shit eating grin on my face.

  “Says the virgin,” she mutters, rolling her eyes as she turns up the music to drown out any smart-ass reply I could fire back. I know she can hear me as I tell her to fuck off, which prompts her to wave her middle finger in the air at me while keeping her eyes on the road.

  Papa Roach blares through the speakers, as I slide back into my seat adjusting my hat as I do. I can feel the energy from the music run through my body as I nod my head to the lyrics.

  Nadia is my best friend, my A1 since day one. There’s not much I wouldn’t do for her and I knew it to be true from the day we first met.

  We were in eighth grade, riding the bus to school, when Kara Parker thought it would be fucking funny to pick shit out of the garbage and throw it at me from where she sat in the back. She only messed with me on the days my twin brother, Dean, would opt to walk to school with his friends.

  She knew better than to pull that shit around Dean.

  Nadia had been sitting in the seat across from me. It was the first day we had ever talked to each other. After watching a pop bottle cap whiz past our heads, she turned toward me with her face hard as stone as she said, “You ready to put this bitch down?”

  My response mirrored the same devilish grin she flashed me. She’s been my ride or die ever since.

  “Did you talk to your mom about staying over at my place tomorrow?” she asks, shouting over the music. Nadia’s parents take on the role of parenting from a distance. They leave her money on the counter and make sure there’s always food in the cabinets. Otherwise, they’re hardly home, which makes it the perfect place to crash when we plan to hit up a party or two on the weekends.

  "She hasn’t responded to my text message yet,” I mutter, clicking the button on the side of my phone to check for a response. “I’m going to call her and see.” Leaning over, I turn down the radio as I click the call button.

  “Big Papa’s Pizzeria.”

  My brother’s immature greeting has me rolling my eyes so hard I’m surprised they didn’t pop out of my head and roll across the floor. The worst part is the annoying laugh that follows finding his lame joke funny.

  “Put Mom on the phone,” I snap, cutting off his obnoxious laughter, running my fingers over the frayed hole in my jeans.

  “What’s in it for me?”

  “Staying alive. Now quit being a prick, dick licker, and put her on the phone.”

  “You wanna talk to your mom with that dirty mouth?” Dean laughs. I can hear the light chuckling in the background, and if I had to guess, Maverick is there with him.

  Figures.

  “Seriously, D. I don’t have all night. If I don’t talk to her now, I’m going to be home late.”

  “You better hope that’s not the case. After the last time, you know you’re going to end up grounded. Happy Birthday to you.”

  I can picture his smug face as he sings the last part to me and I seriously want to junk punch him.

  “Alright, Dad. Noted. Now put her on the fucking phone.”

  I can hear the light rustling on the other end before my mom’s overly chipper voice filters through the phone.

  “Yes, Ryan,” she says with a sigh.

  “Hi, Mom,” I reply, my tone extra sweet which has Nadia laughing. “Is it cool if I crash at Nadia’s this weekend?”

  “Not tonight, Ryan,” she replies curtly. “You can tomorrow since it’s your birthday, but it’s not necessary to stay over two nights in a row.”

  “Can I stay out a little later tonight then instead? It’s a Friday night and we were going to meet up with some friends.”

  “You’ve been late once already this month, even after I extended your curfew. You have until ten o’clock to be home, Ryan. By the looks of it, that gives you seventeen minutes. I’ll see you soon.”

  Nadia glances down at the clock as the line disconnects.

  “Ry, we’re not going to make it in time,” she says, voicing my thoughts. I don’t say anything because she’s right. My house is at least twenty-five minutes away on a good day.

  “Shit,” I groan, running my hand over my face.

  Nadia does her best to get me home in time, but when we hit a train on Rockford Drive, I know it’s no use.

  “Look on the bright side,” Nadia says, peering over at me out of the corner of her eye. “If Dean is home, that likely means Maverick is crashing at your house tonight.”

  Maverick is one of my brother’s best friends, which is both a blessing and a curse. He and Dean never go anywhere without the other. Dean is the annoying, obnoxious jock who likes to have all the attention on him. Maverick, on the other hand, is the complete opposite and sometimes I wonder what prompted their friendship.

  Don’t get me wrong, Dean’s my twin brother, and he’s a great guy. I don’t know what they have in common besides skateboarding. Whatever it is, they are nearly inseparable. Maverick usually ends up staying over at our house, which I appreciate because it means I get to see him more.

  “Like that matters. He acts as if I’m not there. I swear you’d think he hated me or something.”

  “I don’t think that’s true.” Nadia laughs, shaking her head. “I think he’s very much aware you’re there. He just knows Dean would lose his shit if he knew he saw you as anything but his sister.”

  Which brings me to why it’s a curse. Any chance of Maverick seeing me as more than his best friend’s sister goes out the window. I know he would never do anything to put their friendship in jeopardy.

  I can keep a secret and what Dean doesn’t know won’t hurt him.

  Nadia whips the car into the driveway, pulling in behind Dean’s beat-up Ford truck. The thing has seen better days, but he refuses to replace it.

  “Text me when you can and let me know the damage,” she mutters, clearly concerned our plans for tomorrow could be ruined.

  I push the door of the car open and lean the seat forward, pulling out my skateboard from the backseat. I sling my backpack over my shoulder and readjust my hat on my head.

  “Wish me luck,” I groan, as I move the seat back in place.

  We say our goodbyes as I head toward the front of my house.

  My mom is in the kitchen loading the dishwasher when I enter the house. She doesn’t bother to look at me, which I know can’t be good. Kicking my shoes off near the door, I prop my board against the wall.

  I spot Dean and Maverick lounging in the living room. Dean has his leg draped across the coffee table and a grin on his face, knowing what’s about to come. Maverick grimaces and I know this can’t be good.

  “Welcome home,” my mother says, the force of the dishwasher closing draws my attention away from him.

  “Ryan, this is the second time you’ve been late this month. Before you even try to argue, I want to point out your birthday is in less than two hours, and I know you have plans with Nadia.”

  Dropping my bag down on the bench near the door, I slide the hat off my head and toss it on top before facing my mom.

  “I’m sorry,” I sigh, knowing nothing good will come from me saying anything more. “I’m going to bed.”

  I walk through the kitchen and into the living room. The urge to junk punch Dean has returned when I see the arrogant smirk on his face.

  “Keep it up, fucker,” I mutter under my breath, careful to not let my mom overhear us as I flash him the finger.

  “What’s that?” he retorts, turning his head to peer over the back of the couch.

  Spinning around, I find both of their eyes on me. Seeing that my mom has since made her way out of the kitchen, likely retreating to our parents’ bedroom, I don’t hold back.

  “I said keep it up, fucker. I should be the one laughin’ at you, sitting at home like a bum on a Friday night,” I snap, sounding bored as I lean against the wall.

  There are about seven minutes separating the two of us. My parents were expecting to bring home two baby boys when I was b
orn. What they didn’t expect was for the second child to be born a girl. My name is evidence of that.

  Dean turns around, facing the TV and lets out an annoyed grunt, “Fuck off, Ry.”

  My eyes bounce from Dean to Maverick and I’m surprised when I find Maverick’s are already on me. They shine bright with amusement, as he bites his lower lip in an attempt to hide the grin lining his mouth. Crossing his arms over his chest, he runs his hand over his jaw as he glances over to make sure Dean isn’t paying attention.

  The thick muscles are tanned from all his days outside without his T-shirt on. His dark-brown hair is longer on top. The wayward strands give the appearance like he has ran his fingers through them one too many times.

  The sleeves of my white T-shirt are cut off, giving it more of a muscle-shirt look. You can see my black sports bra from the side and a hint of my sun-kissed skin underneath.

  My heart starts to pound as I relish the thought of him struggling to take his eyes off me. Taking two steps backward, I keep my eyes trained on him. I think back to my conversation with Nadia in the car when she said it’s Dean that’s holding him back.

  The bold side of me wants to test her theory and see if it’s true.

  Standing outside my bedroom door, I keep my eyes focused on Maverick as I grab the hem of my shirt and pull the cotton material over my head. I roll my shirt into a ball before tossing it in the direction of my dirty clothes but not bothering to check if it made it.

  I watch as Maverick’s jaw clenches as his eyes travel over the length of my body, resting longer on my chest than necessary before finally bringing his eyes up to meet mine. He leans forward, pressing his elbows to his knees. Even then, he doesn’t take his eyes off me.

  “D, I’m gonna use your bathroom quick and head out. I should’ve been home a little while ago.”

  I can hear Dean mumble out a response, but I have no idea what he says. I’m too lost in the look on Maverick’s face to pay much attention to what is going on around me.