Isabelle’s heart sank. Great, just great.
“Maia,” Jace warned softly.
“What are they saying?” Tate asked in a hard voice that promised violence.
“That Isabelle caught Kimberley and Jace having sex so she shot them both and then tried to turn a gun on herself,” Maia replied bluntly.
Isabelle’s insides solidified. Well, she was never going back to school now. Looks like she would have to convince her parents to home school her.
“Are you kidding me?” Tate hissed.
Maia shrugged unconcerned. “Yeah, but don’t worry babe. I’ve set everyone straight.”
Isabelle raised a questioning eyebrow and gestured for Maia to continue.
“I explained really subtly that my two sisters were brave, beautiful survivors who demanded respect and they should treat you as such.”
Matt grinned wickedly. “What she means is that she beat the shit out of three girls she heard gossiping about you, then strode into the guys’ change room with scissors, threatening to cut anyone who said a word about either you or Kimberley.”
Silence blanketed the group as everyone stared at Maia with a mixture of fear and awe.
“What?” Maia demanded, shaking her gorgeous black hair off her face.
You’re my hero.
Isabelle flipped the board so Maia could see.
Maia shrugged again like it was nothing. “It’s not a big deal.”
“I hope you’re up for some company for the rest of this week,” Matt said to Isabelle. “Because Maia’s little ‘not a big deal’ stunt cost her suspension for the rest of the week.”
Jace smirked. “Suspension, little sister? I thought I was the family screw up.”
“You are not,” Maia said coldly. “And besides, Mum wasn’t even mad about it. She said she was proud that both of her children were so fiercely loyal to those they cared about.”
“It’s an amazing thing your Mum is doing for Kimberley,” Tate said quietly.
Maia smiled warmly. “Yeah, she’s amazing, but Kimberley deserves the chance at a decent life and we’re going to make sure she gets it.”
“Babe, you know they’re aren’t sure if she’s-”
“She’s going to wake up,” Maia replied harshly, cutting off Matt. “I don’t want to hear about it again, OK? She’s going to wake up and she’s never going to be hurt again.”
“Kids, food’s ready!” Claire called over the tense silence.
“Isabelle honey, you need to eat,” Cleo called after a moment.
When they still made no move to join them, Aunty Lex called out next.
“Tate Stevens, do not make me come over there!”
Tate sighed deeply and rose to his feet. “She really will come over here and grab us all by the ears if we don’t go.”
“Even me?” Maia asked curiously.
Tate grinned. “She doesn’t discriminate.”
Grumbling good naturedly they all moved away from the pool and joined their families to eat.
Dinner was a mix of delicious foods, laughter, and stories about Maia and Jace’s childhood of broken bones, detentions and hilarious adventures. One story about Maia forcing Jace and Matt to dress up as Destiny’s Child so they could perform at a talent show made Tate laugh so hard he snorted drink out of his nose.
“Which of the Destiny’s children were you?” Tate asked Jace through his laughter.
“Michelle,” Jace said sourly. “Maia always played favourites, so Matt got to be Kelly while Maia was, of course, Beyoncé.”
“Isabelle used to perform the Spice Girls songs for us,” her Dad added with a devilish smile. “Nine years old and singing to her Father about how two become one, accompanied with hand gestures and her hips swaying.”
He cringed at the memory. “I remember looking at Cleo and saying ’Really? You’re not going to do anything about this?’ ”
Cleo giggled. “It was harmless; she had no idea what she was singing!”
“It was bloody uncomfortable,” James replied. “Especially when she would keep eye contact with me, while she copied their moves and would be body rolling and shimmying all over the place.”
Isabelle flushed red, completely and utterly humiliated, and threw a couple of pieces of Feta cheese at her Dad to make him shut up.
“Which Spice Girl were you?” Jace asked into her ear seductively.
Isabelle mimed cradling a child to indicate Baby Spice.
He grinned knowingly. “She was always the hottest, so that makes sense.”
“I’m right here, son,” James said in a teasingly stern tone.
Jace grinned at him, unrepentant. “You created perfection sir. I’m just admiring your creation.”
The women at the table aww’d in unison as the men groaned at Jace’s sappiness. Isabelle was a molten mess inside from all his sweet words and the soft touches he’d been laying on her all night.
“Well, on that note we’d better clear up. It’s getting late and my perfect creation needs some rest.”
As a group they cleared up the mess, stored the leftovers in containers and then bid everyone a good night until it was just Jace with Isabelle and her parents standing in the front entrance.
“I’ll come over first thing tomorrow, OK?” Jace said softly.
Panic gripped Isabelle at the thought of Jace leaving her cold and alone to face the darkness of her dreams. They were weaning her off the medications so tonight she wasn’t going to be knocked out cold. Isabelle was certain that meant she would suffer from nightmares tonight.
Jace noticed the panic in her voice and took her trembling body into his arms, holding her like she was the most precious thing in the world.
“It’s OK, Angel,” he whispered. “Just take a few deep breaths and then let them out slowly. I’m just across the road - you’re not alone.”
His words were meant to be soothing but the panic held her too firmly for them to truly work. All Isabelle could do was clutch onto Jace like a lifeline, trying to draw strength from his warm, steady embrace.
“Your bedroom door stays open,” her Dad’s voice boomed suddenly.
Still clinging to Jace, Isabelle turned her face in confusion towards her Father.
“Jace can stay the night,” he clarified. “But the door stays open.”
The relief was so crushing that this time her knees did buckle. Jace was forced to lift her into his arms so she didn’t collapse on the ground.
“We’re trusting you here,” her Mum added quietly with her gaze was on Jace.
“Yes Ma’am,” he replied solemnly. “I just want to take care of our girl.”
Cleo nodded at him, moved over to kiss Isabelle on the cheek and then dragged away a reluctant James.
Did that just happen? Holy crap, did her parents just give a green light for Jace to sleep in her room with her? The world was going crazy.
“Don’t look so scandalised,” Jace chuckled as he made his way to her room. “Your Dad is likely going to sit outside your room with a shotgun, just waiting for an excuse to shoot me.”
His teasing statement made Isabelle relax enough to offer a smile, but her body remained stiff with apprehension.
“Go to sleep, Angel,” Jace whispered into her ear, as if sensing the tension in her body. “I’ll keep you safe while you dream, I promise.”
The words settled over her and before she even felt him lay her next to her on the bed, she was in a dreamless, peaceful sleep.
*
Her first conscious thought the next morning was that there had been no dreams at all plaguing her last night. The second thought was that every part of her body hurt like hell. And the third and best thought – that she wasn’t alone in her bed.
Jace was curled up next to her, his arm around her waist possessively, and his beautiful face turned to her like he’d fallen asleep watching her. He was topless and still in his shorts from yesterday, a mass of tanned and toned skin on full display. He looked vulnerable in
sleep, his face soft and unguarded, but his lips were turned down slightly as if, even in his dreams, he was worrying about others.
The most beautiful boy she had ever laid eyes on without a doubt - and he was in bed with her, holding her, offering his heart to her, even after all she had done to push him away. If it weren’t for the piercing pain in her ribs and the rawness of her throat she would be convinced this was a sweet delusion.
Gently she swept dark hair off his forehead and traced his tilted lips, wanting to kiss him and tell him she loved him. To make promises no seventeen year old had any business making but would mean all the same.
“Angel?” he murmured, his voice rough and sleepy.
Clearing her throat Isabelle tried to say something, anything to him but the pain was so consuming she curled away from him, clawing at her throat uselessly.
“Isabelle! You’re not meant to try speaking,” Jace chided, now completely awake and hovering over her. “Just punch me in the face or something next time if you want my attention. I won’t have you hurting yourself any further.”
So bossy and possessive for someone so young! It was annoying being treated with kid gloves but unfortunately she was too trapped in her agony to be able to tell him. In fact, she was too overwhelmed by the excruciating pain that she didn’t even notice that he’d left the room until he returned with her pain medication and an icy pole to help soothe her throat.
He gently guided her to a sitting position helping her swallow her tablets before unwrapping the ice block and pressing it into her weak and trembling hands.
“What am I going to do with you, huh?” he whispered in her ear once he had settled himself behind her, supporting her as always.
‘Never leave me,’ Isabelle thought irrationally.
They sat in silence as Isabelle painstakingly finished the icy pole and then slumped in relief against his chest as the medications kicked in and the pain became tolerable.
“Your parents are hovering in the corridor,” he whispered into her ear. “I’m impressed they’ve been giving us this much space, but I think they’re just about reached their limit. Should we head down for some breakfast or is there something else you can suggest for us instead?”
Should WE head down…. Suggest for US…
Such simple sentences but the sentiment meant more than anything to Isabelle because he hadn’t even thought about it, had just assumed that whatever came towards them from now on they would face together like a team.
“Angel?” he prodded.
She gestured for him to pass her white board as she gathered the strength and courage to do what she knew was long overdue.
With the pen in her hand she wrote quickly.
We’re a team, right?
“Of course,” he replied instantly.
And we’re moving forward, no more running or hiding, and no more secrets?
“What’s this about, Isabelle?” he asked, brows furrowed in concern.
Taking a wheezing breath she erased her words and started again.
I don’t want to live in the self-imposed cage of loathing anymore, and I don’t want anyone else to suffer for my issues either.
Jace read the words and nodded slightly. “OK, so you want to try counselling together?”
Eventually. What I want right now is to start with a blank slate with everybody but I can’t do it myself. I need you to help me to be strong enough so I can move forward and never look back.
“Anything,” he promised. “I’ll do anything you need.”
She closed her eyes in relief, as well a little in dread, because what she was going to ask him to do was a little unfair and potentially disastrous, but she emotionally and physically could not do it without him.
I want my parents to know the truth, the whole truth about everything and I can’t wait weeks for my voice to heal to do it. I need you to be my strength and my voice so we can all put this behind us. I can’t keep running like a coward, I need it to be over for me and for them.
He didn’t reply immediately after he’d read her words, just stared down at her with those gorgeous blue eyes assessing her.
“You are the bravest person I have ever met,” he said firmly. “You are so loved, and after we face this together, I hope you let yourself feel how deserving you are. Do you want to do this here in your room or downstairs?”
The thought of moving from her bed was so exhausting she slumped further against his chest, causing him to chuckle.
“Here it is then.”
He called out to her parents, and true to his earlier words they raced in moments later.
“Is everything all right?” her Mum asked anxiously, scanning her face and body.
Isabelle nodded and gestured for them to sit at the end of the bed.
“I’m going to help translate for Isabelle,” Jace told them softly. “There are some things she needs to get out so that the healing can truly begin.”
With anxious, expectant eyes her parents watched her from their spot on her bed, looking like they’d aged about five years in the last six months.
God, was she even going to be able to do this? Maybe she was just better off dealing with it herself and finding a way to come to grips with the past so she didn’t need to confront all the conflicting emotions whirling inside.
“We got this, Angel,” Jace whispered into her ear.
We.
As always, he knew exactly what she needed before she did, and his unwavering support and belief in her gave her the courage and strength she needed.
With a sad smile at her parents, Isabelle picked up the pen and let the chains of the past fall away as she began to write.
EPILOGUE
JACE
A gentle breeze caressed his skin and he felt tranquility in the night around him. The night sky was clear from clouds and filled with stars, the moon bright and full. Distant laughter could be heard behind him while only peace and contentment lay before him.
“Jace?”
He closed his eyes, his lips tipping up into a smile. He’d heard her voice countless times, in every tone imaginable, whispering heartbreaking confessions, turning heads with the cadence of her laughter, and fulfilling his dreams with her beautiful statements. They’d spent hours sharing their hopes and ambitions for the future and he was yet to be sick of hearing her speak.
Delicate arms wrapped around his waist and her face pressed against his spine.
“I’ve been looking for you, what are you doing out here?”
“Just getting some air, Angel,” he replied, turning around to wrap her in his arms and press her supple body against his.
“Is that Jace speak for ‘abandoning my girlfriend on the dance floor when a couples dance off began’?” she asked with a raised brow.
He shook his head and cupped her jaw in his hands gently.
“Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?”
Even in the darkness he could see her slight blush as she tried to break from his hold.
“Flattery will get you nowhere, Mr. Scown.”
She was lying of course. But he didn’t call her on it. He was far too busy taking in the beauty in front of him, the girl who had been officially his for four months now.
They’d worked through their issues, both needing to seek professional help and spend many hours battling demons of their past. It was brutal, exhausting and seemingly relentless, but they had done it together and for each other so that they could stand proud and content tonight at their Year Twelve Formal.
The moment she had walked down the stairs tonight, Jace’s breath had caught in his throat, and his heart began to beat double time.
Her blonde hair was curly, flowing down her shoulders with a glittery silver butterfly pulling one side away from her face. She wore a strapless purple dress with a dipping neckline framed in shimmery silver, a fitted bodice and flowing skirt. Makeup smoky around the eyes, with bronzed cheeks and plum coloured lips.
A simple silver bra
celet sat delicately on her right wrist and she wore the silver heart necklace he’d given her around her throat.
There actually weren’t any words to do her beauty justice, or to describe just how goddamn lucky he was.
“Babe? You even listening to me?”
Her sweet voice pulled him from his thoughts… and the fact that she was shaking his shoulders firmly.
“I’m fine, beautiful,” he replied against her lips. “Just taking a moment to appreciate how lucky and happy I am.”
She melted into his arms and kissed him tenderly. “I love you.”
Never. He would never tire of hearing those words.
“You’re my world,” he replied with the simple truth.
Nestling in closer she tucked her head under his chin and sighed deeply. “I feel guilty sometimes for being so happy when Kim is...”
Jace exhaled a deep breath. “You deserve everything beautiful in this world, Angel, and that you would even feel guilty for living a life you’ve fought tooth and nail for just proves that.”
“But Kimberley deserves to be happy too, and then there’s Tate … he’s completely put his life on hold while he waits for her to wake up, which at this point…”
“Angel, she’s going to wake up and they’re going to find their way, I promise, but you need to let them find it on their own. Keep living your life, keep loving yourself and be their proof that things get better.”
“Thank you,” she murmured into his chest.
“For what, babe?”
“Being the dream I am so lucky to wake up to.””
His chest clenched and warmth filled his body. He loved her more than anything in this entire world and if he had to trek through the very recesses of hell to make her smile and keep her heart free and full, then he would.
Instead of telling her this, he kissed her to convey those feelings instead, pouring in all his devotion, love and joy. Their lips and bodies crushed together in a familiar tangle as the passion and heat expanded between them.
“This is real, right?” Isabelle whispered when they pulled away minutes later, her eyes bright, vulnerable and filled with so much love and hope.
Jace kissed her full lips gently and then told her the most important truth he had ever known. “This is forever.”
Home is Where the Heart Is (Home #1) Page 32
