“I should let you know he is arguing this wasn’t an abduction case and no abuse has taken place. He is saying you knew he was coming for you, the abuse was at the hands of Mr. Reid, and he was there to get you out of that situation.”
“Are you fucking shitting me? The piece of shit said I did this to her?” I can feel the rage coil in me, boiling just under the surface. The pent-up emotions I’ve kept in check over the past week searching for a way out.
“That’s correct, sir. However, we have evidence proving otherwise. We can first start off with the fact you were out of town. We also found personal artifacts and photographs in the vehicle left on the property, the one he used to transport Ms. Hayes, proving he had been stalking her for quite some time. Photographs that have clearly been taken without her knowledge and, if I had to guess, without her consent.”
The audible intake of breath and the sob that follows nearly breaks my heart. This man, this piece of shit, continues to do everything he can to break her.
Wrapping my arms around Ellie, I can feel her shake as her body is pressed against me. Leaning my head in close to hers, I whisper, “it’s over.”
“I want those photos burned. I want them to appear as though they never existed, do you hear me?” I spit. I know I’m running the risk of getting myself in deep shit talking to the detectives this way but I will not have these pictures of Ellie anywhere for anyone to see them.
“I understand, sir. At this point, they are being used only as evidence in the case to put him behind bars. I know it won’t be easy for you to have to face this man,” he says, turning his attention to Ellie, “but the best chance we have of putting him away for life is if you testify. Do you think you could do that?”
My chest hurts just thinking about all she has endured at the hands of this cocksucker. With my arms still wrapped around her, Ellie turns her head so it’s resting against my chest.
“It’s going to be okay. I’m going to be there with you every step of the way,” I whisper. “I’m never going to leave your side.”
Taking a deep lungful of breath, she leans back and looks me in the eye. “I know that now,” she says. I can see the love in her eyes. “I’ll do it,” she says with so much conviction as she turns to look at Keller.
“He has put me through hell for most of my life. I’m ready to send him there to rot.”
Pushing her hair away from her face, I press my lips against her temple. Keeping my arm wrapped around her, I move to stand at her side as we face the detectives together.
They fill us in on what to expect on his upcoming arraignment, reassuring Ellie he will remain behind bars until the trial begins. With the promise to keep in touch, we see the detectives out and plan for Ellie to stand before the judge on Monday.
As soon as the door closes, I hear Ellie’s sigh of relief as I wrap her back in my arms.
“How are you doin’, baby?” I ask I know this is a lot for her to take in.
“I’m okay,” she says, wrapping her arms around my waist as she rests her head against my chest. “The pain doesn’t hurt any less knowing she still thinks I lied about the past. What kind of mother would still be in a relationship with someone who abuses their child?” she mumbles, burying her face into my neck. I can feel her body tremble through the emotions.
“I don’t know, baby,” I mutter, hearing my voice crack as I press a kiss against her temple.
“I hope now she sees the pain he put me through. She’ll have to live with it because I won’t ever forgive her for this. In a way, I almost feel relieved. Before I knew Royal had been released, I felt like the date was looming out of fear of what was to come when he did. I just want to get the trial over with so I can finally feel like I can move on. I’m ready to focus on my future,” she says, leaning back letting her eyes find mine.
“I’m looking forward to what the future has in store for us, sweetheart.”
Sliding her hands up my chest, she wraps her good hand around my neck as I lean forward, pressing my lips against hers. Running my tongue along her lower lip, she opens her mouth for me.
The sound of someone clearing their throat behind us breaks us from our moment. Looking up, I can see my father, Mason, and Brea standing off to the side in the dining room across the room from us. Both Brea and my father look uncomfortable for breaking up our intimate moment but Mason can’t help but enjoy the awkwardness with a shit eating grin on his face.
“Sorry about that, the detectives stopped by to give us an update on the case,” I say, using the opportunity to change the subject.
“Everything okay?” my father asks, hearing the concern in his tone.
“He was found and locked away, which is all we can ask for right now.” I reassure him, keeping my arm wrapped around Ellie’s waist and pressing her against my side.
“That’s good to hear. I’m sure you’re ready to put this behind you.”
Feeling Ellie nod her head against my chest, she replies, “More than you could ever know.”
“Well, I really should get going. I have an appointment tomorrow morning to wrap things up at the bank. Thank you for having us, Callum. It was nice to meet you, Ms. Ellie.”
As we say our goodbyes, I wrap my brother in a hug. Neither of us apologizes for the shit over the past few months. Looking back on it now, I know it was his way of trying to bring us together.
“Thanks, man, for coming to town. For being here for me with everything at the hospital. For today,” I say, slapping him on the back.
“Of course, bro. You better start answering your phone now or I’ll be back sooner than you expect,” he jokes. Ellie laughs, promising she’ll make sure to keep me in line.
I don’t know what the future looks like with my father or if I can trust his rehab has done enough to help him change. I guess I’ll leave the ball in his court and see where it goes.
One thing I absolutely love about Callum’s house is the bath tub. The thing is big enough to swim laps in.
Okay, maybe not quite, but it’s huge.
After all the events of today, from Callum’s brother and father coming over to the detectives stopping by, I needed some time to myself doing nothing but soaking in the tub.
I could tell Callum was worried about me. He’s concerned how I’m taking the news about Lynne and how I’ll handle testifying. I was being honest when I told him I was ready to move forward. As many questions as I had for my mother, I know Callum is right. I may never get the answers I’m searching for. I’ve thought a lot about that since the conversation we had the day we came home from the hospital. Like Callum, I think it’s time I make peace with my past.
If I’ve learned anything, it’s that I’m stronger than I give myself credit for. With everything that’s happened, I only feel more grateful to have Callum by my side. I don’t think I could get through this without him. He gives me the strength I didn’t know I had.
Lying back, I use the loofah to rub the body wash over my body. I’m careful to keep my cast out of the water, which isn’t easy to do, but I manage. Thinking back to the time in the hospital and the conversation I had with Callum’s mother, I can’t help but think about my feelings for Callum and the words I heard him whisper.
“I love you, Ellie.”
I haven’t told Callum I heard him that day. I know how I feel about him but a part of me still worries that maybe he said those words given everything going on. He was worried about me, and I was in the hospital. You say things when your emotions are running high.
That’s what he meant, right? He just wanted me to know he loved me out of fear of thinking it could be the last time he would ever have the chance to say it. Emotions were high.
Hearing a knock on the door, I turn my head as Callum peeks in.
“You coming to bed soon or are you planning on sleeping in the tub tonight?” he asks, a small smile taking over his face. He can’t see me over the high walls of the tub, but it doesn’t stop him from letting his eyes wander as I look o
ver the side.
“I’m getting out in just a minute; the water is starting to get a little cold,” I say, lifting my hands above me to wrap my hair in a top knot.
“If you’re not out in five minutes, I’m coming in for you.” He winks. Knowing how much time I’ve been spending in this tub lately, he obviously thinks he’ll have to haul me out.
With a nod, Callum turns to leave, pulling the door closed behind him.
Stepping out of the tub, I quickly dry off. Lathering my legs and arms with lotion, I slip on my tank top and shorts. Hanging my damp towel on the rack, I step out of the bathroom and find Callum lying in bed. His shirt is off, leaving his broad chest on display, and I smile at how relaxed he looks.
Walking around to the other side of the bed I’ve taken over as my own, I pull back the comforter before I bend down to plug in my cell phone. It takes a second before it hits me just what I’m seeing, causing my hand to fly to my chest.
“Callum,” I say. It comes out as more of a question than I originally intended. “Where did you find this?” Leaning over, I pick up my necklace from Grams draped over the side of my picture frame. The picture of my father and I that Callum insisted I put next to the bed, instead of tucking it in my wallet.
Tears fill my eyes as relief fills me after thinking I would never find it again.
“When I showed up at your house to pick you up for the wedding, I found it on the floor in the entry way. It had broken, so while you were in the hospital I had Kinsley take it to the jewelry store to have it fixed.”
Needing to feel closer to Callum, I turn and walk back around to the other side of the bed. I can feel his eyes track my movement as he makes room for me. Not wasting another second, I move in close to him, pressing my lips against his. Leaning back, I leave just a breath between us as I whisper a “thank you.”
“You don’t have to thank me, baby. I know how much this necklace means to you,” he says, running his hand along the side of my face.
Leaning into his palm, I take a minute to appreciate the feel of his hands on me. “My Grandma Ellen gave me this necklace right before she passed away,” I say, looking down at the compass engraved in the pendant. “She had always wanted me to get out of Garwood, to finally have the strength to put the past behind me. I’m ready to finally do that.”
Callum runs his hand down the side of my face, over my shoulder, and down my arm until he wraps his hand in mine.
“I’m so glad you did, Ellie.” The words wrap around me, giving me the courage to say what I’ve wanted to say for so long.
Nodding my head, I continue on, “I believe I was meant to run into you that day at the bus station and again that night at the bar. In my heart, I know I was supposed to come here to Arbor Creek. I believe my Grams was hoping this is where I’d end up. This is my home now and it’s where I found you.”
The words are barely out of my mouth before Callum’s lips are on mine. They are soft, yet urgent, and they feel like home. Callum wraps his hand around the necklace, setting it on the nightstand next to the bed as I slide my hand around his neck.
Running my tongue along his lips, he opens for me and as soon as my tongue meets his, I can hear the groan unleashed, vibrating beneath his chest. Leaning back against the headboard, he wraps his arms around my waist, mumbling about needing to feel me. With both of my legs positioned on either side of him, he wraps both his hands around my face as he runs his thumbs along my cheeks. It’s the words he says next nearly stop my heart from beating in my chest.
“I love you, Ellie. I believe I was meant to love you. I made a promise to you that I would never leave your side. For as long as you’ll have me and as long as I live, I’ll spend every day right here loving you.”
Before I can even stop it, tears roll down my face. Running his thumb underneath my eyes, he whispers for me not to cry.
“I love you, too, Callum.”
With my hand pressed against his heart, I can feel his steady heartbeat against my palm. I know he feels this, too. With my body pressed against his, I don’t leave any space between us as I press my lips back against his.
This time it feels different. For the first time, I feel hopeful when I look at my future. I know through the trial and family problems, we will always be by each other’s side.
I can’t help but look forward to getting through it all together.
Three Months Later
A lot can change in three months and a lot has changed. Ellie never did go back to staying at the house she rented from Hudson. Things weren’t easy through the trial.
Preparing her testimony resurfaced a lot of her old memories and the nightmares that plagued her often kept her up at night, but we got through it. She’s started seeing a counselor because as much as she tried, there are still days she struggles to cope with the losses in her life. Including her mother.
Ellie never again acted like her time in Arbor Creek was temporary. If anything, her relationships only continued to grow after the wall she had built started coming down. Her friendship with Kinsley and Halle only got closer. It made me happy to see her continue to get closer to our friends, planting her roots here in Arbor Creek.
The same could be said about the relationship and bond she had developed with Hudson. In a lot of ways, I think she looks up to Hudson in a grandfather role and we often attended their family lunch once a month. She is still working down at the grocery store for Hudson during the week, something she enjoys doing.
Rolling over, I move my arm out in search of Ellie but only find the cold sheets beneath my palm. Glancing up at the alarm clock on the nightstand, I see it’s a little after eight and based on the sounds coming from the kitchen and the soft music playing, I’m guessing Ellie is in there trying to cook us breakfast. She can be incredibly messy when she cooks, but I don’t complain.
Mostly because I love it and I never want it to stop.
Wearing nothing but my lounge pants, I pad down the hallway toward the kitchen. Lifting my hand, I run my fingers along the muscles of my arm, stretching as I work to wake up. Leaning against the doorway, I can’t help but smile as I watch Ellie standing in front of the stove with a spatula in her hand. Music is playing through the Bluetooth speaker as she sways her hips along to the beat as Marvin Gaye sings, giving me all kinds of ideas about where this morning could go.
I can’t move, my body rooted in place as I watch her move to the music. It isn’t until she turns around to put the eggs and butter in the fridge when she spots me, causing her to drop the butter on the floor as she covers her heart in surprise.
“Baby, it’s good you didn’t drop those eggs. I wouldn’t want you to go all footloose on me again,” I say, laughing, as I walk over and pick up the butter from the floor.
“How long have you been standing there?” she asks as I stand and take the eggs from her hand, turning to put them in the refrigerator for her. Turning back around, I smile when I see her cheeks are red with embarrassment.
“Long enough.” I smile, moving toward her and grabbing her hand, pulling her closer to me. “I love watching you dance like that. I want to wake up to you like this every day,” I whisper, wrapping my hands around her waist, pressing my lips to her forehead.
Wrapping her arms around my neck, she is careful of the spatula still in her hand as she looks up at me. “I do, too,” she says, smiling as she presses her lips against mine. Her lips are soft as she opens her mouth for me, her tongue seeking out mine.
Leaning back, I smile down at her as I continue.
“The little swivel you do with your hips, too. You can do a little dance like that for me whenever you want,” I say, raising my eyebrows suggestively.
“You keep making fun of me and I won’t be doing any little dances for you for a while,” she says playfully, smacking me on the chest as she turns back around to tend to the food.
Reaching my hand into my pants, I grab the ring I snuck from my dresser drawer and bend down on one knee. She doesn’t ev
en sense my movement as she starts talking about her plans to meet up with Kinsley later today to get a haircut. Grabbing her hand, I pull her away from the stove, turning her in the process.
With the spatula still in her hand, I’m not surprised when it flies to the floor when she sees me on my knee before her.
“Callum,” she whispers, moving her hand back to her chest once again, as if trying to steady her heartbeat, but this time she doesn’t stop until it’s clutched around her necklace.
“Ellie, baby, I love you. I want to wake up next to you every morning and go to bed next to you every night. I want you to be the one I dance with at Brodie’s and the one who’s ridin’ shotgun in my truck. I want you by my side for the rest of my life. Marry me.”
It isn’t a question because there is never a question who Ellie is to me.
She is my everything and soon, she’ll be my wife.
Heart’s Compass Series
(Each book can be read as a standalone)
Lost Before You (#2)
Mason & Brea ~ Coming Late 2017
Until I Find You (#3)
Halle & Graham ~ Coming 2018
Wherever You Go (#4)
Kinsley & Wes ~ Coming 2018
Think A Little Less – Chris Lane
Mind Reader – Dustin Lynch
Smoke – Florida Georgia Line
Drunk On Your Love – Brett Eldredge
Make Me Miss You – Sam Hunt
Take Your Time – Sam Hunt
Yeah – Joe Nichols
Hard to Love – Lee Brice
From The Ground Up – Dan + Shay
Love You Like That – Canaan Smith
Footloose – Kenny Loggins
Hurt So Good – John Mellencamp
Lets Get It On – Marvin Gaye
Where I Found You (Heart's Compass Book 1) Page 22
