Arranged love

GRAVE

I STAND NEXT to the bed once again. My face is swollen and still pounds. I need a fucking hit, but I became a different man last night. I don’t want to bury what I feel.

Leaning down, I kiss her forehead. She doesn’t even stir. “I love you, April.” Then I turn and grab the bag that I packed when I went home last night.

I walk through my brother’s house again and out the front door. I walk over to my car and open the driver’s side door.

“Running away?”

I look up to see Titan outside on his front porch. A coffee mug in one hand and his cell in the other. “You ever sleep?”

“Nope.” He stands, and his eyes drop to my bag, but he doesn’t say anything.

I run a hand through my hair. And my eyes meet his. I’m going to face this head-on. Taking in a deep breath, I say, “I need a favor.”

He gets up from his porch and starts to walk over to his three-car garage. “Let’s go.”

I make my way to him and get into his car. We pull out of his driveway and through the gate. I reach up and remove my eyebrow piercing, lip piercing, and then my watch. I place them all in his center console.

He remains silent as he gets on the interstate. I look out over Las Vegas as the sun starts to rise, knowing that today is a new day and a fresh start. That second chance Titan was talking about to make things right. To be who she needs.

He pulls into the roundabout and comes to a stop. We sit in silence as I look over the building before us. It’s white stucco with big bushes surrounding the building. It looks like a retreat. Somewhere I’d never go. But April has brought me here. She’s going to save my life.

“You know …” Titan breaks the silence, and I look over at him. “We may not be blood, but I’ve always considered you a brother.”

I swallow through the tightness in my throat at his words.

He reaches across the center console and pulls me in for a tight hug. I slap his back, trying to hold back my emotion. I hate how much I feel. I’ve always tried to smother it, but not anymore. “Take care of her for me?” I ask him when he pulls away.

He nods. “Of course.”

I pull my cell out of my back pocket and hand it over to him.

“Want me to walk you in?” he asks, looking over at the double doors.

I chuckle at that. “No. I think I can manage.”

He looks over at me without an ounce of humor in his dark blue eyes. “I’m here for you, Grave. Whatever you need. Whenever you need it.”

I nod, unable to voice my gratitude, again that knot back in my throat. Then I turn and exit his car, knowing I’m about to give up any freedom that I have.

APRIL

I open my heavy eyes and roll over. My head pounds, and my eyes are puffy. I’m pretty sure I cried in my sleep.

I’m pregnant. That’s why I’ve been sick to my stomach. I just thought it was because of everything that has been going on, but then I realized I was late, so I took a test.

I don’t know how it happened. I’ve been on birth control the entire time. I never missed a pill. But we never used a condom.

I place my hand over my face and take a deep breath. I’m going to do this on my own. All by myself. If I had a choice, I’d have him right beside me, but he’s not ready. Not for me or a baby.

Sitting up, I see a folded piece of paper on the bed. I open it up, and my hands begin to shake.

My beautiful April,

I’m sorry I had to go. I’m going to get the help I need. I’m sorry I wasn’t big enough to do it on my own. It took you entering my life to show me that I needed it. I’ve failed you. And it kills me to know that I hurt you. I don’t expect you to wait on me, but just know that you’re all I want. I love you and our baby more than anything in this world. I’m going to be a man and prove it to you.

The words become blurry, and I sniff. I hear the door open, but I don’t look up. I try to read the letter again to understand what he’s saying. But when I feel a hand on my shoulder, I lose it. I begin to cry.

“It’s okay.” I hear Emilee’s voice. “You have us. We’re here for you.”

“Yeah, we’re not going anywhere,” Jasmine adds before I feel her rub my back.

“He left,” I manage to get out between sobs.

“He’ll be back. For you and the baby,” Haven speaks.

He went to rehab. He did what he needed to do for us. And I couldn’t be prouder of him.

GRAVE

I SIT IN an uncomfortable chair in the center of a room with seven other people. It’s group therapy time.

I hate this shit!

It’s not that I haven’t had a hit in three weeks. It’s not that I haven’t had a sip of alcohol either. I don’t miss the high at all. It’s because I miss April. I thought I knew what addiction was. I didn’t, but I do now.

It’s a fucking hole in my chest. I can’t sleep at night. I can’t function during the day. She consumes me more than any drug ever did, and it feels like a weight on my chest that I can’t remove.

It has nothing to do with sex. And everything to do with her voice, her smell, the way she smiles. I wonder if she’s okay. Is the baby okay?

I’m like a hamster running on a wheel getting nowhere.

“Grave?”

“Hmm?” I look up from my seat to see Jessie sitting in hers with a warm smile on her face. She runs this show. “Would you like to share?’

Fuck no! “What is it we’re sharing?” I ask, trying to not think of April and what she’s doing. I know the Kings are looking out for her, but that’s not enough. They can’t be there twenty-four seven like I could.

“Whatever you feel comfortable with,” the brunette adds. She’s got to be midthirties. If I saw her on the streets, I would say her brown hair and dark eyes are attractive. But since I didn’t know her until I checked myself in here, I think her cheerful smile and bubbly attitude are annoying as shit.Belonging to NôvelDrama.Org.

I sit back and run a hand through my hair. “Well … I once partied for a solid two weeks,” I offer.

The guy by the name of Jenson snorts from beside me. This place is not your average rehab center. Harbor Heights is catered to the rich. The only thing I could compare it to is a country club.

“And?” she asks.

“And what?” I shrug.

“What did you take from that experience?” Jessie asks.

“To always make sure your plane has fuel before takeoff.”

The woman to my left laughs and I take a look at her. She’s a replica of a Playboy Playmate. Bleach blond hair that doesn’t stop until it hits her ass, bright blue eyes, long tan legs and big fake breasts. She reminds me of Lucy in a way. Back when she took care of herself.

“Now this I have to hear,” Jenson says.

I sigh, focusing back on the group. “I got in a fight with my father. I decided to go to Vancouver for the weekend to party. Well, what was supposed to be two days ended up being two weeks. Most of it was a blur. But Cross came after me when I didn’t return and found me in a run-down motel alone. Turns out I had lost over five hundred thousand in a poker tournament and had crashed my private jet because I hadn’t put fuel in it. Thankfully, I had parachutes and managed to get to one and bail out before it crashed.” Most of it is still blurry but what I was able to put together was that I crashed shortly after take-off on the way home to Nevada. And that’s why I ended up spending more time in Vancouver than I had originally intended. And when I didn’t return on time, my brother had sent Cross to fetch me.

“Oh, my gosh,” Jessie places her hands to her face. “Was anyone hurt?”

“Nope. It’s lying at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.” I know I got lucky. I believe that someone was looking out for me that day.