Come Back for Me (Arrowood Brothers #1)(26)

“You didn’t die, you’re right here.”

Am I, though? Guilt and pain assault me, leaving me breathless. I’ve been trying so hard to keep everything at bay, but I’m a mess. Everything is a mess. “I should’ve never tried to leave last night. If I had been smarter and waited . . .”

“What? What do you think would’ve happened, Ellie? Men who use their fists don’t care when it is. Men who use their power to make people submit to them don’t care about the situation or the person, it’s all about them. You did the right thing.”

I shake my head and wipe at the tears on my face. “I did nothing right.”

His eyes look inside and then back at me. “You did right for her. You didn’t allow him to hurt her. You put Hadley first so that she would have pie when she wanted.”

My chest aches, and not just from my injured ribs. I feel helpless, drifting away like the morning mist, becoming nothing. I was so scared that he would make good on his word that I gave him the opportunity to do just that. “I promised myself that, if he ever touched Hadley, I would leave. I vowed never to let anyone hurt her, and look . . .” My tear-filled eyes watch the little girl sleeping on the couch. She’s tucked in tight as a ray of sunlight illuminates her face. “I broke my word and failed her.”

But I will do anything I can to never break another promise again.





Chapter Eleven


Connor





“We promise each other right now,” Declan says as we all link hand to wrist so we’re standing in a circle. “We vow that we will never be like him. We will protect what we love, and never get married or have kids, agreed?”

Sean bobs his head quickly. “Yes, we will never love because we might be like him.”

Jacob grips my wrist tighter. “We don’t raise our fists in anger, only to defend ourselves.”

I tighten my fingers around Declan and Jacob as I make my pledge. “And we never have kids or come back here.”

In unison, we all shake as one unit, the Arrowood brothers never break promises to each other.

I’ve held on to that vow that the four of us made that night like a vice. I’ve never allowed myself to love anyone or have a kid. Not because I think I’m anything like my father but because my word to my brothers means everything. We broke the cycle that day. We promised to protect each other by ensuring we don’t have anything worth losing that would make us turn to drinking.

A man is only as strong as his word, and mine is ironclad.

Sitting here with her, I know that all my promises don’t mean shit. I’d break each one for her, and that scares the fuck out of me.

I can’t convince her that she did nothing wrong. Her heart and head are filled with the truths she is going to hold on to. I know it all too well.

However, I’m overcome with the need to comfort her.

She shivers, and I want to pull her into my arms, shielding her from the cold as well as everything that’s haunting her. I don’t want to overstep, but the need to protect her is so strong I can’t stop myself. “Can I hold you?” I ask, prepared for whatever answer will come.

Her eyes lift slowly, reminding me of a wounded animal. I hate that anyone did this to her. I want to slice that man apart for ever making her fear anything. She should’ve been loved, protected, and cherished.

“Will you?”

I’ll fucking do anything for her.

I lift my arm, inviting her to come to me.

She moves very slowly, making small noises when it hurts, but I stay completely still. She tucks herself into my side, head resting on my shoulder, and then I wrap the blankets around the both of us.

Neither of us say anything, I don’t think words are necessary. Right now, I couldn’t speak if I had to.

She’s with me. In my arms and allowing me to give her comfort. The amount of trust she’s giving me isn’t unnoticed. The last six hours have been hell for her, and once again, she shows her bravery.

We rock together as the sun continues to come up, lighting the sky in warmth. Her tears soak my shirt, but I don’t remark on it. If she needs to soak through a hundred shirts, I’ll let her. If she wants me to hold her for days, I’ll stay just like this. She may have gotten away from me that night, and our lives may be complicated, but one thing is for sure, Ellie will never feel small or broken again. I will do everything to make sure that, from this day forward, she feels protected.





“You really don’t have to drive me,” she says for the tenth time as we head to the preliminary hearing for her husband. “You’ve done so much for us already. I could’ve walked.”

Right, like I was going to let her walk twelve miles to the courthouse. She needed a ride since she can’t drive because of the medication she’s taking, and I couldn’t seem to let her leave my sight for more than an hour. So, my driving her is as much for her as it is for me.

“You don’t have to keep saying it. If I didn’t want to be here with you, I wouldn’t be. I know you can’t understand this, Ellie, but I need to be here with you right now.”

“You do?”

“Yes. I am not making you go in that courthouse alone. If you want me to come in, I will. If you want me to stay out of it, I will. I’ll do whatever you need me to. Okay?”