BREAKTHROUGH (Love's Not Easy Series Book 2) (14 page)

They looked through her mom’s jewelry cabinet and found the box.  Aimee went to eat breakfast in a happier mood.  She may not have found the papers, but the rings made up for that.

Chapter Fifteen

They spent all day Saturday hanging around the Orchard with Susan.  Aimee didn’t find anymore pieces of her mom’s past.  She made a pack with Aiden to enjoy herself the rest of the weekend.

That evening, they went to a local park to watch a movie.  Sunday morning, they had a bible study and then packed their cars and took Susan out for breakfast.  The rest of the day they spent at the beach.  Alice was out of town, so they missed her at the drink hut. On the drive back to Ancaster, Aiden and Colin traded off the driving once more.  This time, they stopped in a different town to eat.  No one at the diner stared at them and Aimee was able to relax some.

It was now going on nine and they were a half hour from the flat.  Aimee was so overwhelmed, she had barely slept the past two nights and it was catching up with her.  She decided to take a nap.

When they arrived at the flat, Aimee was walking behind Aiden when a hand grabbed her arm.  They had a very tight grip on her arm.  Whoever had her arm, jerked her so hard, she dropped her luggage as she screamed and went following backwards, causing her to hit her head on the asphalt.

She squinted her eyes to see LJ standing over her.  “What are you doing?”  She yelled at him.

“I will ask the questions, Aimee.”  He turned behind him.  “You guys neeee need to go on in.  I didn’t mean to starrrrtle her.”

Aimee wanted them to stay, but, right now she was focused on getting up and as close to the door as she could. “LJ, you smell like alcohol.  Please go away.”

“We need to talk.  I ammm tirrred of this, you are are ig ig avoiding me.”

“I am not.”  She made it to the door.  Aiden was holding it open for her.  “Go home.  I will text you in the morning and we can meet to talk.”  She went in the flat and Aiden shut the door.  After ten minutes of him pounding on the door, Colin took him home while Kelli followed in her car.

Aimee was so exhausted from the weekend and now all of this with LJ, she could barely focus on what the others were saying.  She made out the word hospital from Aiden’s rant.  She stood to her feet.  “No hospital. They will ask too many questions.”

Aiden sat in front of her.  “Well then, I am calling Dr. Adkins.  He is on call for the family when they are in Ancaster.  Your head needs to be checked, as well as the cuts on your arms.”  He stepped into the hall with his cell.

Aimee was not aware of the cuts on her upper arms, they had to happen when she fell.  She wanted to argue about calling the doctor, but Aiden came in and said that he was on his way.

Aimee looked at him.  “I don’t want you to make a huge deal about this.  He was drunk and we all know how alcohol changes people.  I am breaking up with him when he is sober.”

Piper sat beside her.  “You know more than the rest of us what it is like to live with an abusive drunk.  He shouldn’t get away with this.”

“I fell backwards, guys.  He never hit me.  I can’t have this made public.  The press will start digging in my past and then it will be all over the tabloids.  All I need in my life right now is to mess up Deandre’s campaign.”

“I don’t understand why you are making excuses for that low life.”  Aiden looked angry at her.

“I am not, Aiden.  I am protecting myself from further abuse from the tabloids.  Once I break up with him, I never have to see him again.”

“If he ever lays another hand on you…”

“You can beat him up.”  Aimee grabbed her head it was hurting so bad.

The doorbell rang and Lexi answered it.  Aimee about flipped out when the doctor walked in with Mark and Tessa behind them.

She turned to James.  “You called your mom and dad?”

“Yes, I did.  Aimee, someone needs to talk some sense into you.  Piper and I were behind you.  He pulled you to the ground.”

Aimee looked around the room.  “How crazy are you guys?”

Jaxon stood up.  “I know I am new to this group and you are my boss, but I agree with James.”

Aimee glared at them all.  “Please listen to me, if my dad finds out about this, he will make me go back to the States for sure.”

The doctor came over to her and looked at the group.  “I need all of you to stop upsetting her.  I need to examine her, so other than the two adults who came in the room with me, I want the rest of you to wait in the kitchen. Fix some tea and sweets.”

Aiden stood beside Aimee.  “I am not leaving.”

The doctor looked at him.  “If you upset my patient, Prince Aiden, I will ask you to leave as well.”

Aiden nodded as he sat quietly beside Aimee.  The doctor did neuro checks on her; and then, he examined the cut and knot on her head. “I need to examine the cuts on your arms; I am going to need some help to clean them.”

Aimee turned and looked at Aiden.  “I will go to the kitchen until he is done.  I will send the girls to help.”

Mark touched his shoulder.  “I will join you.”

Colin entered the flat, just before the doctor started cleaning the cuts.  Lexi directed him to the kitchen with the others.  The cuts did not need stitches; but, the doctor did put steri-strips on them, to ensure they heal properly.  He informed Aimee, she could get them wet and that they will come off on their own as her skin grows closer together.

~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~ 

Mark sat with the guys at the table.  “We need to talk. I know how all of you feel about Aimee.  I understand the need you feel to protect her from LJ.  I feel the same way.  But, here is the deal.  You three are Christians, and Aiden, even though you have not come to the Lord, you are searching.  We have to behave as Christians.”

Aiden looked at Mark.  “Right now, all I want to do is go show him…”

“I know, Aiden.”  Mark turned to them.  “I know it is hard, but it is these times when the Bible speaks of turning the other cheek and to pray for our enemies.”

James looked up. “What about an eye for an eye?”

“James, you are allowing the anger to speak.  Two wrongs never make a right.”

“So, dad, if this was happening to Cameron, what would you say?”

“James Mark Anderson.  I love Aimee as much as everyone else in here.  I want, more than anything, to call the law and have him arrested.  But, Aimee does not want to and we have to respect her.”

James looked at him.  “You didn’t answer my question.”

“Ok, if it was Cameron, I would try to talk her into prosecuting LJ.  But, let’s look at this from Aimee’s point of view.  She has had a rough year.  The things she has found out about her mom, has not been easy for her.  Then, on top of all that, in the last ten weeks, she has been betrayed by her father and found out she has inherited a lot more than the plantation.  She knew, one day, she would be taking over Lilliend Rose; but, she had no idea that she owned a company in Neahovia that she will it need to run as well.  That is a lot for a nineteen year old to deal with.”

Aiden shook his head.  “You don’t even know what we discovered this weekend.”

Mark listened, in shock, as the guys filled him in on their weekend trip.  It was no wonder

Aimee looked so stressed.  This was so much for a girl her age to handle alone.  Mark said a silent prayer for her and realized she is not alone.  God had surrounded Aimee with supporting and loving friends that have become her family.

The guys came in the room, once Dr. Adkins was done with her.  He had a list of instructions written out for them.  He wanted Aimee to stay awake for the next eight hours. He left some medicine to give her, after she stays awake for eight hours.  He had written an order for a cat scan of her head; he wanted her at the clinic before noon for the scans.

He had a list of symptoms for them to watch for; if she showed any sign of them, they were to call Dr. Adkins immediately. He asked Aiden to walk him to the door.  He told Aiden to ensure she follows his orders.  Aiden thanked him and informed him he would pay for all the bills, to send them straight to him.

Aimee took a drink from the tea Tessa brought her and looked around at the others sitting in the living area staring at her.  “If all of you sit here and stare at me all night, I will go crazy.”

Lexi jumped up. “Staring at you won’t keep you awake.  Let’s go get the board games, Piper.  Jaxson, do you want to stay?

”

“I can for a while.  I have work tomorrow and I don’t want to cause my boss any unnecessary stress.”

Aimee grinned at him.  “Your boss is more considerate than that.  You are becoming my right hand IT guy.”

Aimee touched her head, it was hurting so bad.  When she went to run her hand through her hair, she felt the dry blood.  “I need a shower before we do anything.”

Lexi walked in the room with an arm full of games.  “You are not allowed to walk upstairs.”

“She can shower in our bathroom.  I’ll go straighten it up, while the two of you go to her room and get her stuff.”  Colin walked to the boy’s part of the flat.

The shower felt so good to Aimee.  She knew that Tessa was right outside the door if she needed her, so she tried to hurry, while getting all the blood off her.  It was when she was combing her hair, she realized how, even though she had no key to access this part of the flat, it was still too close of living corridors to have a relationship with Aiden.

She shook her head
.  God, what is wrong with me.  Why do I keep going back to that?  I know a relationship with Aiden is not logical, but still, I find myself falling for him more every day.

They started with playing monopoly. Thank goodness they did it as teams.  Tessa and Mark left around one, right after Jaxson headed home for the night.  Piper sat up her game choice.  Aimee was not really into playing the games, she was just trying to appease them.

By four am, everyone but Aimee and Aiden had fell asleep in the living area.  They stepped around their friends and went to the kitchen.  Aimee helped Aiden make a fresh pot of coffee.  After her first cup, she grabbed the traveling mugs.  “Can we take a walk?  I think that will help us stay awake.”

“You feeling ok?”

“Yes.  It hurts, but my vision is fine. I am not dizzy or anything else he put on that paper you keep clinging in your hands.”

Aiden held open the door.  “I could never live with myself if something happened to you.”

Walking along the shoreline, hand in hand with Aiden, felt so natural, so right.  Aimee couldn’t help but to think of how she could spend her whole life like this. She never felt more relaxed or loved then when she was with Aiden.

“I have been thinking all night, how did things with LJ get so out of hand?”  Aimee moved her hair from her face.  She had her hair in a messy bun earlier, but the band was causing her head to hurt more, so she took it down.

“So, what did you come up with, because I have drawn a blank?”

“I should have told him the night we went mini golfing it was over.  God had showed me LJ was not right for me, but I felt I owed him a chance.”

“You didn’t owe him a thing.”

“I think I felt like, if I broke up with him so soon after saying I would date him, he would feel like I was just playing him.”

“How do you feel about it now?”

“Like he is getting what he deserves.”

“I have to say, I am amazed at how calm you are.  I want to pound his face in.”

Aimee gazed at him with her huge hazel eyes.  His heart melted every time she looked at him that way. He was so in love with her, in fact, he loved her more than anything in this world.  He wanted to wrap her in his arms and protect her from harm.

“I am sorry.  I should have not said that.  When I see your head and the pain he is causing you, it makes me furious.”