Alive (Mended Hearts #1) (25 page)

“Are you sure? Because I still have the receipt. Just tell me if you hate it,” I ask for reassurance.

Finally removing her hand, she cries out, “No. I won’t allow you to take it back. I love it, Jesse. It’s absolutely beautiful.”

Thank you
, God
.

“Do you need help putting it on?” I ask, reaching for the box.

I take the bracelet out and clasp it onto her wrist, watching how beautifully it sits.

I’m so relieved that she loves it. When I was looking for the perfect gift, I wanted something that was meaningful to her. I
came across the bracelet when I went into Pandora after a whole day of shopping. I knew it was meant for Maisie the second that I set eyes on it.

Maisie

It’s so beautiful. I can’t take my eyes off of it. Jesse bought me a Pandora bracelet. It isn’t the bracelet that causes the tears to fall. No. It’s the charm that he chose. It holds a lot of meaning for us.

Jesse
picked out an elephant charm. To most people, it wouldn’t be anything special. To me? It’s the most thoughtful gift anyone has ever given me. He always seems to do that. He knows me. He knows me really well.

On our first date, when he took me to the zoo, he
bought me a stuffed elephant. I cuddle that to sleep every night that I’m not with him. He got it for me because he knew that my favorite animal is the elephant.

And now he’s
bought me the charm so that I can wear it every day as a reminder.

He truly is the most amazing, sweetest, romantic guy I have ever met
, and I love him so much.

“Thank you, Jesse. I love it
so much,” I try to tell him through my tears.

“You’re welcome
, baby. Anything for you. You mean so much to me. I wanted to get you the perfect gift, one that would hold a lot of meaning for you. When I saw this, I knew it was the perfect thing to buy you,” he says, crouching down in front of me and staring straight into my eyes.

I stare
back into his, getting lost. They are such dark orbs, sucking me in. One day, I’m going to get lost in them. I’m sure of it.

“What did I do to find someone as perfect as you?” I ask him dreamily.

“Baby, I think I should be asking you that question.”

“No
, seriously. I was so horrible to you when we first met. I didn’t even give you a chance,” I tell him, feeling horrible as hell. He really didn’t deserve all the shit I put him through when we first met. He never really did anything to upset me. He just tried to get to know me. I threw him away without a second glance for ages. He never gave up on me, though, and for that, I will be forever grateful.

“Maisie, you only knew me from my reputation
. Any normal girl would have done the same, and I don’t blame you. Heck, I would have done the same if I was a girl. I’m the lucky one, that you gave me a chance in the first place. I can’t promise you that we won’t argue because we will. We already have. I can only promise that I will try to be what you need. I will try to give you the world, baby. You have my promise on that. You deserve nothing but the best. You truly are so special to me.” Tears stream harder down my face. He really is unbelievable.

I w
rap my arms around his neck and sob into his chest, never wanting to let him go. He hugs me back just as tightly, letting me know how much I mean to him through his actions. I do the same back, not being able to find the right words to say to him right now. Nothing I could say would be as beautiful as what he just said to me, anyway.

We s
tay like this for a few minutes, until people start to stare at us. Pulling away, I wipe my tears and try to make myself presentable.

Jesse sits back down, taking a hold of my hand, not once breaking contact.

“I have your present at your house, by the way. Your mom’s been looking after it for me,” I tell him with a wink. I knew that he would go snooping around my room, looking for it, so for safe keeping, I asked his mom to hide it. He would never have thought I’d ask her for help.

“You sneaky woman!
No wonder I couldn’t find anything. I thought you might have forgotten to get me something,” he tells me, pulling a sad face.

I laugh.
“Seriously? Why would I forget to get you anything, you silly man?”

“Well, when I couldn’t find anything, I thought that
was a possibility. Or that maybe you were really good at hiding things. I never thought you would team up with my mom,” he says, squinting at me.

“That’s exactly why I asked her,” I tell him, a smug smile of achievement on my face.

“Well, let’s get the check and go home, so I can open my present,” Jesse says, acting like a little kid.

My present to him probably d
idn’t cost as much as the bracelet did. It probably isn’t even as thoughtful. I just hope he likes it as much as I love my present.

After paying the check, we take my car back to his house.

“So where is it?” Jesse asks as soon as we walk through the front door.

“Give me a chance
, will you?” I ask, chuckling at his eagerness.

“Fine,” he huffs, crossing his arms like a four year old boy who hasn’t gotten his way.

Upstairs, I tell Jesse to wait, and then knock on Anna’s door before walking in.

She’s lying in bed, looking comfy
and reading another book. That woman is always reading.

“Hey, don’t mind me. I just need to know where you put my present for Jesse
.” I tell her.

“It’s on the top shelf in my
closet. Has he given you your present yet?” she asks, a huge smile on her face.

I’m guessing she knows what he
bought me then.

Not trying to hide the smile on my face, I show her my wrist. “He did.”

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it? He told me why he chose an elephant. Who knew my son could be so romantic?”

We both laugh at that.

“Hey, I can hear you, you know!” Jesse shouts through the door.

“Good!” Anna shouts back, giving me a wink.

They both love winding each other up.

After f
etching the present, I turn back to Anna. “I better give this to him. He’s been acting like a kid for the last half hour,” I say, rolling my eyes.

“Yeah, he tends to get like that. Good luck.”

Leaving the room, I ignore Jesse standing in the hallway and make my way to his room.

“Sit down,” I tell him, pointing
toward the bed.

“Yes
, ma’am.”

I’ve never been so nervous to give someone a present before. Matt and I always told each other what we wanted. Jesse gave me no ideas
whatsoever, even when I begged him, so I thought out of the box.

Pacing in front of him like a caged tiger, I tell him, “It didn’t cost as much as the present you
bought me, and it’s not as thoughtful. I didn’t know what to get you, but I tried my hardest. I just hope you like it. If you don’t, then I’ll take you to choose something.”

“Calm down,” he laughs at me. “I’m sure I will love it. Now
, pass me my present.” He snatches the present out of my hand and gets it unwrapped before I’ve had the chance to blink.

Biting my nails, I watch as he inspects it. I made a collage of photos of us since
we starting dating. At the time, I thought it sounded so cool, like the perfect gift. Now? I’m not so sure. It seems pathetic.

“Do you like it?” I ask nervously when he still hasn’t spoken a few minutes later.

“Like it?” he asks, finally looking at me. His face doesn’t give anything away. Crap… He hates it.

Subtly nodding, he answers, “I don’t like it.” My heart feels like it’s just been crushed. “I love it
, baby.”

I check to see if he really means it, or
if he’s just saying that to spare my feelings. He’s smiling at me. It’s a proper smile, too. My mood lifts, happy that he actually likes what I got him.

“I thought you hated it. You didn’t speak for ages.”

“I was looking at all of the photos, remembering the memories that go with them. That’s why. Why would I hate it?” he asks, genuinely looking confused.

“I already told you that
it didn’t cost nearly as much as what you got me, and it’s not even nearly as thoughtful.”

Jesse taps the space next to him, telling me to sit
, so I do.

“I don’t care how much it cost
, babe. This is special to me. There are so many memories wrapped into one present. If anything, this is more thoughtful than what I got you. It doesn’t matter about price, as long as we both love what we got. You love your gift, right?”

“Of course I do,” I tell him, holding my charm in my hand.

“And I love what you got me. That’s all that matters.”

“You’re right.”

“Now, come here and give me a hug and remove that frown from your face. Your face is too beautiful to look like that.” He sets his present on the bed and opens his arms wide for me to enter.

Wrapped in his embrace, I exhale, feeling like the happiest girl. My charm glints off the light from the room. I really do have the best boyfriend. He gets me more than anybody ever has. I never want to lose him.

“Let’s get an early night. You have a long drive tomorrow,” Jesse, says, reminding me that I’m leaving him. Again.

I begrudgingly
agree with him, so we get changed and get into bed.

We recap memories from the photo frame that I got him until I can’t keep my eyes open anymore. Arms wrapped around Jesse, my head on his chest, the sound of his breathing is a lullaby, sending to me sleep.

Chapter
22

Jesse

Waiting to see Maisie again after the Christmas break was the longest week of my life. It’s also the longest we’ve been away from each other.

We
talked on the phone every day, and texted when we weren’t on the phone, but it still didn’t help me to not miss her.

I spent my days at work,
football practice, and seeing Brandon. I’m not going to lie; I got drunk a couple of times, resulting in drunken calls to Maisie. Some of the stuff that she told me I’d said was embarrassing. I can’t even repeat it.

Christmas day was the same as always. Mom and I opened presents in the morning. I helped prepare lunch,
and then we sat down and ate until we couldn’t eat anymore. We spent the rest of the day watching crummy Christmas TV.

That was two weeks ago.

Everything has been going smoothly since then. Maisie and I are going strong. Mom and I are getting along well, and she seems to be getting better. I just have this terrible feeling that everything is about to turn to shit. Call it a bad omen. Things in my life can’t be good for long. Two weeks is too long in my life. I’m just patiently waiting for the other shoe to drop, and it will. I can feel it in my bones. It’s just a matter of time.

I
finish classes early today, so I’m heading home to wait for Maisie, who is coming over when her classes are done in an hour.

As I p
ull into my drive, something feels off.

Inspecting the area, my eyes land on the front door
, which is standing wide open. It shouldn’t be open… Mom always makes sure that the door is locked after I leave, and she hardly ever leaves the house, unless it’s shopping day or she has work. She has neither of those today.

Cautiously walking to the front door,
and trying not to make my presence known, I listen for any sounds.

Nothing.

Shit. I need a weapon. Choosing the nearest thing that could possibly do damage, I pick up one of Mom’s umbrellas. It will have to do.

“Mom?”
I whisper, thinking she might hear me if she’s hiding.

When I s
tep into the living room, the umbrella falls to my side.

I don’t have to look any further for my mom. She’s in the corner of the room
, unconscious and covered in blood. The man accountable for it is sitting on the sofa, one leg crossed over the other, looking relaxed.

“Good afternoon, Jesse,” he slurs.

I’m going to fucking kill him. I rush over to my mom and check to see if she’s got a pulse. I feel a faint one. Thank you, God. I can’t lose my mom.

“What the
fuck have you done to her, you piece of shit?” I growl, my voice sounding deadly even to my own ears.

“Oh
, nothing that silly cunt didn’t deserve,” he says, dismissing my mom like a piece of trash.

“
Don’t you dare talk about her like that,
” I warn, my temper about to explode.

“You’ve always been a mommy’s boy. I’m surprised you’re not gay,” he laughs, the sound
glaringly out of place in the quiet room.

“Why are you here?”

Drew stands up, closing the distance between us. God, he reeks of alcohol. There’s only one reason why he came here. I just want to hear him say it.

“I came here because you stopped giving me money. Didn’t you, you little cunt?” He doesn’t wait for me to answer. “I need to find money from somewhere, and I knew with a little persuading that your mom would hand some over
, except she fucking passed out before she could tell me where the money is. So, I guess you’ll just have to tell me. Where is my money?”

He’s all up in my face, breathing his smelly breath over me. I’m disgusted that I share DNA with this guy.
After checking to make sure Mom is okay, I turn back toward my scumbag of a father.

“Get. Fucked,” I tell him, spitting the words in his face.

He isn’t getting another dollar out of me. I’m done helping him. He’s never done anything for me, so why should I carry on helping him?

“I don’t think you heard me. Where is
my fucking money?” he shouts, getting red faced.

Oh
, this is going to be funny. Does he seriously think he can take me? I’m much stronger than he is now that I’m not an innocent child. I’ll have him knocked out in one punch.

“And I don’t think you heard me. I said
, Get Fucked,” I tell him calmly, which just riles him further.

“What’s going on?”
Maisie’s scared voice asks from behind me.

Wait. What? She isn’t
supposed to be here for another half hour. I have to get her out of here before my dad finds out who she is. He’ll destroy her if he can. I won’t give him the opportunity.

Not looking at her, keeping my eyes on Drew, I tell her sternly, “Maisie, leave.”

Drew is checking her out. Dirty fucking pervert. My temper rises to new heights.
Get your fucking filthy eyes off of my girl.

“Maisie, leave.
NOW!” I shout. I don’t have time for this. She needs to listen to me and leave. I don’t need her seeing my demons come to life. I’ve been protecting her from this since I met her. I need to keep protecting her from this.

“Now, that’s no way to
talk to this beautiful lady, is it, Jesse?” my dad slurs, trying to act charming and giving Maisie a sickening smile.

Maisie doesn’t reply. I know the moment she spots my mom in the corner of the room by the loud gasp that she makes.

Then she’s running toward me and checking my mom over.

No way am I going to be able to get her to leave now. She loves my mom too much to just leave her.

“What have you done to her, you monster?” Maisie screams at Drew, tears streaming down her face.

He best
be careful how he replies.

“Just leave her
. She’ll be fine. Come and introduce yourself to me, sweetheart.”

Maisie flinches
and looks at Drew’s outstretched hand in disgust.

“Don’t even think about it,” I warn him, taking a step to my left to try and
hide them from his view.

“She’s awful pretty, Jesse. Why don’t you share her with me?” he sneers at me, licking his lips.

That’s it. He’s gone too far now. Nobody talks like that about MY girl.

Leaping forward, I uppercut him straight in the nose, causing him to stumble back onto the sofa.

God, it feels good to finally do that. I’ve waited years to give him a taste of his own medicine.

“Is that all you’ve got
, you pussy?” he goads, holding his nose. “Maisie needs a real man, not a fucking queer like you.”

“Jesse, don’t list…”

I don’t hear the rest. I’m seen red for the first time in a long time. And the great thing is that the reason for that is sitting right in front of me. I can finally take my anger out on him.

Pouncing on top of him so that he’s trapped under my weight, I punch him over and over again
, the whole time replaying the times that he beat my mom, until he stops struggling.

Screaming is going on in the background the whole time, though I don’t know where it’s coming from. I’m only thinking about one thing
; destroying this man who has destroyed my mom and me time and time again. I have to get rid of him once and for all.

Something tugs on the back of my shirt, ripping me off of Drew.

My fist poised in the air, I spin around, coming face to face with Brandon.

I immediately drop my arm, collapsing i
nto him. That’s when the tears start falling down my face.

What the fuck have I done? I’m as bad as him. This is what he wanted. He wanted to prove that I’m just like him
, and I gave him what he wanted.

“It’s okay,” Brandon says, rubbing my back.

It’s not okay. I’m a monster. I knew I was. I was just waiting for it to show itself.

“I’m the same as
him
, Brandon,” I cry.

“No you’re not
, buddy. This isn’t your fault, okay? Go and check on your mom. I’m going to check on Drew.”

Looking to the corner of the room, I’m met with a wide-eyed Maisie, who
’s still holding my unconscious mom. She looks so scared right now. I don’t blame her. I’m scared of what I’ve just become too.

I can’t go over there knowing I put that look on her face, so I stand where I am.

“He’s breathing,” Brandon says.

I don’t feel relief hearing that he’s still alive. I feel disappointment. He doesn’t deserve to live. At least if he was dead, my mom would be able to live her life without fear.

“I need to finish him off,” I say to no one in particular.

“NO!” Maisie shouts.

No matter what she says, she isn’t going to change my mind. The world will be a better place without him. And me. I’ll probably get sent to jail. That way, I won’t be able to hurt Maisie or anyone else.

Ignoring her, I take a few steps
toward him before, Brandon comes crashing down on me, pinning me to the floor.

“Get the fuck off of me, Brandon,” I
warn, my voice deadly. I’m in no mood for him to interfere. How the fuck did he get here anyway? I didn’t call him.

“No. You’re not going to end up in jail. I won’t let you. Your mom and Maisie need you.
Stop being selfish.” It feels like he’s just slapped me across the face with his words.

Selfish?
I’m trying to protect them from me. I’m only going to end up destroying them. It’s inevitable, especially now that the beast has been unleashed. I’m a ticking time bomb.

If I say I’m going to go after Drew, there is no chance that Brandon is going to let me go. I’m going to have to play along.
I’ll wait until they’ve all gone before I make my move, even if I have to finish him another day. I will do what I have to do.

“Fine.
I’ll leave it. Just get the fuck off of me.” I relax my body, showing defeat.

“You better not be messing me around, Cohen,” he warns in my ear.

“I’m being serious. I’m not going to do anything.”

He eventually gets off of me, allowing me to get up.

“Jesse, she’s waking up,” Maisie says worriedly.

Rushing over, I fall to the floor next to my mom. Her eyes are fluttering open, though I’m sure they are going to be painful. She has two black eyes. Fucker really did a number on her
this time.

“Jesse,” she says hoarsely. He
r eyes are barely able to open from the bruising.

It hurts like hell to see my mom like this again.

“I’m here, Mom,” I reassure her, holding her hand.

“Y-y-your d-d-dad,” her eyes start looking around frantically, her body shaking with
fear.

“He’s not going to hurt you anymore,” I tell her, looking her
straight in the eyes.

Her body relaxes, her eyes closing again.

“Thank you,” she whispers before her breathing evens out, and she’s falling asleep again.

“Brandon, a word please
,” I say, nodding my head toward the stairs.

“Okay
,” he replies, following me. Maisie stays with my mom.

“I need you to get Maisie out of here. She’s seen enough,” I tell him, leaving no room for questions.

“She isn’t going to go willingly, bro,” he states.

“I know,” I agree, nodding my head. “You’re going to have to do whatever it takes to get her out
, even if that means tossing her over your shoulder and not letting her leave your car. Can you do that for me?”

“You’re not going to do anything stupid
, are you?” he asks, narrowing his eyes at me.

I’m not going to do what he’s thinking I’m going to do. I’ve got to let Maisie go
, and it’s going to be the hardest thing I’ll ever going to have to do.

“Not what you’re thinking,” I tell him vaguely.

Brandon looks at me strangely for a few seconds before looking shocked. He’s figured it out. He knows me too well.

“You’re
throwing Maisie away, aren’t you?” he whispers so that nobody else can hear.

“Yes,” I sigh.

“What the fuck are you doing that for? That girl is the best thing to ever happen to you,” he whisper shouts.

I’m starting to lose my composure here. Out of everyone, I need him to understand where I’m coming from.

“She may not see it, but I’m just like
him
. It’s only a matter of time before I hurt her. I won’t allow that to happen. She has to leave before I have the chance.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Maisie states resolutely.

How long has she been standing there?

“Yes
, you are. You need to go with Brandon.”