Fire In The Water Chapter Eighteen

Bella

Ward was fast asleep, but I was wide awake. Knowing how early he had to get up for work, I eased out of bed with a wince. For the first time in a long time, I was sore. 

It was so worth it. 

Heidi followed me out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. We'd set out a bowl of water for her, so I checked it as I patted her head. 

Getting myself water as well, I leaned against the counter and stared into space. Charlie nudged my arm with his nose, and I stroked his back absentmindedly. 

Ward had an unusual scar, one I hadn't gotten the chance to ask about. It was shaped like a V and was raised in bumpy lines as though it had healed horribly. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out what it could be from. I hadn't seen it as much as I’d felt it, so maybe I was wrong.

Closing my eyes, I traced the scar in my mind. It ran along his left rib cage, feeling puffy and angry. He'd never reacted to my fingers slipping over it, so perhaps I was making a big deal out of nothing. But it nagged at me. The raw edges, the ragged shape . . .

From my limited knowledge of the witness protection program, the marshals would relocate anyone in their service to a new town, with a new identity. Ward had done that himself and hadn't told a soul from his past life. In fact, I was the only person in his life with all the facts. A large tattoo and identifiable scars only made hiding more complicated. If he had to move again, I didn't know what we would do; how to make it work.

Deciding to put it away for now, I left the kitchen and headed to the bathroom to take a shower. Since Ward would leave here at about 3:30 to take Heidi home and drop her off before work, he’d be up in a few hours. I hoped I hadn't kept him awake too late. Considering how I got when I lacked sleep, I didn't want to be the cause of that for him. In fact, I would rise at six to make sure I could squeeze in breakfast downstairs before the bookstore demanded my attention. 

I wanted to hire someone to help out a few afternoons a week. So far, my clever signage hadn't helped me in that department, so I figured I should change it. Maybe no one wanted to admit they were a nerd, but it was almost imperative in a business full of literature and the knowledge thereof. I wasn't afraid to admit I was nerdy, and I couldn't care less what anyone thought of it. I had everything I needed despite it, so it couldn't be considered a bad thing. Relying solely on Riley to fill in for me didn’t seem fair, and we were busy enough nowadays that I could use a second set of hands.

With too many thoughts dominating my brain, I knew I would struggle to fall asleep. Warm from the shower, still a little damp, I climbed gingerly into my bed beside the sleeping man. Staring at his face, I enjoyed the slack brow free from worry—as it so rarely was. Hopefully he dreamed of only pleasant things, no longer haunted by what he’d seen and done.

But that was a pipe dream, apparently. Just as I drifted off, Ward began to thrash at my side. With a shushing noise, I captured his fist in my hands and brought it between my breasts, smoothing his palm over my heart. 

“Ward, you’re having a nightmare.”

“Bella?” His voice was muffled with sleep, his eyes half open in the darkness of the night. 

“Yeah, baby.”

“So glad you’re here.”

With that, he snuggled against me, his hand going limp where it rested against my thumping heart. Gently, I brushed the sweaty hair off his forehead. 

It hurt my soul to think of what he must relive all the time. Instead of crying over what had been, I tried to calm myself knowing he was safe now. I would make sure of that.

Since he slept once more, I moved closer because I could. I could align myself with his naked body, the heat from his skin enveloping me in its cocoon. As much as he said I’d saved him, he’d saved me too. From having nothing to having everything.

When the alarm I’d set for him went off, I sat up and let the sheets fall to my waist. Though I would love nothing more than to send him off after a romp, I settled for kissing him instead.

“This is the best way to wake up,” he mumbled against my lips.

“Mm.”

Opening my mouth, I let him stroke his tongue along mine, angling to deepen the possession. Just as I felt myself growing a little too excited, he pulled away, breathing heavily.

Pressing his forehead to mine, he said, “Fuck, I wish I could stay.”

“Tonight, Ward. We have tonight.”

“Thank God.”

The loss of his body heat saddened me, but I flopped back down and tried to get comfortable enough to fall back to sleep. I felt the tender kiss to my temple and heard him closing the front door behind him, and then I remembered nothing else until my alarm went off.

The book store was busy, which I appreciated. Not only did it mean revenue in my pocket, but it kept me from obsessing. A busy day meant a less busy brain. I’d set out snickerdoodles and coffee, as usual, and a busload of tourists came in from Seattle to destroy them. There was nothing left but a few crumbs and a handful of grounds in the bottom of the pot by the time Ward walked in a little past one.

Wordlessly, he crossed the store to where I stood near the table, trying to corral the remnants of the storm. Wrapping his arms around me, he rested his chin on top of my head.

“That bad?” I asked, reciprocating the hug.

He grunted, a sound I hadn't heard from him in a while. “You’re the only one who would care.”

Stroking my hands over his back, I slipped one up under his t-shirt to caress his bare skin. "I'm sure that's not true."

"You're the only one I want to tell."

I smiled. "In that case, I'm all ears."

"Peter had a bad weekend, and he took it out on me. I felt like I couldn't do anything right. He made Emmett go directly through him, when normally I get a minute to talk to him." With a big sigh, he said, “Seeing Emmett is usually my only chance to speak with another human and let the fish guts rest for a minute.”

"I don't think you slept well, either." Squeezing him tightly, I stepped back and framed his face in my palms. "That's my fault, I guess."

“I wouldn't trade it for anything.”

As his gaze flickered from my eyes to my lips and back, I responded, “Neither would I.”

“Do you care?” he whispered, slanting his mouth over mine.

“About what?” I mumbled into his mouth.

Instead of answering, he hiked one of my legs around his waist and held on for dear life. With his tongue in my mouth and his breath on my lips, I couldn't think straight.

Eventually, Ward pulled back. “That we’re in your store.” 

“Um, I probably should care.” Shoveling escaping strands of hair behind my ears, I laughed. “But I don't give a damn.”

“I had an idea while I was trying so hard not to quit my job.”

“What’s that?” Since we were apparently done kissing for now, I went back to cleaning up the crumbs.

“We could install a Little Free Library at the docks.”

Pausing, I lifted my head to grin at him. “That’s a wonderful idea.”

Dipping his head, Ward appeared bashful for the first time in a long time—at least with me. “Yeah?”

“Of course.”

“I have some books I could donate, the ones I’ve bought and already read. And we could ask for more donations from the townsfolk.”

“I can picture it. Maybe we can do more than one.” After dumping the crumbs in the trash, I worked on brewing a fresh pot of coffee.

“Why does it look like a tornado blew through here?”

His voice was amused, and I watched him frown at the empty plate. “Busload of tourists. They cleaned me out, which suits me just fine. I made a tidy profit off them.”

“Nice.”

“I don't suppose you’d like to go next door for me and beg for cookies?” Widening my eyes, I blinked several times.

Ward chuckled. “I suppose I could.”

“Thanks.”

While he was gone, I rinsed the plate in the tiny sink I’d installed for this very purpose. The bell over the door clanged, and I called out, “Welcome back.”

“From what?”

Spinning at the stranger’s voice, I replied, “Oh, sorry, I thought you were someone else.”

A man stood near the door, hat pulled low over the top portion of his face. Something about his expression made my palms sweat and my heart pick up its pace.

“How can I help you today?”

“Just want to browse, thanks.” His tone was gruff, and he moved down one of the aisles to thumb through the books on the shelves.

My instincts screamed at me to do something, but what? If it was nothing, I’d scare off a customer. But what if it wasn’t nothing? Ward was right next door, due back at any minute. The scent of coffee filled my shop as the water gurgled through the pot.

“Mind if I have some?”

I had to clamp my lips together to keep from screaming. He’d moved quicker than I would have thought possible, and was now right beside me.

“Sure.” Desperately trying to keep myself calm, I pulled out a black mug and sloshed coffee into it. “Cream and sugar are on the table by the window.”

“Thanks.”

He seemed pleasant enough. If not for his cap and my jumpy stomach, there wouldn’t be anything weird about the encounter. It was like when Ward first came to town, only more . . . more.

“Is there a particular genre you prefer to read? I can point you in the right direction.”

Sipping the coffee without adding anything to it, the man moved down the aisle again. “Not really.”

Obviously, he wasn't a talker. Glancing out the open doors, I tried to decide what to do. Call someone? Bolt for the bakery, for safety? Run and grab Ward, insisting he hide while I call the police?

But what good would that do? I had nothing to go by except my suspicions and an uneasy stomach.

“Well, thanks for the coffee.” The stranger set the mostly empty mug on the table and lumbered off through the doors.

Immeasurable minutes passed while I stood frozen, my hands pressed to my stomach. Finally, Ward came through the door with a large white box in his hands.

“I didn't mean to take so long, but they were slammed.”

Feeling the trembling starting in my gut, I was powerless to stop it. My knees weakened, and I wobbled to the ground by the register, tucking my head between my knees.

“Bella!”

His hands were on me, soothing me, patting me, lifting my chin. Safe, whole, secure and in my line of sight. Nothing bad had happened to him. He was safe.

“Bella?”

“I don't know.” He hadn’t asked what was wrong, but my brain was malfunctioning.

“What happened?”

“I think I’m okay.” Looking up into his concerned eyes, I made myself rise off the floor. “I’m okay.”

Wrapping his arms around me, Ward inhaled deeply. “What the fuck just happened?”

“Why do you have a V shaped scar on your ribs?”

“What?” Stepping away as fast as if I’d burned him, Ward moved very far across the store from me. “What?”

“I’ve noticed it, and it’s unusual.”

“Why the fuck are you asking me about my scar when you just freaked out over some unknown thing?”

“What’s it from, Ward?”

Twisting his hands together, he avoided my gaze. “It was a gang brand.”

Oh, duh. “V for Volturi?”

Unshed tears wavered in his eyes. “Yes.”

“But why is it so ragged?”

“Bella, honestly.”

“There was a man in here while you were next door.” Swallowing past a dry mouth, I forced myself to continue. “He scared me, most likely for no reason. But I was terrified you’d come back from the bakery and run into someone you used to know.”

Gripping his hand in his hair, he said, “That’s always a possibility.”

“Always has been, yeah.” And yet, for some reason, it had messed me up inside today.

“Why would you ask about the scar right now instead of telling me about that guy?”

“I don't know.” Shaking my head, I repeated, “I don't know.”

“There are too many memories tied to that scar, Bella, and I can’t talk about them with you.”

Feeling pain lance through my heart, I sat heavily in the arm chair. “You can’t tell me? I thought you’d shared all your secrets with me.”

“It tears me up.” Pausing, he hugged his arms to his chest. “I can’t. I just can’t.”

And I watched my lover walk out of my life for the hundredth time.