Fractured Hearts (Shattered Lives, Book Three) (16 page)

I opened the truck door and touched Elaina’s cheek. She seemed relieved to see us unharmed and safe, but there was some sort of disconnection in her eyes. That worried me.

“Nothing much inside the church, love, but there’s a hardware store and a few shops across the road. Let’s hope they haven’t been looted yet. Here, keep this safe.” I handed her the picture of Cora’s family, then tossed the books into the back of the truck. Elaina stayed sitting, still looking a bit lost. “You doing all right love?”

It took her a few seconds to respond. “Huh?”

I took the picture out of her hand and placed it on the dash, then guided her out of the truck. “Love, I know seeing a church jogged some pretty horrific memories, but I need you to be alert. I need you to help us.”

“I didn’t think I would go all batshit crazy from it. I was actually excited when I found out there was a possibility we could get married in a church. Now it feels hopeless and I’m worried how it will affect your sobriety.”

“I know. I am, too. And I don’t want you worry about my state. That’s on me. You
do
realize we don’t have to get married in a church, right? We can have a ceremony wherever you want.” Elaina nodded, but the distress still lingered. I stared at her, feeling her agony. “You know what? Let me take care of this whole wedding thing. I owe that to you. You have put up with so much of my shit, and you deserve to be carefree. You just worry about looking beautiful, which will be no effort at all.” She barely cracked a smile. “Elaina, I love you so much and I would do anything to make you happy. Your happiness is my happiness. Let me do this for you.”

“Okay,” she breathed out. “I’m just worried.”

“I know you are. I promise, you won’t regret allowing me to do this for you…for us. Come on, my beautiful, soon-to-be wife.” I took her hand and led her toward the hardware store.

Date night in the Carolina Hardware Depot couldn’t have been more romantic. Then I remembered Nick was standing on the other side of her. My momentary thought of taking her over the counter of the store, making all of her fears and anxiety disappear for a few minutes, withered away.

I pulled on the door handle. Locked. But I was a magician, acing ‘Lock Picking 101’ during my training in the program. I was top of my class.

Once we stepped foot in the store, we realized it hadn’t been touched.
Fucking brilliant.
Everything still seemed to be where the last employee had left it, including a half-eaten chocolate chip muffin and a dried up cup of coffee sitting next to the register. I wondered if there was any cash in the drawer. That could be a valuable resource to some.

Plotting and planning in my mind, my glances around the store were cursory and calculating. I was taking mental photographs of the inventory.

“Let’s just take a walk around the store and see what’s available for a quick carry at the moment. I want to get back home and start writing down plans.”

Home. I said home.
Surreal. As much as it seemed to be temporary, it was the stability we needed in our lives.

Nick looked nonplussed, but Elaina’s eyes glimmered. The slow smile tugging at the corners of her mouth was a welcome sign. Was she beginning to feel good about making the school our home and, in turn, feeling better about us?

I could only hope.

Nick headed down the aisles, giving us a moment alone. Elaina stood in front of me, then the tips of her fingers ran down my face. For a change,
her
touch made
me
shiver.

She stepped away and looked around the register, squealing when she found a stash of candy bars on the countertop. Then she realized there was a candy display on the front of the counter. How she missed it, I have no idea.

“I’m certain I just heard angels sing. Can we take any food we see?” Facing me, she grabbed at my arms. “Henry, look! Chocolate bars and gummy bears!”

I had to laugh at her reaction because she sounded a bit like a five-year-old, but I was pleased because she hadn’t been that excited for anything in a long time. “Of course. By all means, love.” I took off down an aisle.

“Oh, my god…,” she mused.

I jogged back to her. “What? What’s up?”

“Look.” With a lick of her lips and a vigorous point, she directed my attention behind the register. “Henry, we’ve hit the jackpot…
Soda
.”

Stacked against the wall were cases of every flavor imaginable. Before the outbreak, Elaina had a serious addiction to the fizzy drinks. By the look on her face and smack of her lips, I imagine she could almost taste it, feeling the burn of the bubbles in the back of her throat.

A chuckle slipped from my lips, then I whispered in her ear, “I do believe you’re looking at that soda a bit more erotically than you look at me.”

“I’m sorry,” she said with a blush.

I nestled my nose to her ear. “It’s okay, love. You can make it up to me later. Let’s get out of here.” I turned toward Nick. “You ready, mate?”

He rubbed his neck with a hiss. “Yeah.”

Noting his discomfort, Elaina offered, “How about we do a draw, then we can go,” she offered.

“All right. I’m not going to argue with that.”

Sitting on the cold, tiled floor, I shrugged off my pack and dug through it, pulling out enough supplies to draw a vial for both Nick and me. Afterwards, we dumped back the vials. Relaxing for a moment, we felt the tension release from our joints and muscles. I closed my eyes, reveling in the mini high as it ran its course.

Slow inhale…exhale. My cock pulsed as a reel of footage of Elaina’s naked body hovering over mine played in my mind. I did everything in my power to suppress those erotic feelings, but I could almost feel her wrapped around me.

Opening my eyes, she was facing me, running her hand up and down my leg. I had to shake myself. The last thing I wanted was Nick to see me with a tent, and I’m sure the feeling was mutual.

I got myself under control and hopped up to a standing position. Stretching my arms over my head, I relished the flexibility returning to my muscles. I threw my arms back down to my sides and pulled Nick up.

Holding my hand out to Elaina, I said, “Come on, my bride. I have a wedding to plan.” She smiled at me, then looked away like an embarrassed schoolgirl. I pulled her in and held her for a few seconds.

“I hope this Henry is here to stay. I’m not so sure if I could handle you leaving again,” she murmured into my chest.

Hearing her say that was a harsh bite into my reality. I took a half-step back to see her eyes when I spoke. She needed reassurance from me, regardless of my self-doubting. “I’m going to try my hardest, love. I swear to you.” I rubbed my thumbs over the backs of her hands, leaned in, and kissed her cheek.

Nick sighed and stalked out of the store, both of us glancing in his direction.

“Maybe we shouldn’t do that with him around,” she said in an unintentional whisper.

“I think you may be right. Let’s go home.”

Several minutes later, we pulled up to our home. Circling to the back lot, I parked the truck behind the school. It looked like everyone from our group was standing around just outside the perimeter of the lot.

“What do you suppose they’re doing?” I asked curiously, scanning the gathering. “I don’t see Ben and his crew.”

“I don’t know,” Elaina muttered. “I guess we’ll have to find out what’s going on.”

I jumped out, Nick and Elaina following, and stormed right up to the circle of riff raff.

Elaina grabbed Quinn and they started chatting, heading back into the school. Focusing my attention on Gunther and Thomas, I asked, “What’s going on? Where are Ben and his crew?” I looked at both of them for answers. Knowing my instructions were to keep an eye on them, I was incensed they were missing and Thomas was outside digging a fucking hole. “Answer me, damn it!”

Thomas jumped back. “We were diggin’ a firepit. They were out here helpin’, then Lauren said she needed to go lie down. She, Jane, and Eli went inside. Then Ben and Mara followed a few minutes later.”

Burning hot, I growled, “Why are you out
here
and not inside keeping track of them?”

“Cut the lad some slack, mate.” Gunther chimed in as he threw the shovel to the side. Like I wanted
his
take on things. “He has been doing what you have asked of him this entire time.”

“They’re up to something. That whole sick thing could have been a ploy!”

“Relax. I sent Josie in. It would look quite odd if it was Thomas always following them around, wouldn’t it?” I knew he was right, but I didn’t want to admit to it out loud. “This is why you need me around.” He smirked and patted me on the shoulder.

I shrugged his hand off. “Fuck off.”

“Don’t be so pigheaded all the time, Henry. It’s not worth the stress.” Glancing off to the side, my face heated from humiliation. “You know,” Gunther murmured, “I never thought
I
would turn out to be the reasonable one. I always thought you were more levelheaded than me. Obviously, that’s not the case.”

Fuming, I knew I needed to calm myself to show Elaina I was really trying to get back to the old me. Tucking away my explosive side was priority.

“I can’t always be predictable,” I muttered. “That would make life boring.” A bit of the tension lifted from my shoulders, but I was still concerned.

Gunther laughed. “I definitely think our lives are quite interesting.”

We both laughed. “True enough. We picked up a load of junk food.” Thomas’ eyes lit up. When I opened the back of the truck, his face was full of excitement when he saw the soda. He snatched one out of a case. With lightning speed, I grabbed it back out of his dirty little hands. “I want to lock all of this in the closet in my room. I have plans for it.”

I stacked several cases in Gunther’s arms and a couple in Thomas’, grabbed all the sweets, and we headed inside. Quietly, Nick followed.

After Elaina dropped down on her bed, Quinn grabbed a chair. When she sat, crossing her legs, she wore a comforting smile, topping it off with a yawn. “Sorry. I have been so beat lately, sleeping more than usual. Anyway, what can I do for you?” Quinn asked, trying to stifle another yawn.

Unsure of where to begin, there were a couple things Elaina had been thinking about and needed help with, so she just blurted it out, “I was so excited to go to that church. I thought it would be amazing to find a place to have our ceremony, but I couldn’t even go in. I shut down,” Elaina mumbled. She pulled her knees into her chest and rested her chin on them.

“Well, I can’t say as I blame you, darling. Your wedding was interrupted by an apocalypse, for crying out loud. I can understand why going into a church again would make you pause. A lot of terrible things happened to you that day.”

“Henry was so excited, and I feel terrible for letting him down. Then he said we didn’t have to have our ceremony in the church. He said we could do it elsewhere and he would plan it,” she muttered.

“Oh, how sweet is he?” Quinn smiled. Then she looked at Elaina’s sad face. “Is that not what you want?”

“I want the ceremony my mother planned. I regret behaving so poorly. I want to be living in a house with Henry. I want a family with him.
I want him to have a normal life.
None of which are feasible now…or ever.” Elaina laid her head on her forearms. Muffled, she added, “I don’t know how he will ever get better.”

Quinn got up and sat next to her. “You
can
be happy, and you
will
be happy. You just have to alter the image in your mind of what it could have been to what it actually can be. Then you will be satisfied with the result.”

“It’s just hard. And I really can’t see what it can be. Everything is so unpredictable.” Elaina paused. She needed to move on before she became that crying girl who saw no end to her sorrows. So she cleared her throat, working away that lump, and continued, “I promised Henry once we found a place to settle, we would have a memorial for his best friend, Sophie. I can’t even explain how devastated he was when she died. She was the only one who he could completely relate to. They used to be ‘fuck buddies’ when they were younger,” she muttered.

This got a stunned look from Quinn. Elaina wasn’t sure why she added the last little tidbit of information, figuring it was because she was still a little jealous of their relationship.

“I would love to help you with whatever you need.” Quinn smiled at Elaina and tucked her hair behind her ears. “I’m sure we could figure something out.”

“We found a fully-stocked hardware store. Plus, we have the stuff from the technology room. I would like to go back and get some supplies to make something. Maybe a cross or something like I made Claire and Willow, but I don’t want him to know about it until I can give it to him.”

Rising to her feet with a smile, Quinn took Elaina’s hand, helping her stand. “Let’s go to the art room and figure this out.”

They walked out into the hallway and Henry, Thomas, and Gunther were coming down the hall, carrying their finds. Behind them was Nick, who walked past and slipped into his room. Elaina followed him with her eyes, concerned over his state. She decided she would talk with him later.