Wicked princess

Chapter 8

Giving me a hopeful smile, Jace squeezes my arm. “We brought you breakfast.” 

As if on cue, Cole holds up a paper bag. “Sausage and eggs.” 

I close my eyes, willing them to go away. 

“It’s been over a week, Jace,” Cole mutters. “She’s not snapping out of this.” 

Jace sighs. “I know.” 

I draw in a sharp agonizing breath as their footsteps fade, wishing it would wash all the pain away. 

He left me without warning. 

One second we were waiting for him to join us for breakfast and making plans to go to the mall…and the next he was gone. 

Just like our mother. 

“Fuck this,” Jace grunts before I hear the footsteps returning to my room. “I’m not losing her too.” 

“Go away,” I choke out. 

I don’t want to talk. 

I don’t want to breathe. 

I don’t want to live in a world in which he no longer exists. 

If God had any compassion, he would have taken me too. 

Jace crosses his arms. “No.” 

Cole matches his stance. “Make us.” 

Their stubbor

“He left me,” I whisper, a fresh wave of agony swelling in my chest. 

He knew I couldn’t survive without him. 

He knew I wouldn’t make it on my own. 

“He left all of us,” Cole bites out, towering over me. 

Cole’s always been a moody jerk, but right now he’s pissing me off more than usual. 

I glare at him. “Go away.”

“Cole’s right,” Jace interjects and the pain reflecting in his eyes mirrors my own. “But as much as it hurts, you have to find a way to go on.”  

How? 

How the hell do you go on living when the two most important people in your life are dead? 

How do you wake up to face a brand-new day without the constant reminder of everything you lost? 

How do you move past all the pain? 

Easy. You don’t. 

Because time doesn’t heal all wounds. 

It just leaves you with scars. 

“I can’t.” I don’t bother wiping the tear that slides down my cheek. “I don’t have a reason to.” 

Not anymore. 

I have no mom, no Liam…and the only memories I have cause me a heart full of what feels like non-stop suffering. 

A loud crash makes me jump. 

“Fuck you,” Jace bites out, seething with anger. 

“I—”

He punches his chest with his fist. “You have us, Bianca. You still have us.” 

Something uncomfortable churns in my belly. 

Guilt, I realize. 

Because the heartbroken look on his face tells me how much what I said hurt him. 

I notice Cole’s wounded expression and inwardly flinch. Hurt them both. 

“I know how much you miss them.” Cole shrugs helplessly. “But Jace and I…we’re still here. That has to count for something, right?” 

Regret and shame tangle in my chest. I never meant to make them feel like they didn’t matter. 

 “I’m sorry.” 

Even though losing Mom and Liam hurts like hell, I have two very important reasons to try and put one step in front of the other and pull myself together. 

“Don’t be sorry,” Jace says. “Just be here with us.” His gaze ping-pongs between Cole and me. “Because even though they’re gone, we’re still a family.” 

Nodding, Cole turns his focus on me. “Look, I’m not go

I tilt my chin to meet his gaze. “Deal.” 

“Good.” He gestures to the bag containing my breakfast. “Now eat that before it gets cold.” 

I look at Jace. “Is he always so bossy?” 

His lips twitch. “Yup.” He takes the breakfast sandwich out of the bag and places it on my meal tray. “He gets it from me. Now eat.” 

I’m torn between wanting to laugh and wanting to hug them. 

I peer up at my brothers. We stopped saying it after Mom died, but I really need them to know how I feel. That despite my heartbreak over losing Liam, I’m still grateful they’re here and they’re both equally important to me. 

“I love you.” 

Surprise crosses over Jace’s face before he recovers. “Love you, too.” 

“Damn, baby sis.” Cole rolls his eyes. “This amnesia has turned you soft as fuck.” 

I rip off a piece of the sandwich and throw it at him. “Asshole.” 

His grin is all teeth. “Yeah, but you love me anyway.” 

I do. 

I take a hearty bite of my food then wipe my mouth with a napkin. “Thank you for—”

“Someone’s feeling better today,” the nurse chirps from the doorway. She gestures to the wheelchair in front of her. “Feel like going for a stroll in this thing?” 

Given I’ve been confined to a bed for almost six weeks, it sounds like heaven. 

I couldn’t hold back my smile if I tried. “Absolutely.” 

I’m so excited about leaving, I attempt to stand up on my own. Unfortunately, my legs feel like spaghetti and I stumble instead. 

“Woah,” Jace says, rushing to catch me before I bust my ass. “Take it easy, killer.” 

Cole comes around to the opposite side of me. “You good now, Bambi?” 

My mind says yes, but my body vehemently disagrees. 

I shake my head. “I can’t. It’s too soon.”   

Jace isn’t having it. “No, it’s not. You got this.” 

Cole tightens his grip on my arm. “And we got you.” 

I know. 

“Okay,” I relent. “Let’s do this.”