Four Brothers and a Bride
Chapter 178

Chapter 178: Chapter 178

DEMI

Ten minutes after Ashton drives us to the middle of nowhere, I remain frozen in the passenger seat, watching him pacing a few feet ahead of the car. What the hell is he thinking? Why did he bring me here and why won’t he talk to me? Occasionally, he’d turn to glance at me, like he wants to make sure I’m still in the car.

I have no idea what is going through his mind but if his eyes are any indication, it’s a turmoil in there. With a deep sigh, I unlock the door and march over blades of grass to stand next to him.

"What’s going on, Ashton? Why’d you bring me here?" I ask with my hands crossed over my chest defensively. He turns and the impact of his blue eyes hits me afresh, hard and daunting. Still, I refuse to tear my eyes away. If we’re going to talk, it has to be now.

A small chuckle escapes his lips. "I’ve been wracking my brain for the last ten minutes, trying and failing to understand just what kind of a person you are, Demi Branson. The more I try to figure you out, the more confused I get." Now, the humor drains from his face. In its place, a sudden cloud of sadness hovers. "I’ll admit this once. I have no fucking clue what to believe about you, because I really don’t know you, Demi. At some point, I thought I did, and I was ready to go to bat for you even against my own family. Right now, it’s no longer the same."

The pain in his eyes shatter the wall I spent the last few days building between us. Nervous, I unknowingly take two steps back even when he hasn’t moved towards me.

He doesn’t react to my action but continues with the same intense look in his eyes.

"A lot has happened between our families, between us. I’ve said and done a lot of things that I am not proud of, things that will haunt me forever. You haven’t been a saint yourself but it’s nowhere compared to my own sins and that of my family. Demi, everything that has happened has only made one thing clear; whatever we thought we could become was a lie. Every time I take one step closer to you, you suffer all over again and my world burns."

My heart tightens with a familiar ache.

"I never thought the day would come when I’d be too scared to trust you or to trust myself not to hurt you. This isn’t the man you formed months ago. I’m...broken. I’m a mess and if you don’t keep your distance from my family and I, we’ll only keep tainting you. You know that as well as I do."

"Yes, I do."

He arches his eyebrows at my quick acceptance only to cloak his surprise seconds later.

"Thank you, for saving my brother. I’m sorry it took me so long to believe it."

"I thought we already said our goodbyes. You didn’t have to lie to me, take me on a fucking twenty minutes’ drive only to bring me to this arid land just to rehash that. A damn text would have been enough." Feeling Angry, hurt and defeated, I pivot on my heels and start heading for the car. Too dramatic? Certainly, but tears are already blurring my vision and this move is the only way to hide them from him.

"Demi, please wait."

Don’t follow me, please, I beg in my head. My chest already hurts. My head is spinning. It feels like my entire world just crumbled. I thought I was over him. Why is it so damn painful still? My heart races when I hear him trailing behind me. How can he not realize that I want to be left alone? He can’t see me like this, not as a weak, crybaby. Sighting a slab of stone, I intentionally knock my foot right into it and yelp in pain when it hurts more than I anticipated.

"Demi!"

Strong arms wrap around me when I buckle down, groaning in pain. Ashton’s face is a study of pain and horror when he sees my teary eyes.

"It’s okay. Let me see it. Please?"

Slowly, I withdraw my hand from my right foot. Gently, he slips my flat shoe off and I stifle a gasp of shock at my reddened foot. When I try to flex it, pain slices up my calf. I’m so stupid. Why did I take things too far?

My eyes widen in shock when Ashton sweeps me off the ground in one fell swoop. Ignoring my awkward protests, he deposits me carefully inside the car, shrugs off his jacket and puts it on me before strapping on my seatbelt.

Then he crouches to dry my eyes with the sleeves of his shirt. "You’re going to be fine. There’s a small clinic a few meters from here. I’m sure they can patch it up before we get to a proper hospital. Don’t cry."

Somehow, the hollow feeling overwhelms me again, making my sore foot pale in comparison to the sinking feeling in my chest. More tears threaten to spill from my eyes as Ashton circles the car to the driver’s seat. He steps on the gas and in less than five minutes, he’s carrying me into the clinic.

While my foot is being cleaned, treated and dressed, he stands next to me, squeezing my hand reassuringly.

"Ok, she’s all set, Mr. Rollins." The nurse says to him, beaming.

"Thank you so much."

"The pleasure is all mine. Take care, Mrs. Rollins. You’ll be walking just fine in a few hours."

Ashton and I exchange a brief awkward glance over the incorrect way she addressed me. Saying nothing, he helps me to my feet.

"I’m fine. I can walk."

"It still hurts. Let me carry you to the car."

"No, it’s really ok. I feel much better."

The nurse continues to grin at us.

Ashton thanks her again while we head out. Unfortunately, when we approach the door, the entrance is surrounded by B-list reporters who didn’t make the cut to the birthday party. Like ravenous wolves, they stand poised with their cameras ready, waiting to take newsworthy pictures and videos of us.

"How did they know...."

Then my eyes stay back to the nurse.

"You called them here, didn’t you?" Angrily, I drag my sore foot towards her. "Why? You don’t get enough business around here so the first time a celebrity graces your establishment, you want your clinic in the news? Have you considered that he’s just a human too and craves some privacy like the rest of us? If you wanted an autograph or a picture, you could have asked. Why did you have to call them here knowing what his family has been going through recently because of reporters like that who are desperate for gossip and would write damaging articles with no remorse?"

"Demi, it’s okay."

"Is it?" I query Ashton. "You know how this works. You’ve barely managed to clear your name and now this? What will they say in their blogs when we’re photographed together? That I wasn’t at the party but was later seen frolicking around town at dusk with my ex-husband’s brother?"

He places his hands on my shoulder to calm me down. "Let me handle this, please?"

I bob my head before I can think better of it. He steps out through the door and as we expected, the cameras flash continually. What follows is a muffled conversation between him and them. Suddenly, they all pack up and leave.

"I’m sorry." The nurse mutters. "I thought he was your ex-husband. I didn’t mean to call anyone here but I told someone and she must have...I apologize."

"I’m not the one you should be apologizing to. Tell that to him."

Having lived both lives as a commoner and someone in the public eye, I have grown sympathetic towards people like Ashton. It’s so infuriating to never have a moment of peace or privacy every time you step out.

The nurse apologizes to Ashton when he returns and he dismisses it.

"Shall we leave?" He says to me.

"Are they all gone?"

"Yes."

"How did you..."

"Never mind. Let’s just go."

He helps me to the car and we start the drive back home.

"It wasn’t all a lie." He begins, breaking the awkward silence. "We’re truly having a sit-down with people whom we have hurt. It’s happening next weekend, at our resort. I promise it’s not going to be another PR stunt. You should come." He stops at a traffic light.

"I’ve moved on. I don’t need any favors from your family." I turn to him. "Don’t worry. I don’t plan to execute any revenge on your household. Learnt my lesson the hard way thanks to Liam." Sighing, I look out the window. "There’s so much more I want to do with my life, so much I feel I’ve missed out on. I need a fresh start."

"That’s...beautiful. You deserve all the happiness in the world."

I burrow my hands in my thigh. "You too. Don’t beat yourself up about your past. You didn’t kill my parents and even if you did so accidentally, I forgive you. No one’s perfect."

We lock eyes for a second, then another second longer. My breath trembles in the charged silence humming between us. Suddenly, his eyes become aglow with the same fire that has always burned between us, so hot my throat dries up. Thankfully, the sound of rain drops pelting the windshield distracts him. At the sight of the green light, he swings the car back in motion.

But now it’s hardly awkward; it’s uncomfortable. I can’t breathe right. Sweat starts to bead my forehead and each time Ashton works the steering with his beefed arms, I feel hot all over. Every glance he gives me sends a horny shiver with the sweet ache of forbidden desire, down my wet center. I grip my seat and stare at him. Is something wrong with me? Why am I suddenly feeling like this? How is he so cool and collected?

"Stop the car." My voice is a little above a whisper. He swerves sharply to the side of the road and kills the engine. When I try to get out despite the rain for some fresh air, he stops me from unlocking the door. Our faces are so close, our breaths mingling. The air is thick with anticipation. In a flash, he unbuckles our seatbelts.

"FUCK IT." He growls as he pulls my face to his and smashes his hungry lips into mine.