Page 1 of Ella’s Data

PROLOGUE

Ella

(roughly ten-ish years ago, give or take)

“What’s that noise?” I asked my boyfriend, Timmy. We were seniors, finally, and had our final exams coming up so we were in the library studying. Actually, I was helping him study since I had been able to exempt out of all my exams except for my final in Algebra.

“No clue,” he replied, looking toward the front of the library. “Oh, fuck, Ella, get under the table!” he exclaimed.

“What? Why?” I asked as I pushed my chair back and crawled beneath the heavy oak desk.

“Because Callum, Jory, and Ashton just came in with guns and they’re shooting,” he whispered. “Now, please be quiet.”

The sound of the automatic weapons was loud, and I crouched with my hands over my head while I prayed for help. I could hear screams from other students, followed by moans and crying as the shooters moved through the room. The blasts were loud as I heard bullets hit our table and I prepared to feel pain course through my body. I heard Timmy’s soft cry of pain as he fell across me, covering me, although looking at his sightless eyes, I knew he wasn’t aware that his last action probably saved my life.

“You’re very fortunate, Ella,” the police officer stated as I was being checked by a paramedic. I had some small cuts from the pieces of wood that hit me due to all the shooting, but I wasn’t hit by any actual gunfire.

“I guess,” I mumbled, my mind and thoughts still in the library where I held my boyfriend’s body weight as he bled out all over me. This was the guy who promised we’d get married after we finished college, and we had so many plans and dreams for our future. I didn’t even dare cry, either, because the three classmates who were on a rampage, didn’t leave the library for a good ten to fifteen minutes. Instead, silent tears coursed down my face as I mourned the boy I loved with everything in me.

All our dreams were now gone, up in smoke so to speak, and I didn’t even have the promise of a baby since I was on my period. Just like the rest of my family, everyone I loved left me.

I vowed then and there that I’d never fall in love again.

Forty students lost their lives that day, another sixty were injured with twenty in critical condition. The superintendent made the decision that our school was ‘done’ for the year; no final exams would be given, which sucked for those whose grade point averages depended on those points to push them closer to graduating. But for me, I had enough credit hours, plus, I was dual-enrolled, so I also had my associate’s degree.

It simply didn’t matter anymore. Nothing did. Everything was dull and dreary. Finally, my great aunt, who took me in after a house fire killed the rest of my family, took me to see a therapist. With medication and therapy, I began to see that I could still have a good life.

I’d just be alone while building it for myself. Unfortunately for me, Eddie didn’t get that particular memo, so after a wonderful month together while I was out on a travel assignment, I broke all ties and disappeared.

I never expected to see Eddie again, especially not as a member of a motorcycle club! While Fee and I have been besties since college, once she settled in her hometown to help with her cousin, I kept taking assignments and during one of them, I met Eddie. I know I told Fee that he was the one that got away, but that was a little bit of a lie. I’m the one who left him after it dawned on me that my feelings for him were more than I was willing to bear.

CHAPTER

ONE

Ella

(Present time)

“Eddie, I’m not willing to discuss this with you,” I say, glaring at him. “That was then, this is now.”

“Ella, don’t say that, baby. Why did you leave me? You know I wanted more. Hell, I was planning a future for us,” he replies.

“Eddie, I need to get back to work,” I retort. “I… what we had is in the past, why can’t you accept that?”

My emotions are in complete disarray right now. When he showed up driving an RV for Prophet and Fee, it was the first time I’ve laid eyes on him in years. He was always in the back of my mind, but I honestly couldn’t deal with him right now.

“Because I never stopped loving you,” he murmurs. “I’ll leave you be, Ella, but this isn’t over. We will talk about this at some point.”

Thankfully, despite his attempts to discuss our past, I kept busy and out of his way outside of a few terse talks, and all of them returned home, leaving me to pick the pieces of my broken heart once again.

“Dammit, I knew I shouldn’t have stopped for a break,” I grumble as I reach the bedside and look down at Phoebe and the baby. She spent a month with us during her pregnancy, but when Thelma finally realized she was dealing with hyperemesis gravidarum, she sent Phoebe and Prophet back home to finish out her term.

Frequent phone conversations, as well as FaceTime calls, meant I was able to feel as though I was a part of everything, but I wanted to be here before she delivered the baby, dammit!

“Uh, correct me if I’m wrong, but you’d already been driving almost nine hours nonstop. And that was after you worked!” Fee scolds. “Besides, according to my doctor, I had one of the fastest labors she’s ever seen. When she last checked me, I was only at a seven, but less than thirty minutes later, I was ready to push. Couldn’t have stopped it if I wanted to, Ella, and quite honestly, with all the bullshit I’ve had to deal with this whole pregnancy, I’m kind of glad I didn’t labor for hours.”

“Well, I brought presents,” I mutter, making her giggle. “Of course, I know she’ll have clothes passed down from Cami, but every princess deserves new stuff, right?”