Page 44 of Breaking the Limits

For some reason something about Hollis seems even more broken than the last time I saw her and something about that pulls at my heart. Damn it! I curse myself mentally as I make my way back into the hallway. I enter the lobby just as she’s about to leave out the door. “Hollis, wait!” She turns around and I can see the sadness in her eyes. “The spot is yours if you want it.”

“What…What about Bowie?” she asks.

I run a hand over my face. “I’ll deal with him.”

****

Kynlee

I pull into the driveway and cut off the Jeep. Resting my head against the headrest of my seat while I try to ward off the dull ache that started in my head a few hours ago. I take the first deep breath since I started my day. Between school and work I’m exhausted. I want nothing more than a hot shower and sink into my bed to sleep for hours. I smell the aromas of food before I even hit the door. Kenndrix is cooking. Okay, so maybe I’ll eat, shower then hit the bed.

I open the door and I can hear Kenndrix singing along to some pop song playing over the radio. When I enter the kitchen, she’s dancing around while cooking and I can’t help but laugh. Jaxx had gotten a job as stunt driver but it required him to travel a lot which left Kenndrix alone most of the time. When Ace and I decided to take a step back for a while to figure our heads and hearts out, they both insisted I move in here.

Honestly, I didn’t think I’d be here this long but here I am. I’m beginning to wonder if Ace and I will ever get things figured out. Every free moment I have is consumed with missing him or memories of him or wondering about him. I curse myself mentally because I have no one else to blame for this but myself…and maybe Enzo. “Someone’s lost in her mind over there,” I hear Kenndrix say.

I give her the best smile I can muster but let’s face it, I’m exhausted and now back to missing Ace so we both know the smile is fake. “Just thinking.”

Kenndrix shakes her head. “You’ve been doing that a lot lately,” I shrug in response. “Well, I’m here if you need me, otherwise dinner will be ready in ten. Oh! And you have mail on the table over there.”

“Thanks, I’m going to shower really quick.”

While we eat, I listen to Kenndrix tell me about her day and where Jaxx is now. She relays all the notable mentions that Jaxx told her about from Canada. She laughs, I laugh, she asks a question and I answer but my heart just isn’t in it and we both know it. Kenndrix can read me better than anyone. “Just call him Kyn.”

I shake my head and distract myself with a pea I’m chasing on my plate. “No, he asked for time and space and I’m going to give him that.”

“I’m sure he’s missing you too.”

“Maybe,” I say with a shrug then sigh heavily. “But I caused this Kenndrix. Enzo and I caused this. Those pictures of us kissing…you didn’t see the look of hurt and betrayal in Ace’s eyes and to know I put that there…killsme. I’ll give him all the time he needs, at this point it’s the least I can do.”

Kenndrix worries her bottom lip while deep in thought. “You want to watch a movie?”

“No, I’m exhausted. I think I’m going to call it a night. Thanks for cooking tonight,” I tell her as I hug her quickly, grabbing the mail and closing up in my room. Crawling under the covers I rummage through the mail before noticing the rather large envelope on the bottom. When I open it, I can’t help but let the scream of delight escape me.

Kenndrix is in my room within in no time. “What’s wrong?” she says, her head whipping around, bat in hand, ready to take on the world.

“Nothing’s wrong,” I tell her through my blurred vision, happy tears swimming in my eyes. “Remember the night I called you about becoming a teacher?” Kenndrix nods her head. “Well, I saw an advertisement for a new reality competition show starting up, Inked Up. They were advertising for tattoo artists and I don’t know why but I thought Ace would be perfect for it. Then I thought if he got a spot, it would make the perfectbirthday gift and he got it.” A few tears spill over, “He got it,”I whisper to myself.

“His birthday is next week, right?” I just nod. “Well, now youhaveto call him,” Kenndrix says, as she climbs into the bed with me to look at the letter. “Or better yet go see him!”

“Kenndrix, I can’t go see him. What would I do? Show up at his doorstep and be like, hey long time no see, so sorry for the whole Enzo thing but I entered you for a reality competition show and you got a spot. So, what else is new?” I say sarcastically.

Kenndrix laughs, “Well, maybe don’t say it exactly likethatand maybe not on his doorstep but Inkredible is neutral ground, no reason you can’t go there and give him this.”

“I’ll think about it,” I murmur as Kenndrix heads back out of my room. This is a bittersweet moment. I’m so proud and happy for Ace but coming face to face with him again after how we left things…well I’m not sure what his reaction to me will be. As I get comfortable in my bed, I think back to the second worst day of my life.

Chapter 30

Ace

I must have been beyond tired by the time I crawled into bed last night. I had slept straight through the night only the buzzing of my alarm waking me up. Kynlee’s scent engulfs me as I try to shake the sleepy haze away from me. I peek an eye open and see that I have my face buried into her pillow or at least what used to be her pillow. It’s been three months and her scent is slowly starting to fade. I don’t know what to do once it’s gone.

I sit up in the middle of the bed and scrub my hands over my face. Mentally cursing myself, what the hell is wrong with me? I should just call her but I can’t. If I call her then I’ll never know if she’s coming back on her own or because of me. No, she needs to be the one to make the first move. After giving myself a pep talk, I decide to get ready for the day. I have to get Hollis settled in at the shop and I have back-to-back appointments for tattoos and I still need to talk to Bowie about Hollis being back and working in my shop. It’s going to be a hell of a day.

Shortly, after I enter the shop Hollis appears in the doorway. I look up and see the uncertainty in her face. “Good morning,” I tell her. She just nods her head. “Follow me,” I tell her, as we head down the hallway to her room. We haven’t made it too far when I hear the door music go off up front. I turn to Hollis. “Go ahead and put your stuff down in the room I showed you the other day. I’ll be back in a few.”

When I step out of the hallway, I feel like I’ve been punched straight in the gut. All the air in my lungs leaves out in one gush, my head spins in a million different directions and my eyes won’t blink afraid that she’ll disappear if I do. Kynlee. She’s here, in my shop, standing there with the sunlight coming through the glass creating a golden halo around her. My angel amongst all my darkness. “Kynlee?”

She turns around and it’s hard to believe, but she’s even more beautiful now than she was before. Her long dark hair is up in a messy ponytail, her skin still has a hint of tan and her sunshades are pushed up to the top of her head so that her intense brown eyes are exposed. A shy smile graces her face. Her red, lacey tank top shows a small sliver of skin between its hem and her jeans and the memory of how soft her skin was filling my head for a moment. I shake my head to clear it. “Hey Ace,” she says quietly. I take a tentative step toward her. A part of me wants to close the distance between us, pull her into my arms and breathe her in, never let her go, tell her all the things I wanted before that damn magazine cover. But the other part wants me to hold my ground, not to show my desperation for her, not to pull her in any direction, let her make the move so I know it’s the right thing. “You look good and I’ve been hearing a lot of good buzz around the area about the shop.”

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