Aligned: Volume 2 (13 page)

The cab ride to the apartment is quiet. Landon just holds me. The cab pulls up in front of the apartment that used to be Ethan’s and mine. We didn’t stay here last night. We got a hotel instead. It didn’t seem right for me to share a place that was once Ethan’s and mine.
 

“I’m not sure I’m ready to go in,” I say to Landon as we sit outside the building.
 

“Maybe not, but you’re strong enough.” I smile at his words. I am strong enough. Landon and I walk hand in hand into the building and into my apartment on the top floor. I wish I could say the memories came flooding back as soon as I step foot in someplace familiar, but it didn’t. I still feel cold and empty as I walk into the large, airy space. Everything in the apartment is in shades of white and cream. It looks straight out of a magazine. Everything is clean and organized. I stepped foot in here once, right after the accident, to gather a suitcase of belongings before going to Los Angeles. I needed to go to LA for surgery, so I didn’t really have time to examine everything here.
 

I walk around the strange place running my hand along the different textures of the furniture as I do. I take deep breaths trying to find a familiar scent, but I can’t find anything other than a clean scent. I take the green pocket square from my pocket and place it to my face breathing in deeply, the manly scent that was once there is practically gone. I put it back in my pocket and then walk back to Landon, who is just standing awkwardly in the entryway. He doesn’t look around the place; his focus is fully on me.
 

“I love you,” he says as I put my arms around him needing to feel comfort.
 

“I love you too. Thank you for doing this with me. I don’t know what I expected. To have memories jump back into my brain from just being here.”
 

He smiles. “It will just take time to remember. And if not, we will build a new past together.”
 

I nod. “I would like to spend the rest of the evening just looking at every picture, every everything, and then we can go back to the hotel later.”
 

He nods. “I’ll order pizza.” Landon walks into the kitchen and gets on the phone to order pizza. I continue to examine everything. I see a framed picture of Ethan and me together. I look so different. I don’t have the tattoos, or if I do, they are covered up. My nose piercing is gone. I look classy and elegant in a simple black dress, Ethan in a suit. I look at every picture in the living room of us, and they are all the same. I pick up the last one and I see just a hint of the tattoo on my shoulder faintly through the makeup I must be wearing. Why would I cover up something that was obviously important to me at one point?
 

I look down at the visible tattoos on my arms. They look beautiful to me. I’m not sure I could ever find them not beautiful. I hear a knock on the door just as my stomach grumbles. I smile.
Just in time
. I walk to the door with my wallet in hand hoping I have some cash to give the guy.
 

“How much do I owe you?” I ask as I open the door. My world freezes when I look up. A pizza delivery guy doesn’t stand in front of me. A man dressed in a ratty tux with rips and dirt does. A man who looks completely broken and shattered with blood seeping from fresh cuts on his face, and several other more healed cuts and bruises blanket his body. His face is swollen, and his eyes are barely open. What has me entranced, though, is the other half of a green pocket square that sticks out of the jacket.
 

“Ethan …” Tears fill my eyes as I look from the man standing in front of me to the man standing in the kitchen. My heart immediately rips in two …

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Aligned: Volume 2
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Ella Miles writes sexy romance with strong females that could kick your butt if you piss them off, which they often do to the men that fall for them. She’s currently living her own fairy tale near the Rocky Mountains with her high school sweetheart husband. Her heart is also taken by her goofy two year old black lab that is scared of everything, including her own shadow. Ella is the author of the 
Aligned
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The
Aligned
series is a four part romance series. For more specific release announcements, visit
EllaMiles.com
.
 

Aligned: Vol. 1 -
Novella

Aligned: Vol. 2 -
Novella

Upcoming Releases — Coming Spring 2016

Aligned: Vol. 3 -
Full length novel

Aligned: Vol. 4 -
Full length novel

Thank you so much to my hubby who first believed in this crazy dream of writing a romance novel before I even believed it was possible. You spent countless hours reading all sorts of romance novels with me each night and never complained, even though you giggled every time you read corny things like ’throbbing cock.’ You were my first beta reader, website engineer, and all around tech support. Without you this would have never been possible.
 

I want to thank my wonderful editor Jenny Sims for polishing my words so that you could enjoy them without all of the typos and grammar mistakes I’m prone to making.
 

Thank you to my designer Hang Le for so clearly capturing the essence of the Aligned series with the cover design.
 

And most of all I want to thank you, my reader. I write for you. I’ll never be able to thank you enough for reading and supporting me. I’m forever grateful.