Warning: Graphic with quite a bit of angst.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

I found him sitting on my bed almost like he had been expecting me.

"Hello babe." He said pulling me onto his lap and kissing my lips.

"I need to talk to you." My tone was very serious and he could see that it was very important.

"What is it?" He asked resting his head on my shoulder.

"Answer me truthfully, alright?"

"Of course." He said sounding a bit worried.

"Do you still have feelings for Violet?" I asked after taking a deep breath.

I watched his eyes and I saw something in them that I didn't want to see. He looked surprised but I think he was hiding the fact that he was relieved that he didn't have to hide his feelings anymore. My heart broke into pieces. I pushed myself off of him.

"I knew it." I mumbled under my breath. I didn't dare look up at his face now, so I ran out of the room. Ignoring him calling my name, I ran all the way down to the basement. All my fears have just been confirmed, who knows if he ever really loved me?

My thoughts were all jumbled, and all I wanted to do was disappear from the house. He played me and I wish I could say I hadn't seen it coming, but I had been warned all along. Something deep inside me told me that the only girl he would ever really care for and love was Violet. I could see why he would love her so much, she was absolutely beautiful and I could never compare to her, ever. They were perfect for each other, so why shouldn't they be together?

I was silly to think that anyone would actually agree to marry me. Wes proved that I was worthless, and my mother did as well when she left me with her psychotic husband. I never really mattered to anyone. My anger was building up, so I started pounding my fists into the cement. I might be dead but I could still feel the immense pain it was causing me, but I didn't stop. I deserved this. Every hit had me wishing that this pain could actually kill me for good. I deserved all of this. The pain, the heartbreak, the loss. There was no one to blame but myself. I knew I shouldn't have opened up to Tate so easily.

Blood was starting to drip from my hands, but I kept hitting the cement. Once I stopped that, I slid down the wall and start to bang my head into the cement. I did that until someone grabbed my head to make me stop, after that I just laid my head against the wall and kept my eyes closed. Whoever had stopped me was still holding my head, but I didn't bother to open my eyes. The emotional pain I felt was just suffocating me. I just hoped if I wished hard enough, I would actually disappear.

"Lily look at me." Tate said and now I knew it was him in front of me. So he decided to come down here to rub it in my face.

"No, could you just leave me alone." I whispered begging him to leave, but I did open my eyes. His eyes were filled with worry and regret.

"No, I need you to listen to me." He was forcing me to look into his eyes, and it hurt to do that.

"No no, I don't want to hear what you have to say." Then I struggled to get out of his grip, but he only held me tighter. The struggle only made me feel the pain that much more.

"I can't do that. Please will you just listen to me?" He begged and I tried to push him away again but it still didn't work.

Finally I stayed still and didn't answer him, "You never let me answer you before you ran away."

"Because I saw everything that I needed to know in your eyes." He still wasn't moving, and I still couldn't get out of his grip.

"Please let me explain. I don't know what you saw in my eyes, but I don't have feelings for Violet. My feelings for her died when she rejected me. You probably saw my shocked look because I couldn't believe that you would actually think that I still liked her. I thought that you knew that I love you and only you." Tate explained but I was finding it hard to believe.

"You're lying. Stop lying to me." I refused to believe him. Too many people have lied to me before. I guess I trust people way too quickly.

He frowned at that, "But I'm not lying. Lily I really do love you more than I could ever love anyone else. You are all I think about and I feel very protective of you. I'm constantly worried about you, and I blame myself for your death because I couldn't save you from that man."

His words were starting to get to me, "I hated to see you hurting like that, and I would do anything to have traded places with you. I'm in love with you Lily Andrews, and I won't leave you alone until you see that I'm telling the truth." He was getting emotional and I could see the tears in his eyes, "I love you so much that I want to marry you. You are the only girl that I could ever imagine as my wife. Not Violet, it's you and it will always be you."

I looked into his eyes and wiped his tears away, "I'm sorry." I whispered not knowing what else to say. Yes, I believed him but I was still be cautious. He would have to thank my past for that.

Tate pulled me off the floor and hugged me tightly, "Why would you think that I still loved Violet?" He said while still holding me close.

"She still has feelings for you, and the way you acted when I told you made me think that you did too." We had pulled away from each other and he was looking into my eyes. When I tried to look away he stopped me from doing so.

"Yeah I notice that she still has feelings for me, but she rejected me so I moved on. Also I didn't want anything to get in between you and me, because you mean everything to me." I now knew that he was telling the truth. "Trust me Lily, I love you and only you. That will never change." He was leaning his forehead on mine. I just nodded and stayed quiet, he already knew that I loved him and I didn't need to tell him that.

"Let's go get you cleaned up." He said picking me up bridal style and carrying me to my room, correction, our room. We stopped in the bathroom and he set me down while he started the shower.

After that he grabbed my waist and pulled me close, "What can I do to get you to believe me?" His voice was strained.

I sighed "I believe you Tate." I hated that I made him worry so much. "I'm sorry for all of that. I just have a hard time trusting anyone, and just the thought of you leaving me for someone else killed me."

"Oh babe, it's okay. I understand that, especially after everything you have been through. Just know that I will never leave you."

"I know that now. I love you, Tate."

"I love you too, baby." He said kissing my lips sweetly, "Come on let's get a shower."

We pulled away and he help me to undress. My hands were just beginning to heal now, so it wasn't as painful as before. I was grateful for Tate's help. From what I understand, being hurt as a ghost is like being hurt as a human except you heal way faster, which is a good thing. I stepped into the shower and he stepped in behind me. He helped me clean the fading cuts on my hands, then he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close to him.

"I don't want you to ever feel like I don't love you or that you're not worthy of my love. You are the most beautiful girl in the world, and I'm happy to call you mine." He whispered as he buried his face in my neck.

This made me smile, "Thank you Tate." I said as he went on to kiss the back of my neck. It now seemed silly that I thought Tate would use me to hide his feelings. I guess what Wes did to me, has me doubting that someone could actually love me instead of using me.

He turned me around and pushed me against the wall, "Anyway what's not to love about you. Everything about you is absolutely beautiful and we are perfect for each other." He was kissing my neck again.

"Trust me, there are a lot of things not to love about me. How are we perfect for each other?" He was trying his best to distract me but I was trying my best not to let him do that.

"You're lying, so accept that I think you're perfect. We both came from such messed up families, that's what makes us perfect for each other." His lips found mine again.

"I guess that makes sense." I managed to mumble in-between kisses.

"Less talking and more kissing, please." He said pulling me into another one of his addicting kisses.