The Heart That Heals

By Elle Emme

Orphaned Eden Case is in her first year of university juggling a full course load, and the challenge of coming out of her shell. As if living life on her own for the first time isn't enough stress, she is forced to deal with the torture and abuse she experienced at the hands of her father during her childhood and the tragic loss of her mother. Eden, sheltered by her own fears and traumatic childhood, finally begins to experience life, as she grows closer to her handsome Australian classmate, Theo, and her Southern Belle roommate, Brayden. Eden begins to learn that opening up about her childhood can relieve the load that she carries every day, and even help her to heal the scars left behind from the loss of her parents. But when Eden's father shows up after abandoning her and her brother Dean 7 years ago, he brings even more turmoil and a big secret that could wipe away all of Eden’s growth and healing. In this coming of age story, Eden learns not only how to love others, but how to truly love herself, scars and all.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Elle Emme
• Release date: Jan 17, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463903926

Elle Emme

I am New Adult Author who has always had a deep passion for writing. Starting out with poetry, having one of my poems published when I was 14, I later moved into writing novels and short stories. This book only took me a few months to write but years to finally get to this point. I live in Toronto, Ontario, Canada with my husband and look forward to writing more things that will move you. When I am not writing, you can find me in the gym or doing one arts & crafts project or another. Keep your eyes on the lookout for my new novella, Building Sloane soon to be released through Smashwords!

Book preview

The Heart That Heals

By: Elle Emme

Copyright 2019 Elle Emme

All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means.

Distributed by Smashwords.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Acknowledgements

I have to give a shout out first and foremost to my love, Jason. You motivate me every day to do more and be more. To Nikola, this is literally happening because you said so when’s your book coming out; thank you for being my bestfriend and my family. To Tamika, you always keep me on-track no matter what, organizer extraordinaire of my life. To Ieshia, I know you’re just as proud of me as I am you; we are going to the freaking stars !! Kim! I thank CMS for putting you in my life as a support and motivation; Billionaires!!!.

And to my Kathryn dearest, first read! And best editor. Thank God for Trent for giving me you and Britt.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

About the Author

Sneak Peek: Building Sloane – Part 1

Chapter 1

I never realized how much crap I had until I had to pack it all up to move to college. Who knew you had so much shit.

Thank you Captain Obvious. Thanks Dean because I didn't already know that after having to pack all the shit up.

Well I'm just saying you got a lot of stuff but... you are a girl and all

Thank you tips! I wasn't aware of that obvious fact. I make a face at Dean as I say this. This is how life will always be with us and I wouldn't change it for the world because Dean is my world.

Wow! I think that's finally all of it. Dean exclaims, exasperated.

Ha ha jackass. Hmm I guess you're right. Well I guess this is so long.

Yea if you want to call seeing you at Thanksgiving, Christmas, spring break, Easter, and summertime so long, by all means.

He has that same stupid smirk on his face that I always wanted to punch as a child but all I do is grab him into a big bear hug. I'm really going to miss you Bean.

I'll miss you too Edie. He pulls away from me and stares at me real hard, a stare that would make most feel uncomfortable. I'm so proud of you. I hope you know that. He pulls me back into a hug. I do Bean. I do.

Oh! Lis told me to remind you not to make any plans for Thanksgiving and that you have your bridesmaid fitting when you come home. Lis is my brother’s fiancé. Her and my brother are the only family I have and the only family I've ever really needed. I remember. She will probably text me every week just to make sure I don't forget.

Oh she definitely will. I'm gonna go now and let you start your college experience. Don't forget that I'm only a call and 4-hour drive away.

I remember. I can't say I'm not sad to see my brother leave but I am happy to be on my own. Not that he has given me great restrictions on my freedom in the last 7 years but it’s good to know that I’ll be able to just be me; no worries, no regrets.

As I have this thought my door bursts open and a flurry of blonde hair comes blowing through my door. Ooooh my. She’s southern. You must be my roomie! Gosh am I just a ball of excitement to meet you. Brayden Clarissa McAllister at your service. And then I’m in a hug. When did I get into this hug.

I pull away with a hesitant smile. Eden Evangeline Case but I go by Edie.

She gives me a megawatt smile, Oh it’s so nice to meet you Edie. Gosh, I love your name; so feminine. She starts bustling around the room. Gosh this girl really is a ball of excitement.

Yea, Brayden, that’s unisex? I guess this is going to be our getting to know you conversation. But I feel that it is these first random conversations that really tell you about a person. Are they open, are they fun, are they willing to build a long-lasting relationship with you? Okay that last one is a stretch, but you get my jyst.

Well I make it unisex. I’m the youngest of 5 children, all boys and my daddy was determined that he’d have a basketball line up and I’d be number 5, his little Brayden. Least to say daddy was a little disappointed when I came out with no penis but he said To hell with it! I’m naming the girl Brayden anyways. So here I am Belle of the south, 18 years later, with a boy name. Why thank you daddy!

And then she flops down on her bed like the sheer retelling of this story, which you can tell she does a lot, has exhausted her. I already like her. Well I like it. The name and the story behind it.

She sits up and beams at me. I feel like this is the start to a great friendship, don’t you? I smile and nod.

We begin to start organizing our furniture, asking basic questions: do you have a boyfriend; what’s your major; what are your sleeping habits, study habits; eating habits; favourite movie. You know, stuff that girls bond over.

I find out that she is newly single. Her long-time boyfriend and her decided it would be best to end their relationship amicably so they could both go off and fully enjoy their college experience. Gosh this girl’s life is a portrait. She’s a night person; cannot wake up in the morning ‘for the life of her’ so she always has a million alarms set and welcomes me to jump on her bed when she’s late for a morning class. We are in a few of the same classes, a couple of them mornings, and me being a morning person I tell her that I got her covered. We mesh really well and I am a person that goes off vibes, and me and Brayden, well…we vibe.

By 4 o’clock, we have completed a good chunk of our unpacking when I hear Brayden’s stomach grumble and we burst out laughing.

Well my daddy always said that when the tummy starts to rumble, you have about 30 minutes before you get very very grumpy. I feel I’ll be hearing a lot of well my daddy always said…

You and your dad are pretty close huh? A very happy smile spreads on Brayden’s face and she gets a faraway look in her eyes. Yea I’m a daddy’s girl. I love my momma all the same, but my daddy loved me more than I think he would have if I were a boy. But you’d never get the man to admit it. Are you and your dad close? Or you and your parents?

This is usually my least favourite topic of getting to know someone new, which is why I usually don’t make new friends. I’ve had the same one since I was 11 and that hasn’t changed until now. No not really. It’s actually just me and my brother and his fiancé. They are my family. Do you want to go down and get some late lunch? I start to grab my bag hoping I have successfully distracted Brayden by reminding her of her empty stomach.

Brayden follows suit and grabs her bag hoisting it over her shoulder and nodding. Just as I think I am off the hook she asks So what happened to your parents. I don’t mean to pry. If you don’t want to tell me it’s okay. And I usually don’t but this is a new chapter of my life so I do tell her the shortened version. My mom passed away when I was 11 and my dad left shortly after so it’s just been me and my brother for the most part.

Brayden thinks on this for a little while and then she loops her arm in mine and says something that seems to fit the moment so perfectly that I think I have truly found a friend for life, Well you’ve got me now too. And then my tummy grumbles and we head to the cafe to share our first meal of many together.

~~~~

We get to the cafe and are both surprised by the variety of foods we have open to use 24/7. Freshman 15?! With the way we piled our plates high, it will definitely be the freshman 50. Thank God I found out on the walk here that Brayden likes to work-out as much as me; I will have a gym buddy.

We settle on burgers, fries, and milkshakes, which I think may be my new go to for meals. As we are walking through to a table, some really tall guy thrusts a flyer at us for a frat party that is going on tonight. Brayden grabs the flyer from the guy scans it real quick and says If there is a keg, I am there.

The guy gives her this mischievous smile and then she winks at him! Man! I love this girl. We sit down at an empty table by one of the floor to ceiling window’s and start to eat. So, are you much of a party person Edie? Because this southern girl here loves a party

I have never been an, every weekend you can catch me at the party going on kind of girl, but I can hold my liquor and I do like to dance so I say, Not a big partier but I can hang. This reply makes Brayden chuckle. The girl just chuckled at me.

Well darlin’, tonight we are partying. We are going to get all dolled up and we are going to show ourselves off to all the male suiters and garner a few boys to keep around if you know what I mean. Brayden was wasting no time gaining her full college experience. This was going to be the most intense 4 years of my life, I could already feel it and classes hadn’t even started yet.

As we are finishing up our food, I hear Brayden gasp and her hand flies to her mouth. Oh my dear lord ain’t that the sweetest piece of pie you ever seen. If we were in a cartoon this would be the moment Brayden’s eyes turned into hearts and popped out of her head a few times.

I turn around to see what piece of pie she’s looking at and I see that to my tastes he’s alright but for Brayden I think she’s damn near in love. He’s cute. He’s tall, shaggy hair. More the beach boy surfer type, which isn’t really my type but he is cute.

Cute! Gosh he is just gorgeous! But I am happy to know we don’t have the same type. That is always a great thing to know. Losing the one friend I’ve made after 5 minutes over boy war is not something I had in mind for my college experience.

Before I know it, Brayden is up and walking right towards mystery surfer with the frat party flyer in hand. There is smiling and what looks like flirting on both parts and then Brayden is walking back to me with a little skip in her step. She sits back down with a satisfied smile His name is Jase. He’s a sophomore. And he will be going to the party and is very excited to see me there. She says this last part with a raise of her eyebrows to imply that she has gotten him hook, line, and sinker.

We need to go back so we can start getting ready, we have to look amazing. Me for him, and you for all of them. Brayden says as she grabs her tray.

I don’t protest. Living with just my brother for most of my life made me a little less girly than most. It wasn’t until his fiancé Melissa moved in with us about 2 years ago that I really experienced putting on makeup, doing my hair, and getting a mani and pedi. So I look forward to these kinds of things when I get the chance to do them.

We throw out our trash and place our trays down on top and head back to our dorm taking the long way back to get a better look of campus. Moving from South Carolina to North Carolina wasn’t a big change like Brayden moving here from Tennessee, but boy is the campus of UNC gorgeous. We make it back to our dorm and as were walking down the hall, I think I hear an Australian accent from behind one of the doors. Who doesn’t love an accent. I am so happy that we live in a coed dorm. Not only does it give the place diversity but it also opens for a lot of great and hilarious experiences.

We get back to our room and Brayden demands that we lay out all of our sexiest clothes to find the perfect outfit. Brayden settles on this really cute summery halter dress and I choose white high-waisted shorts and a close-fitting crop top that shows both tummy and a little cleavage.

Melissa, gave me two bags full of clothes for graduation/going away to college present that I am very grateful for at