“Ben, I—”
“Sleep tight.”
A long breath leaves me when his door clicks shut, cutting us off from each other. I follow suit and close mine too before leaning back against it and wondering how the hell I’m meant to fall asleep after that.
Chapter Fifteen
Ben
The tension in Lauren’s body increases the closer we get to London. I know she doesn’t want to go home and deal with everything, but I’m not letting her run away any longer. As much as I’d love to keep her all to myself, we’ve both got things that need to be done. I’ve got a business that really needs my attention, and she’s got two friends to speak to and decisions to make about her future. I haven’t said any more about her coming back to work since we were on the plane. As much as I’d love for her to come back and work beside me, I’m not about to force her. She had enough of that from her dad over the years. If she feels that now’s the time for a fresh start, then so be it.
“This is you then,” she says, pulling up in front of the house. Her voice is full of sadness and I’d do almost anything to help get rid of it, but she really needs to go home and get everything out in the open.
“Thank you for everything. Can I call you later?”
“Do you really need to ask that?”
“I guess not.”
“If you need me, I’ll be here, but no running away. You’ll feel better once you’ve talked through everything.”
Leaning over, I give her a quick kiss. It’s nothing like what my body’s craving, but it’s all I can get away with right now. The memory of how her curves felt pressed up against my body last night is still at the forefront of my mind. I’ve no doubt that if I hadn’t stopped her, I’d have ended up in her bed, but I knew it wasn’t the right thing to do. I’d agreed to give her time to figure shit out, and I was determined to do the right thing…this time, at least.
“I’ll see you soon.” I try to sound positive as I get out of the car and grab my bag from the boot. I watch as she lets out a huge sigh before backing off the drive. She asked me to go with her, but I stand by my decision that she needs to do this alone. Me being there will only get Joe’s back up.
“Hey, I’m home,” I call once I’m in the house, hoping that it will stop a repeat of the last time I turned up unannounced.
“In the kitchen.”
“Fully dressed?”
“It’s safe,” Mum shouts with a laugh. When I round the corner, I find Mum and Chris aren’t alone—there’s another man sitting with them, drinking coffee. “Hey, sweetheart, did you have a good time? Where’s Lauren?” she asks peering around my shoulder, expecting her to appear.
“Gone home to deal with Joe.”
“Oh…okay. Well, this is Trey, the man Chris suggested might be a good fit for us.” It takes me a few seconds to catch up with what she’s talking about. My drug-hazed brain had mostly forgotten the conversation I’d had with her when we got back from Rome about employees handing their notice in and finding someone new for the office.
“Hi. Your mum was just telling me all about you.” Trey says, holding his hand out towards me. He’s older than me, probably mid to late thirties, but he’s a similar build, and I can see that we share a love of ink from the black intricate patterns poking out from his sleeves. His face is hard, his lips set in a slight scowl, and I can’t help thinking he must be an arsehole of a boss. I’m not sure I’d want to be on the wrong side of his temper.
“All good I hope.”
“Of course.” I join them at the table while Mum faffs around getting more drinks. “So, I was just telling your mum a little about me…” he continues on to tell me his employment history within the building industry. I can’t help find it odd that this man, who clearly looks capable, and I have every confidence that he is if Chris is vouching for him, is selling himself to me; the guy who’s not held down a proper job since he walked out of this house over six years ago but suddenly finds himself in charge of a failing company. Everything sounds perfect; his experience is second to none, and I think he’s got the attitude and determination it’ll take to help me drag this company back from the dead.
“Sounds perfect. When can you start?” I ask with a laugh, but in reality I couldn’t be any more serious. The prospect of being the boss is more daunting than I’m allowing anyone to see, but with the knowledge I have someone who knows what they’re doing by my side with regards to running jobs and dealing with employees, the challenge suddenly seems a little more manageable.
Trey looks a little sceptical but eventually says, “Tomorrow?”
I’m too stunned to respond but Mum does it for me. “Done. Now, shall we have something a little more appropriate to celebrate? I feel like this could be the start of a new chapter for all of us.”
When I fall into bed later that night, it’s with hope filling my veins. Lauren seems to be softening to the idea of an ‘us’ again, and we’ve got some solid plans for how to save the business. I believe what Mum said earlier is true. This really is a turning point, and we’re all about to find out if we’re going to sink or swim.
Chapter Sixteen
Lauren
My hand trembles as I lift it to slide the key in the lock. I really don’t want to be forced to deal with all this bullshit and manipulation, but I know Ben’s right. I need to get everything out in the open with both Erica and Joe and see where we go once all the truths are on the table. I’m terrified that my relationships with two of my closest friends are going to be forever tarnished by my dad’s selfish actions, but I guess it’s something we’re all going to have to live with now.
Pushing the door open, I’m met by two shocked faces as they put photo frames and ornaments into boxes. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think this was an ambush.”
“We didn’t know…shit,” Joe says, looking down at the boxes at his feet.
“Moving out?”
“Erica offered me her spare room until I sort myself out. I didn’t know when you’d be back, so we just started. You didn’t answer any of our calls and—”
“It’s fine, really. You need to do what you need to do. I guess I’ll go pack too.”
“Where will you go?”
I shrug. “Do you care?”
“Jesus, Lauren.” His hands go to his head and he pulls at his hair. “Of course I care. You’re my best friend.”
“Am I? Because the last I heard, your position was a fully paid job.”
“It’s not like that. Please, just come and sit down and let me explain.”
Knowing it’s the reason I’m here, I do as he suggests.
“Shall I go or…” Erica says, standing awkwardly in the corner of the room.
“No, if we’re going to do this, we should do it properly. Sit.”
“I’ll get the wine,” Joe suggests, disappearing into the kitchen.
“Did you know?” I snap at Erica when she sits on the sofa opposite me.
“No, I had no clue until he turned up at my door on Friday night. I’m so sorry, Lauren. But he’s a mess. He really loves you.”
“This is so fucked up.”
“You’re telling me. But just hear him out. Hear me out. There’s too much good here to allow him to ruin everything.”
I agree, I do, but the last thing I want to do is spend my Sunday night hearing tales about what an arsehole my dead Dad was.
Joe comes back, and if it’s possible, the atmosphere gets even heavier. We all take a sip of wine, putting off the inevitable, but it can only last so long.
“Nick was a friend of my parents. I’ve known him for as long as I can remember. But as the years went on they drifted apart as people do. Everything you know about the beginning of how we met is true. I really did turn up that day after seeing an ad online for a job. I was desperate. My parents had kicked me out and cut me off after I ‘shamed’ them. I was never expecting to find Nick sitting in the office. I hadn’t seen or heard from him for years. He sat me down and in
terviewed me like he would any other employee before he started asking about my parents. I gave him a shortened version about what had happened and he offered to help. I thought he was just being friendly, but it turned out to be far from that. He told me he’d push me up through the ranks, pay me more and even put a roof over my head if I did one thing for him.”
“Be my friend,” I mutter.
“It wasn’t even that.” He lets out a sigh and casts his eyes to the ceiling. “He wanted me to distract you in any way I could.”
“Distract me?”
“He was concerned that you were going to go running after Ben. I think he took one look at me, another bad boy with tattoos, and thought I could make you forget him. Nick knew my parents. He knew that although I was going through a rough patch, I had ‘good blood’ or whatever bullshit he spewed.”
“I can’t believe you agreed,” I say, shaking my head at how ridiculous it all sounds.
“Why wouldn’t I? I had no money and nowhere to live. I’d been sleeping on friends’ sofas but the offers were drying up fast once they realised I could no longer fund the booze and drugs. Plus, Lauren’s hot…why wouldn’t I want to spend my time with her?” he adds with a laugh.
“You should have told me, Joe.”
“I wanted to. I intended to. But I soon realised that I really liked you, despite you being a miserable bitch and pining after Ben.”
“Thanks.”
“Would you put it any differently?”
“No.”
“You quickly became my best friend, Lauren. You truly did, and I didn’t know how to tell you then. You’d already had your trust smashed, and I just couldn’t do it to you.”
“So you just kept up the façade?”
“Yeah. I kind of thought your dad would get fed up with paying for this place once he realised you’d moved on with your life, but he never did. So I continued spending my wages every month—and your rent,” he adds with a wince, “and here we are.”
“Didn’t you think to do something when you started getting late payment notices?”
“I mentioned it to Nick and he said he’d sort it. I had no idea he had no money.”
“Jesus, this is such a mess.”
“I’m so sorry, Lauren. I never had any intention of hurting you. I was just in the right place at the right time. Maybe it was wrong of me to agree, but I don’t regret it because it brought me you. I might have been there to support you as a distraction for you, but you were the same thing to me, and I’ll forever be grateful for our friendship, even if you don’t forgive me.”
“Forgive you? Don’t be stupid.” Getting up, I sit myself down next to him. “You should have told me sooner. If I’d known what he was capable of, a lot of other things might have gone differently.” I glance over at Erica and she gives me a sad smile.
The three of us talk for hours. Thankfully the topic of conversation steers away from my dad and it almost feels like old times. Sadly, one look at the boxes surrounding us and I’m brought back down to earth with a bang.
“So what now?” I ask.
“Now, we start over without the lies and secrets.”
“That sounds like a plan, but you’re moving in with Erica and I’m about to lose my home.”
“We sort of assumed that you and Ben…” Erica trails off.
“We’re not together.”
“Why not? Lauren, he looks at you like you’re the most amazing thing to ever grace the earth. He loves you so much; it’s obvious every time he glances your way. It’s been that way since you were eighteen. Put the poor boy out of his misery!”
Both Erica and Joe stare at me, waiting for my response. I open my mouth to say something, to argue, but nothing comes out.
“You know we’re right,” Joe adds, but I don’t miss the sadness that darkens his eyes. “That man would move heaven and earth for you.”
I can’t fight the smile that twitches at the corners of my mouth. I can’t argue with Joe, and I’m starting to realise that I need to be brave. I can hide all I like, but at the end of the day, I’ll regret not having this time with him. Even if it all comes crashing down again, knowing my fears kept me from living life to the full with Ben would haunt me forever.
“Do you want some help packing?”
A few hours later, our flat is totally packed. It didn’t take long to realise that we didn’t have all that much stuff to begin with.
“I’m so sorry it came to this,” Joe says, regret written all over his face.
“It is what it is. I think we could all use the fresh start, don’t you?” Both Joe and Erica nod sadly as we each collect the last few things to carry down to our cars. The only thing left is furniture, which Joe says he’ll collect tomorrow in a work van—as long as the boss agrees.
I tell myself I’m not going to cry as the three of us stand in the car park. Nothing’s changing, not really. We’re all still friends. Yes, our relationships might be a little more strained than they once were, but things will get better again with time.
“This is stupid,” I say, my voice heavy with emotion as tears sting the backs of my eyes. “I’ll see you both soon.”
Two sets of arms wrap around me, and I lose the fight with my tears.
“I’m so sorry,” they say simultaneously, and a sob bubbles up my throat.
In the space of only a couple of weeks, my life has completely changed. I lost a man I thought was a caring father, only to discover he was controlling my life every step of the way. The love of my life, who smashed my heart to smithereens, reappeared and turned my life upside down again, and I almost lost two of my best friends in the process. Things can only get better, right?
When I drive away from our building, it’s with a heavy heart, but I can’t deny there’s a little bit of excitement for what’s to come. Everyone I love gets a shot at a new start. I just hope they make the right choices this time around.
The logical part of my brain is screaming that I should be heading in the opposite direction—going to stay with Mum until I sort myself out would be the simplest and safest option—but I find myself heading towards a house I never thought I’d willingly want to live in again.
I hated that house when I was first forced to move in. I still hated it the day I moved out to live with Joe. Although it held some good memories of my time with Ben, seeing him everywhere I looked was so painful. Dad was totally out of order with what he did with Joe, but it was like he knew exactly what I needed. I guess in a way I was lucky that the guy he paid to be my friend was a decent guy who, despite the reason he was there, had a good heart.
Pulling up onto the driveway, images of the time I spent here with Ben run through my mind, from that very first night when he was an arsehole to me in the kitchen all the way to how he supported me on Friday night when I found out about Joe. A smile twitches my lips and I know I made the right decision coming here. It’s time to start this new chapter in our lives, and I need to stop being so afraid and enjoy what’s right in front of me.
Pushing the front door open, the sounds from the TV filter through to me. I slip my shoes off, drop my bag to the side and head into the house to find everyone.
As I round the corner into the living room, I find Jenny and Chris cuddled up on one sofa; the sight of them makes my breath catch. Ben had told me about their relationship when we were in Devon, and although I’m okay with Jenny moving on, I can’t deny it doesn’t sting a little that it’s not my dad she’s sat with.
“Oh, hey, sweetheart. Is everything okay?”
Her voice drags Ben’s gaze away from whatever they’re watching. His eyes burn into me the second they land on my body, and his brow creases with concern. He goes to get up but pauses when I speak.
“Yeah, yeah I’m fine. I was just wondering if I could ask you a favour?”
“Of course.”
“Could I…uh…move back in?”
The skin around Jenny’s eyes crinkles in delight as a wide smile spreads across
her face. “I’m not sure, sweetheart.” My stomach drops, and I suddenly feel stupid for even asking. This isn’t my home anymore. Dad’s gone, and I’m no longer part of this family. Tears sting my eyes and I’m about to turn when she speaks again. “This house no longer belongs to me. It should be Ben you’re asking.”
Turning my attention to him, I don’t get a chance to say anything because his wide chest is in front of me. His arms wrap around my waist and I’m lifted off my feet. His lips find mine as he backs us out of the room.
“Turn the TV up,” he shouts over his shoulder, and although my face flames red, I throw my head back and laugh. It feels so incredibly good to just let go and allow my heart to take the lead for the first time in six long years.
“I can walk,” I offer. Ben must be regretting his decision to try to carry me up the stairs with one arm.
“I’m not letting you go.” His words make me melt. I drop my face into the curve of his neck and start peppering kisses along the hem of his t-shirt. “That’s not making it any easier,” he chuckles.
By the time we get to his room, sweat is beginning to bead his brow, showing that carrying me up here isn’t as easy and pain-free as he’s making out.
“Put me down,” I demand. The conviction in my tone is enough that he does as I say and slides me down his body. Taking his still unshaven cheeks in my hands, I stare up into his eyes. “You’re in pain. We’ve got all the time in the world. You don’t need to rush this.”
“You’ve no idea how long I’ve waited for this.”
“Don’t I? I ask, quirking a brow up.
“Come on.” Threading his fingers through mine, he starts tugging me forward. “You’re aware that you moving in comes with one condition?”
“What’s that?”
“You’re moving into my room.”
Pushing his door open, he hurries inside. The second the door slams shut, I’m pressed up against it.
Fighting for the Forbidden: Forbidden Series #3 Page 13
