by Ruby Rowe
“This is exactly what Camilla worried he’d do … push her away,” Sasha says. “She never meant to hurt him. Tony was the mastermind behind it all.”
“I still have no clue what happened, but I can tell you that Ellis is never trashed like this. He was the one taking care of my drunk ass last night, and he’d never hurt Camilla or Liam. I’ll find out where they’re at for you.”
Cocking her head to the side, a smile branches from her lips.
“You’re being nice to me, and I sense it’s genuine. Why is that?”
“Do you ask every person who’s nice to you that question?”
“Aside from Camilla and Liam, people aren’t kind to me unless they have something to gain.”
“Were the people at rehab not kind to you? Because I donate a shit ton of money to that place, and I’ll call—”
“Stop, they were kind, but they also needed their jobs.”
“Maybe they were being genuinely nice.”
Her forehead scrunches in this cute way, causing her golden-brown eyes to squint, but then she shakes her head.
“No, I don’t give people a reason to be nice to me.”
“Yet you’re sensing I’m being nice to you.”
Her gaze flits to the wall. “Well, yes, and that’s why I’m confused.” I grab hold of her shoulder, but she pulls away. “Please don’t touch me.”
“Sorry, my bad.” I bring my hands up in front of me. “I was just going to say that you’re Liam’s aunt. That means something to me.”
“Right … I get it now.”
I clench my eyes shut. “No, you’re not getting it. Liam’s not the only reason I helped you. Look, I haven’t had coffee yet, and you need sleep. Come down later, and we’ll talk then.”
She stares at me like I’ve grown two more heads for being nice.
“OK…” Walking over to the staircase, she looks up it. “Wow,” she mumbles before taking a step.
Wow is right. She’s different, and I don’t like how I can’t read her. It’s usually so easy for me with women. Shaking the frustration off, I head to the kitchen to face the other person who’s striking a nerve with me today.
Sasha
Making it to the top of the floating staircase, I come to a stop and look around. I’m blown away by the size of this mansion. There’s one room to my right, and I hope it’s a spare bedroom so I don’t have to snoop down the long hallway to my left.
I walk over to the doorway, and as soon as I peek inside, I see it’s an office and quickly turn back. I guess I’ll be exploring this place.
I head the other direction and discover Liam’s room on the right. I stare inside, amazed by how perfect it is. He’s never had his own space. Reality is, neither Camilla or I have ever had a bedroom that looked like this.
His toys and furniture are new and shiny, and seeing items he loves makes me miss him. I took his presence for granted when we lived together, treating him more like a nuisance when he loved me like no other person had besides my sister.
Suddenly sad, I yearn for sleep. It’s my only form of escape if I don’t use drugs, and I don’t want to. I mean, I do want to, but I won’t. Not this time.
Too much money was spent for only the short time I was in rehab to ever use again. I have to find a way to recover. I owe that much to Camilla and Liam … and now Greyson and Ellis.
I bet they feel obligated to help me because of Camilla, but regardless of the reason, I owe them my life. I don’t know the details, but Camilla got me out of that apartment where I’d reached an all-time low with Rusty.
The door across from Liam’s is closed, so I crack it open. The room is beautiful, but I don’t notice any personal belongings, so I stroll inside.
There’s a queen-size bed, dresser and nightstand. A lone chair sits off to the side, but otherwise, there’s nothing else. Spotting a couple of doors, I go to them and look inside. One’s a closet and the other a spacious bathroom.
It’s awkward being here, especially without Camilla, but it’s not as strange as it was to be in that lavish rehab facility where I didn’t fit in. I roam around the room, and Greyson steps inside the doorway.
“Here are your suitcases. I thought you might need them.”
“Oh, thanks. If you think it’s OK, I’ll probably shower after I rest.”
“It’s no problem. I’m going to be a while with Ellis, anyway. He has to sober up before we can talk.”
“I hope Camilla’s OK. It’s not like her to ignore my calls.”
“I’m sure Ellis put her and Liam in a suite at their hotel.”
“Her physical safety isn’t what I’m worried about.”
Greyson scratches the back of his head, and now that I have a good look at him, I smile. There’s a black bowtie hanging around his neck over his wrinkled and untucked white shirt. He’s in black dress pants and socks, and his hair is a hot mess. What’s unnerving is how sexy he looks like this.
“What’s with the smile?” he asks, wearing one himself.
“You have a bowtie hanging around your neck. I don’t see that every day, and I assume you slept in it?”
He yanks it off and looks down at it. His skin is pink and smile broader, revealing adorable dimples.
“Yeah, we were at this obnoxious benefit gala last night.” He pushes back the top of his hair that’s wavy and longer than the rest. “I guess I should go shower, too. Uh, just come down later. I’ll have answers, and we’ll get you something to eat.”
“Thank you … for everything.”
“No problem.” He strolls to the door, and I try not to look at his firm butt. Stopping, he turns, and I hurry to bring my gaze up. “Why did you take a bus here? I can’t imagine how long that took.”
I shrug. “It’s all I could afford.”
Nodding slowly, he looks as if he’s trying to wrap his brain around that concept. He leaves me alone with my humiliation, and I try to wrap my brain around this lifestyle.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Ellis
I’ve been staring at the TV for some time now after waking up from the nap Greyson forced me to take. I’m sitting on the sofa where he was passed out only hours ago. What a role reversal. My coffee mug is cold in my hand, so I set it on the table in front of me.
“Are you sober enough to talk now?” he asks after strolling into the family room.
“I guess.” He’s wearing a pair of my athletic shorts and one of my t-shirts, and his hair is damp.
“I see you snooped around my closet and helped yourself to my shower.”
“Yeah, and if you hadn’t been a drunken ass this morning, I could’ve gone home to my own shower.” He glances down at his attire. “I would’ve preferred jeans, but you and your long giraffe legs made that impossible.”
I fall back against the sofa. “Thanks for handling Sasha. Where is she?”
“Upstairs.” He takes a seat in the chair to my right. “Did you confront Camilla last night about having met her before?”
“She brought it up. I guess the guilt was eating at her.”
“When did you meet?”
“Tony hosted a party over four years ago for the sole purpose of drugging me so that he could come here and get into my safe to steal a flash drive. It had classified government documents on it. He and Camilla were dating at the time, and he used her to distract me.”
“Are you kidding me?”
“No, I’m not. He offered her twenty-five grand, Greyson, which she said she was going to use to help Sasha. She claimed she didn’t keep the cash after she discovered he’d drugged us by adding GHB to our bottle of champagne. It fucked us up, and we had sex.
“I’ve been having dreams about it since after the party, but I couldn’t see Camilla’s face in the dreams, so I thought it wasn’t a real occurrence.”
“Why are you so angry?”
“Are you serious right now?”
“You already love that kid. I figured you’d be thrilled to know he’s yours, and Sasha said Camilla
didn’t know, so you can’t be pissed at her over that.”
“She should’ve told me what Tony did a hell of a lot sooner.”
“Maybe, but it sounds like she was a victim, too. It had to suck to find out the man she was dating drugged her and didn’t care if she spent time with his brother.”
“None of it changes that our relationship started from a bunch of lies and deceit. I’m not entirely innocent. I hurt her, too, threatening to take Liam after Tony died, but we can’t keep starting over. There’s too much baggage between us.”
“Maybe your stupid move is why she kept shit from you. Did you ever consider that?”
I glare at him. “This isn’t my fault.”
“No. Your brother definitely gets the credit for that. What was on the flash drive?”
“All I can tell you is it was something that could’ve destroyed the U.S. if it landed in the wrong hands. I suspect he planned to sell the information.
“It was always about money with him, and he was willing to risk everyone’s lives for more of it. I’m sure he would’ve moved to some island afterward, knowing him.”
“He wasn’t always law-abiding. Maybe he got himself into some trouble and was forced to get the information.”
“There’s no proof of that.”
“No, but I can’t see your brother doing something that could harm you or Camilla, either. Hell, maybe he even suspected Liam wasn’t his. That could explain why he never saw him and didn’t leave him anything from his estate.”
“Trying to make him out to be a saint doesn’t change the fact that he drugged Camilla and me. It doesn’t change that she kept it from me for as long as possible.”
“Was she regretful?”
“Yes. She was a mess.”
“Do you love her?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Cuz, you told me she was different from any other woman you’d met. The way you looked at her last night … damn, man. Unlike me, you get to choose the life you want, and you can either stay bitter all your life, living alone and seeing your son only part-time, or you can forgive her and have the family I know you’ve always wanted.”
“Rehab made you such a fucking girl.”
“Shut up, dickwad. This isn’t comfortable for me, either, but I’m trying to save you from your self-destructive ways.”
“I don’t know if I can forgive her that easily. I couldn’t even look at Liam this morning. He’s not my nephew, and I don’t know how I’ll react once I see him as my son.”
“You react however you need to, but you step up and do it. I can’t believe you sent them away.” He shakes his head, making me more ashamed.
“I told her she could come back tomorrow. I’m leaving town for a while to think.”
“No, you’re going to stay here and be a father to Liam, and while you’re doing that, you can work on repairing your relationship with Camilla.”
I scrub my face with my hands. “Life was so much easier before Tony died.”
“Your life was depressing as fuck, cuz. Just sayin’.”
“Yeah, and now I’m overrun with house guests. Sasha will be living here next. I had their apartment emptied out last week, and I doubt she knows it.”
“Let’s worry about one thing at a time. Rest up today, and tomorrow … meet your son.”
Sasha
After I shower and dress in jeans and a black t-shirt that has a cute rainbow and unicorn on the front, I leave my hair down and straighten my brown waves.
Thinking about Camilla, I decide to call her one more time before I head downstairs. I’m nervous about facing Greyson and Ellis. I just want to be with my sister.
I press the button on my phone and pray she answers this time.
“Hello,” she says on the third ring.
“Sis, I’ve been trying to reach you.”
“I’m sorry. I had a lot going on this morning and didn’t take my phone out of my purse.”
“Uh, I have some news; I’m at Ellis’s.”
“Sasha! What are doing out of rehab?”
“I know, and I’m sorry, but I couldn’t stay at that place another day. It was helping, but I didn’t fit in. Do you know the kind of money the other patients, or whatever they call them, have or were raised with?”
“I can guess, but it’s about the treatment. You had a chance to stay for as long as you needed.”
“But I can’t relate to them. We might all share the same issues as addicts, but our lives are too different in every other way.
“On top of that, word got to me about what the place costs, so I went to their office and found out Greyson was paying instead of Ellis. I totally flipped and left. There was no way in hell I was staying and running up a bill like that.”
“What now? How are you going to stay clean?”
“I swear I’ll go to NA. I’ll find a sponsor, and I won’t hang around any of the lowlifes I used to associate with. I won’t tell them I’m back at the apartment.”
“Sis, we closed out the apartment last week. I didn’t want you living there again.”
“Then where am I supposed to go?”
“I don’t know. I thought we had time to figure that out, and now I’m unsure if I even have a place to live since Ellis is furious with me. He knows everything. Did he talk to you about it?”
“He was so trashed when I got here. Greyson’s downstairs trying to sober him up.”
“He doesn’t drink.”
“Well, he’s drinking today. He was rude to me, too, but Greyson put him in his place.”
“If he’s drunk, then he’s more upset with me than I thought.”
“Where are you staying? I’ll have Greyson give me a ride there, and we’ll figure everything out.”
“Embassy Suites. If Ellis talks to you, please tell him I’m sorry.”
“I will, sis. I love you.”
“I love you, too, but I’m still mad at you. I just want you well, Sasha.”
“I know, and I promise to do good this time.”
Ending the call, I put on my red converse tennis shoes and walk down the quiet hallway. I hope Ellis doesn’t yell at me, and I hope Greyson doesn’t come across any sexier or kinder than he already has today.
The last thing I need is a crush on a guy I can’t have. I might as well join a nunnery since I can only be with a man when I’m under the influence, and I’m staying clean this time.
Halfway down the stairs, I smell food. Having not eaten since yesterday, my stomach growls in an instant. I pad to the kitchen and stop at the doorway, unsure about where I’m welcome.
I see a spread of Chinese take-out on the island, but no one is around, so I walk down a wide hallway, looking in rooms. I find a dining room, a formal living room, and then a family room toward the back of the home, where Greyson is sitting on the couch, watching sports.
He’s holding chopsticks over one of the take-out boxes and has changed into shorts and a t-shirt. His blond hair looks shiny and soft, and as soon as I eat, I need him to take me to Camilla’s hotel so I can get far away from him.
“Hi,” I say meekly. Looking my way, he sits up straight.
“Hi. Feel better?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“Are you hungry? I ordered plenty of food.”
“I’m starving, actually.”
His brow furrows for a second, but then he smiles.
“I set a plate out for you, so help yourself.”
“Thank you.” I stroll back to the kitchen, and once I’ve made my plate, I sit at the dinette set next to some windows. I stare out at Ellis’s neatly kept property that seemingly goes on forever.
“I did shower, so it was safe to sit by me,” Greyson says. I look at him, and he’s giving me a charming smile as he stands by the island.
“Sorry. I worried I’d make a mess sitting in there.” I can’t tell him it’s because I’m nervous to be around him since he’s so smokin’ hot. “Where’s Ellis?”
“Upst
airs. He’s probably in his office or showering.”
“Could you give me a ride to Camilla’s hotel? I’m going to stay with her until I can get out on my own.”
He’s silent as he refills his plate. He strolls over and sits across from me. Ugh, I don’t want to eat in front of him.
“About that … I have a proposition for you.”
What?
“Um, OK…”
“I was thinking you could come stay at my house temporarily. I’m the only one living there, and although it’s not as spacious as this pad, I have a couple extra bedrooms. I have a housekeeper, too, so the place is tidy.” That dashing smile returns, and my heart begins to pound in my chest.
“Why would I do that? I mean, why would you offer?”
“I know it seems weird when you don’t know me, but I think I might’ve convinced Ellis to talk to Camilla. She’s coming back tomorrow, and I believe they need time alone to work on their relationship.”
“So, what you’re saying is I’m a burden they don’t need.” Laying my fork down, I look at my plate.
“I’m sure neither of them sees you as a burden. It’s just that Ellis gets overwhelmed when a lot of people are around, which in turn makes him grumpy. Also, since Irene is here through the week, Christopher and the nanny, too, I figured you’d like my quiet place better.”
I rub my sweaty hands on my jeans.
“I can’t let you do that. I should talk to Camilla and see what she suggests.”
“If you don’t want to go back to California, then inpatient treatment locally would be the next best thing.”
“I can’t afford that, and I won’t let you or Ellis pay for it.”
“I figured you’d say that, so live with me, and go to NA meetings. It’s the perfect setup. You’ll have space while Ellis and Camilla work out their shit. I have an extra car you can drive. I wouldn’t offer if it was an inconvenience.”
“Camilla says I’m a terrible roommate. If she and Ellis stay together, then you and I will be around each other the rest of our lives. It’s a bridge I don’t want to burn.”
“If you’re living a sober life, then I doubt it’ll be terrible to have you as a guest. Look, I’ll sweeten the deal. Stay with me, and I’ll give you a job, too. Do you feel you’re above filing paperwork?” He rolls his eyes. “My paralegal sure thinks she is.”
