Redemption (Forgiven Series)

by Brooke, Rebecca

  I rolled my eyes. It was a good thing Angie lived with us now because Emily would’ve totally given the surprise away. Her phone went off before we had the chance to pull out of the lot. She grabbed for it, responding to the text. “Any day now,” I taunted.

  She shot me a look that let me know that it was time to leave her alone for a few minutes, or she was going to leave me on the side of the road. She put the car in drive and we headed off.

  We drove in silence until she pulled up outside of Andrew’s apartment, surprising me. Andrew Bentley and Nick Thompson were friends of ours from the football team. Nick had a thing for Angie last year, which caused a lot of problems between him and Caleb. It was a long story, but at one point they came to blows and Caleb actually broke Nick’s nose. Their friendship hadn’t been the same since. Andrew on the other hand had his sights set on Emily, until he finally got the nerve to ask her out. They had this on again and off again thing going on. No one knew what the hell was going on with them and it hurt my head to try and keep up.

  “What are we doing here?” I asked cautiously, not wanting to piss her off anymore.

  She sighed. “We need to pick up Andrew and Nick,” she said as she sent them a text letting them know we were outside.

  I looked over at her. “What’s up with you two anyway?”

  “I guess that depends on what day of the week it is. Some days things are perfect but others he acts like he doesn’t want to know me. I really like him, and he’s hot as hell, but I’m really getting sick of the shit.”

  I wondered what his problem was. Who wouldn’t want Emily? If I didn’t see her as a sister I sure as hell would. Then again, Emily was looking for a relationship, whereas I only wanted the one-night screw.

  I grabbed her hand and squeezed. “He’ll figure it out soon enough.”

  She just shook her head with a sad look in her eyes. “I hope so. I’m not sure how much longer I can put up with this.”

  “Have you tried talking to him?” I asked. I had a feeling Emily cared about Andrew more than she was letting on.

  “No. I can’t seem to get the nerve to ask him where this is going,” she sighed.

  I almost laughed, but I liked my balls attached to my body. “Really, Em? You’re not scared of anyone, and you certainly have no problem telling someone how you feel when you’re pissed off. So why now?”

  “I don’t know.” She turned away from me and stared out the window. “I guess I don’t want him to tell me that he sees this as just sex.”

  “Em, look at me.” I said waiting for her to turn. “The Em I know isn’t afraid of anything, so why don’t you talk to him tonight. What do you have to lose?” I covered her hand with mine.

  She watched me and nodded her head. Finally, Nick came bounding down the stairs and jumped in the backseat.

  I turned around. “Hey, bro, you ready for this?”

  He smiled. “Hell yeah. Who doesn’t love a good party with free booze.”

  I turned back around, thanking my lucky stars that Nick and Caleb had finally gotten over all of the shit with Angie. We were all friends and I was tired of breaking up the fights between the two of them. When Nick realized how much Angie loved Caleb and how much Caleb loved Angie, he backed off. I doubt things would ever go back to the way they were, but at least there were no more punches being thrown.

  Andrew came down a few minutes later. After he got in the car he leaned forward to try and give Emily a kiss, but she wasn’t having any of it.

  “Babe, what’s wrong?” Andrew seemed oblivious to the tension in the car. I caught Emily’s eye and the way her jaw set had me nervous. I tensed and waited for the shit to hit the fan.

  “Oh, today I’m babe?” She stopped and shook her head. “No, you know what… we can talk about this later. Tonight is my best friend’s twenty-first birthday and I’m not going to let our issues ruin it. “

  Ah, there was the Emily I knew. I looked over and she winked at me. Hopefully she would just talk to him and put us all out of our misery.

  Andrew started to open his mouth to respond but Nick shook his head. I prayed he took Nick’s advice. The last thing he wanted to do now was get Emily all riled up when she was already in a mood. Thankfully, he decided to sit there and shut up.

  It took about ten minutes to get to the Statler Hotel where Dr. and Mrs. Jacobs always stayed when they were in town. Emily pulled in to valet the car so we didn’t have to carry the bags from the parking lot. Caleb’s parents had reserved them a room, knowing they probably wouldn’t want to have to worry about driving home.

  I glanced over to Emily who still looked irritated as hell. “Hey, Em, I need to find Caleb’s parents to get the key to the room. I want to unload their bags now so I don’t have to worry about it later.”

  She nodded. “All right, let’s head to the lounge. They should be there waiting for us.”

  We moved through the front door and down the hall to the party. Dr. and Mrs. Jacobs were there, taking care of all of the last minutes arrangements before the rest of the guests started showing up. Mrs. Jacobs pulled me into a hug. “Josh, how are you doing? It’s been too long since we’ve seen you.”

  I hugged her back. “Everything’s good, just trying to keep up with my classes. Luckily I have Angie and Emily in one of my classes this semester, so they make sure I get everything done.”

  Emily laughed from behind me. “Of course we do.”

  Mrs. Jacobs let go of me and turned to hug Emily. “Emily, you look beautiful.”

  It was the first time I’d really looked at Emily’s outfit. She was wearing a dark pink dress with a deep v at the neck. No wonder Andrew was being so clingy. He better get his shit together because I wasn’t gonna stand by and let him use her for a quick fuck. She was too good for that. If that’s all he was after then, friend or not, we would need to chat real soon.

  I looked back to Caleb’s mom. “Mrs. Jacobs, do you have the key card to Caleb and Angie’s room? I want to get their stuff upstairs before everyone shows up.”

  “How many times do I have to tell you call me Claire?” She shook her head in mock censure and pulled the key out of her purse.

  I smiled as I took the card from her hand. “Thank you, Claire. I’ll be back down in a few minutes.”

  I turned and left to head up to the room. Caleb wanted me to make sure there was a bottle of champagne ready for when they came upstairs, plus he wanted the red roses he put in the bag spread across the bed. Fucking romantic, but I couldn’t blame him. He was one lucky son of a bitch for finding and keeping Angie—even after all of the stupid shit he’d pulled.

  A lot of crazy shit went down last year, including Caleb having to deal with some delusional stalker who had it in for him. The short version is that Angie and I both ended up in the hospital and it was at that time that I realized there was no point in keeping secrets. I realized there was no point in keeping things to myself. Not long after Angie got out of the hospital, I sat her and Caleb down and told them about all of the shit my dad pulled when I was growing up. It wasn’t like it was a secret, just something I preferred not to talk about. I knew he wouldn’t cause the kind of trouble Bryan had, but I figured it would help explain my fucked up mood swings after I went home to visit Mom.

  Once I finished setting everything up, I made my way back down to the lounge where people were already starting to show up. After helping Emily introduce our friends to Dr. and Mrs. Jacobs, I stepped away to get a drink and that was when I saw her walk up to Emily. She was fucking gorgeous. Long, light brown hair and what looked like greenish-grey eyes. I had no idea who she was but apparently Emily knew and I was determined to find out more.

  I started to make my way over to Emily and the mystery girl when Andrew stopped me.

  “What the hell is her problem?” he asked looking over at Emily.

  I shook my head at him, “You need to talk to her about that. But I can tell you to stop being an ass and decide what you want.”

  �
�What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

  “It means if you’re using her for a quick screw you better back off, because she doesn’t deserve that.” I warned him.

  He threw his hands up in surrender. “I’m not.” he sighed. “I’m just never sure what to do when it comes to Emily.”

  I gave him a friendly punch to the shoulder. “You two need to decide what it is that you want from each other and move on from there… before you drive us all bat shit crazy.”

  I started to walk away when he put his hand on my arm to stop me. “Wait, I need your help.”

  Turning, I watched and waited for him to continue but he didn’t. Instead, he stood there looking nervous as hell. “Andrew, there’s not a whole lot I can do until you decide how you feel about her.”

  I moved to walk away again when he shocked the shit out of me. “I think I love her.”

  “What?” I wasn’t sure that I heard him right and I shook my head to clear it. “Did you say you think you love her?”

  He took a deep breath in. “Yeah, I did. But I have no idea what to do.”

  “Dude, this is something you need to talk to her about.” I clasped him on the shoulder. “I can tell you that making her feel like you don’t give a shit is definitely not the way to go. Talk to her.”

  He looked over to where she was standing. “I will.”

  Nodding, I walked back over to Emily, hoping to catch sight of the gorgeous brunette again. Looking down at my watch I realized that it was almost time for Caleb and Angie to arrive. I was grateful that we didn’t have to get dressed up in a suit. Jeans and a black button down were as dressed up as I could manage.

  I was having a damn feeling of déjà vu with Andrew and Emily. Why was I all of a sudden Dr. freaking Phil? I didn’t have a love life to speak of, but recently everyone was coming to me for help. Maybe I was better at giving advice than taking my own? When I reached the Jacobs’, I noticed that Matt and Nicole, Caleb’s brother and sister, had arrived.

  “Hey, Matt, what’s up?” I reached out to shake his hand. Since I met Matt he’d treated me like a little brother, something I definitely didn’t mind. I could’ve used a big brother growing up in my house.

  “Nothing, man, the kids are back from winter break so it’s back to the grind. What about you?” he asked.

  “Classes and workouts,” I laughed.

  I turned to Nicole. “Hey, little sis, how’s school going? I hear you had a great year on the field and even got to play a few varsity games.”

  “Absolutely, would you expect any less?” She beamed at me. “School’s great, I couldn’t have made a better choice.”

  My phone went off. I figured it was Caleb letting us know he was here, so I pulled it out to check and answered him.

  Caleb: Here

  Me: K

  “Excuse me, everyone,” I yelled over the noise. When everyone stopped talking and turned to look at me I continued. “Caleb just texted me. They’re valeting the car now and they should be here in a few minutes.”

  The room was deathly silent as everyone watched the doors intently, waiting for Angie to step through. A few minutes later it opened.

  “SURPRISE!” everyone yelled.

  Angie’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh my God.”

  Out of the corner of my eye I saw her and while I should’ve been focused on Angie since this was her party, I found my attention straying. I didn’t even know her name, yet, as I waited for Angie to make it to me, I kept my eyes on the girl across the room.

  Angie walked up to me and I pulled her in close, tucking her under my arm and giving her a squeeze. “Happy Birthday.”

  “Thank you,” she said kissing me on the cheek.

  Angie and Caleb made their way around the room to greet all of their guests. I spent the next couple of hours trying to talk to her, but every time I had a clear shot someone stopped me—mostly Andrew trying to figure out how to save his screwed up relationship with Emily. Finally, I got a moment alone and looked over to Caleb, who still hadn’t popped the question. He looked nervous as hell, and I felt a little bad for him. Grabbing two beers from the bar I went over to give him a pep talk.

  I walked up behind him and slapped him on the back before giving him the beer.

  “Hey, man, you look like you’re gonna puke.”

  He turned to look at me before taking a sip of his beer. “Thanks a lot, asshole,” he grumbled.

  Glancing over to where Angie was standing, I noticed that the brunette was standing with her group. I gave myself a mental shake. I needed to focus. “Did you tell any of them your plans?”

  He shook his head. “No, I didn’t even tell Mom and Dad.”

  “I can’t believe you’re ready to take the plunge. Don’t you want to see what else is out there?”

  He turned to look at me. “There will never be anyone like Angie. She is the most incredible woman I have ever met. She stayed with me even at my lowest, and I can’t imagine my life without her.”

  I still didn’t think I would ever find a girl who would love me the way Angie loved Caleb, but I wasn’t sure that I wanted to look for her either.

  I smiled at him. “I know. Just don’t forget it.”

  He clasped me on the shoulder. “I won’t. I better claim the birthday girl for a dance.”

  “Good luck,” I offered with a wink.

  He shook my hand and pulled me into a hug, “Thanks for everything. We would never have made it here without you.”

  That’s for sure. Caleb had almost lost Angie because of his stupid idea about what he deserved. I patted him on the back. “Always, man.”

  My attention turned back to the group around Angie. “Who’s the brunette standing next to Em?” I asked.

  Caleb followed my line of sight before saying, “That’s Lauren, a friend of Angie’s.”

  “I think I may need to go introduce myself—”

  Caleb stopped me. “She’s a friend of Angie’s, please don’t screw around with her. Remember, we all have to live together.”

  Damn it. All I wanted was to bury myself inside this girl and forget the real world for a little while. Maybe I should just ask her to dance and see where it leads, I thought to myself. “All right, I’ll behave myself. But I’m still asking her to dance.”

  Caleb walked over to the DJ and I took the opportunity to go and introduce myself to Lauren. I noticed her watching me. She tried to look away and pretend to be absorbed in the conversation, but I wasn’t fooled. Maybe I was going to get lucky tonight after all.

  I decided to let Emily make the introductions and then ask her to dance, where I’d hit her with the full force of my charm. I walked up and stood next to Emily. “Hey, Em, having fun?”

  She looked over at me with a huge smile on her face. “Absolutely! This night couldn’t have turned out any better.”

  She had no idea how wrong she was. Giving her a pointed look, I turned to glance at Lauren and back to her.

  She seemed flustered but I had a feeling she was doing it on purpose. “Oh, sorry. Josh, this is Lauren Pierce. Lauren, this Josh Walker, Caleb’s roommate and best friend,” Emily said pointing at each of us in turn.

  I gave her my most charming smile before reaching out my hand. “Nice to meet you, Lauren.”

  It took her a few seconds to respond, but when she did her smile lit up her face and my dick stood to attention. “Likewise, Josh.”

  I listened to their conversation continue for a few minutes. They were talking about the class they shared. Apparently, Lauren was taking a history class with Emily and Angie. I knew they were both history majors, but I wasn’t sure about Lauren. If wanted to know more about her, I’d have to get her away from the group. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Caleb lead Angie to the dance floor.

  I turned to Lauren. “Would you like to dance?”

  “Sure,” she answered with a smile.

  I took her hand and led her out to the dance floor, wanting to be as close to her as possible, b
ut also to be there first hand when Caleb grew a set of balls and asked Angie to marry him. When we reached the dance floor I pulled Lauren into me where she immediately wrapped her arms around my neck and began to move to the music. I was surprised at how well we moved. It was as if we’d been dancing together forever.

  She smelled incredible and I just wanted to be closer to her. When the song finished I kept my arms wrapped around her, moving us into the next song. When I realized it was “Hero” by Enrique Iglesias I knew that the time had come for Caleb to put his plan into action. Luckily, Lauren didn’t seem like she wanted to move from my arms and we continued to sway to the music. I leaned down to whisper in her ear, “You smell amazing.”

  I heard her gasp and she pulled back to look me in the eyes. I could see the desire in them. God, how I just wanted to take this girl out of here and back to my empty apartment.

  I caught Caleb dancing with Angie and looked over in his direction. What the fuck was he waiting for, an engraved invitation? I gave him a discreet thumbs up behind Lauren’s back. He took a deep breath and nodded at me. He reached into his pocket. Stepping away from Angie, he dropped to one knee.

  The DJ realized what was happening and lowered the music so Caleb could be heard. I stopped dancing to watch. Lauren turned and when she realized what was happening she brought her hand up to cover her mouth. Emily was doing the same thing across the dance floor with tears forming in her eyes. At least she had finally talked to Andrew and they were dancing.

  I looked back to Caleb and Angie just as he pulled the ring from its box and held it out to her. “Angelina Powers, will you marry me?”

  The tears streamed down Angie’s face as her smile slowly broke through. “Yes, Caleb. Yes, I will marry you.”

  The cheering around us was deafening, as Caleb slid the ring on Angie’s finger and pulled her back into him. I was so happy for them. After all the shit they’d been through, they deserved to be happy. I turned back to Lauren and held my hand out. All I wanted was to feel her body up against mine again. She took my hand and moved back into my arms.