Only For You (Forever and Always, Book #1)

by E. L. Todd

  “Scarlet, what are you talking about? Your boss assaulted you? What did the fucker do? You shouldn’t run here. We should call the police.”

  “No,” I said quickly. “It won’t do any good. I already lost all credibility with the company. I’ll just lose the battle then Carl will come after me again. It’s hopeless.”

  Ryan sighed. “That’s still unacceptable.”

  “Just forget about it, okay? I just want to move on.”

  He was quiet for a moment. “Fine.”

  I wiped my tears away. “And then I left my friend without saying goodbye or telling her where I was going. I’m a coward, Ryan. I don’t recognize myself.”

  “I don’t agree with that,” he said. “We aren’t strong all the time, Scar. We get weak and we fall down. It’s when we stand up again that we become stronger. You will learn from this and be better for it. It’s okay to fall once in a while. You’ll pick yourself up—eventually.”

  “So you think I made the right decision?” I sniffed.

  “I didn’t say that,” he said. “I think you made the best one you could in that situation. You need time to mourn and grieve before you can piece yourself together. Take all the time you need. You’ll find yourself again—I know you will.”

  Tears stopped falling as I listened to my brother. He had always taken care of me when we were growing up, and even though we are adults, he returned to that role like he had never left it. “I don’t know what I would do without you.”

  “You’ll never have to find out.” He smiled. “Now let’s take some baby steps. Let’s get up and get dressed.”

  “I don’t want to,” I whispered.

  “Yes, you do,” he said as he sat up. He grabbed my arm and pulled me to him. “Get dressed. And wear street clothes.”

  “Why?” I asked.

  “We are going to play some ball.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I don’t want to.”

  “Too bad,” he said. “Now get dressed.” He closed the door behind him and walked away. I dressed in my yoga pants and running shoes, and wore a teal sweater that Sean gave me for Christmas last year. The thought of him made my heart ache, but I pushed the recollection away. I could get through this. I had to take baby steps.

  When I walked out, Ryan was sitting at the table reading the newspaper. He was wearing basketball shorts and a gray sweatshirt. “Have some cereal,” he said.

  I opened the cupboard and grabbed a box. I poured almond milk into my bowl, since Ryan never bought regular milk, then poured the cereal on top.

  “You still do that?” He laughed. “The milk goes on afterwards.”

  “It makes the cereal too soggy.”

  Ryan rolled his eyes. “You are so weird.”

  I sat across from him at the table and watched him drink his coffee while he read the paper. His features reminded me of my own, and there was no doubt that we were related.

  “What?” he asked without looking at me. His eyes were still focused on his paper. “Why are you staring?”

  “I missed you.”

  He finally met my gaze. “I missed you, too.”

  I smiled at him then ate my cereal. We sat together in companionable silence while he read the paper and I finished my breakfast.

  There was a knock on the door, but Ryan didn’t get up. “It’s open.”

  A man, who was wearing basketball shorts and a white t-shirt, came into the kitchen. He had blond hair and green eyes, and his skin was pale like he never spent time in the sunlight. He looked at Ryan then turned his gaze towards me.

  “Hi,” he said as he outstretched his hand. “My name is Cortland.”

  “Scarlet,” I said as I shook his hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “Likewise.” He smiled then sat next to Ryan, looking at him. “Are you ready to ball it up?”

  “Yeah,” Ryan said as he put down the paper. He downed the rest of his coffee and left it on the table. “Let’s go.”

  I stood up from the table and looked at Ryan. “You guys have fun.”

  He stopped and stared at me. “You’re coming with us.”

  “Three is an odd number—too complicated. Besides, I thought it would just be us.”

  Cortland grabbed the basketball from the couch and spun it on his finger. “I didn’t mean to intrude,” he said. “I didn’t know you had plans, Ryan. We can meet up later.”

  Ryan shook his head. “No, we are all going,” he said firmly. “Ignore my sister. She’s just being a brat.”

  Cortland dropped the ball. “Your sister?” he asked. The knowledge seemed to stun him.

  “Yes,” Ryan said. “I find it hard to believe myself sometimes.”

  “I didn’t know you had a sister,” he said.

  “Now you know why I kept it a secret,” Ryan teased.

  I rolled my eyes. “Fine, I’ll go. But I suck at basketball.”

  “That’s fine,” Ryan said. “I already assumed that.”

  I put my hands on my hips and glared at him. “Thanks.”

  Ryan ignored my look of annoyance. “Alright. Let’s go.”

  Together, we left the building and walked down the street to a nearby basketball court that was fenced off. No one was playing on that gloomy afternoon, so we had the court to ourselves.

  “I’ll be the referee,” I said as I stood near the benches.

  Ryan shook his head. “You don’t even know the rules of the game. You may as well be a stupid cheerleader.” He dribbled the ball in his hands then passed it to Cortland. Cortland threw the ball to the hoop and scored a point. Ryan retrieved the ball and started dribbling it up the court.

  I ran to Ryan and stole the ball from him, bouncing it next to me. He stared at me with a look of surprise, impressed that I managed to get the ball. I smiled. “I said I sucked at basketball. I never said I was oblivious to it.” I aimed the ball and made a shot in the hoop.

  “Your sister’s got game,” Cortland said as he jogged toward us.

  “Don’t encourage her,” Ryan said as he fetched the ball. “It will go to her head then she’ll be a little brat, like usual.”

  We ran around the court, dribbling and passing to one another. We weren’t playing a real game, but having a free for all. I felt the sweat drip down my forehead as we played, and after an hour, I was exhausted from running up and down the court. Ryan’s sweatshirt was soaked in sweat, but he didn’t seem to be tired. Cortland was also sweaty in his tank top, but he was full of energy. Both guys looked like they kept up a healthy lifestyle of sports and exercise, and some form of weight training. Cortland was almost the same size as my brother.

  “I think I’m done,” Ryan said as he caught his breath.

  Cortland spun the ball on his finger. “Me too.” He nodded as sweat dripped down his forehead.

  “Let’s eat,” I said. “I’m starving.”

  “We just ate, fatty,” Ryan teased.

  “You know, you only act like a bully when your friends are around,” I said to him.

  “I just like to tease you.” He held up his hand to Cortland, silently asking him for the ball, and Cortland passed it to him. “Do you want to go to Mega-Shake?”

  Cortland nodded. “I like that joint.”

  Ryan looked at me. “You down?”

  “I’m always down for Mega-Shake.”

  We walked down the main strip toward the burger joint in the distance. Cortland dribbled the ball as we walked. He passed it to Ryan, who also dribbled it before he passed it back. When we got to the restaurant, I made the men wash their hands, and Ryan glared at me as he walked into the bathroom. Then, we ordered our food and sat down.

  “I don’t know what we did to give you the impression that we are pigs, but Cortland and I wash our hands like everyone else,” Ryan said as he ate his fries.

  “Well, you went straight to the counter when we walked in,” I said.

  “Yes.” Ryan laughed. “So I could order our food and hand them the money. Then I was going to w
ash my hands.”

  “I think you are lying.”

  “Whatever,” Ryan said as he rolled his eyes.

  Cortland watched us with a smile on his face. “My sister and I were never close.”

  “What makes you think we are close?” Ryan said. He glared at me then turned his gaze back to his friend.

  I narrowed my eyes at my brother. “You love me.”

  “It depends on what day it is, and what time of the month it is,” Ryan said.

  I kicked him under the table, but he just laughed.

  I turned to Cortland. “So, are you a tattoo artist as well?”

  “No.” He laughed. “I am a computer programmer. I work at the hospital downtown and update their software, among other things.”

  I nodded my head. I wasn’t expecting him to give such an answer. Based on his appearance, I would have assumed that he was a personal trainer or perhaps a physical therapist. “That’s interesting.”

  Cortland laughed. “I know it’s lame. But I like it. I’ve always been a bit of a geek.”

  “And your name doesn’t help,” I teased.

  Cortland smiled. “I know it sounds pretentious, but I’m nothing like that.”

  “Until you ask him something about computers,” Ryan said.

  Cortland ate his fries and ignored Ryan.

  “Where did you go to school?” I asked.

  “Harvard.”

  “You are sounding less pretentious by the minute.” I smiled.

  “I know.” He laughed. “I should just admit it—I’m a pretentious douche.” Ryan and I both laughed loudly, and I almost knocked over my soda. “And where did you go to school?” he asked.

  I felt my cheeks redden. Ryan started laughing at the distressed look on my face. “Harvard,” I said.

  “You are lucky I am too much of a gentleman to make fun of you.” He smiled.

  “You don’t have to be nice to her,” Ryan said. “She’s just my sister.”

  “I’m still a lady,” I argued.

  “That’s debatable,” Ryan said.

  I rolled my eyes at him.

  Cortland met my gaze. “I’ll let it go—for now.” He finished his burger then wiped his mouth. I could smell the stench coming from the two men. I started to wonder how bad I smelled. Perhaps I was the culprit of the odor and not my brother and Cortland. A woman wearing a tight dress and high heeled boots walked by, and both men immediately stared at her. When she left the restaurant, they stared at her ass as she disappeared from view.

  I rolled my eyes. “You guys are disgusting.”

  “What?” Cortland said. “She had a nice ass.”

  Ryan leaned back in his chair. “I’m still thinking about it.”

  “Me too,” Cortland said.

  I pushed my food away and ignored them. Sean checked out women, but he was never so blatant about it. When he and Penelope were together, he never looked at anyone. After they broke up, he still didn’t even glance at the beautiful women in the city. Well, except Janice. The thought of their rendezvous made the sadness creep into my eyes.

  My brother caught the look. “The time has arrived,” he said as he stood up. “Scarlet’s getting chocolate because that’s what she always gets. What are you getting, man?”

  “I’ll get chocolate too,” Cortland said.

  “I shall return,” Ryan said as he walked away and stood in line.

  I looked at Cortland, who was already staring at me. “I am sorry about the pretentious thing. I didn’t mean it in an offensive way.”

  “I know.” He smiled. “And I wasn’t offended. I can take a joke. Your brother picks on me all the time. I’m used to it.”

  “He can be a real bully,” I said with a grin.

  “Which is why it’s good to have him as your friend,” he said with a wink. “He keeps the other bullies away.”

  “So he is your protection?” I asked.

  “I’m just kidding,” he said. “I can take care of myself. Your brother is actually a really great guy—most of the time. We’ve been friends for a long time. He’s like my brother.”

  I smiled at him. “I’m glad he has someone.”

  “He has a lot of people.”

  “I mean someone who he is really close to. Not just someone who is around.”

  Cortland nodded. “I hope you don’t pity him because he isn’t married or doesn’t have a girlfriend. I think Ryan is happy either way. As long as he has artwork, mega-shakes, and his friends, he’ll be fine.”

  “I just wish he had a serious girlfriend.”

  “Do you have a boyfriend?” he asked.

  I felt myself flinch at his question. I wasn’t expecting such a serious topic of conversation, but then I realized that I was the one who started the discussion. I got myself into this. “No.”

  He nodded. “So, are you visiting Ryan?” he asked.

  “Actually, I live here.”

  “I wonder why he never mentioned you before?” he said. “And I’m surprised I’ve never seen you around.”

  “Well, I just moved here.”

  “From where?” he asked.

  “New York.”

  “May I ask why?”

  I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t want to dump all my personal bullshit onto this complete stranger, a man I had only spent the afternoon with. “I just needed a change of scenery.”

  He seemed to understand the true meaning of my words. Cortland leaned back in his chair. “I was going to offer to show you Seattle sometime, but you must have already seen it all.”

  “Yeah,” I said. “I did grow up here with Ryan.”

  Cortland nodded.

  “But I appreciate the offer.”

  “Well, if you need someone to hang out with, let me know. I have friends that I can introduce you to.”

  “Thanks.” I smiled.

  Ryan returned with the milkshakes and sat down. I grabbed my cup from his hand and started sucking the straw. Cortland reached for his and yanked it from my brother’s hands. We were acting like barbarians.

  “So what did you talk about while I was gone?” Ryan asked.

  Cortland put down his shake. “That you are actually the pretentious douche and we aren’t. We came to an agreement.”

  I laughed and almost spit out the chocolate ice cream from my mouth.

  “How do you figure?” Ryan asked.

  I made my voice deep to imitate him. “I’m a tattoo artist, but I don’t have any tats because I want it to be meaningful and profound.”

  Cortland chuckled and I laughed at myself. Ryan laughed even though we were making jabs at him. We finished our treats in silence. For the first time, I wasn’t thinking about Sean or the horrific past I left behind. I was in a world with new people, where I felt relaxed and safe. It was just one baby step, but perhaps Ryan was right. Maybe I could do it.

  Ryan’s phone rang from his pocket and he answered it without looking at the screen. “Yeah?” he asked. His eyebrows furrowed when he listened. “When did it happen?” he asked. “I’ll be there soon.” He hung up the phone and shoved it into his pocket. Cortland and I both stared at him, waiting for him to explain the call we just overheard.

  “What was that?” I asked.

  “My security alarm went off at the shop,” he said with a sigh. “I’m going down there to check it out.”

  “Did someone break in?” Cortland asked.

  “I don’t know yet,” Ryan said. “The cops are on the way.” Ryan threw his cup away and turned back to Cortland. “Can you take my sister home?” he asked as he took his apartment key off the ring and handed it to him. “And wait for me to come back?”

  “Why can’t I go with you?” I asked.

  “It isn’t safe,” he said quickly. He turned back to Cortland. “Is that okay?”

  “Of course, man.”

  I glared at Ryan. “I can take care of myself. Cortland doesn’t need to babysit me.”

  “I’ll see you later.” Ryan walked o
ut of the restaurant and grabbed a cab off the side of the road. He disappeared inside the car and it drove off down the street.

  Cortland turned to me. “Are you ready to head back?”

  “I guess.” I sighed. “I just hope everything is okay.”

  “I’m sure it is,” he said as he got up and opened the door for me. “This has happened before.”

  I threw my shake away before we walked outside. “It has?”

  “Yes,” he said. “Every business owner has to deal with break-ins. Ryan has been held at gunpoint.”

  I stopped on the sidewalk. “What?”

  “I’m guessing you didn’t already know that,” he said with a sigh.

  “No.”

  “Well, he was fine so it doesn’t matter.”

  We continued to walk back to the apartment. Cortland carried the basketball as we headed down the sidewalk.

  “So, where do you work?” he asked.

  I felt awkward with the question because I didn’t have an answer—at least a good one. “Well, I don’t have a job yet.”

  “What did you get your degree in?”

  “English.”

  “And what do you want to do with that?”

  “I’ve been working as an editor. Hopefully, I can find work in Seattle.”

  “Is that what you want to do—be an editor?” he asked.

  “Yes, but I would also like to be a writer.”

  “Have you written anything?”

  “No,” I said. “I can never find inspiration.”

  “You’ll find it,” he said as we walked forward.

  The apartment was in sight and we crossed the street to the front lobby. Cortland opened the door for me and we took the elevator to the fifth floor. When we got to the front door, I fumbled with the keys until I finally got it unlocked. We walked inside and Cortland put the ball on the kitchen table then sat in the living room. I grabbed two bottles of water and handed him one.

  “You really don’t have to stay here,” I said. “I’m fine being alone.”

  He shook his head. “Sorry but I told Ryan I’d stay with you and I won’t let him down. I can tell it’s important to him.”