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

by E. L. Todd

  “I came to talk about Scarlet.”

  “What about her?” I asked.

  “I can’t get a hold of her. She refuses to answer my calls and I’m really worried about her,” she said. “Have you talked to her?”

  “No.”

  “Do you know where she is?”

  I could see the tears in her eyes and knew how frightened she was, either by Scarlet’s absence or something else. It was evident that Scarlet was still mad at Janice, which I thought was unfair. Scarlet was the one that said she didn’t have feelings for me. She was the one who lied. “Yes.”

  Janice sighed. “Thank god,” she said. “Is she okay?”

  “She’s fine,” I said. “She’s safe.”

  “Where is she?”

  “In Seattle—with her brother.”

  “How do you know if you haven’t spoken to her?”

  “I called her brother. He has been telling me how she’s doing. That’s my way of looking after her. She still doesn’t want to talk to me.”

  “I find that hard to believe,” she said. “You guys have been friends forever. I can’t imagine why she would run away from you.”

  I sighed. “I’m the reason she ran—the biggest one, at least.” Janice stared at me in confusion, unsure of my meaning. “We slept together and she assumed we were a couple, but I thought it was just a friendly fuck. Then, when she saw me with you, she went over the edge. I apologized to her and told her how sorry I was, but she didn’t want to hear it. She said she’s in love with me.”

  Janice crossed her arms over her chest but said nothing for a moment. “I knew it,” she said. There was no vindication or triumph in her voice. “I feel so stupid now. I would never hurt her on purpose—she must realize that.”

  “I know,” I whispered.

  “Do you love her?” she asked. “I know that you do.”

  I met her gaze. “Yes.”

  “Then go get her and bring her home.”

  “It’s complicated,” I said. “I’m still hooked on Penelope. I can’t just chase after Scarlet with these feelings. It’s wrong and I won’t do that to her.”

  Janice looked over and noticed the ring box on the kitchen table. She opened it and admired the ring and the set of diamonds in the band. “It’s beautiful, Sean,” she said.

  I didn’t say anything. The ring needed to be returned to the store, but I couldn’t do it yet.

  “But she isn’t coming back, Sean,” she said as she closed the box. She put it back on the table. “Now Scarlet is in love with you and you are clearly in love with her. Go to her. She’ll understand that you aren’t completely over Penelope—I know she’ll understand. And eventually you will forget about her. Why can’t you be together while that happens?”

  “I miss her so much,” I said. I felt my emotions bubbling at the surface but I kept them back, not wanting to reveal my vulnerability to Janice, a mere stranger. “I love her.”

  “Can you do something for me—when you see her?”

  I nodded.

  “Ask her to call me. I miss her, too. And I love her. She’s my best friend.”

  I wanted to hug her, but I felt like I would be betraying Scarlet in some complicated way. “I will.”

  Janice turned towards the door and was about to walk about. “And Sean?” she said.

  “Yes?”

  “Make sure you get rid of that ring before you do.”

  I nodded and she shut the door behind her.

  24

  Scarlet

  My dreams were disturbed by a loud yell from my brother.

  “FUCK!”

  I jolted from my sleep and almost fell off the bed. I wasn’t sure what was happening. He yelled again.

  “FUCK,” he said as he walked down the hall.

  I covered myself in my yoga pants and ran after him, half asleep as I moved through the hallway with my hands outstretched. The walls slipped past my fingers as I almost crashed to the floor, but I found my footing at the last second. I managed to make my way to the front room.

  “What’s going on?” I mumbled.

  Ryan grabbed a plate and threw it on the ground, shattering it into a million pieces. He grabbed his phone from his pocket and made a call. “I need you to get over here,” he said into the phone. “Just do it!” he barked. “Someone broke into my shop and I can’t leave Scarlet here alone.” He hung up the phone and headed to the doorway.

  “Ryan, is everything okay?”

  “You are staying here,” he said. “Cortland will be over soon.”

  “What’s going on?”

  “Didn’t you hear me?” he snapped. “Someone broke into my shop—again. I wonder what the fuck they took.” He slammed the door in my face and disappeared from the apartment. Now that I was fully awake, I had nothing to do but worry about my brother. I had no idea he had such security issues at the shop. I sat on the couch and waited for him to return.

  The knock on the door startled me from my spot on the couch. Cortland arrived and I opened the door for him. As soon as he was inside the apartment, he turned on me.

  “Is everything okay?” he asked. “Has he called?”

  “No.”

  Cortland stared at me for a moment. “He’ll be okay, Scarlet.”

  “What if the criminals are still there when he gets arrives?” I whispered.

  “His security system notifies him of the break-in. Therefore, the cops will have responded already. Ryan will be fine.” He wrapped his arms around me and held me for a moment. “Did they say anything else when they called him?”

  “No,” I said.

  He released me then kissed my forehead. “I’ll wait until he gets back. Go back to sleep. I’ll wake you when he gets home.”

  I shook my head. “I can’t sleep.”

  Cortland nodded. “I understand,” he said. “Let’s lay on the couch.”

  Cortland and I cuddled on the couch. We pulled a blanket over our bodies and our noses were practically touching. The sexual tension was evident in the air, but I knew neither one of us would make a move.

  “I broke up with Elizabeth,” he whispered.

  I reached up and ran my fingers through his hair. “How’d it go?”

  “It could have been worse,” he said. “I told her that the relationship was dead—it had been dead for a long time and she agreed.”

  “So you didn’t tell her that you cheated on her?”

  “I did,” he said. “But I waited until the end—after she admitted that the relationship wasn’t healthy to begin with. It made her less angry over my betrayal. When I told her I wasn’t dating you, she didn’t seem to be so upset.”

  I nodded. “Are you okay?”

  “It hurts now, but I know it was for the best.”

  “I’m here for you.”

  “I know.” He smiled.

  “Now it’s time to find someone new,” I said. “Pick someone that I like so I can hang out with her. We can go shopping together.”

  Cortland laughed. “I’ll only pick someone that has your approval. And you don’t seem like the type of girl who loves to shop.”

  “Well, you have a point.” I laughed. “Just pick someone that I like, okay? That way we can go on double dates.”

  He stared at me for a moment. “I’m glad that you are feeling better—moving on.”

  “Baby steps.” I smiled.

  “It’s still progress.”

  He wrapped his arm around me and held me close to him. Even though I was worried about Ryan, I felt my eyes droop and I fell asleep. The slamming of the front door woke me up some time later. I sat up quickly. Ryan was running his hand through his hair, clearly upset by something.

  “Is everything okay?” I asked as I approached him. Cortland followed me a moment later. Ryan was so upset that he didn’t even notice we were sleeping together.

  Ryan sighed. “No, it’s not.”

  Cortland and I patiently waited for him to speak. Something terrible had happened and w
e waited to hear the news.

  “They took all my equipment and my safe, which had a few hundred dollars inside. The insurance said they will replace some of the value of my needles, but it doesn’t cover much. I don’t have enough money to buy new gear, and without an income, I can’t pay off what I owe on the equipment that was stolen.” Ryan’s eyes were wide with anxiety. I could see the despair in his frame and knew how bad his news was. “Basically, I have to close the shop.”

  “Are you serious?” I asked.

  Ryan nodded, too upset to speak further.

  Cortland clapped him on the shoulder. “I’m sorry, man.”

  I stared at my brother, but he wouldn’t even look at me. This was his dream, his whole life, and now he was losing it because some thugs stole from him. It wasn’t fair.

  “How much is the new equipment?” I asked.

  Ryan looked at me. “Too much.”

  “How much?” I asked.

  “Eight thousand dollars,” he whispered.

  “I have that much,” I said. “And some change to spare.”

  Ryan looked at me. “I can’t accept that Scarlet.”

  “Yes, you can.” I hugged him and buried my face in his chest. “It’s yours, Ryan.”

  “You would really do that for me?” he asked.

  “Of course.”

  “I don’t know what to say,” he whispered.

  “What are baby sisters for?”

  Ryan chuckled quietly. “Everything.”

  I grabbed his face and kissed his cheek. I wasn’t normally this affectionate with my brother, but just seeing him in so much pain broke my heart. He didn’t deserve that kind of pain. I wanted to take it all away. Now I understood how Ryan felt when I first got there.

  “Scarlet, I don’t know if I will ever be able to pay you back.”

  “It doesn’t matter if you do.” I smiled. “I want you to have it.”

  “But you worked so hard. I know how important this company is to you.”

  “It’s not as important as you.” I pulled away from him and he continued to stare at me. I thought about my loan notice, saying I had to make a payment otherwise they would press charges against me, but I didn’t care. My brother was more important.

  “Thank you,” he said.

  “So, if we buy new equipment you still have to pay off the old stuff, even though some thieves stole it?” Cortland asked.

  Ryan shook his head. “It’s bullshit—I know.”

  “How are we going to do this?” I asked.

  Ryan sighed. “The shop is going to be closed for a few days while they fix the windows. So, I’ll be out of work for a while. Also, business is going to be hurt. This is the second time I’ve been robbed in two weeks. No one is going to come to my shop. I don’t even know how we’ll make rent.”

  “We’ll be fine,” I said. “I just submitted another article to Mark and I received a new manuscript today. We’ll be tight on money, but we’ll make the bills and have food.”

  Ryan stared at me with new eyes and I could see the depth of his appreciation in them. I hoped this atoned for my previous behavior, when I left him alone for an entire year, not calling or visiting him. “So you are taking care of me?” He smiled.

  “Look who is the freeloader now?” I teased him.

  “I don’t know what to say,” he repeated. “I don’t know what I would do without you, Scar.”

  I shrugged my shoulders. “Maybe you would find a real job instead of doodling all day.”

  “And now she’s back to being a brat again.” He laughed. Ryan turned to Cortland. “Thank you for coming over. I have my address on paperwork at the shop—you never know. But they didn’t take anything like that.”

  Cortland nodded. “I got your back.”

  “Thank you,” he said. “Both of you.”

  25

  “Can I help?” Ryan asked.

  I was staring at my computer screen, making edits to a manuscript that I received a few days earlier. My payment wouldn’t be given to me until I submitted my completed work, so I was working frantically so we would have food for the next two weeks. Ryan had never been unemployed before and that was becoming more evident the longer he waited for his shop to reopen.

  “What’s it about?” he asked.

  “I’m working, Ryan.”

  “I can see that,” he snapped. “And can I help?”

  “You can barely write basic English,” I said. “What makes you think you can proofread a manuscript before publication?”

  Ryan spun the basketball on his finger, balancing it on the tip as it turned in a circle. “Just because you have a fancy degree doesn’t mean you are more intelligent than I am. I’ve been running my own business for years.”

  I sighed, trying to bottle the annoyance I felt at my brother. He was just going through a stressful time, and I needed to be patient even though he was constantly bugging me.

  “Let’s go play ball,” he said. “You have to take a break sometime.”

  “Ryan, I have to work. Call Cortland and see if he can play with you.”

  “I already texted him,” he said. “He’s at work.”

  “Lucky him,” I said.

  Ryan dropped the ball on the ground and leaned back. “I’m so bored,” he said.

  “Read a book.”

  “At least you think I can do that,” he said sarcastically.

  I laughed in spite of myself. “Call up one of your friends,” I said. “How about the one covered in all those tattoos?”

  “They are at work, too.” He sighed.

  “Should I enroll you at daycare?” I asked. “So you can find some new friends to play with?”

  “Actually, I wouldn’t mind that at this point. My own sibling is too busy for me.”

  “I am trying to support us, Ryan.”

  He grabbed the basketball and spun it on his fingers again. “Hopefully, Cortland will want to hang after work.”

  “He and I already have plans,” I said.

  “What?” he said as he dropped the ball. “Why are you hanging out with my friend?”

  “He’s my friend too, Ryan.”

  “What are you guys doing?”

  “It’s a secret.”

  Ryan eyed me. “How long will you be?”

  “A few hours.”

  Ryan sighed. “Can I see my friend after you?”

  “We’ll see.” I smiled. “Why don’t you check on the shop? Isn’t it supposed to open tomorrow?”

  “I guess I could. They are doing a few touches to the windows.”

  “Maybe you should clean the inside,” I said. “There’s probably going to be broken glass everywhere.”

  Ryan sighed. “I guess you’re right,” he said. “I can load my new safe in there, too. Thanks for giving me the money, by the way.”

  “At least now when people break in, they’ll have to break open your safe to get your supplies. It’s too big for anyone to move it.”

  “That’s my brainy sister.”

  I rolled my eyes.

  He rose from the couch and grabbed his jacket. “I’ll see you in a few hours,” he said. He walked out the door and locked it behind him. I was relieved that he finally left. He was driving me crazy.

  The manuscript I was working on was from an author that was a friend of Christine’s. She had been so pleased with my work that she started to refer me to her colleagues. Since I was charging the same rate as I charged her, I was making significant cash. I had a minor setback with Ryan’s shop and the loan letter, but I was trying to make money for rent and food. Hopefully, I could make some extra cash for my loan payment. I wanted to tell Ryan but I knew how bad it would make him feel. I didn’t want him to feel guilty about accepting my money for the shop.

  A few hours later, a knock on the door announced Cortland’s arrival. When I opened it, he had a bag over his shoulder and a smile on his face.

  “Are you ready?” he asked as he walked inside.

  “Ye
s,” I said. I shut the door behind him and locked it.

  “Where’s Ryan?”

  “At the shop.”

  “I can’t believe you got rid of him.” He laughed.

  “It wasn’t easy.”

  “Did you tell him what we are doing?”

  “No,” I said. “The secret is safe.”

  “Did he think it was weird that just you and I were hanging out together?”

  “It didn’t seem like it,” I said.

  Cortland sat on the couch and pulled out his laptop. I sat next to him.

  “When should we tell him?” Cortland asked as he typed on his laptop and opened up a new webpage.

  “I don’t know.” I sighed. “The more I think about it, the less I want to do it. We aren’t sleeping together anymore so why does it matter?” Cortland started to design the new webpage and I watched him passively.

  “I would feel too guilty not telling him, Scar,” he said. “I know your personal life is none of his business, but I crossed a line when I slept with you—I have to tell him.”

  “Why do you have to be so noble?”

  “Are you talking about me?” he asked with a laugh. “The guy that cheated on his girlfriend?”

  “That doesn’t automatically make you a bad person. That was a complicated situation.”

  “Cheating is still cheating.”

  “And gray area is still gray area.”

  “So, what should we write?”

  I got up from the couch and grabbed my computer. “I’ll email you what I have, and you can copy and paste it.”

  Cortland nodded. “Sounds good.”

  Cortland added the words I wrote to the website and made the background colorful with different colors of tattoo ink. He made a list of the pricing, address, and contact information as well as Ryan’s vision. “I think he’ll like it.”

  I nodded. “It looks amazing, Cortland.”

  “If this doesn’t bring him business, I don’t know what will.”

  “I think this is a great idea. More people use the internet for information resources than any other avenue. Just my website has made me a considerable income, even though I had to give it all to Ryan.”

  Cortland patted my thigh. “What you did for your brother was amazing, Scarlet. I know it meant a lot to him.”