Remembering Everly (Lost & Found #2) (20 page)

And I was completely dependent.

Sitting up, I took a deep breath and spoke. “There have been so many times we’ve failed at this, August. I can’t bear to go through another round of up and down with you. This time—we need to do this the right way, from the beginning.”

“I agree,” he nodded. Tiny creases appeared in his forehead as he looked at me with concern.

“I’m not changing my mind, or overthinking anything. Well, maybe overthinking a little, but that’s what I do. Or at least, that’s what I’m trying to do now.”

“Now?” he asked, watching my expression for clues.

“When I walked away from Ryan…from a life I thought I’d wanted, I realized I was living a cookie-cutter existence. I’m thirty years old and I’ve barely been on my own, or thought for myself.”

He turned away, ashamed.

“I’m not blaming this on you, August. I stayed. No matter what went on between us in those years before the coma, I stayed. And it wasn’t because I feared what would happen if I stayed. It was because I feared what would happen if I left. I’d thought you’d forgotten about me—that you’d lost interest. What if I left and you truly did forget about me—permanently. What if I was replaced?”

“I could never forget about you,” he vowed.

“I know that now, but I was scared. Even then I knew you and I were meant to be. I was just too scared to know how to reach you. I’d lost you,” I said, my voice breaking with the memories of our sad decline.

“You did,” he confirmed. “I remember some of it, and even though I told you nothing, you saw so much, Everly. You knew I was headed toward a disastrous path with Trent. You saw the way I changed when money was dangled in front of me, how I’d do anything to keep you safe, even if it meant locking you away from the outside world. I truly was a monster.”

“We both have skeletons in our closet, August,” I consoled, taking his hand in mine as we faced each other, nestled in the soft sheets of the bed. “And it’s time we battle them, together.”

“Together,” he agreed.

No other words were spoken as he pulled the sheet over our heads and pulled me closer, making me forget everything but him and the million ways he could make me fly.

Eventually, we had enough presence of mind to close the door.

And order food.

As we sipped on red wine and ate pepperoni pizza, we talked. About everything.

August told me about work and how much he hated it. I asked if he still took photographs.

“Of what?” he asked, adding, “My muse had flown away.”

“Promise me you’ll pick it back up again,” I said as my fingers grasped the heavy wine glass and I leaned over to snag a piece of pepperoni from the slice he’d just started.

“I promise. As long as you stop stealing my food, and promise to be my muse again,” he said with a wicked smirk, taking the largest bite of pizza possible.

Men really were pigs.

“Absolutely not to the first thing. I will always and forever steal your food, and your coffee. And yes to the second. I will be happy to be your muse, for as long as you’ll have me.”

His eyes rounded as he looked at me with affection and devotion. “You’ll always be my muse,” he said. “Because I love you. And that will never change. Not in any memory or lifetime will it ever waver.”

Even though we’d already spent hours wrapped up in one another, I felt it again—that undeniable pull toward him. The need to reach out for him, and never let go.

It was intoxicating.

“And I love you,” I said, savoring each word as I tilted my head toward his. He tasted like spicy red wine, heat, and passion all rolled in one. I was falling once again under his spell when he pulled back, cocking his head to the side.

“What’s this?” he asked.

“Am I boring you?” I laughed, looking over to see what he’d noticed.

“No, quite the opposite, actually. I was about to push the pizza to the floor when these brochures caught my eye. Are you applying to cooking school?” His eyes turned to mine, alive with fire and wonder.

“Yes,” I answered, feeling suddenly very shy and awkward, my gaze darting anywhere but toward him.

“Why the face?” he asked, tugging at my chin to capture my attention. “Why do you look so embarrassed?”

Shrugging, I answered, “I don’t know. I haven’t told anyone yet. I guess I still feel like it’s kind of a ridiculous idea.”

He shook his head adamantly. “No. Not ridiculous. In fact, I think it makes total sense.”

“Really?” My eyes met his.

“Absolutely. You can’t cook for me forever,” he grinned. Sticking my tongue out at him, I watched as he laughed and continued. “You have an amazing gift, Everly. Don’t waste it just because you’re scared. I’ve told you before that I’d be perfectly happy if you spent the rest of your life in that coffee house—if that was what you wanted to do, and truly enjoyed it. But if there’s something else—something you feel in your gut you must do, then you have to do it.”

Giving him a lopsided smile, I remarked, “Sounds like someone is speaking from experience?”

His features fell and I suddenly felt the mood shift. “It’s different for me,” he answered.

“It doesn’t have to be.”

“It does. For now,” he replied. “Besides, now I have you in my life. I can’t be taking risks when it comes to Trent.”

“But I can’t allow you to sacrifice your happiness,” I said, reaching out for him. My finger brushed his shoulder as his eyes tracked its path.

“This is my happiness,” he said softly.

“But what if we could have it all? Freedom from Trent, happiness…”

“It’s tempting,” he admitted with reluctance, as his jaw ticked. “I hate that Trent is involved in any way in our lives, especially when it concerns you. But you’ve seen what he can do—the way he can manipulate. But that’s not all. He’s so much worse.”

“Which is why we need an out, August. Otherwise, this will all just end in disaster. You know this as well as I do.”

“I know,” he agreed, his shoulders slumping in defeat. “I just hate the idea of getting you involved with him.”

Our eyes met and I could see his insecurity. The vulnerability and fear.

“Trust, remember?”

“Trust,” he repeated.

“Good. Now it’s time to form a plan.”

The front door opened just then and Sarah’s voice could be heard from the other side of the bedroom door, humming and carrying on as she made her way into the apartment after a long night of performances.

“We need to tell Sarah, huh?” August said softly, looking at the door as if it were a barrier between our life now and the life we were about to embark on.

“Yes,” I confirmed. “We need to tell her everything.”

Taking a deep breath, I prepared myself.

In a few minutes I was going to break my best friend’s heart.

God give me strength.

S
arah took the news better than we’d expected.

She screamed into a couch pillow for about three minutes straight, and then came up with about twenty different, very detailed ways to remove Trent’s male anatomy from his body. The entire conversation made me and my own anatomy very uncomfortable and I quickly began to pace the room, rather than sit around just in case her rage went viral.

Sarah on any given day could be slightly irrational and usually beat to the sounds of her own drums. Scorned and cheated Sarah? She was batshit crazy.

But batshit crazy Sarah wanted revenge and we could definitely use that.

“So what do we do?” she asked as she slowly came back down to earth, smoothing out the battered pillow with her hands as she ignored the few angry tears that still drifted down her cheeks.

“I think we need Brick and Tabitha’s help,” Everly said, sitting across from me now, acting as an anchor for her best friend. Snuggled together, Sarah leaned her head against Everly, looking smaller than usual. Her long lean frame, usually so statuesque and rigid due to years of training, was now droopy and withdrawn due to the news of Trent’s betrayal.

“Both of them?” I inquired with mild curiosity. I’d never met Everly’s therapist and was surprised she mentioned her at all. In the past, when she’d spoken of her, I had always assumed that their relationship was professional and nothing else. Client and therapist.

When had that changed?

“Oh,” Everly blushed, smiling as she looked at me from across the room. “I forgot to tell you.”

“What?”

“Brick and Tabitha…they’re married.”

I sat frozen in place, staring at her as I tried to process what had been said. I’d heard the words, understood their meaning, but it was like trying to process something while intoxicated.

“What?” I finally said. “You’ve got to be joking.”

She shook her head, that warm smile still plastered all over her beautiful face. “I went over there earlier today…yesterday, I guess,” she said, looking at the wall clock.

I joined her and sighed. Today had felt like the longest day I could remember.

When Brick had shown up at my door this morning with the boom box, ready to take a dive into my subconscious, I’d had no idea this is how my day would end up.

Sometimes it took years or days. Today, in a matter of hours my entire world had changed.

Everly had done that. Everly had changed everything.

“Went over where?” Sarah asked, lifting her head from Everly’s shoulder.

“Brick’s,” she answered, and then shook her head, correcting herself. “Tabitha’s. Whatever!’ I went over there thinking I was going to see Tabitha. I had her address from the wedding invites, and well—I was distraught.”

“That’s an understatement,” Sarah chimed in. I rolled my eyes.

“So, I got there, feeling all sorts of bad because I knew I was breaking some sort of cardinal rule by visiting her home, and who answers the door? Brick! I was flabbergasted. I actually almost turned around and walked away.”

“Tabitha and Brick?” I finally said, still trying to process it all. Why had he never told me?

“Yeah. They’re cute together,” Everly said, that same smile appearing across her face.

“How long?” I asked, needing to stand again. Everly looked at me in confusion, waiting for me to clarify my vague question.

“Sorry. How long have they been married?”

“I don’t know an exact figure, but I’d say decades at least.”

Decades. And he hadn’t told me?

“I can see the questions forming in your eyes, August. They didn’t not tell us because they were trying to be devious. Tabitha was simply trying to uphold her ethical code, which hasn’t been easy with the three of us. When Brick found out about our connection, it made things difficult for them. They’d never shared closely linked clients, and had no idea how to handle it. They could have just dropped us both, but they cared for us. So they did the best they could.”

I nodded, remembering how Brick had suddenly stopped charging me shortly after we met, but kept close by regardless of how many times I’d tried to close myself off from him.

“We do need them,” I finally agreed, knowing their two even-tempered minds would help cool down the revenge-hungry flames that burned within all three of us.

“Good, but let’s do that tomorrow,” Sarah suggested, yawning into her pillow. “I need to go to my room, take a shower, and cry for a few hours first.”

Everly wrapped her arms around her. “Just try and sleep.”

“I’ll do that, too,” she promised, rising from the couch. She blew us a kiss and disappeared into her room.

I knelt down next to Everly on the couch and kissed each one of her knuckles as I brought her hand close to my face.

“I’ll make this right,” I promised, seeing the worry on her face after watching her best friend crumble before her eyes.

“No, we will. Together.”

Nodding, I agreed. It still scared the fuck out of me, but I couldn’t walk away now. She was mine and I was hers, and the only way we could accomplish anything in this world was hand in hand.

Together.

Walking into the house Brick shared with his wife was surreal. It was nothing like I’d expected.

The few times I’d visited Brick’s office, he’d given off this hip, cool vibe—sleek furniture, cool, soothing tones, and mellow music to help with relaxation.

The longer I knew Brick, though, the more I realized his office persona was a complete sham.

Although Brick himself was calm and collected, his outward appearance was generally anything but. Wearing anything from brightly colored Hawaiian shirts to khakis and polos, the man looked like a tourist half the time and a professional golf player the rest.

As we settled into the worn, plush couches, I took a moment to look around. Tabitha brought us refreshments. Old photos dotted the walls, memories of years gone by and two lives forever entwined. Old books lined the shelves, ranging from trashy romance novels to classic poetry and even old college textbooks.

The house felt lived in, warm and inviting. I’d spent so many nights in my own home, the chill of loneliness creeping into my very bones as I longed for the touch of Everly once more. Sitting here, among the years of clutter and dust, it made me eager for the future. Eager for our own future. Where would it take us? How would we fare and what battles would we face?

I knew one thing was for certain: our future might not be possible if we continued to let Trent run our lives. We had to stop him, and today, we would figure out how.

“I know I’m probably not supposed to say this, but I’m so happy to see the two of you sitting here together,” Tabitha said as she re-entered the room, bringing a tray of sandwiches. We’d only called them an hour ago to say we were stopping by. When had she found the time to make so much food?

“It does settle my nerves quite a lot,” Brick chimed in, rounding the corner behind his wife, carrying several liters of soda and a few bottles of water. Had they been expecting us, or was this just what older, well-adjusted people did—kept food on hand for impromptu guests?

Whatever it was, I was impressed.

And starving.

“Well, anything I can do to settle your nerves, Brick,” I joked, eyeing a big roast beef sandwich near the corner of the tray that was calling my name. Everly caught me staring and leaned forward, grabbing the sandwich of my dreams and handing it to me with a grin.

“You guys really didn’t have to do all this. We weren’t expecting lunch,” Everly said. I took a large bite of my sandwich and groaned in pleasure.

“But we really appreciate it,” I mumbled, causing Everly to giggle.

“We’re happy to,” Tabitha remarked, taking a seat next to her husband on the couch across from us. Sarah had taken the single chair, making it almost appear as if she was seated at the head of an invisible table. The observation must have been lost on her, because all her focus was on the turkey sandwich she was dismantling, eating just the turkey and veggies. The bread sat untouched.

Everly had once said Sarah’s issues with food got worse when her life was in shambles. I’d never seen her obsess over anything before. Usually she just groaned about the calories, ate small portions, and made several promises to work it all off later.

But today, she was scrutinizing everything, and Trent was the cause of her anxiety.

“We want Trent to pay for everything he’s done, and we need your help,” I said, setting down my food and getting right to business.

“So, you’ve finally realized that you can’t do this alone?” Brick said, his eyes meeting mine with compassion.

I nodded. “Yes, and I want to apologize. For everything I’ve put you through over the last few months. All of you, actually. I thought I could handle Trent on my own. He was my problem, and I had hoped by pushing everyone away, I could keep the ones I loved protected. But Trent is far smarter than I gave him credit for, and he’s got me on a short leash. He always has. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from my memories, it’s that I can’t continue down this path. I need help, and I’m hoping the five of us can bring him down. For good.”

“How?” Brick asked, “And how can we help?”

We strategized all day, going through the entire plate of sandwiches and several liters of Coke, until Everly put her foot down and went to find coffee to recharge her drained mind. Everything we thought of came down to the same simple problem.

Trent would always be one step ahead of us. He seemed to have ears everywhere, and without knowing how, we could never be too careful.

When I’d pushed Everly away, hoping he’d see I was no longer interested in her and to divert his attention somewhere else, he’d instead followed her, forming a growing connection to Sarah he’d begun just to keep him in the loop. When I’d gone to Magnolia, he’d always seemed to know what I was doing and in what direction I was headed.

How was I supposed to poke around and get answers when he was constantly breathing down my neck?

“What if I played spy?” Sarah asked, taking a deep breath.

“No,” I said immediately.

“But—”

“Absolutely not. You cannot go back to him. Besides, he’s got to know we would have told you—especially after I went over to his place the other night and beat him to the ground for hurting you.”

“You didn’t.” Sarah’s eyes widened as her gaze fell to my cut lip and black and blue bruises. “I was going to ask, but I wasn’t sure I should.”

“We had a few words,” I remarked, as Everly squeezed my hand. “Besides, even if he was willing to play that game and continue seeing you, I couldn’t ask that of you. It would be too much.”

She nodded, knowing I was right.

Which left us with only one option. Something I’d left for the last minute if nothing else was on the table. Everly was going to hate this idea.

“What if we bring in Magnolia and I give Trent the deal of the century?” I suggested, afraid to even look at Everly. How would she react to hearing Magnolia’s name…knowing we’d been more than casual?

“Explain,” she said calmly, her hand still tight around mine.

“I’ve been trying to wrap my head around this whole thing. Why Trent wanted me back so badly…why he’s gone to such lengths to keep me here. I still think the answer is hidden in my memories somewhere, and that’s where I need Brick’s help. I want to dive deeper into hypnosis and see what else I can find.”

“And Magnolia?” Everly asked, her voice strained.

“It’s Trent’s trigger. Ever since I came back, he’s been vying for this deal, even going so far as to burn down the art gallery where my photography was displayed, just to keep me focused.”

Her eyes rounded as she turned to me. “You had photos on display? In an art gallery?”

“Yeah,” I replied, “I got the call the night Trent showed up. I was so excited to tell you.”

Her expression fell as a tear dripped down her cheek. “I wish I could have seen it.”

“Maybe you will—someday,” I answered, tilting her chin up to find those beautiful blue irises once more. “Which is why we need to do something drastic,” I continued.

“You’re right.”

“Giving him a huge account like that will be like dropping a pile full of cash in his lap. He’ll be giddy. I’m hoping this excitement makes him careless, maybe even a little reckless in how he handles things at the office. So far, I haven’t been able to get into any of the locked files, but maybe if I can work on him, make him happy, he’ll budge a little.”

“It’s a long shot,” Sarah said, raising her eyebrows in doubt.

“I know it is, but it’s the best idea we have. In the meantime, we hope and pray we find something better in my memories. Something solid. Because we have to pin this on Trent and Trent alone, otherwise…”

“You could be charged as well,” Everly finished my sentence for me.

“Yes.”

“Then let’s do it right,” Sarah said, turning to Tabitha and Brick for guidance.

Brick took a deep breath, directing his gaze at me. “Are you actually planning on taking the money from Magnolia and her father?” he asked hesitantly.

“No,” I answered as I watched his chest fall in relief. “I’m going to be honest. With both of them. They deserve that. I got to know Magnolia’s father in the brief time we were together and I’m hoping he’ll agree to this little scam we’ll work up.”

“And if he doesn’t?” Tabitha asked.

“Then we think of something else,” I said. “Because this has to end.”

Everyone nodded in agreement, and we got to work.

After several calls and conversations, I had a lunch date with Magnolia and her father.

Time to come clean.

Everly and I spent nearly every second in bed up until the moment I had to leave to meet Magnolia. As I dressed in the clothes I’d arrived in the day before, having made no time to run home to change, I glanced down at her on the bed, feeling my chest ache at the sight.

I’d never felt so conflicted in my life.

Seeing her—being with her, feeling her heart race and her ragged breath as we made love, I’d never been happier. But this risk—this plot we’d planned out to hopefully expose and take down my partner—filled me with dread. Would I be able to keep the ones I loved safe? And was I taking on more than we could handle?