Broken Butterfly: Fallen Brook Series: Book 3

by Jennilynn Wyer

  Ryder pulls my winter hat down more securely, so my ears are covered. Little things like that show me how much he cares for me. I would take those small, loving, nondescript actions over a bouquet of flowers any day.

  “Fallon has never loved anything or anyone.” He touches his forehead to mine. “Until you.”

  “He loves you, Ryder. In a bromance kind of way of course.”

  “I’m talking about pure, selfless love. I was happy that he could love you like that. I know he won’t do anything to get in the way of us or our relationship. I don’t know how to explain it better. In a way, it eases my mind that if something ever happened to me, then Fallon would take care of you and protect you because he loves you.”

  “Yeah, I’m not so magnanimous. If another girl said she loved you, I would rip her hair out. Then I’d set Meredith on her.” We both laugh out loud at that.

  “I promise I will never give you any reason to send Meredith my way.” He chuckles.

  Our song ends and the snow finally dissipates. Ryder tips my chin up, hovering his lips a breath’s-width apart from mine. “I’d like to take my fiancé home now and make love to her for the rest of the night.”

  Tingles spread like wildfire across my chilled skin. “Yes, please.”

  Chapter 24

  Ryder and I video-chatted with his parents, Brea and Jamie, the next evening. After giving them our news, Ryder and I couldn’t get a word in for over an hour. Faith brought up grandbabies again and started crying. Again. Jamie and Brea said they want to help me plan the wedding, and Randy teared up and had trouble getting so much as a complete sentence out. Overall, it went much better than we expected.

  Now, I’m sitting in a small café near campus waiting for Ryder and Fallon to arrive. We’re going to tell Fallon together about our engagement. However, I decided to kill two birds with one stone, and one of those birds just walked in.

  “Hey, wildcat.”

  I stand up to give him a hug. “Hey, Trevor. Thanks for meeting me on short notice.”

  He removes his long coat and scarf, placing them on the back of one of the small café chairs. He glides a hand through his messy hair making it stand up even more. I chose a table in the back of the café so we could have some privacy.

  Another guy propositioned me today as I was walking across the quad. I hope Fallon is able to find out who posted those pictures. The sooner, the better. I’m getting tired of always feeling eyes on me or hearing snide comments whispered behind hands as I walk by. Meredith texted me earlier and said she found where the girls who called me a slut lived, and that she and Sara were going to pay them a visit today. There’s no stopping Meredith once she sets her mind to something, so my only reply was to tell her to be careful. Then we planned to have our girls’ night out at Belly’s this Friday. Finals are quickly approaching, and pretty soon we won’t have any time to hang out before I leave for Seattle and she goes back home for the two-week holiday. That means no boys allowed for our girl’s night.

  Trevor eyes my hot chocolate. I asked for extra marshmallows and have been waiting for them to melt. “Do you mind?” he asks.

  “Go right ahead.”

  He takes my large mug and sips, licking gooey, white marshmallow fluff from his upper lip. “Okay, that’s really, really good. I’m going to order me one. Be right back.”

  Trevor walks over to the counter to place his order. Knowing my time is limited before Ryder and Fallon show up, I mentally go through what I want to talk to him about. I’m calling in the favor he owes from his promise to trust me when the time came.

  I watch as the girl behind the counter tries her best to flirt with Trevor. Either he ignores her small touches and bright, overenthusiastic smiles, or he’s completely oblivious. I suspect the former.

  Sitting back down, he cups his hot chocolate in his hands, blowing on the rising steam. “Alright, out with it. You’ve been fidgeting since I walked in.”

  I have? I still my restless hands. “And if this is about me dating Meredith, I am going to politely say no right now and we can enjoy our drinks in peace,” he continues and relaxes back in the chair.

  “Actually, this is about the no-questions-asked favor you promised me.”

  He looks intrigued.

  “But first, I need to preface that with this,” I say, taking off my gloves and showing him my engagement ring. Trevor’s blue eyes flare and he takes my hand. “We haven’t told anyone yet, with the exception of Ryder’s family, so I ask that you keep it quiet for now.”

  Trevor turns the ring back and forth and looks directly at me. “Ryder is one lucky man. Congratulations, Elizabeth. I really mean that. You deserve a happy-ever-after.”

  “Wow, okay. That was very sweet. Thank you. We’re going to tell Fallon later, and then we’ll wait until we get back from Seattle to tell the rest of the guys.”

  “You’re worried about how Jayson is going to react?”

  “Yes.”

  “Need backup?”

  I lean forward and consider the man in front of me. Trevor and I met by freak coincidence on the beach a few months ago. I would never have imagined how intricately involved he would become with my life in such a short amount of time. He’s Fallon’s half-brother. He and my best girl friend slept together. He became a good friend to me. He seems to be at the right place at the right time when some bad shit went down, like at Fallon’s frat party or at Meredith’s dorm. Trevor stands up for me. Why? Did those Fate bitches put him in my path for a reason?

  “Hey, Elizabeth? You with me?”

  I blink back to him. “Sorry. Random thoughts.” I skip over the mentioning of Jayson and plow forward. “The favor I want to ask you concerns Fallon.”

  And there’s the Montgomery scowl, just like his half-brother. “What has the little prick done now?”

  “It’s nothing that Fallon has done. It’s more what I want you to do.”

  “And what would that be?”

  “Talk to him. Really sit down and have a rational conversation with him. I know you don’t think it, but the two of you need each other. He needs his older brother as much as you need him in your life. You both have more in common than you realize.”

  Trevor scoffs at my statement. “Not possible, wildcat. The only thing we have in common is…” He looks up at me suddenly, a glimmer of panic in his eyes before he wipes it away and gulps down his scalding hot chocolate. I wait him out, wondering what he was about to say.

  “Like I said, we don’t have anything in common,” he finishes.

  “Do you know what happened to him when he was just a kid. How much he suffered? What he went through?” I tell him, my ire rising at the thought of the abuse Fallon endured at the hands of his parents. “You may have a preconception that your brother is a spoiled, rich kid who got everything while you got nothing, but I promise you, if you knew the truth, you would be ashamed of yourself.”

  “Elizabeth, what aren’t you telling me? Did something bad happen to Fallon?”

  “You’re the third person in my life who I’m going to tell it’s not my secret to share. You need to be the bigger man and reach out to him. Talk to him. Open the door for him to walk through; be a part of his life. He won’t come gently, but I swear to you that you won’t regret it.”

  Trevor rubs his hands together then scrubs them down his face. He stares at me for a long time to the point I start to feel uncomfortable under his intense scrutiny. He thickly swallows as he tries to open his mouth to say something. “Alright. I promise I will try. But, Elizabeth, there’s something you should know first. Fallon and I—”

  “Hey, sweetheart.” Ryder kisses the top of my head. “What’s up, Trevor?”

  A look of panic flits across Trevor’s face when he sees Ryder and Fallon at our table, then his look turns hard when Fallon glares at him.

  Fallon sits down beside me and stares at his brother. “Why the fuck are you here? It’s like you have Elizabeth tracked on your own personal GPS. You keep poppi
ng up every-fucking-where.”

  “Stop being such a dick. Elizabeth invited me. But I’ll be leaving now.”

  Ryder tries to calm things between the two of them. “Stick around.”

  “I’ve got a research paper to finish. Elizabeth, always a pleasure. Oh, and congratulations, man,” he says to Ryder, shaking his hand.

  “I’m assuming she told you,” Ryder replies to Trevor which has Fallon looking at me with a raised brow.

  “She did. I’m happy for the both of you. I’ll catch you tomorrow at class, wildcat.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” Fallon frowns at Trevor.

  Trevor bumps Fallon’s shoulder, and I catch his hushed, “Can you follow me out? I need to talk to you about something.” For once Fallon doesn’t argue, and he follows Trevor out the door.

  “I consider that progress,” I tell Ryder. “Hey, your girl needs some lovin’. She missed you today.” I point to my lips. He grins into the kiss and I sigh happily.

  “Before you say anything, I asked Trevor to meet me here. I’m determined to get those two to talk.”

  “I don’t know if Fallon would appreciate the interference, babe.”

  “What’s the old saying? If it’s stupid but it works, then it’s not stupid.”

  Ryder cracks up and throws a straw at me. I throw a half-melted marshmallow back at him and dissolve into a fit of giggles when it sticks to his chin. Naturally, I nibble and lick it off. Ryder dips my finger in my hot chocolate and brings it to his mouth, sucking the chocolatey goodness off.

  “Fucking hell. The two of you are going to kill me,” Fallon complains when he comes back to the table and makes no disguise of adjusting himself before he sits down. “I need to get laid.”

  “Thought you were done with the random hookups.”

  “Says the man who’s getting some twenty-four-seven.”

  “Chocolate is supposed to be almost as good as an orgasm.” I push my hot chocolate over to him with a smile and a wink. “But that might be only for us girls.”

  “You’re such a brat, kitten.” But he drinks the rest of my hot chocolate.

  “Secret for a secret, Fallon.”

  That gets his attention. “You first, kitten.”

  “I asked Ryder to marry me, and he said yes.”

  Fallon goes stock still. He reaches for my hand once he notices the yellow diamond on my finger. “You did a good job, Ry. It’s beautiful. It suits her perfectly. Like fucking sunshine.”

  “Thanks, man. That’s what I thought when I saw it.”

  “Fallon?” I inquire as he continues to hold my hand and manipulate the ring. As if coming out of a trance, he lets go of my hand and kicks back.

  “You’re going to be a gorgeous bride. Ry, you got your wish man. I’m so fucking happy for you.”

  “Thanks. We haven’t told Jay yet, so mum’s the word for now.”

  “Like I’d talk to that asshat on purpose,” he replies, heavy with the sarcasm. “I get dibs on the bachelor party. Bachelorette party too.” He grins devilishly.

  “Why am I suddenly afraid?”

  A phone starts ringing, and we all check to see if it’s ours.

  It’s mine but I don’t recognize the number. “Hello?” A man asks for me and identifies himself. As he talks, anger grows and burns red-hot in my veins. “I’ll be right there.”

  This can’t be fucking happening.

  “Babe?”

  “That was campus police. Someone vandalized my car in the student lot.”

  We’ve spent the last hour in the public safety building filling out forms and answering questions. Since I had to register my car and license plate for my student parking sticker, the campus police were able to get my contact information, hence the phone call. Whoever vandalized my car did a damn good job of it. All the tires were slashed. The windows were smashed in like someone took a baseball bat to them. The sides of the car were scratched and dented. Whoever did it also left me a message written on the driver’s side door in permanent marker: I’M COMING FOR YOU. Just like the text message I deleted because I didn’t think anything of it. I thought it was a mistake or a joke meant for someone else. I now know it was meant solely for me. Receiving the message twice is not a coincidence—it’s a warning.

  I finish signing the last form and slide it across the table to the police officer. He’s young, maybe a few years older than I am, with brown hair cropped close to his head and kind hazel eyes. He taps the sheets of paper on the table to straighten them out and excuses himself saying he’ll be right back. Not having gotten to eat at the café, I’m tired and hungry, and just plain pissed-off. I love my car. When I had no memory, that car was my invisible link to Ryder, and now I feel like someone is not only attacking me personally but attacking my relationship with him.

  “What now?” I ask, slumping in my chair and taking Ryder’s hand to lay on my lap.

  I take a deep calming breath and start tracing his handprint on my thigh by sliding my finger along the outside of his hand. Ryder has wonderful hands. Long, thick, masculine fingers with neatly trimmed nails. You would expect him to have a lot of grease or oil under his fingernails with the amount of stuff he does with his car every day, but his nails and skin are pristinely clean and smudge-free.

  Ryder hasn’t said a word since we arrived. He’s been stoic, silently here for me if I need him. He has kept his arm on the back of my chair, kneading my neck every so often when I tense too much, or rubbing soothing circles on my back to keep me calm. I love him more for that. For not jumping in and taking over. For letting me deal with this situation without interference. For waiting to see what I need without forcing what he thinks I need.

  “I’ve already texted Dad to let him know what happened. He’s sending one of his tow trucks here tomorrow to pick up your car and take it back to his shop. Hopefully he can have it fixed and looking good as new by next weekend.”

  I think my mouth drops open a little in amazement, not shock. “Ryder, he doesn’t have to do that. I can pay for someone to fix it up. I don’t want to take advantage of your dad like that.”

  “Sweetheart, you’ve been part of the family since the day we met. Mom and Dad would do anything for you.”

  “But—”

  Ryder edges closer. “No buts,” he says against the shell of my ear and gives it a small kiss under the lobe. “He wants to do it for you, so let him. Don’t be surprised if he kicks up the HP by 300 and adds red rims.”

  “Actually, that would be awesome.” I brighten up thinking of other mods I could get Randy to add. I take my phone out and do a quick web search on compatible NOS nitrous systems.

  “I’m sorry I said anything. Your Cheshire grin is making me nervous.” He peeks over and guffaws at my screen. “Oh, hell no, Elizabeth.”

  “Will you at least think about it? Pretty please? Pretty, pretty please with whipped cream and a cherry and chocolate sauce?”

  “Sounds like my kind of party,” Fallon mirthfully quips, walking in like he owns the place. An older man in a well-pressed dark gray suit follows him in.

  “Why am I not surprised?” I give him a small eye roll when he winks at me.

  “I apologize for Mr. Montgomery’s manners. I’m Charles Worthington. The lawyer,” he announces, extending his hand out to me in a greeting that I stand up from my seat to accept. He carries an aura of authority but has a friendly smile. “And you must be Elizabeth Fairchild.”

  “Yes,” I slowly reply, giving a skeptical glance toward Fallon. “Fallon, why would you bring a lawyer?”

  “Patience, kitten.”

  The young police officer comes back in. “Everything is in order, Miss Fairchild.” He hands me a piece of paper. “Your case number is at the top with a description of the damage. You will want to give a copy of this to your insurance company so you can file a claim. My number here is listed at the bottom if you need to reach me. If we find out anything, we will call you.”

  Mr. Worthington han
ds the officer his business card. “Did you check the campus security and video feeds yet?”

  “They are getting that request in right now.”

  “How long?”

  “Shouldn’t take much longer, sir.”

  “Good. We’ll wait then. I’m Miss Fairchild’s attorney.”

  “You are?” I stupidly ask.

  Fallon sits down across from me and Ryder. “Yep.”

  “Fallon.”

  “Kitten,” he responds in a voice that lets me know I won’t win any arguments. He waits for Charles to sit down and then points those ice blue eyes at Ryder. “My guy came back with some info. You’re not going to like it, hoss.”

  Fallon and Ryder do that silent communication mind-meld thing that drives me crazy.

  “Are you freaking kidding me?” Ryder half shouts. “Are you sure?” Ryder asks him, but his tone is as rigid as the hard expression that shrouds his face.

  “Positive.”

  Ryder pivots in the plastic and metal seat to face me. He takes both my hands in his like a parent would when giving a child bad news. “I think we need to make an official police complaint.”

  “Isn’t that what we just did?”

  “Elizabeth, you’ve had people verbally harass you. You, just an hour ago, told me about the text message which you should have told me about when it first happened. Now this. It’s past time we reported this to the police.”

  “This is where I come in Miss Fairchild,” Mr. Worthington explains. “Do you know Maria Santiago?”

  “Yes,” I answer lamely.

  At Fallon’s frat party, I didn’t remember who Maria was, but with my memory returned, lucky me gets to remember my ex-best friend now. She was the girl who I thought was my best friend but was only using me to get close to Ryder because she was jealous of me and wanted him.

  “I had a guy look into the pictures posted on the website and he traced it back to her registered IP. She’s not very smart. She should have used a proxy server,” Fallon tells me.