Rescue Me: A Broken Boy Angsty Romance. (Hawthorn Hills Duet Book 4)

by Claire Raye

  “I like the way you called it investing rather than spending a ridiculous amount of money,” he teases. “You’re pretty slick, Ruby Collins.”

  “I think it’s all those psychology classes,” I joke back.

  “All those classes have come in handy quite a few times. Remember when you were my therapist for a bit?” He sneaks over to where I’m standing, sliding his hands under my shirt, his warm hands connecting with my bare skin. “You’re truly amazing,” he whispers, his lips now next to my ear. “Someday you’re going to help so many people the way you helped me.”

  “I love you,” I say, not knowing what more I can say. He has no idea how much he’s helped me, too.

  “And I love you.”

  We’re still standing in each other’s arms when Reid and Sienna come out of her bedroom, both beaming and it’s clear they know the news. It’s the best news we’ve all gotten in what feels like forever and I’m sure they want to congratulate Caleb.

  “Well,” Reid says, his arms out wide, a smile stretched across his face. Sienna swipes at a few stray tears and puts on the smile I know she’s been wanting to use since Caleb arrived in California.

  “Well,” Caleb repeats back to him, laughing a little. “I guess this is it, huh?”

  “It damn well better be,” Reid quips back, pulling Caleb in for a hug and Sienna throws her arms around both of them.

  Watching the three of them together makes my heart swell, a feeling of butterflies filling my stomach as I try to hold back the tears of joy. They need each other. They needed this.

  “We’re celebrating later,” Sienna says, her words muffled, her face buried in Reid’s shoulder as she stands there hugging her brother and her boyfriend.

  “I’ve got to get in the shower. I gotta get to work in a bit, but yes, all of us,” Caleb says, looking over at me, calling me over with a hook of his finger, adding me to the giant hug. “All of us together.”

  Eventually Caleb heads into the bathroom and I can’t stop myself from watching him walk away. I never thought I would be the kind of person who would fall head over heels in love with someone, especially with someone who fought it so hard.

  We still have a long road ahead of us and I know that. Professor Keller being arrested and with the civil suit nearly gone, it doesn’t mean it all ends and life is perfect. Caleb’s trauma will take years to recover from and more than likely he’ll always have things that trigger him, but we’ll learn to work through it together.

  The abuse from his father started when he was young and progressively got worse as he got older and it wasn’t until he died that Caleb could finally feel safe. But all that was shot to shit when his father shackled him with a bunch of debt and an even more abusive loan shark.

  He’ll always be hesitant to trust people. He’ll always struggle with understanding people’s motives and I can’t imagine what it’s like to live like that. I can only hope that with time and therapy he’ll be able to see the good in people. For some reason he saw it in me and for that I’m forever grateful.

  A couple of hours later Caleb leaves for work and I’m left alone in the house. Reid and Sienna are at the gym, something that has become a regular occurrence since football season ended.

  I take in a deep breath, collapsing on the couch and I realize this is the first time since the incident with Professor Keller that I actually feel comfortable and safe in my own house.

  I look around, smiling at the four little walls I’ve come to love and now it feels like my home once again. All my worries and fears have finally subsided, and I can’t help the smile that crosses my face.

  Seconds later there’s a knock on the front door and I nearly laugh out loud at how I startle despite my recent revelation. I guess my irrational fears haven’t gone away just yet.

  I hop up from the couch, glancing out the front window before I open the door and find Mila standing on the porch with a couple of bags slung over her shoulders. She knocks again, this time calling out, “Ruby, let me in!”

  She’s annoyed already and I roll my eyes, knowing this is exactly who she is. Impatient as hell and feeling like she’s the most important person in the world. A typical last child: spoiled and entitled.

  I open the door, my hands on my hips, wondering what exactly she’s doing here. She isn’t supposed to be here until next week when our parents are helping her move into her new apartment.

  “Care to share with me what you’re doing here? Mom and Dad are gonna be super pissed at you.”

  “What? Can’t I come by and visit my sister?” she says casually, but there’s no way it’s just that simple.

  “Did Mom and Dad kick you out already? You couldn’t even make it a month living back at home?” I tease, stepping aside to let her in.

  “Oh my god, no. It was the opposite. I was going to go all Lizzie Borden on them if I had to stay any longer.” She’s so dramatic as she comes in with a flourish and drops her bags theatrically next to the couch as if they weigh more than her.

  “Do they know you’re here?” I ask, prepared for Mila to stumble over the question and wondering if I should just text my mom and ask her.

  “Yes, they know I’m here. They’re still coming next weekend so don’t worry, they don’t hate me and they haven’t disowned me.”

  “Yet...” I add and she lets out a loud tsk, crossing her arms over her chest.

  “This move is going to be good for me. It’s a chance for me to get my shit together and finally decide what I’m going to major in.”

  “Mila, seriously? You’ve been in school for a year and a half and you still haven’t declared a major?” I widen my eyes at her, waiting for her attempt at defending herself, but she falls quiet.

  “Well, I’m still considering a few things,” she says, shrugging absentmindedly as she quickly changes the subject. “Is it okay if I stay here for a little bit? Dad said things with Caleb are going better so I figured it would be fine. You aren’t stressing about his case and that anymore, right?”

  She’s flippant and casual as if what happened with Caleb is something that happens to everyone. And maybe in Mila’s world it does. I have no idea if she’s ever been arrested, but it wouldn’t surprise me. Not much she does anymore surprises me.

  “Yeah you can stay, but no going out without telling me where you’re going.”

  She widens her eyes at me and lets out an offended cackle. “You’re turning into Mom and it’s not really becoming on you.”

  “That’s the worst insult ever,” I quip, letting her feel exactly how offended I am. “I’m only two years older than you and I will not be put into the category with Mom.”

  “Then stop worrying about me. How about we go to the bar and grab something to eat. I’m starving and it will give me a chance to say hi to my soon to be brother-in-law,” Mila says, shooting me a serious look.

  “I’m not getting married. I’m fucking twenty-two years old. That would be completely insane.”

  “Yeah, for sure,” Mila mutters, dragging one of her bags into the bathroom with her. “I’m gonna take a quick shower and then we can go.”

  “Okay,” I call after her, realizing having Mila here is going to be one hell of a ride.

  An hour later we’re walking into the bar and as soon as Adam sees Mila he laughs, pointing at her, he says, “You’re underage, remember? Food only, sweets.”

  Mila flicks a dismissive hand in his direction, acting like she doesn’t care, but I’m sure she’s pissed he’s caught onto her game. She’s going to have to find somewhere else to peddle her fake ID, but I’m sure that won’t be hard. With a body like Mila’s, matched with her quick wit and give no fucks attitude, she’ll have some other bartender eating out of the palm of her hand.

  “Now where’s...” Mila starts to call out just as Caleb comes out from the back office.

  “I thought I heard you,” Caleb says, smiling at Mila.

  “She’s not one to be upstaged or forgotten,” Adam chimes in, but
quickly slips away to serve a few customers.

  “So tell me, how’s my future brother-in-law?” Mila asks Caleb as she leans over the bar to hug him. “Rumor is you’re on the mend and a total badass who took down some douche bag stalker.”

  “All in a day’s work,” Caleb jokes back at her. “Looks like we’ll be seeing you around a little more nowadays, huh, Mila?”

  “Yep, I’m here to stay.”

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Caleb

  It’s been two weeks since Keller was arrested and in that time so much has happened, my head is still spinning. Mila stayed with us for the first week and although the house was crowded and crazy, it was a lot of fun having her around.

  I also got to finally meet Ruby’s parents when they came down to help Mila move into her apartment. It was nerve wracking given everything that had happened, but they have been great, surprisingly chill about it all, actually. I still feel like I owe her dad big time for setting me up with Ed, but he kinda brushes it off every time I try to talk to him about it. Ruby’s family is amazing, but it doesn’t surprise me, given everything I know and love about her.

  Ed did manage to get my suit dropped too, which is a huge fucking relief. It was hard enough trying to make ends meet back when I had no money, but to be in debt to the tune of two million dollars, I knew I’d never be able to dig myself out of that hole. It would be like going back to being under Ray Bowen’s control and there is no way I can live with that kind of pressure.

  Not again. Not when it nearly killed me the first time.

  Ed now wants to go after the university about Keller, maybe try to get Ruby and some of the other students he attacked some money after their claims were repeatedly dismissed by everyone as being nothing more than hysterical overreactions. I kind of like that idea, but I think Ruby is still on the fence about it all. She still has a year of school to go and I know that’s her focus right now.

  We aren’t completely sure how the whole thing with Keller is going to play out anyway. Whether there will be a trial or if I’ll be expected to testify, but we’ll worry about that when it happens. For now, the university has fired him, and he’s currently sitting in a jail cell where he can’t touch or hurt Ruby or anyone else ever again.

  That’s all I care about.

  “You ready to go?” Reid asks, walking into the kitchen, Sie right behind him.

  “Yep.”

  “Where’s Ruby?” my sister asks.

  I grab my keys and phone. “She has class, but she’ll come down later.”

  “She doesn’t want to come?” Sie asks, her brows narrowed in confusion. She and Reid had class earlier this morning, but I think they would’ve skipped it for this. And I get Sie’s confusion about why Ruby isn’t coming. I’d been the same at first, but when Ruby had explained it to me, I got it. Kind of loved her even more for it actually.

  “Nah,” I say, smiling as we head toward the front door. “Says this is something for the three of us to do together. She’ll be down later, don’t worry.”

  Sie glances at Reid who just shrugs as if to say whatever and then the three of us head out and down toward the main part of town. The bar is quiet when we arrive, but Ken is waiting for us. I’m sure he’s wondering how the fuck we are making this happen, three college age kids who should be broke as fuck, not buying a bar, but he’s never asked and I haven’t volunteered.

  Most people don’t know about the money we have and it’s not like we’d explain it if they did. That shit is tied to our past and we don’t share that history with anyone. We never have. Outside of the three of us, the only other person who knows is Ruby. And as much as I hadn’t wanted to accept what Reid gave us when we left Providence, I am grateful at what it’s been able to do for us now.

  “Hey, you ready?” Ken asks when we walk inside.

  “Hell yeah,” Reid says, clapping his hands together once, clearly excited.

  Ken grins before turning to me, a brow raised as if in question. “Yep,” I reply. “And seriously, thanks for considering this when we came to you about it. I know you didn’t have to, but we appreciate it.”

  Ken waves my thanks away. “You guys made an offer, it was good, I accepted,” he replies as though it’s no big deal. “But for the record, I am glad it’s gonna be in safe hands.”

  “Why are you selling anyway?” Reid asks, as though the thought has only just occurred to him.

  Ken pulls a stack of papers from the drawer and sits them on the desk. “I’ve been thinking about it for a while,” he starts, reaching for a pen. “The bar wasn’t doing great and I’m not getting any younger, so figured a change of scenery might be good. Then of course this one came in and totally turned the place around,” he says, gesturing to me. “Which actually worked in my favor because it drove the price up,” he adds, giving me a wink.

  “Good one,” Reid says sarcastically, as he punches me in the arm.

  Ken laughs. “Okay, I’ll leave you guys to read through everything while I go enjoy one last beer in my bar.” He puts the pen on the desk and walks out, closing the door behind him.

  The three of us stand in silence, staring at the papers on the desk that are going to change everything. Not just for me, but for all of us.

  But despite how much I want this, how desperately I want to prove that I can make it work, there’s still an element of nervous anxiety coursing through me. Although I’m getting better at recognizing it now, at controlling it before it gets out of hand, it doesn’t make this any less scary.

  Liz tells me it will get better with time, just like everything else I’m dealing with. It’s all going to take time. And I know I have to be patient about it all, but there are days when it’s hard because I long to go back to the person I was before all of this happened. To the guy who wasn’t afraid of crowded rooms or of losing his shit over nothing or of the fucking shadows or noises in the night.

  I hate what Providence turned me into. Hate that my decision to stay fucked up so many things, not just for me, but for Reid and Sie too. I want it all to be over and a part of me thought it would be when Keller was arrested and my suit was dropped.

  But as Liz keeps telling me, my trauma runs much deeper than that. Deeper than Ray Bowen too and even though I still have this love-hate relationship with the whole therapy thing, I have to admit, it is helping. Talking to Liz, getting these thoughts and feelings off my chest has helped. It’s also allowed me to start talking to Reid and Sie more too. I’ve been sharing with them some of the things that happened, some of the things I felt. It’s helped, just like Sie coming with me to see Liz has helped too.

  The relationship the three of us shared was never broken because of this, but there were still things we all needed to say and do to make it whole again.

  I’m grateful we’ve been able to do that.

  “You sure you guys want to do this with me?” I ask, my voice quiet as I look up at my best friend and sister.

  Sie’s eyes are wide, a concerned look on her face as she watches me. Although she and I have talked more about everything that happened after she left Providence, about all the shit I had to deal with, there are still things she won’t ever know about. She doesn’t need the burden of that knowledge, even if I know she still wonders at times.

  Reid smiles as he wraps his arms around Sie from behind. “Fuck yeah,” he says, clearly excited about all of this. “It’s going to be awesome, dude.”

  I turn to my best friend. “You trust me not to fuck it up? It’s a lot of money, almost all the money we have,” I say, motioning between the three of us. We pooled it all in the end, Reid’s trust, the money he gave us from his dad’s safe. It wasn’t all of it, but most of it is now being poured into this bar. “And you’re making the biggest investment, Reid.”

  “Meh,” Reid says, waving a hand dismissively as he moves to stand beside me. He throws a casual arm around my shoulder as he reaches for Sie with his other hand. “I’ve told you, there is no me and you, Caleb,�
�� he says, squeezing my shoulder. “It’s us, just like it’s always been. We’re family, dude. There is no my money or your money, okay?”

  Sie smiles as she leans into Reid, her eyes shining with happiness as she turns to me. “You’ve got this,” she says quietly.

  I smile as Reid pulls us closer and into one of those awkward group hugs that has us all laughing. “Besides, do you know how much street cred this is gonna give us?” he says, slapping me once on the back. “I mean fuck, we are going to be the coolest on campus.”

  I pull back, giving him a wry smile. “I thought you didn’t give a shit about any of that crap.”

  Reid shrugs, smiling at me as he says, “Nah, I don’t really, but it’ll still be cool. And besides,” he adds, a mischievous grin on his face, “once we own the place, we make the rules.”

  “Meaning?”

  “Meaning,” Reid says, his grin widening as he glances at Sie. “That fuckwit Justin Hamilton is banned for life.”

  I shake my head, laughing as we turn back to the papers that will transfer ownership of The Last Drop to the three of us.

  After we’re done, we head out to have a quick drink with Ken. He doesn’t hang around for long though, just wishes us good luck and then heads out. And just like that, this place is ours.

  “So, done deal then?” Adam asks as I wander over to the bar to grab us some more drinks.

  “Yep, done deal.”

  Adam leans against the bar, his arms crossed over his chest as he smirks at me. “So, do I still have a job?”

  I grab three beers from the fridge. “Dunno, you planning on sticking around for a bit?” I ask.

  Adam turns as the bell over the door sounds. I watch as he straightens, his grin widening as he says, “I could be persuaded to stay for a while, yeah.”

  I glance over at the door and see Ruby and Mila as they walk over to the table where Reid and Sie are sitting. Shaking my head, I turn back to Adam. “Underage, remember?”