RUIN - Part Three (The RUIN Series Book 3)

by Deborah Bladon

  "I don't want secrets between us."

  I scratch my nose. My stomach is flopping around so heavily within my body that I'm surprised he can't feel it against his side. "I know something about Noah that I think you should know. It may not matter, but it's your right to know it."

  "Is it something Noah told you about me?" He doesn’t move. "I know Noah has talked about me to you. You know most of what happened between us."

  I nod against his chest. I should pull myself up so I'm looking right at him when I say this. "Alexa actually told me something yesterday."

  "What did she tell you?" His hand is on my chin now, running along my jawbone.

  I adjust myself, grabbing his hand with my own. I bring it to my lips and hold it against them. I need to be as close to him as possible. "She told me Noah did something to protect me."

  "Whatever that it is, I'm grateful to him for that."

  I smile up at him. "Noah wants the best for me."

  "I'm the best for you," he says quickly. "I know that I am. That's why I want to tell you how I feel."

  I pull his hand closer to my lips again. "Let me say this first."

  His brow jumps up. "Say it, Kayla."

  "Alexa told me that Noah hired a private investigator to look at your life when he knew that we were getting close."

  His lips part slightly as if he's going to say something. It's in that moment that I feel him pull away. He yanks his hand free of mine, before he slides his body out from under the sheet.

  "Ben?" I call after him as he walks quickly out of the room. I hear his footsteps along the hardwood floor and then there's nothing but total silence.

  I turn over. I feel the panic before it hits my body. I'm nauseous. I threw that at him without any warning at all. He was just starting to feel close to Noah again and I tossed it at him like a live hand grenade. I should have gone to Noah. I should have fucking gone to Noah and confronted him about this so he could tell Ben himself.

  I reach down in the darkness looking for Ben's robe. I saw it on the chair near the window earlier. It's here. I know it is. I have to stop and catch my breath.

  "Kayla?" His voice is behind me. "Kayla, turn around."

  I do just as his hand touches the light switch. The sudden brilliant light that floods the bedroom blinds me momentarily and I cover my eyes with my hands. "It's too bright, Ben."

  "I'm sorry." I hear movement behind me. "I'll dim the light."

  I heave a sigh of relief as I slide my hands into my lap. I'm still not facing him. "I didn't mean to just throw that at you. I know it must make you feel violated. I would feel that way if…"

  I hear his heavy footsteps coming closer. Then I see his legs. He's holding something. "Noah gave me this yesterday."

  I look at his hands. He's holding a manila folder overflowing with papers.

  "Noah told me about it. He gave it all to me to destroy." He hands it to me. "You can read it if you want."

  I stare at it. It's Ben's entire life all in one place. Every bank transaction he's ever made, every job he's ever held, and all the places he's lived are documented in the papers falling out of the folder.

  "He gave you this?"

  He swallows hard before he sits next to me. "I have nothing to hide. If doing this helped Noah trust me again, I'm glad he did it. If reading it helps you in any way, I want you to do that."

  "You're not angry?" There's more excitement in my tone than surprise. "How can you not be angry?"

  "I would do anything to show my brother that I'm a good, honest, decent man." He taps his fingers against his leg. "I would do anything and everything in my power to show you that I'm a good, honest, decent man."

  "I know that you are," I say it with no reservation at all. "I don't need to read anything here to know that."

  "I want you to read one thing." He pulls the file into his own lap and thumbs through some of the documents. "This is what I want you to read."

  I take the piece of paper from him and hold it in front of me. It's a printed document of some sort. I start reading it line-by-line, stopping twice to look up at Ben. "I don't understand what it is."

  "I live a simple life." He closes his eyes briefly as if to gather his thoughts. "My mother left me an enormous amount of money. I will never use that money in my lifetime. I already have everything I could possibly need."

  I stare at the paper he handed to me. "Are you funding this yourself?"

  "I was." His hand runs over the back of my hair. "Noah is funding half of it now with his inheritance. He insisted on it when I saw him yesterday."

  "The Foster Foundation," I whisper the words softly as I run my hand over where they are printed at the top of the paper. "You're doing this to help children."

  "Children." He points to the paper. "Women, men, anyone who needs medical care and can't afford it."

  "You're doing this for your mother?"

  "I want to do good things for her. I want her to be proud of who I am today."

  I watch as a tear falls from my cheek and onto the paper. "I'm sorry," I mutter as I wipe my hand across the document.

  "You didn't read the last line, Kayla." He traces a path over the bottom of the paper with his finger. "Read that to me."

  I hold the paper in front of me, trying to decipher the letters through my tears. "It says, director of operations…" I stall to pull my hand over my mouth. "Director of operations is Kayla Monroe."

  "It's your job if you want it."

  "When did you set this up?" I dart my eyes over the document looking for a date.

  He pulls me closer to his side. "I've been meeting colleagues in Boston for months to get the wheels in motion. I was there when you and I met and again when I saw you at… at your old apartment," he stammers. "I had talked about you as a potential candidate for the job that Saturday morning, less than an hour before I saw you. You have so much to give to others and you're smart."

  "You trust me to run a foundation in your mother's honor?" I sob through the words.

  "I trust you with everything."

  I reach up to cradle his cheek in my hand. "Say it now, Ben. Say it and I'll say it back."

  He turns his entire body to face me. He takes the paper from my grasp and sets it on the bed as he leans in close and whispers the words I've wanted to hear since he sat down next to me on the airplane. "I love you Kayla Monroe. I really love you."

  "I love you too Dr. Ben Foster. I love you."

  Epilogue

  1 Year Later

  "Kayla, what are you doing here? Are you sick?"

  I've visited Ben at the hospital enough times this past year to know that he passes by this exact spot in the hallway near the emergency room entrance at least half a dozen times an hour. If I want to talk to him while he's working, this is the place I need to be.

  "I'm not sick." I push a breath out between my lips. I can already tell this is going to be much more difficult than I ever imagined. "It's not that."

  "Are you already done class for the day?" His eyes dart up to the large clock hanging on the wall of the waiting room. "It's that late already?"

  It's after seven. I'd worked half a day at the foundation and then went straight to class. I had wanted to postpone getting my master's degree, but Ben wouldn't hear of it. Once he got Noah and Alexa to take his side, I had little choice but to schedule my classes around my work schedule. I can't complain though. I love pursuing my own dream, knowing that I'm doing something valuable for a living. It's even more fulfilling since I'm paying my own way by using part of the salary I'm earning doing something I truly love. My work at the foundation fuels me in a way that I've never felt before. It's quickly become my passion and next to loving Ben, it's been purpose in life. It has been rather, until today.

  "Are you going to come home soon?" I'm here to coax him into leaving the hospital with me. Our time isn't nearly as limited as I feared it would be. We steal moments away for each other every single day and our promise to never keep secrets has only
strengthened our already unbreakable bond. I'm here now to convince him to join me for dinner, even though I doubt I'll eat much at all. I'm so nervous and nauseous.

  He licks his lips as he pushes me against the wall. "Why are you so eager to get me home? Do you want me to eat your…"

  "Meatloaf?" I ask loudly as an intern wheels an elderly patient in a wheelchair right past us. "We can have meatloaf tonight."

  He leans forward and brushes his lush lips over mine. "I'll eat that and more the minute we're in the door."

  "Can you come now?" I'm so anxious. I've never been as excited to share news with Ben as I am today. It's been a total of forty-five minutes since I found out but it feels like forty-five years.

  "There's a supply closet around the corner you can blow me in." He pulls on my hand. "I can come in there now."

  I swat my hand over the nametag that is hanging around his neck. "I'm not talking about sex."

  "Fuck." He winks at me. "I am."

  "Ben, please." I stomp my foot in jest. "I just want you to come home so I can tell you something."

  "Tell me here." His eyes dart over my face. "What's wrong, Kayla?"

  "Do you remember when you said…" my voice trails just as we both hear his name announced over the hospital's loudspeaker.

  "Hold that thought." He grabs my shoulder. "I put in a call to a surgeon in Boston. I need to take that call in my office."

  "Wait." I reach forward to grab his lab coat. "I just need a minute."

  "Something isn't right." He runs his hand over my forehead. "You haven't been well. You've been sleeping more than normal. There's a virus going around. I want you to go into exam room three and wait…"

  "I'm pregnant." I close my eyes tightly. "I'm…I mean… we're having a baby, Ben."

  I feel movement in front of me but he doesn't say a word. This was my only fear. This is why I didn't tell him when my period was late. We haven't talked about when we'd have children yet. I don't know if he'll be as completely thrilled as I am.

  "Kayla," he finally says my name in barely more than a whisper. "Open your beautiful blue eyes."

  I do. I do it slowly. He's there but he's on his knees. A small ring box is resting in his palm. "I've been carrying this ring in my pocket for a week. I was going to ask you on my birthday but today, this is our real birthday."

  I nod through a sob. "It's our birthday." I rub my hand over his on my still flat stomach.

  "You have given me more than I've ever deserved in life, Kayla. I love you with every part of me. I will always love you." His eyes are filled with tears. "I will always love you and our baby."

  "I love you too. I love you so much."

  "Please be my wife. Marry me, Kayla. Marry me tomorrow."

  I nod before I shake my head. "I'll marry you but not tomorrow."

  He laughs as he slips the beautiful pear shaped diamond ring onto my finger. "I'll marry you on whatever day you choose and I will stay married to you until I take my last breath."

  I lean down, cup his handsome face in my palms and kiss the man I love.

  Surprise for RUIN Readers

  Dear Readers;

  If you've read the Obsessed, VAIN or PULSE series you know that I haven't been able to let the characters go. I feel the very same way about Ben and Kayla. I adore both of them. Their love is very special to me. They've faced some very emotional challenges and they discovered a connection that is rare and enduring.

  I want to share more of their journey together with you. They have a wedding to plan and a beautiful child to welcome into their lives. Kayla is balancing a full family life with a career that is rewarding. Ben has his own decisions to make as he takes on the roles of father and husband.

  I'm going to pick up their story right where I left it off here. I want to do that not only for you, but because I feel there's more to tell.

  This book will not be available for sale. It is strictly a free gift given to my readers.

  If you'd like to receive this novella, please join the mailing list here:

  Click here to subscribe now!

  I promise I won't send out emails about anything that is unrelated to my books.

  Ben and Kayla will be back in January in a story written just for you.

  Xo

  GONE Preview

  The New Series – Coming in November

  "I'm looking for Lilly. I have her panties."

  I hold my breath hoping that when I turn around that the face attached to that voice isn't who I think it is. It's not that I regularly send men my panties in the mail. Who does that? Okay, I do. I have but it was just this one time. I admit I regretted it instantly though. As soon as he sent me a picture of himself I wished I had thought it through more. He's hot in a boy next door kind of way. I'm looking for more of a hot in a man who can leave me screaming after taking control of my body kind of way.

  "I'm Lilly," I say it quickly as I turn on my heel. "You're Parker, aren't you?"

  His deep blue eyes rake over my body, stopping on my nametag. "How do you know my name?"

  He's older than the picture he sent me. I'd guess by at least seven or eight years. He has a beard now. His hair is different too. "When did you cut your hair? It's not as curly as I thought it would be."

  "My hair?" He pulls his hand through his brown hair before he shakes his head slightly. "I asked you a question. How do you know my name?"

  "You know how I know your name or are you acting like this because you got caught?" I lean over the counter and whisper the words softly. "Did you leave your email open and your girlfriend saw that picture you sent me of your…" I nod towards his crotch, which is covered by what looks like an expensive suit. He said he worked in the parts department of an automotive store. Every lie this guy told me online wasn't doing him any favors. If he's looking to hook up he just needs to be himself.

  "Caught?" His handsome face twists into a scowl. "What kind of game are you playing?"

  "I like to be tied up." I lick my lower lip. "You know about that already."

  A ghost of a grin catches the corner of his mouth before it disappears in a flash. "You think you know me, Lilly."

  "I know that you like to do the tying up." I take in a deep breath. Maybe sending my panties to a stranger along with a picture of me nearly naked isn't the worst mistake I've ever made after all.

  "Who told you that?" His eyes move down my chest to rest on the top of my cleavage.

  He must be one of those types who drinks or smokes weed when he's trolling for pussy online. It makes sense given how mysterious he's acting. I should just ask him if he wants to meet after I'm done with my shift. "What are you doing later?"

  "You're full of questions, aren't you?" He places the envelope I sent him on the counter.

  I pick it up and pull open the edge. There's nothing inside. "You said you have my panties, Parker."

  "I do." He reaches into the pocket of his suit jacket, pulling the edge of the white lace into view. "I told you I have them. I didn't say I was going to give them to you."

  I take a step back. I wasn't expecting that. "There's no return address on the envelope. How did you know where to find me?"

  His hand dips back into the pocket. My eyes are glued to it. I watch as he slowly pulls a Polaroid picture from its depths. "This was my first clue."

  I take the picture from his hand even though I already know exactly what it looks like. I offered to send him a selfie online but he insisted on an actual picture. I'm not one to judge another person's kink so I dusted off my old Polaroid, opened up my barista uniform, pulled off my bra and snapped away. "My hair looks good in this." I tilt my head to the side.

  "Your hair looks good in that. The rest of you is breathtaking." He rests his hand on the counter. "I like redheads."

  "Lucky me," I whisper as I stare at his mouth. His lips are gorgeous. They may be the nicest lips I've ever seen on a man. I'd kill for those lips and those eyes. I get complimented on my green eyes every day, but his are a sh
ade of blue I've never seen before. They're vibrant and deep.

  I can't pull my eyes from his face as I hear the bell chime on the door signaling a customer has walked in. If I want to keep this job, I need to take care of that. I'm the only one here.

  "I'll be right back." I run my hand over the back of his. "Don't run away."

  "Oh, I'm not going anywhere, Lilly." His voice is smooth and even.

  I don't take my eyes off of him as I walk back to the cash register. "Welcome to Star Bistro. What can I get for you?"

  "Lilly? You're Lilly aren't you?"

  My eyes dart up. I grip the side of the counter. It's him. He's younger with the same curls he had in the picture he sent me. He's wearing a green t-shirt and jeans. He's the one. This is the guy I sent my panties and picture to. "Who are you?" I almost scream the question at him.

  "It's me Parker. Don't tell me you don't recognize me?"

  "If he's Parker, who the hell are you?" I look right at the suit.

  He leans back against the counter, holds my nearly naked picture in the air and points at the guy I've been emailing with for weeks. "I'm his worst nightmare."

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