Rush of Redemption (Rush Series #2)

by LR Potter

  Drew Drayton gave her a confused look. “Yes, of course. Was I not supposed to invite them? I’m sorry, I just assumed as he is your father, and her, your godmother, that you would want them here. Was I wrong?”

  Rush lifted her fingers to his lips. “Trinity, can you excuse my grandfather and me for just a moment?” When she lifted apprehensive eyes to his, he gave her a tight smile and pressed his lips once again to her temple. “Just for a moment, I promise.”

  She tried to read his expression but the mask of passivity she hadn’t seen in a while was now firmly in place. She gave a quick nod of her head and dropped her near death grip on his arm. Once Rush and his grandfather headed off down the hall, Trinity turned and took in the home of Andrew Drayton. Shiny, wooden floors met Parisian plastered walls which were painted a soft neutral color. The living room was accented in associated oak accompaniments. Deep brown leather couches sat parallel to each other. On one wall was a massive fireplace which had a small gas-lit fire burning. On this night, it burnt only for ambiance, not warmth, as the Georgia summer night air blew humid and warm. At the far end of the room were two double French doors which opened up onto acres of what she assumed would be green, manicured lawns. The house spoke of money – serious money.

  She looked carefully around the room trying to spot her father and Marlena Franklin. She wanted a moment to prepare to see them and didn’t want to be caught unaware. She didn’t know what she would say to either of them. She’d not seen her father in more than eight months and had only spoken to him once. And she’d not seen Marlena since brunch at her father’s house nearly a year before… not since before her husband had kidnapped her, held her at gunpoint, and then had been killed by Rush. Her hands trembled and she clutched them together in front of her.

  She smiled uncertainly at people she didn’t know. Who were all these people? She thought again. She stared down the hall she’d seen Rush and his grandfather disappear and wondered what was happening between the two of them. It was obvious there was some bone of contingency.

  As Trinity stood awkwardly in the threshold of the home of the man who’d started a hailstorm in her life, the entrance door behind her opened. She turned just in time to see Hunter Amhearst walk through the door.

  “Hunt,” she smiled, relieved to finally know someone. He moved to her swiftly and hugged her tightly.

  “Wow! You look amazing,” he praised. “And congratulations, two-fold. It turns out you really were Cinderella that first night at Vail, huh? Who would have thought it? I didn’t think I’d ever see the day Rush Drayton would settle down.” Shrugging an arm around her, he said with a laugh, “Not that I blame him.”

  She drew back and punched him in the arm playfully. “Thanks, I think,”

  Hunter Amhearst was the only child of the richest man on the East Coast. His mother died when he was a young boy, leaving his widowed father to raise him. Unfortunately for Hunter, his father chose to deal with his grief by immersing himself in work and an endless stream of women. Other than in the work aspect, Hunter had followed in his father’s footsteps. Trinity had met Hunter when he’d taught a couple of the art classes she’d taken in college. It was the only job Hunter had ever had and it lasted for one semester only. But with his dark wispy hair, his deep, soulful eyes, and his perpetual five o’clock shadow, Hunter found floating through life easy as he had a limitless supply of both money and women.

  Looking around, Hunter asked, “Where’s Rush?”

  “He and his grandfather went that way,” she replied, pointing down the hallway.

  “Good, it gives me a chance to hit on the prettiest girl at the party without having to look over my shoulder,” he teased.

  Voicing her earlier thought, she asked, “Hunt, who are all these people?”

  He glanced around the room. Obviously used to dealing in the world of the elite, he rocked back on his heels and began pointing out both the prominent and moneyed people in the room.

  “Let’s see…” he began, “over there we have the Lieutenant Governor, and if rumor is to be believed, his soon-to-be ex-wife. Over there, is Niguel Gown, the shipping magnet. Leaning against the mantel is Luke Bayberry, who, if again rumor is to be believed, will be the man who’ll replace your father in this year’s judicial election.” Hunter went on and on around the room, pointing out the many in attendance until Trinity’s head swam. She did finally understand, however, why her father would have considered coming to this party. She had no illusion it was for her. He needed these people to further his career.

  Her attention was brought back to Hunter when she felt his arm stiffen around her. Following his eyes, she saw Sundra and her parents standing just outside the French doors. They were standing in a group and Sundra had her arm linked with a swarthy, olive-skinned man with jet-black hair. He wasn’t anyone Trinity recognized.

  “Is this too awkward for you?” she asked Hunter, referring to his vacation romance with Sundra.

  Quickly… maybe too quickly, he shook his head. “No, it’s good. She just needs to watch out for that guy.”

  “Who is he?” she asked.

  “Anton Veretta. He has a bad reputation with women,” he said with a frown.

  So intent was she on watching Sundra, she was surprised when her father, Arthur Grace, stepped into her line of sight and gathered her hand within his and raised it to his lips.

  “Trinity, you look beautiful,” he murmured.

  She stared up into his face and a torrent of emotion rushed through her, ranging from extreme loss to extreme anger. Feeling the instinctual need to protect herself, she carefully pulled her hand away and took a small step back, bumping into Hunter. “Father,” she replied in a careful tone.

  From outside their tension-filled group, Trinity heard someone call Hunter’s name. With a quick pat on her shoulder, Hunter trailed off, leaving her alone with her father.

  Moving to stand beside her, he looked out at the others gathered in the room. “How have you been?” he asked as he nodded and smiled at different ones in the room.

  Tension radiated through her, causing her nagging headache to intensify. Without looking at him, she replied, “Does it matter?”

  “Now’s not the time or place, Trinity,” he warned smoothly. By looking at his expression, anyone in the room would assume he was standing with her exchanging pleasantries.

  She turned her head to snap back a comment, but it died in her throat when Marlena Franklin slid up beside her father and wrapped her arm through his. Marlena and her father?

  Glancing around him, Marlena’s face broke into a smile. “Trinity! It’s so wonderful to see you. It’s been way too long,” she gushed as she moved to her and hugged her tight.

  Not knowing what to do, Trinity hugged her back and murmured, “Aunt Marlena, it’s good to see you also. How have you been?” she asked the woman automatically without thinking.

  “Oh, you know, good days and bad days. Life goes on, as they say. Well, look at you. Congratulations on both your engagement and your new son. You’ve certainly done well for yourself. It makes me wonder what we were all worried about. It seems you knew how to trap a man all on your own,” Marlena said snidely.

  Trinity’s eyes widened at the intentionally cruel comment. Before she could comment, she saw Rush coming up behind the group unbeknownst to them and it was obvious he’d heard the comment as well.

  “You will apologize to my fiancée,” he said evenly and in a tone so that only their group heard him.

  She saw Marlena flinch at his voice. Without warning, Marlena swung around and slapped Rush across the face. “You bastard,” she spat.

  The room suddenly grew quiet, the slap sounding as loud as a gunshot.

  Arthur grabbed Marlena’s shoulders and pulled her back against his chest, the movement intimate somehow. Repeating the words he’d told Trinity earlier, he said against Marlena’s ear, “This is not the place.”

  “It certainly isn’t,” Rush concurred. “In fact, now tha
t you’ve been seen, I think it’s time for you both to leave.”

  The muscle in Arthur’s jaw clenched, but he nodded. A nod in Trinity’s direction was his only acknowledgment of her before he tugged Marlena Franklin out the door. She watched them go, shell-shocked on so many levels.

  Rush moved to her and wrapped his arms around her and pressed his lips against her temple. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what my grandfather was thinking,” he murmured against her hair. “You okay?”

  Hidden against his chest, she nodded. Inside her head, Marlena’s words swirled. Trinity bet every person in this room probably thought the same thing, that she’d gotten pregnant to purposely trap herself a wealthy man.

  “Let’s just get through this dinner, then we can go home. Okay?” he said, pulling back to look into her eyes with an encouraging smile.

  With a migraine pounding now behind her eyes, she gave him a tight smile and nodded again. Needing a moment away from the scrutiny of his eyes to compose her scattering emotions, she said, “Can you get me something to drink, please?”

  He eyed her for a moment, trying to read her, she assumed. She gave him a smile and he gave her a quick nod before pressing his lips once again on her head. “I’ll be right back,” he murmured.

  Anger simmered through Rush as he headed towards the bar. He was holding on to Trinity by a thread and his grandfather was doing everything in his power to come between them. He’d told his grandfather to keep the engagement party simple and small. He couldn’t believe it when he pulled into the drive and had seen the crowd. And then to invite Trinity’s father and Marlena Franklin, of all people. His grandfather had been badgering him since Blake’s birth, when he’d told him of his engagement to Trinity, about having her sign a prenuptial agreement, but he’d adamantly refused to do so. His grandfather had railed against him, reminding him of what had happened between his own father and mother… as if he could ever forget it. He’d even stopped by the office on this day, the day of his engagement party, to yet again try and force his hand.

  When he’d pulled his grandfather away from the party to blast him for inviting Arthur Grace and Marlena Franklin to the party, his grandfather hadn’t even tried to deny his culpability. He’s said she needed to see how their life together would be. Rush closed his eyes briefly as anger seared his insides. And when he’d come out of that meeting to hear Marlena say that Trinity had purposefully trapped him, he’d snapped. He knew Trinity and knew she would obsess about that comment. He needed to get her away and marry her before she had a chance to change her mind. Now, who was trapping whom, he thought. God, what a colossal disaster. He wanted nothing more than to whisk her away from this house and these people.

  He was running through his mind about when he’d possibly be able to slip away for a few days to marry her. But he just didn’t know. Things were crazy at the moment with two separate jobsites, in both the Caymans and Mexico. He knew he was going to be forced to go to both, but he was trying to put the trips off until after he had Trinity safely married to him. He didn’t know who he was kidding. Even if she married him, there was no guarantee she’d stay.

  As he headed to the bar, he was stopped at least a dozen times by those wanting to congratulate him. This frustrated him as he desperately needed to get back to Trinity as soon as possible. There was no telling what his grandfather or someone else might do. Finally making it to the bar, he ordered a scotch on the rocks for himself and a sparkling water for her. He leaned against the bar and drummed his thumbs impatiently against its surface. He turned his head to where he’d left Trinity, but she wasn’t there. He scoured the room looking for her. Maybe she’d gone to the bathroom or had met up with Sundra or Hunter. He saw Sundra still standing with her parents and Hunter was on the other side of the room chatting up with a leggy blonde.

  He felt someone slip their arm around his and he heaved a sigh of relief. Turning, he was taken aback to realize it wasn’t Trinity attached to his arm but Olivia Terry, the daughter of an investment banker, and someone he’d dated several months previously… dated being too strong of a word.

  “I guess congratulations are in order,” she purred.

  Not wanting to appear rude, but desperately wanting to remove the woman from his arm, he slipped his arm away and turned to face her as casually as he could. Olivia Terry was closer to his age of thirty and an amazingly beautiful woman. Her Italian heritage was prevalent in both her dark hair and dark eyes.

  “Thanks, Olivia,” he replied.

  “I must say I was… surprised to hear the news. Who would have thought you’d ever settle down?”

  “It had to happen sometime,” he replied lightly.

  “I don’t mind telling you that I have my doubts about her,” she said with a shake of her head.

  “And why’s that?” he asked, not really caring if she answered or not.

  “I think you’ll tire of her easily. She looks too young and naive to me. Don’t forget… I know what you like.” Leaning into him so that her breasts were pressed against him, she whispered, “I’ll tell you what, once you’ve had enough and get bored, give me a call.” As she spoke she lifted her hand to curl it around his neck. He reached up to capture her hand and removed it from him. She pouted prettily, and as she stepped back, she pulled a card out of her clutch and handed it to him. Without glancing at it, he slipped it into his coat pocket.

  “I wouldn’t sit by the phone, Olivia. I’m in it for the long haul.”

  “We’ll see. Things change…” she drifted off as she moved away.

  Rush shook his head and sighed, happy Trinity wasn’t close enough to have overheard that particular conversation. She had enough to deal with.

  Finally able to grab his drinks, he moved back to where he’d left Trinity and looked around the room again but still didn’t see her. As he glanced about, he noticed the door to his grandfather’s office ajar. Heading towards it, he nudged it open further and stepped one foot inside. The room was in darkness except for the light which streamed in from the huge window on the far side of the room. As his eyes adjusted, he saw Trinity’s small frame standing in front of the window with one arm wrapped around her middle, her head bent, and one hand pressed firmly against her brow.

  He shut the door quietly behind him and moved to where she stood. “What’s wrong?” he asked softly… as if he had to ask.

  He watched her gather herself before she turned to him. “Nothing, just a small headache. I just needed a moment, that’s all.”

  He watched her strained smile and his jaw clenched. Damn his grandfather to hell! “Do you want to go home?”

  “We can’t do that. All these people are here for us,” she murmured.

  “I don’t give a damn about any of those people. I’m only concerned about you. Do you need anything for your headache?” he asked.

  “Just the drink,” she replied as she popped two tablets in her mouth and washed them down with the sparking water. “Thank you,” she said softly.

  Rush set his glass down on the desk and gathered her into his arms and held her close as he rested his head against hers. “I love you, Trinity.”

  “I know,” she whispered. Pulling back, she lifted a hand and pressed it against his cheek. “I’m sorry Marlena slapped you.”

  “It wasn’t your fault.”

  “Wasn’t it,” she replied as she pulled away from him and turned back to the window. Pushing her hair away from her face, she said, “God, everything is such a mess. How will we ever survive it?”

  He moved behind her and wrapped his massive arms around her waist. “The rest of them don’t matter. Only you and I matter.”

  He watched as she twirled her engagement ring round and round on her finger. “I didn’t set out to trap you. You know that, don’t you?” she asked with a catch.

  He closed his eyes. He’d known that was going to be a sore spot for her. “I know,” he replied simply.

  Inhaling quickly and letting the air out shakily, she sai
d, “For our whole married lives, people will always think I manipulated you into marriage.”

  He buried his face her hair. “I’m so sorry, baby. I don’t know what to do about that. But with time, it’ll be old news.”

  Slowly she shook her head. “I grew up in the public eye, Rush. I know better. Reporters and others will always want to dig for dirt. You, being who you are, will always make us a target.”

  “I know. I’m sorry. I’ll protect you the best I can,” he promised.

  She shook her head again. “I’m not worried about me. Before we go any further, I want you to think about this and how it might one day affect you… affect Blake. People are vindictive and coldhearted. They won’t care who gets hurt by their words.”

  Turning her to face him, he pressed his forehead against hers. “The only way they can hurt me is through you and Blake. I don’t need to think about it.”

  He felt her tremble beneath his hands. “We need to get back,” she murmured.

  “In just a minute.” Tilting her face up to his, he pressed his lips softly against hers, trying to drink her in and pour himself into her. Pulling back once more to stare down into her exquisitely beautiful face, he whispered, “You and Blake are my life. I won’t let either of you go willingly.”

  Being a shy and normally reserved person, Trinity found being the center of attention taxing. So much so, that by the time she and Rush were finally driving home, she had a raging migraine. But actually, other than being inundated with meeting person after person and having to smile for photo after photo, the rest of the party had gone smoothly.

  She’d tried repeatedly to get Sundra alone to warn her about Anton Veretta, but the opportunity never arose. She’d have to call her. Trinity had danced a few times, but had tried to beg off as much as possible. Rush had stayed doggedly by her side, refusing to leave her for an instant. It meant a lot to her that he’d understood her apprehension. She’d danced with Hunter and Sundra’s father. The highlight of the evening was slipping into Rush’s arms as he’d slowly twirled them around the floor. It brought back memories of their first night in Vail.