Rush of Redemption (Rush Series #2)

by LR Potter

With as much effort as she could muster, she whispered, “Blake?”

  Rush smiled down at her, his throat working hard as he swallowed, “He’s fine. He’s at the hotel with Anna. When you’re better, I’ll bring him, okay?”

  Her lips wobbled and the tears began again. “I’m sorry.”

  Rush brushed the hair from her face and pressed his lips against her forehead. “It’s okay, it’s okay. Shhh,” he whispered against her hair as she cried.

  Once she’d calmed down, she licked her lips. “Thirsty,” she croaked.

  Rush turned to the table over her bed and poured water into a cup with a straw. He placed the straw between her lips and she sucked weakly. When she pulled away, Rush set the cup back on the table.

  “How are you feeling?” he asked, as he pulled one of her hands to his lips.

  “Tired,” she mumbled.

  “Sleep, baby,” he said softly.

  When he moved to drop her hand, she clutched at him weakly. “Don’t leave,” she rasped.

  “I’m not going anywhere, I promise,” he said.

  She gave a slight nod and drifted back off to sleep.

  It was dark the next time Trinity opened her eyes, the only illumination being the light which filtered through the curtain from an outside light. Across from her, in a chair, with a blanket thrown over his torso was Rush. His eyes were closed and his breathing was deep and even. She stared at the dark circles under his eyes and the new lines of strain etched into his gorgeous face. She’d done that to him. She tried to stifle a sob, which only aggravated her chest causing her to cough raggedly, then moaned at the pain it caused.

  She turned away from Rush to keep from waking him as she tried to control her cough. But she felt his hand on her shoulder and his lips against her head anyway.

  “You okay?” he asked softly.

  When she was able, she nodded. With her back to him, she felt him slip in behind her and wrap his arm around her middle, surrounding her with his strength and warmth.

  “What happened?” she rasped into the darkness, not sure if she really wanted to know.

  “We’ll talk about it later. Try to get some rest, okay?” he whispered against her ear.

  Wanting to know, but wanting him to sleep, she nodded. In just a matter of minutes, she felt his chest moving steadily behind her. She stared into the darkness as she thought of all she could remember. She didn’t even know why he was here. He surely must hate her now for the danger she’d put Blake in… and for no reason. He’d tried to tell her they would be targets – had supplied Alex to keep them safe, and she’d thrown aside his concern, determined to have her way… to disastrous ends. Silent tears slid down her face. If they would have gotten Blake, she didn’t know what she would have done. Her poor baby boy… and poor Rush. The horror he’d had to endure because of her. She’d hurt him over and over. How much longer would he be willing to chase after her when she kept throwing his trust back in his face? He’d tried so hard to make her feel loved and secure and she refused to believe in it… believe in him.

  And poor Blake. What kind of mother was she to put him in so much danger? If she’d only trusted Rush more she’d have asked him about the package. She should have asked him. But she knew if she had and he denied it, she wouldn’t have believed him. She knew once things died down and he had a chance to really think things through, he wouldn’t want her and definitely wouldn’t want her around his son. Pain stabbed at her heart. It wasn’t less than she deserved, but the thought that he might take their son from her filled her with horror. He probably would never trust her with Blake again. She told herself that if Rush would give her the chance, she’d gladly take an army of security about her to keep Blake safe.

  ~*~

  Trinity woke up alone in the hospital bed. She attempted to stretch but every muscle she had ached. Her chest was sore and her lungs were on fire. She rolled carefully onto her back to find Alex Masters sitting in the chair Rush had been in last night. He was drinking a cup of coffee and reading a newspaper. He glanced at her idly when he felt her stare.

  “Good morning,” he said.

  Trinity glanced away ashamed. “Alex… I…” she began.

  “You are one troublesome woman. You know that?” he said with a grin.

  “You’re not mad?” she asked.

  “Frustrated, yes. Mad, no,” he replied.

  “I didn’t think you would have let me go without calling Rush,” she said.

  “You would be right about that. Imagine the logic,” Alex said sarcastically.

  “I know. I’m sorry, Alex.”

  “Just don’t do it again,” he said softly.

  “I won’t. I promise.” Alex gave her a nod of his head and turned back to his paper. “Where’s Rush?” she asked.

  “Went to take a shower and change. As you can imagine, it’s been a long few days.”

  Trinity nodded and shame made her stomach muscles hurt. “What happened? How did you get me back from Tiko?” she asked.

  “Rush will be back. Let’s let him tell you. It’s his story to tell,” Alex said, turning the page of his paper.

  “Do you know where Tiko is?” she asked fearfully.

  “Tiko can’t get to you. Don’t worry,” Alex promised.

  “I don’t worry about myself. I’m worried about Blake.”

  “He can’t get to Blake either,” Alex promised.

  Trinity laid back and closed her eyes.

  The next time she opened her eyes, Alex was gone. A tingle of fear floated up her spine. A sound at the door had her turning her head sharply. Rush stood just inside the door jiggling Blake in his arms. Trinity laid still and watched Rush as he held their son in his hands. Blake looked so much like his father… heaven help them.

  Feeling her stare, Rush turned and smiled at her. He moved to her and pressed his lips against her head. “Good morning, sleepyhead. We thought you’d never wake up,” Rush said.

  “Can I hold him?”

  “Of course. Just be mindful of your stitches,” he said, as he placed Blake’s little body in her arms.”

  Trinity’s eyes misted as she kissed Blake’s little head and smelled his wonderful smell. “Hey, Blake. It’s mommy. Hey, my precious boy. I’ve missed you so much. Have you been a good boy for daddy? Mommy is so sorry. So very sorry,” she murmured against his dark hair. He started to squirm and nuzzle into her neck looking to find a place to nurse. When he was denied, he began to whimper and then wail. She looked helplessly to Rush, who walked calmly to her and handed her a bottle. She tried to put the bottle in his mouth, but he kept moving his head, seeking her. Tears filled her eyes. She’d never be able to give him that again. Frustration had Blake’s face turning red and his wails got louder. She looked once more to Rush, who moved to her solemnly and took both Blake and the bottle from her.

  Once he got Blake calmed, he sat in the chair and fed him. From Rush, Blake took the bottle. Trinity couldn’t help but feel cheated.

  “You’re overthinking this, Trinity. It will all work out. You’ll see,” he said.

  Trinity’s chest burned. She’d done this to her poor baby. Pleating the sheet across her lap between her fingers, she said, “So what happened?”

  Rush rolled his head on his neck and sighed. After a moment’s pause, he told her the story, glossing over what he could. When he was done, she sat staring at her stilled fingers. “You should have just left me,” she said softly. “If something would have happened to you or Blake because of me…” she stopped and swallowed hard.

  “Well, it didn’t. We’re fine and you’ll soon be fine. I am curious about one thing,” he said.

  “What?”

  “What did Marlena Franklin have to do with anything?” he asked.

  Trinity told him what Marlena had told him.

  “So, she went after you to get your father?” he asked.

  “I think it was a weird mixture of that and revenge. She really hated my mother…” Trinity paused.

&nbs
p; “What is it?” he asked when she didn’t continue.

  “I should have asked you about the package. I think I knew all along that it wasn’t real. I just so wanted it to be. I’m sorry, Rush, so very sorry,” she said softly.

  “It’s over,” he said as he stood. “I’m going to take Blake back to the hotel so you can rest. I have a few things to take of. But we’ll be back this evening. Okay?”

  “Okay,” she answered quietly.

  “Trinity, in a few days we’ll be home and then we can all move forward with our lives.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  As Rush had promised, they were home within the week. They settled into somewhat of a routine. Because Trinity had to sleep at an angle due to the after effects of the pneumonia, a hospital bed had been brought in and set up in one of the spare bedrooms. Blake still refused to take a bottle from her and would cry when she attempted to give it to him. Trinity was still so weak and spent most of her time in bed. She did force herself to get up and move around a little each day in order to rebuild her strength. Rush was forced to hit the ground running after having been gone from work for so long unexpectedly.

  They’d been home two weeks, Blake was asleep, and Trinity was at the table eating dinner alone, as was becoming the norm. She’d barely seen Rush since they’d returned. He always stopped by to check on her when he returned from work before he retired either to his office or to the master bedroom. While he always pressed his lips to her forehead, for the most part, he kept his distance. His obvious withdrawal from her made her already scattered emotions even more scattered. What had she expected? She’d put their son in mortal danger, even after having been warned.

  As she pushed the food around on her plate, she was surprised to hear the front door open. She turned her head to see Rush come in. He gave her a strained smile before turning to head for his office. Unexpected tears came into her eyes, but she blinked them back. He was busy and she’d pulled him from his work for nearly a week. She’d just laid her napkin on top of her plate and was preparing to leave the table when he came into the dining room. As usual, he placed a quick kiss on her head and moved into the kitchen to retrieve his plate.

  He sat down across from her and poured himself a glass of wine. He took a sip. “How are you feeling today?” he asked as he forked linguine into his mouth.

  “Good… fine,” she replied as she always did. She let her eyes roam over him. He looked tired and his hair was in desperate need of cutting.

  He studied her for a moment. “Sundra called me today concerned about you. Said you were too tired to see her.”

  Trinity looked away from his gorgeous face and shrugged.

  He chewed his food as he contemplated her. “I need to fly back out to the Caymans but I don’t want to leave if you’re not feeling well enough.”

  She swallowed at the thought of him being gone – and also that he’d not asked her to go with him - but smoothed her features before turning to face him. “I’m fine. You go.”

  He nodded as he thoughtfully chewed his food. “I had a message your father called me at my office. I didn’t have time to call him back. I can’t imagine what he’d want. Do you?”

  “No. I haven’t spoken to him since… before.”

  He took another sip of his pale wine. “I shouldn’t be gone for more than a week. Jorge and Radcliff are here, so you should be okay.” He hesitated before adding softly, “You and Blake will stay with them, won’t you?”

  She snatched her head up to stare at him, amazed at the question. “Of course!”

  “Good,” he said. “I… uhh… will be leaving in the morning. Sorry about the late notice.”

  “No problem. I hope you have a good trip. I’ll see you when you return. If you’ll excuse me, I’m feeling a little tired. I think I’ll go lie down. Goodnight, Rush,” she said as she rose quickly and put her plate in the kitchen, not waiting for him to respond.

  It was natural he’d be concerned about her taking Blake out by herself, but still it stung that he’d think she hadn’t learned her lesson.

  ~*~

  The morning Rush flew out on his way to the Cayman Islands, Sundra called. Feeling lonelier than she’d ever remembered, Trinity begged her friend to come over.

  “About time you allowed me over, “Sundra said, as they sat by the pool later that afternoon.

  “I was just tired,” Trinity replied.

  “Well, you look better than you did when you first got home. Man, talk about death warmed over!”

  “I’m better,” Trinity said before glancing over at her friend. “I just felt bad for getting you involved in all that.”

  “You certainly know how to show a girl a good time,” Sundra said with a grin.

  Trinity gave her a small smile.

  “Were you scared?” Sundra asked quietly.

  “Terrified at first. I’m so thankful you were able to get away with Blake. That was the worst part… worrying that they had you and Blake.”

  “Man, you should have seen Rush’s face when he came to the hotel to get Blake. He was totally freaked out!” Sundra exclaimed.

  Trinity cringed at the thought. “I was so stupid.”

  “How could you know?” Sundra replied.

  “I… I should have waited… I should have asked Rush about it instead of just assuming he was keeping something from me. I could have gotten all of us killed!”

  “How is Rush handling everything now?” Sundra asked thoughtfully.

  Trinity twisted her lips into a grimace. “Not well,” she answered quietly.

  “How do you mean?”

  Wrapping her towel around her shoulders to ward off a sudden chill, she said, “He’s… not happy, I don’t think.” As she tried to stop her lips from trembling, she continued, “I think he’s biding his time before he breaks off our engagement… not that I blame him. I was just so stupid.”

  “Why do you think that?”

  “He stays away from home a lot. He… can barely stand to even touch me,” Trinity answered as she looked away. “I’ve ruined everything because I didn’t trust him. I should have trusted him.”

  “I don’t know, Trinity,” Sundra said doubtfully, “You didn’t see his face. He looked… haunted.”

  “Before El Paso, all he talked about was getting married. Now, he doesn’t talk about anything.”

  “I’m sure he’s been busy,” Sundra said.

  “I believe once he thinks I can manage on my own, he’ll end it.”

  “What will you do?” Sundra asked worriedly.

  With a shrug of her shoulders, Trinity said, “It’s what I deserve… I’ll leave.”

  “What about Blake?”

  Unable to stop her lips from trembling this time, she replied, “I don’t know. He may take him away from me. You can’t blame him for that.”

  “But you’re his mother,” Sundra said shocked.

  “Yeah, but apparently not a very good one,” Trinity answered softly.

  ~*~

  Rush didn’t call his first night away, nor the second. Trinity told herself it didn’t matter, he was working. But she felt the distance between them, and not just in miles. She picked up her cellphone a thousand times to call him, but put it down just as many times. Calling him would make her seem needy and desperate… which she was, but she didn’t want him to know that.

  By the second night, the longing to cling tight to Rush became almost too much. Once she put Blake down, instead of going into the room she’d been using, she went into the master bedroom and slipped into Rush’s bed. His pillow still smelled like him. She’d missed that smell. She missed him… she would always miss him. Pain squeezed her heart so hard, she nearly lost her breath. She loved him so much and he’d loved her once.

  The next morning it became crystal clear why Rush hadn’t had time to call her. He’d been too busy wining and dining Olivia Terry – if the newspaper was anything to go by. There were several pictures of them together – some when he’d met h
er at the airport; some with his head bent close to hers over dinner; and some with their bodies held close together as they slow danced in the midst of strobe lights. With a shaky finger, she traced the curve of his attractive face. Inanely she noticed he’d had time to get his hair cut since he’d left home. How stupid to notice something like that, she thought to herself.

  Trinity felt sick to her stomach. If she had any lingering doubts as to if it were indeed over, she now had undeniable proof. Looking beneath the pictures, it would seem there were others who doubted their engagement would last also.

  Hot & Spicy in the Islands! Is it love or lust for Billionaire playboy Rush Drayton? Is his recent engagement with Savannah’s own Trinity Grace over? Or is Drayton exercising a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy with his lady loves? Rumors on the island say Drayton has been seen romancing socialite Olivia Terry over many exotic places. Is it love or lust? Sources close to Terry say it’s too soon to tell.

  Tears gushed from her eyes. As much as she’d had tried to deny it, she knew it was over. Her heart seized in her chest. She struggled to suck air into her lungs which seared with the effort. She didn’t think she could endure this again. This time, however, she knew she was the one to blame. She’d done this to herself. She’d driven him into Olivia Terry’s willing and waiting arms. While she would have preferred Rush to have just told her it was over, she’d read the signs long before he left for the Cayman Islands.

  She couldn’t contain the sobs. He was with someone else in the very place he had wanted to marry her. It should have been her. A small part of her wondered if she just ignored the newspaper and played along if she could maybe keep a small part of him. A wail coming through the baby monitor reminded Trinity of the only small part of Rush she’d ever have. Moving quickly, she picked up her precious baby boy and held his body against her own as she cried right along with him.

  She was numb now… both in mind and body. She’d put Blake down for the night and now she sat out on the edge of the dock with a bottle of bourbon. The taste at first had been hard to handle and she’d gagged. But now, it flowed smooth, even without the help of a mixer. It’d been a while since she’d had anything alcoholic, and it’d gone mercifully straight to her head.