Finding Perseverance (The Unexpected Love Series Book 3)

by T. E. Black

  “This isn’t about our problems, Ryleigh. This is about your lying. Rook’s practically my son. I raised him alongside you, and I deserve to be here for him now in his time of need.”

  She is seriously tipping me over the edge. I’m going to explode in ten seconds if she doesn’t stop prying about Rook. Honestly, I’m about to tell her he is here, but she’ll have to walk over my dead body before she gets to him.

  I won’t let her near him. She’s a nasty woman who doesn’t deserve anything from me. And, she’s a liar. She didn’t raise Rook. She belittled him when we were younger by telling him fighting wasn’t a career. That he needed to get a real job that paid hourly and worked him eight hours a day.

  Then, Rook became famous, and I swear, I saw dollar signs in her eyes the day she found out his salary. She only wants to take responsibility for him because his mother is gone. I will never let that happen.

  “I’d never let you near him,” I scowl.

  As if it were suddenly Christmas morning for a child, her face lights up like a thousands strands of light. “I knew it! He’s here! Let me see him right now!”

  Fucking fuck.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Rook

  I didn’t go back upstairs like Leigh told me to. Instead, I hid around the corner, waiting to hear how things played out between her and her mother.

  What I heard was inconceivable. I can’t say I’ve ever met anyone quite as bitter, and I’ve met a world of assholes. Their conversation started off with attitude between the two of them, but soon, it morphed into something downright sickening.

  It’s wrong. No mother should ever talk to her child like that.

  “Let me see him!” her mom shouts again.

  “Fuck you! You’re not seeing him for a goddamn second!”

  Her mother breaks out in a cry full of acting and hysterics as she continues ripping Leigh apart with her words.

  “I’m your mother! I’m practically his mother, too! I deserve to see him! I can help him, unlike you!”

  “How can you possibly help him, Mother? Milk him until he’s out of money? Is that your idea of helping him?”

  “How dare you accuse me!” Her mom has abandoned the crying routine and is now screaming.

  “Please! You think I don’t know you? You don’t think I’ve heard about the massive debt you have? I hear everything. I know you’re about to lose your house and your car because you can’t hold down a job. I’ve heard how you think you’re too good to work at a fast food restaurant. I’ve heard how bad your pride issue has gotten.”

  Her mom is back to sobbing, and still Leigh isn’t letting up. I don’t blame her one bit, but this needs to stop. I know Leigh. I know she’s pissed right now, but tonight, when she’s not angry anymore, she will feel bad for whatever she says to her mom.

  Slipping out of the hallway, I walk slowly in to the bar. The sight before me breaks my heart into a thousand pieces. Leigh’s mom, the woman who was around me most of my childhood, looks pathetic. She’s kneeling on the hardwood floor, sobbing, and begging her daughter for help. Leigh is standing over her, practically shaking with anger as she continues to shout.

  “How much do you need?” On cue, Leigh and her mom snap their heads in my direction.

  “Rook, don’t you dare give her a dime,” Leigh says, stepping between me and her mother as is she can block me from view.

  “Oh, thank you! Thank you!” her mother cries.

  I walk closer to the two of them, wrapping my arms around Leigh’s waist and pulling her back a few steps. With the distance between them and my touch, Leigh’s body seems to relax a little.

  “How much?” I repeat.

  “I-I—” she stutters. “Eighty should be enough to pay off what I owe on the house.”

  “I’ll give you a hundred to leave and never come back, you understand me?”

  Leigh gasps and turns to face me. She’s pissed, I get it. But this has to be done so her mom will leave her alone.

  “Rook, this is insane! She’s not going to leave! She’s just going to keep coming back!”

  “Leigh, I’m doing this. She’ll leave. I’ll make sure of it.” I comfort her, placing a kiss on her head.

  “Thank you, Rook! I won’t bother you two again! I promise!” Her mother stands from the floor. Then, as if she dropped a curtain, the tears dry up and whatever fake sadness she had been trying to sell to Leigh disappears. The woman I knew years ago is back in place, cold and calculating and dusting herself off.

  “I’ll have my lawyer draw up the paperwork and the check. We’ll call you when we need you to come get it.” The bitch turns to leave, but I stop her with my next words. “There are conditions.”

  Surprised, she turns back to us.

  “Anything you want me to do.”

  “You won’t tell anyone I’m here.”

  “I won’t tell a soul.”

  “You won’t call Leigh again. Ever. You won’t step foot near her bar. You won’t talk about her to anyone. If anyone asks, you tell them she left the city. And you’ll get out of her bar right now, before I make you leave.”

  Leigh growls as her mother approaches the two of us. When she attempts to touch my shoulder, I recoil, but Leigh shoves her mother backward a few steps.

  “You stay away from me. You get it?” Leigh steps forward, frost and fire dancing in her eyes. “You don’t know me, and I don’t know you. You got what you wanted from him, now leave us alone.” Her mom nods at Leigh’s command. “Get out of my bar,” Leigh growls.

  This time, I don’t stop her with more demands, and Leigh and I watch as she rushes through the door as fast as her feet can carry her. When her mother closes the door behind her, Leigh is right there to twist the lock into place.

  “Why would you do that?” she asks, leaning her head against the door.

  “She was hurting you.” It’s my only reason. That woman was hurting Leigh, and I had to make it stop.

  “She wasn’t hurting me. She was trying to hurt you, that’s why I acted the way I did.”

  I take a seat on one of the bar stools, running a hand through my hair. “Come here.”

  I watch her intently as she peeks over her shoulder. I see tears forming in her eyes, and the need to stop her from crying over takes every ounce of me.

  “Come here,” I repeat.

  With a sigh, she listens, taking one slow step at a time toward me. When she’s close enough, I wrap my arms around her waist, pulling her in close to my body. Having her in my arms again is the best feeling in the world. When I’m with her, nothing around me matters. It’s only us.

  “I know people like her, Leigh. She’ll never go away if she doesn’t get what she wants. That is what you want, right? For her to go away?”

  Maybe I acted without thinking. What if Leigh only wanted her mother back, not gone for good. If that’s the case, I won’t give her the check. I won’t make Leigh lose another person because of me.

  “Yes. It’s what I want.” She blinks, sending another tear rolling down her cheek.

  Bringing my thumb to her face, I wipe the wetness away. “I wanted to make sure.”

  “I still don’t understand why.”

  A small smile forms on my lips before I chuckle. “Leigh, don’t you see it? Haven’t you seen it the entire time? I love you. I never stopped loving you. I’d do anything for you—fight any battle you needed me to. That’s what I did with your mother. I won the fight for you, babe. I know you can handle yourself, but you don’t have to anymore. I’ll fight with you.”

  Her frown turns into a smile as her eyes twinkle under my gaze. “I love you, Rook. I never stopped loving you for a minute either. I’m pretty damn lucky to have such an amazing fighter like you on my side.”

  “I’ll always be on your side.”

  “As will I.”

  “Woah! Am I interrupting?” a giggling voice calls from the back of bar.

  We both turn at the same time and find Sarah’s face lit
up in delight. She approaches us, grinning from ear to ear.

  “You two are adorable! Excuse me while I sit here and drown in jealousy,” she jokes, propping her chin up on her palm.

  “You’re married for fuck’s sake!” Leigh laughs.

  “Doesn’t mean I can’t sit here and ogle over the two of you.”

  Leigh and I both laugh at Sarah joking with us.

  “Rook, does this mean you’re staying for opening? Finally coming out of hiding?”

  Leigh sighs. “No. He can’t yet. Unfortunately, the prince has to climb back into his tower until later on.”

  “That’s a shame. He’s too hot to lock in a tower.”

  Leigh laughs, obviously agreeing with Sarah’s assessment.

  “All right, ladies. I’m going back to the tower. Sarah, good seeing you. Leigh, come up later?”

  She smiles at me before placing a kiss on my lips. “I’ll see you after my shift.”

  “I’ll see you later, babe.”

  “It was amazing seeing you too, Rook!” Sarah calls as I make my way to the back of the bar.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Ryleigh

  “Why are there so many dumb bitches here tonight?” Sarah asks over her shoulder as she pours another draft.

  “Beats me. It must be a full moon for all the sluts to come out and play.”

  The group of women we’re referring to spill yet another drink, polluting our ears with an obscene amount of drunk giggling. The whole group is annoying us to death tonight.

  “If they spill one more drink, I’m cutting them off. They’re just wasting good beer now,” Sarah snaps.

  “Hey, they’re paying for it one way or another. Serve ’em. If they spill it, it’s money out of their pockets.”

  “You better clear a table. The gang’s here,” Sarah nods toward the front door.

  “What gang?” She doesn’t have to answer, though. I can hear Callie, Sierra, and Shay all screaming my name.

  This is going to be interesting.

  My three best friends are insane to say the least, but I wouldn’t want it any other way. Sierra is the type of girl who speaks her mind no matter what, and she is brutally honest even when you don’t want it. If I had to choose the reason we became so close, that would be it. We’re alike in that aspect. They come bouncing on their heels to the bar while their guys all hang back a few steps.

  “Hey, stranger!” Callie laughs, leaning over the bar to give me a hug.

  “Hey, Cal,” I smile, already grabbing drinks for them.

  “Where the hell have you been, Ry? We haven’t seen you in weeks!” Sierra elbows Callie out of the way and pulls me in for a hug.

  “I’ve been here.” I attempt to sound normal, but know I don’t quite cover the lie.

  “There’s something different about you.” Shay, the only one of my friends not trying to break my ribs against the bar, says from the back of the group.

  “Jesus, this isn’t a time to dissect me, girls. Grab your table, and I’ll come hang for a bit.”

  Sierra, Callie, and Shay give me skeptical looks before nodding in agreement. I pick up my shaker and turn to grab the vodka from the shelf, but stop dead. Sarah is looking at me with an oh shit face.

  “They totally just saw right through your crap, love,” she states.

  “What?”

  “Sierra, Shay, and Callie—they know you’re happy. That’s why they said you’re different. Everyone can tell, even here at the bar. The regulars have been asking who’s making you so happy.”

  “Was I that much of a bitch before?”

  “Kind of, but we all love you for it.”

  “Well, it looks like I’m going to have to start playing the role again,” I grumble, pouring their martinis, dropping in two olives each, and sliding the tray off the service bar.

  Trent is sitting next to Shay with their hands entwined on top of the table. Mac has his arm wrapped around the back of Callie’s chair. And, Sierra is sitting on Evan’s lap with her arms thrown around his neck.

  See what I was talking about when I said all my friends paired off while I was left to fend for myself after Rook left?

  “Well! Look who it is.” Evan smiles at me as he reaches for his glass.

  “Hey, Evan.”

  “You look good, Ry,” Mac chimes in next.

  “Thanks.” I smile.

  The last of the group to say hi is Trent. I’m worried he’s still pissed at me. I don’t want to fight with him, so I plaster on a smile and slide his drink to him.

  “Not going to say hi?” I ask Trent, sliding a glass toward him.

  “I’m not in the mood to say hi tonight,” he says with an indifferent lift of his shoulder.

  “Trent! Enough, this is baby shit,” Shay says, turning serious eyes on him for a moment before turning to me. “Ryleigh, sit. You two are getting over this shit already. I don’t care if you’re both mad at each other. Be mad, but at least be civil. It’s been forever since we all hung out as a group. We’re all friends here.”

  “I second that,” Mac agrees.

  “Here, here,” Evan raises his now half empty glass.

  “Fine, but if he starts shit, I’m going back to work.”

  I take a seat next to Mac and Callie who stare at me with smirks on their faces.

  “It’s been too long since we all got together.” Sierra laughs as if I don’t know exactly what she’s doing.

  “It has,” I say, and everyone agrees, except Trent. He’s too busy staring daggers at me from across the table.

  I glare back, ignoring that he’s even here. “What have you and Evan been up to?”

  “Evan got a promotion at work recently, and I’m learning what it’s like to a mother—less drinking, more work.”

  I crack a smile at Sierra who blows out a frustrated sigh. She’s such a bullshitter. I know she loves being a mom, but I also know she loves to drink. I don’t see why she can’t do both in a way. Once the kid goes to sleep, there’s nothing wrong with cracking open a beer or two.

  “You can still have a drink or two once everyone’s asleep,” I say with a chuckle.

  Sierra rolls her eyes, nodding toward Evan. “No, I can’t. This one keeps me busy all night.”

  “I’m hell bent on knocking her up as many times as I can before she gets sick of me,” Evan says and leans in to kiss Sierra on the cheek.

  I roll my eyes at his need to keep getting Sierra pregnant.

  “How’s Lily?” I direct toward Mac and Callie.

  “Lily is growing like a weed,” Mac says, smiling at the thought of his daughter.

  “Mac’s garage is busy as ever, too. And I’ve been helping him out there on the side after classes at the university,” Callie adds in. “Not to mention we’ve been doing better than ever.”

  “That’s great.” I nod and smile, completely and totally happy for them.

  I rooted for her and Mac so much in the beginning of their relationship because she’s good for him. She showed Mac how to really love again instead of being a man whore all the damn time. Callie makes Mac a better man, and I think he knows it.

  I’ve known Mac since he first stumbled into Max’s, hating the world and looking for cheap tail on a daily basis. He and Trent were trouble wrapped up in two muscular packages, and I gave them hell for it.

  I’ve always loved them, and I wanted the best for them. I knew the men they could become if only they found a good woman—not a cheap biddy with a bad Boston accent. They needed real women to guide them, teach them, and love them.

  That’s what they found in Callie and Shay—their happily ever afters.

  The last person I have to approach is Shay, not because I don’t want to talk to her, but because Trent is still staring at me with fierce intent. But, when I come up short with something to say to her, she cuts through the silence, obviously wanting to keep this session of catching up going.

  “Trent and I are still working daily to stay sober and happy.”


  “Yeah. We have been. It’s been a challenge some days, but I thank God every single day for Shay and Abby.” Trent leans in and kisses Shay’s lips.

  Trent looks over to Shay, smiling from ear to ear. “We get through it, baby. Each day sober is a step in the right direction.”

  “How are the meetings going?”

  “Good, but you’d know if you came with us once in a while.” He looks at me and cocks his eyebrow. “You seem to have been too busy for your friends recently.”

  “Trent! Stop it. I said keep it civil, not start a damn war.”

  Why does he have to be such a dick? I haven’t been going to meetings with him because he has a fiancé now who should be with him—not me. If he wanted me to still come to them, he could’ve just asked instead of making snide remarks.

  “Enough of this shit!” I mutter, standing and sending my chair flying backward as I press both palms on the table and glare at Trent. “What the hell is your problem, Trent? Are you mad because I haven’t been going to your meetings? You think I don’t care about you anymore? Is that the issue?”

  “Part of it.”

  Everyone at our table is silent while the rest of the bar keeps partying on around us.

  “You have a fiancée now! Did you ever think I stepped back to make room for her to care about you more than I do? She’s the woman you’re going to marry, and I’m your best friend. There are boundaries now I can’t overstep because she draws the line for me. She takes over some of my responsibility, did you even for one second think about how your anger at me because I took a damn step back makes her feel?”

  I’m beyond pissed off now. Things I’ve been holding in for months are bubbling at the surface. I’m trying to hold all these feelings at bay, but I don’t think I can do it anymore.

  I can’t focus on his wellbeing and my own at the same time.

  Some things have to give here because he has the rest of his life figured out. I’m still figuring that out every day. And I’m hoping the rest of my life will be with Rook.