Loving Enough (The Enough Series Book 2) (5 page)

Rylee

I wake up to find the sun disappearing beyond the pinkish
hue of the horizon. Taking stock of my surroundings, I realize I am no longer
sitting on the waiting room floor. I am back on my makeshift bed in Jeremy’s
hospital room. There is a bench seat in the window with a cushion that I have
called bed for the past ten days.

The orange cushion is in stark contrast to the rest of the
drab room. The cushion provides a small amount of comfort from sleeping on the
hard surface, but not much. Given the obvious time of day and soreness now
present in my neck and shoulders, it is evident I have been here for a little
while.

Trying to uncurl myself and stretch my now sore muscles, I
realize I am not alone on my little slice of discomfort. Straightening my legs,
I feel a hand run up my exposed calf and firm thighs. I would know that touch
anywhere. My heart skips knowing Austin is still here. The bubble hasn’t popped
yet.

Turning away from the window, I am greeted by those stunning
blue eyes that have a renewed sparkle to them. What a perfect sight to wake up
to. In my opinion, there is no better view than one including Austin Black, preferably
shirtless, but beggars can’t be choosers. 

He smiles that million-dollar smile and I am suddenly very
aware of my less than stellar appearance. Sure, I have showered every day, but
I haven’t felt the need to ready myself for the outside world until now. My
matted hair, lack of make-up, and worn out clothes don’t scream sexy
girlfriend.

“Well, hi there, Beautiful,” he says with a low sexy timbre
to his voice. I sit up with my legs still casually draped across him and reach
out to run a hand down his stubbled jaw. The coarseness against my hands
ignites parts of me that need to stay dormant while J is lying in a hospital bed
a few feet away. It is safe to say that our chemistry has not faded due to lack
of attention.

“How long was I out?” I ask, curious how we ended up here.

“A little over six hours. Looks like you must have needed
the rest.”

It is true I needed the rest, but I did not plan to sleep
the day away in his arms. Although I have a sneaking suspicion that the only
reason I slept as well as I did was because he held me.

It is funny how when the thing I want and the thing I need
finally meet, they become the one thing I cannot have. I suppose nobody ever
said life was fair. In this instance it definitely is not. Depriving me of a
life with Austin, after experiencing its splendor, qualifies as cruelty.

If I have been asleep for over six hours, that means Austin
has just been sitting here. He always finds a way to show me how much he loves
me. I mean for heaven’s sake, he managed to do it while I was passed out. God,
I love him.

“So you just sat here with me for the entire day? You didn’t
have to do that, Aus.”

I am in no way surprised that he spent the day here, but I
feel a little guilty.

“Ry, I’ve told you - I will take you any way I can get you.
And if that means watching you sleep, then so be it. Any time with you is
better than no time.”

The sincerity on his face and in his voice melts my heart.
His ability to love me in spite of everything I have put him through is
astounding.  The conversation we need to have is lurking in the recesses of my
mind, but I am not ready to break our happy cocoon yet. I want to enjoy being
with him a little bit longer.

“Austin, you are so incredibly sweet. I have no clue what I
did to deserve you, but -”

He cuts me off. “No buts yet, Ry. J and I have been talking
and we have a couple of ideas.”

I turn to acknowledge my brother’s presence for the first
time since waking, only to find he is asleep. That would explain how Austin
managed to sit here for six hours; he had Jeremy to keep him company. I am not
sure I like that idea, but it looks like what’s done is done.

“So let me get this straight. The last time you two hatched
a plan, J ended up battered and broken. Now you two think I will be willing to
go along with another of your plans? I don’t think so. I won’t put any of us in
danger again over this.”

I motion between us as I finish the last sentence. His face
falls at my curt disapproval. I still don’t know the details of the last plan
they concocted. All I do know is that Austin came back from Houston early,
against my wishes, and J ended up here the next morning. The person behind the
threatening text messages is clearly serious.

It's not that I don’t think Austin is worth it. He is
totally worth it. I trust him and J implicitly in every facet of my life except
this one. The thing is, they are men and they refuse to believe they need
protection. However, I will protect them and everyone else in my life from the
clearly unstable individual who is hell-bent on making me miserable.

“I know you don’t trust us with this, Ry, and due to current
circumstances I understand. I really do. But you have to know we will do what
we think is best for you. We love you.”

The love in this equation has never been in question. I know
Austin and J love me. What I question is the bravado they are using to make
their decisions.

“Alright. Just for the sake of argument, what is this plan
exactly?”

I figure I at least have to hear him out. I don’t want to
bruise any egos or hurt anyone’s feelings, but at the end of the day this
decision is mine.

Running a hand through his longer than usual light brown
hair, he sighs before turning to face me.

“Let’s wait and talk about this when J is up to it and we
get a chance to run it by Detective Ruzek.”

The fact that they are going to consult Ruzek gives me a
glimmer of hope. It would be great to rid ourselves of this mess one way or
another. I would prefer to be enlightened before this scheme goes any further,
but I suppose if Ruzek agrees it can’t be all bad.

His eyes plead with me to agree with him, so I do.

“Fine, but nothing goes into motion without my permission.
You see how well that turned out last time.”

He takes my hands into his and kisses my knuckles. I can’t
help but smile at the adoring gesture.

 “I promise we will not do anything without your knowledge.”

Somehow I doubt they will wait for my permission, but a girl
can dream, right?

As we grin at one another, I am lost to my feelings. We hold
the gaze for what feels like hours. Non-verbally we convey everything that
needs to be said. The
I love you, I miss you
,
and I will do anything
for you
sentiments are expressed without reservation.

Austin finally breaks our connection when he leans in and
gently kisses me. I slide my body towards him so that I can wrap my arms around
his neck and deepen our unspoken desires. The feel of his skin against mine
settles my fears and awakens my heart. I would have never dreamed it possible
to be this in love with another human being. His touch has a way of allowing me
to forget about the outside world.

Just as I crawl on his lap, Jeremy chimes in. “So, is this
how I will always find you two?”

His timing is always poor, but I am happy to hear his snarky
voice. With my cheek against his, I kiss Austin again and whisper in his ear.

“I love you.”

Breaking our embrace, I hop down and cross the room to check
on my big brother.

Rylee

Austin went home a while later. He pleaded with me to go
home with him and J encouraged it but I didn’t feel comfortable leaving. I
chose to stay with J for one more night. Dr. Bowen came by earlier and was
pleased with J’s status. He said he would likely recommend moving him to the
rehabilitation floor in the next day or two. Then he will start J’s physical
therapy and watch the progression before discharge.

The good news seemed to appease my angrier than ever big
brother. He is frustrated with being confined to a bed and irritated that he
does not remember everything. From what I can tell, his talk with Austin jogged
at least a few pieces free. They still have not let me in on the details of
their powwow despite my constant nagging.

We have sat in silence since they brought his meal tray in
and I attempted to convince him to eat what he described as “food not fit for a
dog’s ass”. I tried not to laugh considering the visual that statement
projects.

The silence is weighing on me, so I try to relieve it.

“J, do you want me to go get you something to eat? Or Bode can
bring something; he will be here in about an hour anyway.”

He just stares at me as if he is trying to solve the Da
Vinci code. His eyes are glazed over, a side effect of the pain medication,
giving him a near homicidal glare. I take his silence as a cue to hush and
resume looking over the files piled in my lap. The draft is a week away and
whether I want to or not, I need to be in New York by next Thursday. Gabe has
offered to go alone and handle it, but I simply cannot let go of the reins that
easily. At least not now that J is awake and progressing.

I built this company on my own and worked my ass off to get
my first few clients. It is only fair that I continue to work as hard for my
new clients and that means being there for the biggest day of their lives, the
day all their dreams come true. I cannot wait for the day all of my dreams come
true. Although a dream I never knew I had did come true - in the form of a hot-as-sin
quarterback. Now all we need is J to heal and a chance to find our version of
normal without any outside influences.

I owe it to Jeremy to make sure that my business continues
to thrive, since he gave me the money to start the business. J has always been
generous, but I count the money he gifted me as an investment in his future
too. I hope that it will be a place he can call home after he retires from
football, if he is ever able to play again. Lord, I hope he will be able to
play again, or who knows what he will do with himself.

As I read Ransford Blaylock’s file for the hundredth time, J
finally breaks his silence.

“So, are you just going to sit there and ignore me now?”

I look away from the file, confused. It is not as if he was
interested in talking a few minutes ago. I set the file down and give J my full
attention. He looks worn and unlike his usual carefree self. The hospital gown
is a pale blue and drapes across his body like a smock, giving him a frail
appearance. I remind myself that no matter how he looks or behaves, he is alive
and I am grateful for that.

“Ry, I’m sorry. This has been one hell of a day. I feel like
shit and I cannot believe this is where we are. I mean, do you have any idea
who is behind this mess?” His tone is somewhat tempered, but the anger behind it
is clear.

I shake my head because obviously I don’t, or I would have
spoken up by now.

“OK, so let’s think together,” he says, as if I haven’t
spent the last few weeks doing just that. If will appease him and give him
something to focus on, I will go along. “The texts are getting increasingly
desperate. Has anything else happened that we don’t know about?”

Thinking back, he is right; the texts are becoming more and
more desperate. They reek of someone on the edge, someone losing control. But J
shouldn’t know that.

“How do you know about the texts? You haven’t seen the most
recent ones.”

Immediately I see the guilty look on his face being replaced
by that evil smirk he has when he does something ‘for my own good’. That smirk
has always been his tell. He has seen the texts, which means he snooped through
my phone. The smirk turns to a smile, one I have missed.

“Well, you took a very long nap and left your phone
unattended. So Austin and I had a look.”

He sounds almost childlike in his confession. He knows I
generally don’t keep things from him, but in the case of my stalker I did. He
and Austin are both still upset about that little fact. I nod, accepting his
confession. To my surprise I am not angry. Instead his admission brings a smile
to my heart. If he is looking out for me, J is obviously feeling better.

“Well since I have no modicum of privacy, let’s have it. What
did you two think?”

I try to convey some measure of annoyance and anger, but I
fail miserably. He gives me the cocky eyebrow raise and a smile, breaking my paper-thin
resolve. My smile comes naturally. God, I missed him.

He motions me over towards him. I set the files on the table
and pull my chair to his bedside. The metal screeches across the floor and I see
the pain flash in his eyes.

“I’m so sorry, J. Shit.”

He pinches the bridge of his nose in an effort to stave off
the impending pain. “It’s fine. The loud noises just exacerbate the ever-present
headache.”

I am the world’s biggest jerk. All I had to do was quietly
move a chair and I couldn’t manage that.

“Let’s just talk about this later, J. Take your pain meds
and get some sleep.”

Running a hand through his rat’s nest of hair, he disagrees.
“No, Ry. I’m not tired and I want to work through this before Ruzek comes
tomorrow.”

I am shocked that Ruzek is coming so quickly, but then again
he lost his partner to this maniac so he has a personal vendetta. I would bank
a guess either Austin or J called to set up this meeting though. I spoke with
Ruzek earlier today and he wasn’t planning to interview J for a few days, to
give his mind a chance to catch up. Looks like plans changed again without my knowledge.

“OK then, let’s talk. What did you two come up with?”

He casts his green eyes towards me and the serious parental
mask covers his features. He only gets this look when he is worried about me
and wants to make sure I am listening to him.

“This guy scares me, Ry. Desperation is no friend in a
situation like this. We cannot afford to let our guard down again. I will admit
that I didn’t take the matter as seriously as I should have, but I will not
make that mistake again.”

I understand what he means. The texts alternate between
desperate love and hostile threats against my family - and recently, me - if I
do not obey. It is hard to tell what the individual behind the texts is really after.
Is he solely after my heart? Or is he looking to hurt us? In the end, it
doesn’t matter. I have no interest in him and he has already caused enough
pain. This shit needs to end.

I pick up my phone and quietly scroll to the current bane of
my existence: the texts from the unknown number. I start with the texts directly
following the accident, hoping to get a sense of the progression:

Unknown: I hope you
see now I am serious

Unknown: I know he
is with u. End it or I end him

Unknown: I hate to see
u cry, I would never hurt u the way they are

Unknown: Talk to me
y don’t u ever answer me

Unknown: I am glad
to see u don’t spend time with that QB anymore

Unknown: Don’t
think I don’t see u with the other guy. I am the only one 4 u, when will u
learn?

Unknown: Will this
get ur attention – attached a picture of Boss – he can be next

Unknown: U should
get out of there 4 a bit, u must want to c the daylight

Unknown: I love ur
smile. I can’t wait till u smile 4 me

Unknown: Y won’t
that guy just take a hint, u don’t want to c him

Unknown: Avoid the
detective. Our relationship is our own. No biz of his

Unknown: Hope this
makes you smile – attached a picture of the beach near my house

Unknown: That
fucker really can’t take a hint. Jeez he shows up every day. Loser

Unknown: I saw you
holding ur ‘friend’ that had better be the last time any man’s hands but mine
are on u

Unknown: Will u
just answer me once. I know u love me 2

Unknown: Glad J
pulled thru now we can b 2gether

Unknown: R u
fucking kidding me u run back 2 him. Is death the only thing u will take
seriously

Unknown: Answer me
u fucking bitch

Unknown: U will not
win this, we will b 2gether I love u

Unknown: It is good
2 c u smile

Reading the texts of the last ten days in order reinforces
that this person is unstable. Nothing new there. The only real things I know
from the messages is that we have definitely met before and that he is either
watching us or having us watched. He knows too many details and he has proven
dangerous.

I look to J.

 “So what’s the plan?” I ask, desperately hoping we can
figure something out.