Always Me (26 page)

“Brett, you’re lucky we’re here and not outside,” Garrith told him.

“And why’s that?”

“Cause I really want to hit you right now.”

I rounded the corner and saw Sebastian and Antonio at a vending machine. “Which one do you want, little man?”

Antonio pointed to something on the bottom row.

“Perfect. I would have chosen the same thing.” He put some money into the machine and bent over to fish the treat out. Repeating his movements, he grabbed a second item.

I walked up to them when my stomach rumbled.

Sebastian noticed me and placed a kiss on my forehead. “It’s nothing much, but the sugar will help boost your energy.” His eyes twinkled with satisfaction, knowing that he was partly the reason for my exhaustion.

“Thank you,” I said and smiled at his thoughtfulness. I took the package of cookies from him and leaned against the wall.

“Want to head back?”

I shook my head. “I need a moment away. Brett...”

Sebastian’s eyes narrowed. “What did he say?”

I stuffed a cookie in my mouth and shrugged. Why bother him with the grimy details?

“Tori.”

I swallowed the sugary goodness. “It’s nothing. He’s upset. I’d be the same way.”

“No you wouldn’t so stop making excuses for him.” Sebastian placed Antonio on the ground and we both watched him walk back to the waiting room.

“I don’t know what you want me to say. He’s upset. He blames me. He told me when I first met him that if anything happened to Keisha...”

I turned to leave when Sebastian grabbed my arm, stopping me. “He threatened you?”

I shrugged out of his grasp and shoved the rest of the cookie in my mouth, giving me an excuse not to answer him right away. “Well, your name was included too,” I said a moment later.

Sebastian handed me a bottle of water and moved to walk past me, but I sidestepped in front of him, pushing against his chest. “Stop. Right now. This is not happening here.”

“Tori. Move.” His eyes hardened, daring me to stop him and I did.

“No.” We stood and stared at each other for what seemed like hours. “You can pound Brett’s face in later but not here.”

Sebastian smirked and kissed me hard. “Oh, I plan on it.”

Men
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***

Waiting to see Keisha was torture. Every time I looked at the clock, only a minute had passed. The tension in the small waiting room escalated, and I waited for fists to start flying. Brett would make digs every so often, and I would grin and bear it. But Sebastian, he threw the insults right back to the point Garrith had to take him out of the room. I sighed and ran a hand down Antonio’s back as he slept against my breast.

Brett was twitchy, and it rattled my nerves.

“Are you happy?”

My gaze flicked to his, and I opened my mouth to answer but nothing came out. I was dumbfounded. I thought a moment. “Yeah, thrilled. Ecstatic that my son was kidnapped, my mother beaten, my best friend is bleeding on an operating table, and my other friend is taking his grief out on me. I’m just peaches over here.”

“I am not taking my grief out on you.”

I raised an eyebrow.

He sighed and placed his head in his hands, running his fingers through his short brown hair. My heart ached for him. Being an only child, I never knew the bond of siblings. I had imagined that it was stronger than anything.

I wanted to comfort him, to hold him in my arms and tell him that everything would be okay, but I didn’t know if it would. I also didn’t think that he would appreciate me hugging him at this point. Yes Keisha was okay and we were just waiting for her to be moved to recovery but...nothing would ever be the same. Brett blamed me. I could see it in his eyes every time he looked at me. If something happened where Keisha didn’t pull through, Brett would hate me forever and it would tear my heart to shreds.

“I don’t know what you see in him,” he said a moment later.

Irritation tore through me but I took a deep breath. “Brett, this is not the time or place or to discuss my relationship with Sebastian.”

“No?” His gaze snapped to mine, hurt and anguish filled them. He wasn’t just hurting over Keisha.

Oh God. I would not feel guilty about choosing Sebastian over Brett. Brett deserved to be happy. “Why would you want to be with someone who didn’t return the love you felt?”

“I could make you love me,” he said quietly.

That’s it. “Brett. Stop.” Antonio squirmed beside me and I lowered my voice. “We cannot be together. I love you. You’re my best friend. But I can’t love you like you deserve to be loved. So please. Drop it. Find someone else.”

His blue eyes darkened. “The only reason we’re not together is because Sebastian is back.”

“Brett,” I warned.

“I wish he would have fucking stayed dead,” he mumbled.

I gasped. “Okay, that was uncalled for. I understand you’re upset. I get that, and I know you’re hurting, but this is not my fault nor Sebastian’s. So stop. Please.”

“You both deserve each other. He’s a liar and you’re a tease. Perfect fucking pair.”

I glared at him. “Fuck you, Brett.”

The muscles in his jaw tensed and his back went stiff. He rose from his chair and stormed out of the waiting room.

Angry tears burned my eyes but I wouldn’t chase him. I wouldn’t beg him not to hate me or blame us for what had happened to Keisha. When Brett was ready, he knew where to find me. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the wall, wishing we could go see Keisha.

“Ma’am?”

My eyes snapped open and I saw a nurse standing in front of me. I jumped up and quickly wrapped Antonio around me, trying to ease my racing heart. “Yes?”

“Are you here for Keisha Lee?”

I nodded. “Is everything alright?”

The nurse smiled warmly. “Yes. She’s awake. A little groggy from anesthesia...”

“Oh God. She’s...” Happy tears filled my eyes. I thanked her and went in search of the guys but couldn’t find them anywhere.

I thanked her and headed into Keisha’s room. Luckily she had a private one. The lights were dimmed, machines beeped and tubes criss-crossed her face into her nose. “Keisha?”

Her eyes opened slowly and she looked at me. “Tori?”

I smiled. “Oh Keisha. We were so scared.” A sob escaped my lips and I ran to her, grabbing her hand in mine.

She smiled.

“No, I’m sorry.” I sniffed and hugged her hand to me. “Brett, Sebastian, and Garrith are here. We’ve all been so worried. Garrith was beside himself. I’ve never seen him so upset.” I rattled on and on, telling her how scared we all were for her.

Confusion etched her features. “Who’s Garrith?”

Chapter 28

My stomach dropped. “You don’t remember Garrith?”

She frowned. “I...I’m not sure. I’m confused. I don’t...oh God...” The machines started beeping more quickly, and a nurse came running in. “Oh God. I don’t remember. Why can’t I remember?”

“Ma’am, you’re going to have to leave.” A nurse gently nudged me out of the room.

The beeping of the machines slowed, and a moment later the nurse came out into the hall. “Is she okay?”

“I gave her something to help her sleep.”

“What happened? Why doesn’t she remember her boyfriend?” I asked through my tears.

The nurse looked at me with sympathy. “The doctor will speak with you soon.” And with that she walked away.

Oh God. How could I tell Garrith this? He’s going to lose his shit. I needed to tell Sebastian.

I turned and headed back to the waiting room when I saw Garrith and Sebastian coming toward me. Taking a deep breath, I wiped the tears and walked toward them. I grabbed Sebastian’s hand. “Walk with me.” I looked up at Garrith and pasted on a smile. He seemed to relax at that. “Did you hear anything about Keisha?”

I swallowed past the hard lump that had formed in my throat at the hopeful look in his eyes. “She’s resting.”

Garrith’s shoulders slumped. “Okay. Thank you.”

“Could you watch Antonio for me, please? If it’s too much to ask...”

Garrith smiled. “No. I would love to. It’ll help distract me.”

I nodded and put Antonio in his arms and watched them walk back into the waiting room. I tugged on Sebastian’s hand and walked down the hall in the opposite direction.

“What’s wrong?”

I looked up at him. “How do you know something’s wrong?”

He raised an eyebrow.

I sighed. Okay, yeah. That was a dumb question. “Oh God. I have no idea...I...”

Sebastian stopped me and placed a hand on the back of my neck, rubbing his thumb up and down the side soothing me. “Breathe little one.”

I took deep breaths. How was Garrith going to deal with this? And Brett? She only seemed to have forgotten Garrith. What if she forgot other things? I squeezed my eyes shut. I couldn’t imagine.

Warm lips brushed along mine making my eyes slowly open. Sebastian smiled down at me. “Hi.”

I sniffed. “Hi.”

He pinched my chin, rubbing my bottom lip with his thumb. “Want to tell me what’s going on?”

I took a deep breath and told him about Keisha.

Sebastian’s face fell and he pulled me against him while I sobbed. “Really? Are you sure?”

I nodded against his shirt. “Sebastian, it was awful. Keisha doesn’t remember him. After all of the crap they’ve been through…”

He grabbed my chin and held my face in his hands. “Let’s not worry yet. Maybe it’s a misunderstanding.”

I sighed. I hoped he was right.

“I love you.”

I smiled softly. “I love you.”

Sebastian ran his hands down my arms and leaned his forehead against mine. “I don’t know what I would do if you woke up one day and forgot who I was.”

“We don’t know if that’s what is going on yet with Keisha.” We had stayed out in the hall. I couldn’t face Garrith yet. It wasn’t my place to tell him anything that I wasn’t certain about. I didn’t know how much Keisha remembered and I didn’t want to worry him just in case I was wrong.

Sebastian lifted my chin and kissed me hard, wrapping his arms around me. “It would kill me if you didn’t remember me but I know that if you did, I would do everything in my fucking power to make you fall in love with me again.”

Tears formed in my eyes at his words. “I could never forget you. You’re ingrained in my blood.”

He smiled at that. “You’re my other half, baby.”

“I swear you’re psychic. I was just thinking that earlier.”

He chuckled. “We just know each other really well, Tori.”

I leaned my head against his chest and wrapped my arms around him, squeezing him with everything in me. Our bodies pressed and I felt him everywhere. It was soothing. He was a part of me and I was a part of him and I wouldn’t take it for granted ever again. “Let’s go—”

Both our heads snapped up at the yell of sorrow that came from the waiting room. We ran to the small room and found the doctor with his hand on Garrith’s shoulder. Garrith had his head in his hands and he...oh God, he was crying.

Brett handed Antonio to Sebastian and walked out of the room.

I sat beside Garrith and wrapped my arms around his shoulders, crying along with him.

“What’s going on?” Sebastian asked the doctor.

“Let’s take a walk,” the doctor suggested.

They both left and I turned back to Garrith. “Talk to me.”

“Keisha has amnesia.”

I bit back a sob. “Oh, Garrith. How...who...”

“I haven’t talked to her yet. She’s sleeping, but I’m scared, Tori.” He looked up at me. His bright blue eyes filled with sadness.

I leaned against his shoulder and placed a hand on his arm. “I know.”

“What if she doesn’t remember me? It’ll kill me. Things just started getting back to normal. She was trusting me again. Tori, I don’t know if I can win her over a third time.”

A hard lump formed in my throat and after several attempts, I finally swallowed past it. They had worked so hard to be happy. Having a history and knowing each other since they were kids, they had a lot of shit to deal with. I didn’t know everything. Keisha was very private about the past but I knew she loved him. I just prayed that if she forgot who Garrith was, she could fall in love with him again. “Garrith, yes you can and you will. It’ll take some time but you both will get through this. Even if she doesn’t remember you, I know she’ll fall in love with you again.”

“You think so?”

The doubt in his voice broke my heart. Garrith was FBI. He was strong and one of the toughest guys I knew. Seeing him break before my eyes made me want to rip Richards’s heart out with my bare hands.

“Garrith, you’re an amazing guy. I know you’ll make it through this.” I wasn’t sure if I was convincing him or myself but he was stubborn. He would find a way back to Keisha.

We both looked up to Brett standing a few feet away. “She’s awake.”

Garrith’s gaze flicked to mine. “I can’t. Not yet.”

I squeezed his shoulder. “You don’t have to. Not until you’re ready.”

“Garrith,” Brett said again.

“Listen, he’s not ready so leave him alone,” I snapped.

Brett opened his mouth to reply when Sebastian stepped up beside him. “I’d think very carefully about the next words that come out of your mouth.”

“You can’t hit me while I’m holding your’ son,” Brett countered.

Sebastian handed me Antonio and turned back to Brett. He took a step closer to him and stood mere inches from his face. “So whatever you want to say to Tori, you can say to me. Because of her, I haven’t slammed your head through the wall yet, but if you so much as say one more fucking thing to her that’s even close to an insult, I will shove my fist so far down your fucking throat, you’ll be shitting teeth.”

I couldn’t help but stare between Brett and Sebastian. Both were deadly in their own ways, but Sebastian radiated dominance. He crossed his arms over his chest. “I broke your nose once, and I’ll fucking do it again, so back off of my girl.”

“I’m going to see Keisha,” I told Garrith. “If you would like to come with me, you can.”

“I…I’m not ready.” His shoulders slumped. He was usually so strong and powerful and now, he was vulnerable. Possibly losing the one he loved. What was worse, Brett wasn’t helping.