CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

VALERIE

Arriving home, I looked at the man sitting next to me and smiled at him.

“What?” he asked seriously, and I bit my lower lip.

“You’re so serious,” I pointed out to him. His face didn’t flinch from the stone-like expression he’d had since arriving at the hospital.

“This isn’t funny, Val. She’s fucking insane.“ I knew it wasn’t. I just wanted him to relax a little. I needed him to look at things from a different perspective.

“She’s sick, Bryan. There is no other possible explanation.” He grunted, and I rested against the headrest in his car. “You said she wasn’t like this when you two were together.”

“Not like this,” he muttered. I leaned close to him.

“The police will find her and talk to—“ The words caught in my throat as I noticed the front door of the house was wide open. “What the hell?” I spoke out loud and felt Bryan turn toward the house.

“Stay in the car,” he ordered, and my head flipped to look at him, my heart racing at the possibilities of what could be waiting inside.

“Bry—“ was all I uttered before he stepped out of the car and I watched his confident stride toward the house.

Before Bryan reached the threshold, my breath caught tightly when his hand moved to his holster. I saw his mouth move, but I couldn’t hear what he was saying or who he was talking to. My eyes were pinned to Bryan, unable to look away, and it wasn’t until his shoulders visibly relaxed that I let myself look at the front door.

Standing there, waving right at me, was Vaughn.

***

Worst. Day. Ever.

Simple as that.

That was all I could think about as I stared at the man I hardly recognized sitting in front of me. Bryan had stepped out of the living room. I’d had to plead with him, but he had. Though I knew he was sitting and waiting to pounce if anything happened.

Vaughn’s knee bounced and he scratched his head nervously, “So, you and Bryan, huh?” he asked, but I ignored him.

“You fell off the wagon?” I asked hoping he would just admit it but knowing that it wasn’t going to be that easy.

“Val, it’s not like that, it’s just—“

“You’re using, Vaughn,” I pointed out, and his hand scratched his cheek. His eyes didn’t meet mine.

“I just needed a little to take the edge off.“

“Bryan is a cop, Vaughn.”

“I know,” he bit, and I pressed my lips together. “I know. Look, before I left… I borrowed some money—“

“Jesus. Is that what Victor showing up here was about?”

“Yeah. Look… I was going to pay Lenny back.”

“Vic’s boss?”

“I just needed a fix… a small one and—“

“And you left so you could use?” I asked softly, looking him in the eyes. He blinked furiously, his bloodshot eyes turning redder, if that was possible.

“I tried, Val—“ His voice cracked, and now it was me who had to look away from him. Disappointment and sadness swirled all around me. I looked at the house, everything I had done there. For nothing.

“I should start packing, then,” was all I could think of saying in that moment. I’d said it before and I had meant that I would be gone if Vaughn fell off the wagon. I would be done with him, and it looked like this time, I had no choice but to stick to my guns.

Standing up, he took my hand. I looked at him. “I’m sorry,” he pleaded, and I shook my head.

“You need to get help. You’re like a brother to me. You were the only person I had who was like family to—“

“I still am.”

“No, you’re not. You’re not anywhere close to the only person in my life anymore, Vaughn,” I pointed out to him and watched his sorrowful face turn into an angry one.

“Oh? And why is that? Because tall and broody in the kitchen is in your life?” he shouted, and I rolled my eyes.

Bryan stood between the kitchen and living room like a sentry, just like I knew he would if Vaughn got loud. “Like I didn’t know you’re in there, overhearing everything? Mr. Fucking Wright to the Goddamn rescue, huh? I do you a solid, man, and this is how you repay me? Taking my best friend away.”

“I didn’t do shit, man. You did that all on your own,” Bryan added, and I was done listening to Vaughn’s drugged-up crazy. I’d had enough crazy to last me the rest of the year.

“He hasn’t done anything.” I took a deep breath. “Don’t you get it? All Bryan has done is love me. Really love me. He has been there fo—“

“Please, Val, don’t a stupid bitch.”

“Watch the way you to talk to her!” Bryan barked.

“You really think he’s Mr. Suave and—“

“Don’t say a bad word about him.” I got in his face. I felt Bryan behind me, but I knew that even a strung-out Vaughn wouldn’t do anything to me. “You were my only person and you left me with a stranger.”

“I knew him. He wasn’t a stranger.” Vaughn threw his hands in the air, but I didn’t flinch away from him. “Though, now seeing how he’s turned you against me, I was obviously wrong.”

“He didn’t turn me against you. You left me. Do you get that?” I asked taking a step back, trying to calm my racing heart. “And for what? To chase your next high? The next poker game?”

“I needed to make that money back—“

“I don’t care.” My nose stung. “You fell off the wagon and you need help, Vaughn. I’ll be out by the end of the week.”

“Valerie, that isn’t why I came back.”

“And like I said, I don’t care. You have no idea what we have going on here, and you come in here, high as a kite.”

“Okay… okay… I’m sorry…” His hand grabbed my wrist. I looked at his brown eyes. “I fucked up. I fucked up and I know it. I need help. You can’t leave.”

“You need rehab,” I pointed out, trying not to breathe in. Vaughn not only looked like a mess, but he smelled like one, too. The scent of him wafted toward me and made my stomach roil.

“I can just dry out, Val. I can go cold turkey—“

“No. You can’t. You need someone who knows what they are doing and how to help you.”

“You can—” he started to say, but I shook my head, knowing exactly what he was going to suggest. I couldn’t do that. Not because I was angry, but because I was ill equipped.

“I can’t walk you through that, honey,” I gently said, hoping it would somehow soften the blow.

“You can’t or you won’t?” Vaughn asked, and before I could answer, Bryan spoke.

“I can help you get a bed at a rehab center.” We both turned to look at him.

I pulled away from Vaughn and thankfully, he let me go. I walked straight to Bryan. He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me in close, my front to his side, and everything inside of me quieted. His embrace was like a balm from the craziness of the day. His body relaxed and I wondered if I soothed him like he did me.

“I can get you help if you’re serious about getting clean,” Bryan added, and I hesitantly looked away from his handsome face and to Vaughn’s clearly strung-out one. I didn’t want to hope for too much.

“Why?” he asked just like I knew he would, and I watched Bryan’s face turn to granite.

“You fucking serious right now?” Bryan growled, his hold on me tighter.

“Yeah. Why the hell would you help me? You’re already stepping in, taking over as Val’s people… pushing me aside,” Vaughn complained, and I shook my head.

“That isn’t what happened, Vaughn,” I started to explain.

“It is! You would never push me away!” he shouted. I lost my own patience.

“I warned you if you fell off—“ I tried to tell him, so he could see what he was doing. Really get that using wasn’t what would help our friendship or even him in the long run.

“I’m not fucking perfect!”

“Neither am I!” I retorted, my body slightly shaking, my eyes stinging.

“Right!” he scoffed throwing his arms in the air. “Perfect little Val. You made something out of yourself—“

“You can, too,” I started to plead, trying to step toward him, but Bryan didn’t let me go. “You are so—“

“I’m a junkie!” he puffed, pacing. “Junkie, just like everyone who was around us. Your mom and dad. My parents. Fuck, even my grandma OD’ed.”

“They made those choices,” Bryan argued, putting me behind him. “They made those choices, and man, I’m sorry, but you gotta make it, too.” The room fell silent.

Vaughn stopped pacing and blinked once, twice, and on the third, tears started to roll down his face. I bit my lower lip, my nose stinging harshly as I tried not to cry and was failing. Had I failed Vaughn? Had I not seen the signs?

“I don’t wanna be like them, man.” Vaughn’s voice cracked, his hands covered his face, and Bryan took a careful step forward, patting his shoulder.

“Hey, man… it’s going to be okay.”

“I don’t wanna be a fuckup, B,” Vaughn cried, and I blinked quickly, my heart aching, silent hot tears rolling down my face.

“Shh… come here, man.” The hand that was patting Vaughn’s shoulder pulled him in close and into a man hug.

Watching Bryan embrace Vaughn moved me. There wasn’t a part of me that wasn’t touched. Bryan quietly reassuring Vaughn, encouraging him, was so beautiful, I let myself hope. And with hope, I couldn’t help it. I lost it. Deep sobs ripped through me. Covering my mouth with one hand, I wiped my tears with the other trying to gain my composure.

Looking at the two, I wished there would have been a Bryan for Vaughn’s family.

For mine.

But there was nothing that could be done for them. For our past. We could only move forward. Looking at the two men in my life, one who was like family and the other who I was only falling harder for with every day that passed, observing every action he did made it impossible not to fall deeply in love with Bryan Wright.

Somehow, someway, I knew it would be okay.

Vaughn would have a long road ahead of him, but he would always have me, and with me he would have Bryan.

Somehow, knowing I wasn’t alone anymore made the idea of an uphill battle a little easier to face from the bottom.

BRYAN

When he stepped into the darkened room, his eyes were drawn to his girl.

Lying in bed, she looked like a fucking goddess. An angelic goddess.

Her chest rose and fell steadily, her breathing slow, and just watching that, his body started to come to life. All she had to do was breathe around him, and she gave him so much more than she could even realize. She breathed energy into him. He sure as fuck didn’t have any before crossing the threshold of the bedroom.

“Hey.” Her voice was raspy with sleep. He sat on the edge of the bed where she lay, his hands stroking her temple gently.

“I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“You didn’t. Your creepy staring did,” she teased him, and he laughed. God, it felt good to laugh after the day they’d had. Only she could give him that.

“How was he when you left?” she asked, her voice serious. He leaned down to kiss her forehead before answering.

“He was okay. Strung out, of course, but you know, calm. Or as calm as he could manage.” Bryan chose to leave out having to sign himself in.

He had been sure Vaughn would make a run for it. Instead, he had watched the man press his lips together, his hands in his hair drop just before signing himself into rehab. Before following the attendant and nurse, Vaughn had turned to him and had asked him to take care of Valerie. Bryan had promised he would. Looking at her in his bed, he knew he would give his life for hers.

“What is it?” She frowned, popping him out of his thoughts. He shook his head.

“It’s been a crazy day.”

“To say the least.”

“You okay?” he asked and watched her simply shrug her shoulder.

“He fell off the wagon and that sucks.” Her voice was laced with sadness, He stroked her hair.

“Would you have really left?”

“Yes,” she answered, and there was no doubt in his mind she would have. Not that he would have let her get far from him. He would have gone with her. “Though, I have a feeling you would have followed me.” He smirked. He liked that she knew that about him.

“You bet I would have.”

“It sucks, but I’m glad he’s getting the help he needs. Thank you for that.”

“Anything for you. You know that, right?” he asked sincerely. She nodded just before she yawned. Fuck, he was so far gone for her that he even found her yawns fucking adorable.

He took off his shirt, not missing how she drank in the sight of him. After kicking off his shoes and pants, he cuddled into her in bed, and even with the craziness of the day, it took less than five minutes for both of them to nod off and fall soundly asleep.