Destiny Disrupted (There's Always Tomorrow Book 1) (19 page)

Nothing Tripp does helps him remember anything. Not his parents, his stepparents, or even his brother. He sees a fuck load of pictures, hears millions of stories, but nothing clicks. Two weeks have passed and he’s out of the hospital and living with his “friends” in a rented six-bedroom house a couple of miles from their beach house. It’s him, Vance and Melina, Ryder, Dayne, and Xander. The sixth room is for Mike when he returns, but meanwhile they are using it as their jam room. Of course, he can’t remember shit about playing the keyboard.

  Vance insists that he live with the rest of them because of the whole serial killer thing; he wants everyone together so that he can make sure they are all protected. The house’s security is the newest in modern technology, and Tripp can't imagine anyone being able to get into the house who isn't supposed to be there.

Tripp's hair has pretty much grown back in, but he now has a three inch jagged scar on the top right side of his head. His left knee, which is broken, is in a hard brace so he can't bend it. Crutches are his new mode of transportation.

The doctor had suggested that he get a psychotherapist to help work on his memory. He figured it couldn't hurt, so he had the doctor refer someone to him. He already called and set up an appointment for the therapist to come to the house.

Tripp is sitting in the living room when he hears the doorbell ring. Melina, who is acting as their live-in nurse and caretaker, calls out that she'll get the door. A few minutes later, Tripp hears her and another female voice talking. A woman? Hopefully she is easy on the eyes because Tripp doesn't want to be staring at some fat old guy for an hour every day.

Tripp watches as Melina leads the most beautiful woman he's ever seen through the doorway to the living room. She’s almost the same height as Melina and has long, light brown hair with bangs that sweep across her forehead. She has a cute nose and sexy lips that he instantly wants to kiss. She’s wearing little makeup, which he likes, and her outfit is a bit conservative, but that’s probably because she’s working.

The gorgeous therapist is wearing gray slacks with a dark purple three-quarter sleeve button down blouse that is tucked into her pants, showing off her tiny waist. She is smiling a bright smile as she talks to Melina. Then her light green eyes meet his and Tripp's breath catches. Tripp never believed in love at first sight until this very moment - at least he doesn’t remember believing in it. Her smile fades and her brows furrow.

“Tripp? Is it really you?” she asks, confused.

“Yeah?” Tripp says hesitantly, not understanding her change in demeanor.

Melina also looks at her in confusion. “Do you know Tripp?” she asks the therapist.

“Uh, yeah...” she starts, but Vance walks into the room before she can finish.

“Holy shit, Anna?” Vance exclaims and rushes over to her, giving her a big hug. “What are you doing here?”

“Vance? Oh my god! I'm supposed to be here to work with someone who's lost their memory, but when I saw the name, I assumed it was a mistake. This isn’t the house you guys live in with my brother...”

“Oh, Anna. No, it's Tripp. Tripp's the one who lost his memory. We’re just renting this place for a while. Long story,” Vance says softly and takes her by her shoulders.

“Is this a joke, Tripp? Is this your way of getting me over here after blowing me off?” she asks, a little anger underlying her tone.

“Huh?” he answers, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Anna turns to Vance. “So you’re saying he has no idea who I am?” she asks, devastation now in her voice.

Vance shakes his head sadly. Anna's hand comes up to her throat and she subconsciously fingers the ring that is hanging from a gold chain around her neck. She glances over at Tripp and his heart shatters. She looks as if someone just killed her puppy.

“What's going on?” Tripp asks.

Vance turns toward Tripp, tucking Anna under his arm. He walks her over to stand in front of Tripp, who is sitting on the couch, his bad leg propped up on the ottoman.

“Tripp, Anna is Mike’s sister. She was your high school and college sweetheart. After college, you became a Navy Seal and got deployed to Afghanistan, and you two decided to end things for a while. She’s the one I told you about in the hospital.”

Tripp nods in understanding then frowns hard. “What do you mean ‘for a while’?” he asks and looks at Anna.

“We had always talked about getting back together, but we were both in different places in our lives.  It was actually about two and a half weeks ago that we had planned to meet and talk about possibly getting back together, but then I couldn't get a hold of you. I thought maybe you were reactivated and went on a mission and couldn't call me, or that you changed your mind. I never expected this,” Anna explains softly, watching him the whole time with her beautiful light green eyes.

Tripp looks at Vance and opens his mouth to ask him why he didn't tell him about this but Vance beats him to it. “Dude, I didn't know you two were supposed to meet; it must’ve been right before the incident. You never told me.”

“Vance, why don't we leave them alone to talk,” Melina says quietly.

Vance nods and follows Melina out of the room. Anna walks around the ottoman so that she doesn't have to climb over his leg. She sits down on the couch next to him and turns slightly so that she can face him. She looks him over from head to toe.

“We were in love?” Tripp asks softly.

Anna smiles sadly.  “Not ‘were’…are. I still love you even if you don't remember me; I can't just forget how I feel about you.”

Tripp swallows back the lump of emotion in his throat. “I think I may still love you, too. When you walked in the room, and your eyes met mine, I felt like it was a love at first sight thing. Maybe it's just more of just how I really feel.” Tripp meets her gentle gaze that is welling up with tears.

Anna smiles. “That’s great! Not just for us, but it means that your brain is starting to recognize people that are familiar.”

Tripp smiles slightly, happy to hear that he may be making progress. He searches her eyes. “Do you think if I kiss you it might help jog my memory?” Tripp asks, his voice husky with lust.

“It's possible,” Anna whispers.

Tripp doesn’t give her a chance to change her mind. His instincts take over, as his hands dive into her hair to cup her head, and he crushes his lips against hers. Anna clutches his t-shirt. God this feels so right, like he's done it a million times; probably because he has. Tripp needs more. He grabs her and lifts her onto his lap – careful of his leg - so that she straddles him. She gasps and brings her hands up to cup his face. Both of their lips part at the same time, their tongues meeting and tangling together.

Tripp wraps his arms around her and holds her tight, never wanting to let her go. A memory pops into his head. He was in Afghanistan in the middle of a firefight, and all he thought about was how he had to get home to Anna. He wasn’t going to get killed and make her have to bury him. They were supposed to marry and grow old together. Even though they weren't together, he knew that they would eventually find their way back to each other.

Tripp rips his mouth away from hers with a gasp. His hands smooth down her hair and over her shoulders, needing to touch her. Needing the connection. “Oh god, my Anna. You...you’re all I thought about when I was overseas. I had to stay alive for you, to come back so that we could get married and have kids...fuck, I love you, I love you so much,” Tripp cries as his hands continue to roam all over her body.

Anna lets out a sob and wraps her arms around his neck. Tucking their faces in each other’s neck, they just hold each other and cry for god knows how long. It isn't until Vance walks in that they separate. Anna crawls off his lap and sits down next to him.

“Shit, is everything okay?” Vance asks, his tone concerned.

“Yeah, Tripp remembers me.” Anna sniffs and swipes the tears off her face.

“What? That's great!” Vance exclaims joyfully. “Did you say something to trigger it?”

Anna chuckles. “No, we kissed.”

“Well, shit. Does that mean I have to kiss you so you'll remember me?” Vance asks Tripp.

Tripp brushes the tears off his face and smiles. “Fuck you, dude. Don’t you dare kiss me.”

“Oh, I think I'm gonna have to try it,” Vance says and starts toward Tripp.

“Vance! Don't do it,” Tripp warns, but he’s still smiling.

Vance has a wicked smile on his face as he closes in on Tripp. He tries to fight him off, but Vance bats his arms away and grabs his face then plants a big fat kiss on his mouth. When Vance pulls back to look at him, Tripp gives him a nice slap across the face.

“Asshole.” Tripp laughs and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand while Anna giggles next to him.

“Anything?” Vance asks hopefully, as he straightens up.

“Déjà vu. Have we done that before?” Tripp asks.

Vance throws his head back and laughs. “Yeah, man. When you came back from Afghanistan, I planted a good one on ya.”

Tripp smiles and shakes his head.

“Listen, I hate to break you two up, but, Anna, it's been an hour and I don't know if you have other clients that you have to see.” Vance winces.

“Oh, shit. Yes, I do. Thanks, Vance.” Anna utters.

Vance gives her a nod, winks at Tripp, and then leaves them alone again. Tripp snorts. Vance is crazy. He really wants to remember him.

“Tripp, I hate to leave, but I have to. Can I come back after work?” Anna asks.

“You better,” Tripp says and takes her hand in his.

Anna smiles. “I love you, Tripp.”

Tripp smiles. “God, I love you, too, Anna. I can't wait to see you again tonight,” he says then kisses her knuckles on the hand he’s holding.

“Me, neither,” Anna murmurs and leans in to kiss him again.

“Wear a skirt when you come back,” Tripp whispers against her lips.

Anna smiles. “Now why would I do that?”

“Because I don't want to have to rip a pair of perfectly good pants,” he mutters and kisses her again.

Anna shivers then pulls away and stands up. “I gotta go. I'll see you later, love,” Anna says and blows him a kiss as she rounds the ottoman.

“Can’t wait. Don’t forget the skirt,” Tripp calls after her.

Anna sends him a mischievous smile over her shoulder before leaving the room. “We’ll see,” she says then disappears from view. He can hear her say “bye” to Vance and Melina before the door opens and closes. Holy shit. This is incredible. Tripp’s relieved to have finally remembered something. Something as wonderful as Anna. He finally has hope. Things are starting to look up.

Chapter 14

Melina walks into the living room to see Tripp, Dayne, and Ryder watching some home movies that were taken over the years. Tripp's memory is starting to return, but it’s a slow process. He says it’s like a broken TV, where you catch a glimpse of the picture here and there, but never get to see the whole thing.

Tripp's girlfriend, Anna, has been coming over every day for a month now. She's really working with him on what she calls “getting his brain into shape.” She makes him play the little kid’s memory game, the one with the cards. He hates it, but does it for her. She also has him working Sudoku puzzles and other things that will help exercise his brain.

Melina and Anna have formed a fast friendship and have even spent time together without the guys. They have a lot in common and get along great. It’s also nice to have another girl in the house. Sometimes living with five guys is a nightmare, and Melina has freaked out on one of them on many occasions. And it's not like she can really have Harper over since she and Dayne are...well, Melina doesn't really know what they are. She guesses they aren't anything because they haven't spoken or seen each other since that one night they were together. But if Dayne is around while Melina is on the phone with Harper or something, he leaves the room. That just turned out to be a huge mess.

The guys’ injuries are healing. Their faces are at least back to normal. Dayne's mouth is still wired shut, and he’s lost a lot of weight from having to drink his food. He’s pretty much miserable all of the time. Ryder's collarbone has healed nicely, but the doctor still wants him to take it easy. Tripp's knee is on the mend, but he still needs the brace and crutches.

“Hey, three stooges, dinner is ready,” Melina calls.

They all look over at her at the same time, which makes Melina laugh. She shakes her head as she walks back into the kitchen where Anna is finishing putting the salad together. Vance is working on his laptop at the table.

Vance has been working himself ragged trying to find anything on Tripp's little brother, Damien. He has dark circles under his eyes from staying up half the night working, and he’s even lost some muscle mass from not working out as much as he used to. She’s really worried about him - physically and mentally.

Melina walks up behind Vance and puts her hands on his shoulders. “Van, honey, it’s time for dinner. How about a break?” Melina pleads.

“In a minute,” Vance murmurs as he continues to type.

Melina starts massaging his shoulders knowing how tense they are. Vance lets out a cleansing breath. His fingers freeze on the keyboard and he drops his chin to his chest. “Shut the computer off, my love,” Melina purrs next to his ear.

“Mmm, anything you say, just don't stop,” Vance moans and closes the laptop.

Melina rubs his shoulders for about another minute before she leans down and kisses his cheek. “There’s a full body massage in your future if you keep off that computer tonight,” Melina whispers in his ear.

Vance shudders and turns his head so that he can kiss her on the lips. “Deal,” he says.

Larry, Moe, and Curly shuffle into the kitchen and take their seats. Once they’re all seated, Melina notices that Xander's chair is empty. She had called him ten minutes ago. Melina goes to the steps and looks up them.

“Xander! Dinner!” Melina calls up the stairs.

Xander is still having a rough time dealing with Bryan's death. He refused to go with her to the funeral or even to visit his grave. And he has become very closed off. He doesn't talk much to anyone and he looks really depressed. She hears his bedroom door open and waits at the bottom of the stairs for him. Xander comes into view a moment later, looking like hell. His hair is a mess, his clothes are disheveled, and his eyes are bloodshot from either lack of sleep or crying or both.

He slowly makes his way down the stairs. Once at the bottom, he gives Melina a tight smile and heads toward the kitchen with her in tow. He plops himself down in the chair on Vance's right. Vance immediately puts his arm around Xander's shoulders then hugs and kisses him on the temple. Melina sighs and takes her seat on Vance's left.

Being the loving attentive boyfriend that he is, Vance fills her plate first then does his own. They all eat and talk and laugh. Even Xander chuckles a couple of times at Dayne's expense. Vance's cell phone rings toward the end of dinner. He pulls it out of his pocket and answers it without looking to see who is calling.

“Yeah?” he chirps into the phone. Melina watches as all of the color drains from Vance's face. Everyone else notices as well because the table becomes silent and all eyes are on Vance. “You almost killed your brother last time, Damien. Are you really going to take that chance again?” Vance says, his voice cold and flat.

Melina looks at Tripp, who is sitting across from Vance. At first, he looks bewildered, his eyes darting all over the place. Melina figures that he’s getting a flash of some memory. Then the bewilderment turns into rage. He slams his hands on the table and stands, scaring the shit out of everyone.

“Give me the motherfucking phone,” Tripp bites out through clenched teeth.

“Now you're in trouble, Damien. Your brother wants to talk to you,” Vance says then hands Tripp the phone.

Tripp snatches it with a shaky hand and puts it up to his ear. “You little fucking bastard. You broke my fucking knee and cracked my skull with the butt of your rifle! You nearly killed me! I woke up with amnesia and couldn't remember a damn thing. I didn't even know you existed until a few seconds ago when Vance said your name and the memory of you sneaking up on me came flooding back...oh you didn't think you hit me that hard? Fuck you Damien! No, you listen to me! You come near my friends again, broken knee or not, I will hunt you down like a dog and kill you where you stand! Do you understand me you sick fuck? I don't give a fuck that you’re my brother. You know what? I don’t have a fucking brother! You lost that title the moment you went after my friends and me! Oh, try me, motherfucker. See if I'm bluffing. I can't wait to prove you wrong and put a bullet in your stupid-ass head,” Tripp snarls and ends the call.

Everyone stares at Tripp with gaping mouths. He’s panting like a bull ready to fight, nose flaring and all. His eyes are wide and have a wild look about them. He sets the phone down on the table calmly, which really freaks Melina out. He grabs his crutches and quickly makes his way to the front door. They all hear it open and slam shut, then exchange worried glances.

The sound of Tripp's tormented scream has everyone scrambling up from the table and out the front door. Melina and Anna are the last ones out the door. They both freeze on the porch at the sight in front of them.

Tripp has torn his knee brace off and has tossed it a few feet away. Now he’s holding one of his crutches by the bottom of it and is bashing the pads into the ground. The cries coming out of his mouth are ones of complete anguish and despair. It’s agonizing to watch. Anna has her hands over her mouth and nose as she cries next to Melina on the porch. The guys surround him and they all look like they’re in as much pain as he is.

The crutch can only take so much abuse before it starts to splinter apart. Tripp chucks it, almost hitting Ryder, who moves just in time. Fortunately, someone was smart enough to move the other crutch out of his reach while he was bashing the first one. With no other outlet for his fury, he just screams and screams until he’s hoarse and completely exhausted.

When he finally stops, he falls forward, but Vance is right there to catch him. Vance hugs Tripp to him. He clings to Vance's shoulders and buries his face in Vance's chest. Dayne moves in behind Tripp and wraps his arms around both Tripp and Vance. Ryder is next to join in, followed by Xander. Their heads are all together and it’s just a heart wrenching sight. Melina puts her arms around Anna to try to comfort her. She knows that if she had just seen Vance like that, she'd be balling her eyes out, too.

A few moments later, the guys separate, except for Vance and Dayne, who are on either side of Tripp, as they help him back to the house. Tripp's head hangs and Melina can tell that Vance and Dayne are pretty much carrying Tripp. They get Tripp back into the house then Vance gives him a piggyback ride up the stairs and into his room, where the two of them disappear.

Xander grabs the remaining crutch and leg brace, drops them off at Tripp's room, and then goes to his own room and shuts himself away. Ryder ushers Anna into the living room and gets her a box of tissues, before sitting down next to her and letting her cry against his chest.

Melina looks at Dayne, who is standing next to her at the bottom of the stairs. “You okay?” Melina asks softly and rubs his arm.

Dayne turns a tear filled gaze toward Melina and shakes his head. “I've never see Tripp lose it like that. Never in the twenty-eight years that I've known him, has he ever lost his shit as badly as he just did. It breaks my fuckin’ heart to see him like that,” Dayne mutters and angrily swipes the tears from his eyes.

Melina sighs. She doesn't know what to say.

“I'm gonna go lie down.” Dayne sighs and heads up the stairs.

“Melina,” Vance whispers against the back of her neck as he pulls her tightly against him.

Melina sucks in a deep breath as she rouses from her sleep. “Vance? What's wrong?” she mutters, confused.

“Nothing's wrong, love,” he breathes, smiling against her neck as he tilts his hips forward, pressing his erection against her ass.

“What time is it?” Melina mumbles.

“Who cares? Let me love you,” Vance breathes as his hand finds its way down her belly and between her legs.

Melina moans as Vance's fantastic fingers work their magic on her, and it doesn't take her long to be soaking wet and ready for him. Vance slides into her and starts at a slow sensual pace. He holds her close, kissing and licking her neck. She slides her hands to his toned ass, just loving the feel of his muscles moving as he makes love to her.

“Fuck, Melina...oh my god...” Vance rasps, his hand between her legs holding her tight against him as he plays with her clit.

A strangled cry escapes Melina's lips as Vance grinds himself into her. He’s so deep and it feels so good. Vance then rolls them so that he’s on top of her. His body comes up off hers, his knees on either side of her legs. She remains lying flat as he grasps her hips and pumps into her. Melina clutches a pillow to her face and screams into it because it feels so good.

“Oh, fuck yes! Come for me baby. I know you’re almost there. Come for me,” Vance pants and drops down to his fists on either side of her body.

Melina comes hard, screaming Vance's name into her pillow. He curses and cries out as he follows her with a few final thrusts. Vance collapses on top of her, dropping his forehead to the back of her shoulder.

“God damn that was good.” Vance sighs.

“Agreed,” Melina says, her voice muffled by the pillow, making Vance laugh.

They clean up then get back into bed. Melina’s spooning up against Vance's back this time. “Is Tripp okay?” she asks quietly. Vance was still in his room with him when Melina went to bed.

“Baby, in all of the years that I've known Tripp, he's always been so calm and collected; never has he ever blown up like that…over anything.” Vance sighs heavily.

“That's what Dayne said, too.”

“Yeah, well, we've never seen him lose all control like that, but I had a hard time getting him to talk to me. He was completely zoned out. He was lying on his side on the bed, just staring. Something inside of him broke today, and I don't know if he's going to be the same person anymore,” Vance worries.

“He needs time. He just found out that his little brother is a serial killer who has been trying to kill off his friends…and almost killed him. That’s a lot to digest,” Melina says.

“I guess. Anna is staying and spending the night with him. I think if anything is going to pull him through this, it's going to be his love for Anna,” Vance says softly.

“Mmm, love is an amazing thing,” Melina purrs and kisses Vance's back.

Vance laces his fingers through hers and pulls her hand up from where it’s resting on his chest then kisses her palm. “It is, and I love you,” he says softly.

“I love you, too.”