Mine to Steal (Mine to Love) (34 page)

“We do our best to fix this and move on,” he says before he clears his throat. “I like the idea of the charitable contribution. I think Pops will like it, too.”

“Do you want to take it to him or would you prefer I send it?”

“I’ve already sent it on,” he informs me. “I’m sure he’ll be in touch soon.”

“Sounds good.”

“Thanks for everything, Trey.”

“Not a problem,” I respond before we get off the phone.

The only thing left to do now is get to Faith and figure out how and why things have turned out the way they have. If Faith had any idea of what Brad is capable of, there’s no way she’d consider remaining at Rock Solid with him, let alone being in a relationship with him. I warned her; he tried to ruin my career, too. I’m all too familiar with how Brad Emerson
operates.

Dialing Faith’s number again, I wait for her voicemail to pickup, but she answers. “What do you want, Trey?”

“I need to see you. We have to talk.”

“There’s nothing to say. Can you please leave me alone?”

“You know I can’t, I -”

“I can’t do this; I have to try to salvage what’s left of my career.”

“I’m coming over.”

“Don’t bother, because I’m not answering.”

She hangs up the phone, and I slump into my seat trying to take a calming breath. “Asshole,” I mutter as I slam my fist to my desk thinking about what Brad has done. He is the sleaziest guy I know, and he doesn’t deserve Faith yet she won’t listen to me.

Focus.

The office staff is still around, and since Hattie’s gone, there’s no one to lock up the building; but I don’t care. I grab my car keys and shut my office door behind me with one destination in mind.

* * *

“Faith,” I knock on her apartment door lightly. “I know you’re home. I see your car.”

“Go away, Trey,” she barks from the other side of the door.

“I’m not going anywhere,” I argue. “We need to talk.”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” she slurs, “I knew better than to trust the Miller boys.”

“What are you talking about?”

She doesn’t answer right away, so I peek through the window next to the door. Her blinds are cracked open slightly
, and I see her in the kitchen pouring something into a glass and she gulps it down, stumbling as she walks back to the door.

“You know exactly what I’m talking about,” she opens the door, but the chain prevents it from coming completely open.

“Can you let me in so we can talk?”

“Lies,” she slurs again. “So you can tell me more lies?”

“Faith, you need to slow down,” I warn as she takes another sip.

“You wanna talk?” she asks in mock surprise. “By all means, the mighty Trey Miller has something to say.” She opens the door and steps aside to let me in.

I walk to her kitchen and grab a glass, filling it with water before handing it to her. “You’re a mess, you need to drink some water.”

“Lemme tell you something, Trey Miller,” she says
, my last name with a sneer full of loathing. “I thought it was bad when Jett tortured me about my crush when we were kids, but it’s nothing compared to what you’ve done to me.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You’re ripping me up.”

I can’t even formulate a response to that, so I sit quiet to listen to her drunken rambling.

“I might have been a little girl to you, but I was so head over heels for you. I would wait to watch you pass by and get all girlie and butterflies and shit. You were the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen and when Jett found out, he told me you liked me, too. Do you know what that did to me? I’d lost my brother, who was my hero, but those words gave me back a little bit the hope I’d lost.”

My heart twists at her
verity, and I want to punch my brother for torturing the poor girl.

“I went to
the tree in the woods, it was one I had seen so many of you go to before and I waited for you. My heart was mending in that moment and I wanted you to hold me. But when they jumped out and started laughing, it didn’t hurt as much as knowing you didn’t care. But when I ran into you, you were so sweet and you held me and then you asked my name and I realized you had no clue who I was. My parents made me move away. I hated them for taking me away from you, despite all of that.”

I
remain silent, unsure if I should speak or let her continue on.

“I knew I’d never see
you again, and it ripped my heart out. I may have been an insignificant little kid to you, but I knew, even then, I knew I’d never care for someone the way I did about you. And I only knew my fantasy version of you.

“
The night you came to the bar, I knew who you were before you came over to me. I saw you with that gorgeous woman, and you looked at me and I knew who you were. My heart both swelled and broke when I saw you. Stupid childhood fantasy.”

“Faith,” I
try to interrupt, but she starts walking around.

“No, I knew. And I hated myself
because I couldn’t shove those feelings away. At least with Jett, I knew what I was getting, but you played me. I have to give you credit, I bought the whole nice guy act.”

She shakes her head as if she’s waging an
inner battle. “How is it that I don’t see you for years, hell - half a lifetime, but when I finally do lay eyes on you, I’m that little girl waiting for you to see me and take me into your arms and tell me you feel the same?”

“
But. I. Did,” I argue, walking over to her. “Funny how you’re rewriting the sequence of events right now, but then again, you’re drunk.” She moves away and Cavette’s words from earlier come to mind causing me to get angry. “What game are you playing, Faith?”

She spins around and looks at me in shock, “Me? I’m playing games? Have you looked in the mirror, Miller?”
she sneers.

“Why did you say Brad wasn’t coming into town?”

“Because he wasn’t,” she argues. “He called me after I left your place and told me he had a change of plans, so he came in for one night. Not that it’s any of your business.”

“Did you end things with him?” I walk up to her, invading her space. She swallows hard and her glassy eyes meet mine.

“We’re still talking about it,” she answers.

“What’s stopping you?” I challenge as I watch her chest rise and fall rapidly.

“Why do you think?” she asks in a hushed tone.

“Why can’t you say it?”

“Because, you’ve already broken me. There’s one small piece I’ve spared, and I can’t let you have it.”

“You’re not using it anyway,” I whisper, remembering her dream from when we were camping. A tear rolls down her cheek as she absorbs my words. “Isn’t that right?”

“I can’t,” she murmurs. “I can’t let you in here again.” She covers her heart and stares deep into my eyes.

I raise my hand to cover hers
, and my voice is quiet. “I never knew I was in there, Faith. You haven’t showed that part to me.”

“
And I won’t.”

“Can you listen to me for a second?”

She drops her hand and mine falls away at the same time, “I need you to go -” She starts to say more, but she runs to the trashcan and empties the contents of her stomach into it.

“C’mon, you need to lay down
.” My voice is calm, although I am anything but calm.

“I’ve got it,” she argues half-heartedly pushing me away. “
Go home and close the door behind you, Trey. There’s nothing more to say.”

“There’s plenty to say,” I push even though I know there
’s no point in arguing with her. She’s drunk and angry, and I’m trying to wrap my head around everything that’s happened since I last saw her. “Like why is your boyfriend setting you up? Or, why is he emailing me about
your
career?”

I never knew anyone could be so devious, but I never should have underestimated Brad. He’s always been a snake, and if Faith doesn’t want to be with me, that’s fine. But she deserves a hell of a lot better than Brad Emerson.

She is either ignoring my words, or too sick to hear them, but I help her to her room and notice her bed is still made up. I remove the pillows, one by one, and she starts to remove articles of clothing as she makes her way to the bathroom. The glass of water I tried to make her drink is in the kitchen so I grab it and some medicine for the headache she is sure to have in the morning so I can leave it on her bedside table.

When I walk into the room, she’s already laying in her bed, passed out on her side, mouth wide open. Her apartment is sweltering so I flip the fan switch on and pull the covers over her and sit down next to her. I push back the stray strand of hair
and tuck it behind her ear and watch this mess of a woman in front of me. I want to take care of her, to be the guy she relies on. She has no idea how much.

Until this moment,
I
didn’t realize how much.

When I get up from her bed she rolls
to the other side and starts talking gibberish.

“Ice cream, yeah, that’s nice
.” I laugh and watch her a little longer. “No, you can’t have it, it’s mine.” I wonder who she’s arguing with. “I’ll always love Trey Miller,” she whispers, sending me to my knees next to her, hoping that she’ll say it again.

I need her to say it again.

What is that sound?

I try to wake myself up, but I’m too exhausted, and I’m pretty sure I’m not dreaming. The sound of retching filters through my ears, and I try to wipe the sleep from my eyes. I know Jett still feels like ass, but the sounds of him throwing up are enough to make me have to do the same. He needs to shut his door and keep the noise in his room.
In his bathroom.

“Oh my
God,” a female voice groans, and I look up to see Cheyenne.
I didn’t know she was here.

“Are you okay?” I ask through a yawn as I try to sit up.

“What in the hell are you doing here?” she screams and my eyes snap to hers.

“What do you mean? I live here.” Recognition seeps in
, and it’s not Cheyenne, but Faith and this isn’t my apartment, but hers. “Oh shit,” I groan as I try to stand up.

“Trey? Why are you here?”

Last night replays in my head, Faith’s drunken tirade, profusely vomiting, and ultimately her passed-out confession.
She loves me.

“You don’t remember me coming by last night?”

“I do. But I also remember telling you to leave.”

“Then you must not remember you finished that bottle of vodka over there
.” I point to the empty glass bottle on the counter next to an equally empty bottle of Sprite. “And then proceeded to puke it up all night,” I nod my head to her room, “over there.”

“But I passed out,” she says as if it explains everything.

“Well, I tucked you in bed while you rambled in your sleep about ice cream.”

She looks down at her clothes and her eyes widen, “Did you undress me?”

I scoff at her question, “I know you don’t think much of me, but give me a little credit would ya?”

“I’m sorry, I don’t know how I ended up like this.”

“I didn’t undress you, but you did undress yourself - while I was in your room.”

“What?”

“Yeah, you were going on and on and trying to get me to sleep with you again.”

Her hand covers her mouth as she drops into the chair next to her couch. “Oh my
God,” she groans, rubbing her hands over her eyes.

“I’m kidding. But you did start to undress in front of me, so I left and came back in when you were done. Although, I have to say, I did like that lace
y white bra you had on.” I laugh, watching her face contort from relief to anger.

“You need to stop, we’re not friends, Trey
.” She looks at me with tears welling in her eyes. “Why did you come by? Want to see how well you screwed me over?”

“No I came over here to tell you what really happened.”

“Did Cal fire Rock Solid?”

“Faith
-”

“Answer me.” She speaks in a slow, short
tone; her eyes are glued to the floor. “Did. Cal. Fire. Rock Solid?”

“
You know he did.”

“And did he hire you?”

“Yes.”

“Like I said, I need you to leave. Now.”

“Not until you hear me out.”

“What’s there to hear out? You
told me from the beginning you wanted the entire job,” she reminds me.

“Yeah, and you said the same thing. But you know I wouldn’t resort to underhanded tactics,
and I know you wouldn’t either. C’mon Faith, you know me better than that.”

Her laugh is cruel, lifeless
. “Oh, Trey, I don’t know you at all.”

“That’s bullshit, Faith
.” I walk over to her and kneel in front of her to look into her eyes. “You do know me, but you’re afraid to admit it.”