Rush of Redemption (Rush Series #2) (6 page)

She lifted her pain-filled
eyes to his. “I want to go home, okay?”

“Baby, I’m sorry,” he said
as he sat down beside her and grabbed her hand.

She lifted her other hand
and allowed her fingers to trace the contours of his ruggedly handsome face.
“Will the past always find a way to intrude into our lives? Will we ever be
able to live a normal life?”

“Yes,” he said
emphatically.

“How can you be so sure?
I’m afraid the past will always be between us… my father, your grandfather… and
just well, everything. It’s all so…. big… so much.”

The words his grandfather
had spoken outside the hospital nursery filled Rush’s mind: 
Women are
fickle creatures, Rush. While you might be able to turn a blind eye to her
father’s past transgressions, I can promise you the girl won’t be able to
forget yours.

He stood, pulled her to her
feet, and wrapped his arms around her before he buried his face in her hair.
“We’ll figure it out. I promise.” Tugging her hand, he said, “Come on, let’s go
home.”

They picked up pizza on the
way back to Trinity’s condo. After Rush placed Anna in a cab, they sat together
at the table and ate in silence. This was not the evening Rush had planned. And
he knew what he needed to do next wasn’t going to be taken well.

“I have something I need to
tell you,” he said quietly.

His pensiveness, made
Trinity wary. “Okay,” she said as she wiped her mouth on a napkin and placed it
on her plate.

“When I went to my
grandfather to get the ring, he mentioned he wanted to give us a small
engagement party. I think this is his way of seeking forgiveness.”

Trinity sat silently for a
long moment. “I… don’t know if I can do that.”

“Trinity, I know how you
feel. I’d feel the same if it were your father. But earlier you asked if the
past would always be between us, I think by letting go of our past resentments,
we’ll be able to move forward and have the life we want… together. I can
understand your hesitation, but he is my grandfather,” he said quietly.

“Rush, he didn’t just say
something that hurt my feelings. The man paid someone to break in and vandalize
my office. I was hurt during that attack. He set a plan in place to get what he
wanted, no matter the cost. What kind of man does that?”

“A desperate one,” Rush
replied.

Trinity watched the
struggle Rush was faced with. She didn’t want to make him choose between her
and his family. Finally, knowing that eventually she’d have to face his
grandfather anyway, she said, “Okay. But please, something small.”

Rush heaved a huge sigh of
relief. “Thanks, Trinity. I know how difficult this is. Have you decided what
kind of wedding you want? 
A big one, a small one… what?”

Trinity gaze dropped to
where her hands lie folded on her, as of yet unaccustomed, flat stomach.

“What?” he asked
quizzically.

When she didn’t answer, he
lifted her face with his fingers. Her eyes were over-bright.

“What,” he asked again.

“A wedding seems…
pointless, doesn’t it?”

He tensed at her answer.
“What do you mean?”

She dropped her gaze back
down before saying, “Does there have to be a wedding?”

“You’ve changed your mind,”
he asked quietly… too quietly.

She snatched her head back
up and reached a hand to place it lightly over his. “No… I just mean… 
well,
 can’t we get married without having a wedding?”

He visibly relaxed. “We can
go the courthouse… Vegas… Atlantic City… any place you want. Are you sure
that’s what you want to do?”

“There’s only my father and
he’s not speaking to me, so why have a big wedding? 
Unless
it’s important to you?”

“As long as we’re married,
I don’t care.” He leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers. “I’ll take
you any way I can get you. I’ll make all the arrangements, okay?”

She nodded and then turned
it when she heard the baby begin to cry. She started to rise, when Rush put a
hand on her shoulder. “I’ll get him,” he told her.

A few minutes later, he
returned with the tiny bundle lying in the crook of his arm. He was smiling
down at the baby and talking softly to him. Trinity felt her heart swell at the
love she saw etched so clearly on Rush’s face. No matter what, she loved him
and knew he loved their son. Maybe they could work through the rest.

~*~

“… and then I couldn’t believe it, right behind me, dancing with
some ditzy blonde, was Hunter 
Amhearst
,” 
Sundra
 Caruthers lamented.

They were sitting in
Trinity’s living room. Trinity was drinking tea while 
Sundra
 had
just drained the last glass of wine from the bottle. While she felt bad,
Trinity found herself over and over again tuning 
Sundra
 out
as she listened to Rush with Blake in the nursery via the baby monitor. She
loved 
Sundra
 and was lucky to have her in
her life, but Trinity was greedy for the small amount of Rush’s time that she
was allotted.

In the last few weeks,
they’d settled into a routine of sorts, unfortunately, part of that routine was
Rush working an inordinate amount of hours. Most nights he spent here with her
and the baby, but some nights he was forced to attend work functions. Not
wanting to disturb them, he spent those nights at his house. She hated those
nights.

“… and how is my big boy?
Have you been a good boy for your momma? Mommy’s pretty isn’t she? I think
she’s the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen. How about you? I think you are the
finest…”

The rest of what was being
said was cut off as 
Sundra
 once again
demanded her attention.

“So what are you wearing to
the engagement party?” she asked.

Trinity sighed. She knew
she should be excited about the party taking place the next night, but she
dreaded it. “I bought a little dress that is the most amazing color of green…
in fact, it’s almost the same color green in Rush’s eyes,” she answered
absently.

Sundra
 rolled onto the arm of the couch in laughter. “Oh, my God,
you are so far gone on that guy. I can’t believe what a matter of weeks can
mean. You went from being so adamant about not even mentioning his name, to
bam, getting married.” Her laughter died away. “Are you really sure about all
this, Trinity? There is no hurry, you know.”

Trinity thought about the
best way to convince her friend that she was sure. Finally, she just flared her
fingers and said simply, “I love him.”

“Well, I’m always here if
you need me. But for now, I need to call a cab and go home. I’m glad you’re
happy, truly I am,” 
Sundra
 said.

Trinity hugged her friend.
“You’ll find someone… the right one.”

“I thought I had found
him,” 
Sundra
 replied.

“I know
,
 I’m
sorry it didn’t work out with Hunter. Is it going to be too awkward tomorrow
night with him at the party?” Trinity asked.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll
just avoid him. I won’t ruin your party, I promise. Besides, I have a date.”

“With whom?” she asked.

“It’s a surprise,” 
Sundra
 answered with a laugh.

Once 
Sundra
 left, Trinity cleaned up and began turning off
the lights as she went. She wandered into Blake’s room. The glow from the
nightlight was the only illumination available. She found her tiny miracle fast
asleep, wrapped tight in his little blanket. She leaned against his crib and
just watched him sleep. She couldn’t believe he was already over six weeks old.
He was so amazing. She’d never known love like this. It was so consuming. It
made her understand, to some degree, why her father was the way he was. She
could finally understand the need to protect at any cost.

Breaking away from him, she
went in search of Rush. When she entered the bedroom, she heard the water
running in the shower. The thought of Rush standing in the shower, naked with
water streaming down his body had her reaching with fingers that trembled to
the buttons on her blouse. Quickly, before she lost her nerve, she removed her
clothing and walked swiftly to the bathroom.

The shower’s glass
enclosure was steamed, giving it an opaque appearance. With her heart pounding
and her breathing rapid, she pulled the shower door open and stepped inside.
Rush turned and saw her standing naked in front of him.

He blinked rapidly. 
“Trinity?
 
Everything okay?”

She moved to him and ran
her hands up his massive chest made slick by the running water. She encircled
his neck and pressed her body firmly up against his. She felt him grow hard
instantly against her stomach.

Rush cleared his throat.
“Trinity, honey, what are you doing?” he asked as he wrapped his arms around
her waist and pressed his lips against the curve of her neck.

“I went to the doctor
today,” she murmured against his skin.

Rush’s body tensed. “What
did he say?”

She pulled back to look up
into his handsome face. “He told me to use protection for the first two weeks,
but then being on the pill would be sufficient.”

He stared down blankly at
her for a moment as if he didn’t quite understand her words, then with a 
groan,
 he grabbed her face and devoured her mouth. With
hands that trembled, he pressed her urgently against the glass and ran his
hands silkily over her wet skin. Almost frantically, he thrust his tongue into
her mouth and pressed himself against her roughly. With a growl, he pushed away
and turned his back to her to stand with his head bent and his body heaving
under the pounding water. She stood with her hands pressed flat against the
glass, panting, striving to suck in enough oxygen.

“Rush?” she asked, as
self-doubt flooded her.

With a moan, he gasped out,
“Baby, you’re 
gonna
 have to give me minute
to calm down or that’s about all you can expect from me right now… one minute.
I’ve been thinking about having sex with you for six damned weeks and all I can
think about is pounding the hell out of you. I don’t want to hurt you… just
give me a minute, okay?”

Trinity moved up behind him
and slid her arms around his waist enjoying the feel of his taunt, sculptured
stomach muscles. She pressed her face against his back.

“Trinity, you’re not
helping,” he growled.

She smiled and pressed her
lips against his back. “Don’t be long,” she muttered as she slipped out of the
shower and grabbed a towel.

When Rush finally emerged
from the bathroom with a towel draped around his waist and one slung over his
shoulders, Trinity was sitting on the edge of the bed, also wrapped in a towel,
with her head bent as she slowly spun her engagement ring round and round on
her finger. She glanced up when he entered. He stood, leaning against the
doorjamb, contemplating her with such a tender expression on his face, she
nearly cried.

She was almost overwhelmed
as she took him in – his dark hair, made even darker due to still being damp;
his stunning face, with his mesmerizing hazel eyes; his unbelievable body, all
sculptured and chiseled; and his tanned skin made darker against the backdrop
of the white towel. He gave her the sexy little smile she loved – it was almost
a smirk because he knew what he did to her… what he’d always done to her.

Her heart began to pound as
he sauntered over to her. Kneeling, he linked their fingers together and
lightly pressed his lips against them. He stared into her face for several long
minutes before lifting a hand to brush her hair back over her shoulders.

“You are so beautiful,” he
said huskily. In an almost matter-of-fact voice, he said, “Sometimes, I watch
you sleep and it always takes my breath away at how beautiful you are, and I
think I can’t possibly love you any more than I do in that moment.” He moved
his fingers to lightly trace the contours of her face. “Then I watch you when
you’re holding Blake or rocking him, and its 
then
 I think that
I can’t possibly love you more.” He let his hands drop to the knot in her towel
and tugged it open slowly. “Then tonight, when you opened the shower door and
walked in… my heart stopped. 
I swear, it literally
stopped.
 There are no words to describe what I felt. Love isn’t
enough of a word to describe what rips through my body when I look at you. You
give my life purpose and meaning. I didn’t even know I was missing those things
before I met you.” Slowly, he tugged the towel from around her and tossed it on
the floor. Leaning forward, he pressed his lips against her brow. “You own me,
Trinity.” He moved his lips along her jawline. “I would lay down my life to
protect you and our son.”With his lips, he brushed away the tears
which had started to fall at his words.

“I love you, Rush, I’ve
always loved you… even when I knew I should hate you, I loved you…”Her words
were cut off as he grasped her head within his hands, which trembled with emotion
and need.