Chapter 20

JC was surprised when Ellie touched his arm and responded to him before turning toward her sister.  "Don't leave," she said softly. "Take some Advil and go lay down with an ice pack. I'll come talk to you in a minute.  Please?" 

He nodded quietly and did exactly as she said. Grabbing water, Advil and the ice pack and then trotting off to her bedroom to lay down. He'd be lying if he said he didn't have an enormous headache. It really had been stupid to go along with getting in the boxing ring with Ty. To be honest, his brother was a better fighter and did carry more weight behind his punch. The sad part is they'd been sparring with all of the appropriate protective gear. It wasn't until they were winding down and getting ready to leave that JC had egged on his brother enough to get punched in the face. 

JC had never been much of a fighter and he was a strong advocate against violence. He was mad at himself for getting caught up in such immaturity.  He was even more irritated because of the way the whole thing appeared to Ellie. He was thankful that she hadn't asked him to leave.  She had so much going on, the last thing she needed was to deal with his drama. He felt bad for involving her, but he just couldn't stay away at the moment. Her comfort was what he'd yearned for the most and before he could rationalize it he'd been standing at her front door.

Of course, his situation had been so distracting he didn't even get a chance to find out what her voice message had been about. 

In the kitchen, Ellie poured two glasses of water and sat down at the table with her sister. The clarity in Rose's eyes was slowly coming around. Ellie figured a strong cup of coffee would probably be a good idea and got up to start a pot.  She was stalling in a way, not really sure what to say or where to start.  The urge to handle Rose like a child was hard to supress.  Ellie had to remind herself that while Rose had never truly acted as an adult, she was one.   

"So do you remember what happened last night?" Ellie finally asked, sitting down again as the coffee began to purcalate.

"Before or after I got ditched and left in the middle of nowhere?" The resentment in her voice was not hard to recognize.  Unfortunately, Rose always had the tendency to blame others for her misfortune.  She rarely took responsibility for her own actions.

"Both," Ellie replied.  

"I'd rather not get into detail," Rose responded, brushing long, stringy hair away from her face and tossing it behind her shoulders.  "What I'd love is a shower and some fresh clothes."

Ellie audibly sighed.  "And then what?"

"And then I'll get out of your way."

"Aren't you even curious what's been going on with me for the last year?" Ellie asked.  She'd never admit it but it hurt that her sister didn't seem to care.  Of course she understood that Rose didn't have the ability to look past herself thanks to her addictions, but it still hurt, regardless.

Rose just shrugged.  "You seem to be doing just fine... as always."  The bitterness Rose felt was evident.  Maybe having a conversation was pointless.  "I can't say I ever expected you to go from billionaire media mogul to an ex member of a boyband, but I can see why you would.  He's hot.  Even with the black eye."

Ellie found herself sighing again, this time her shoulders slumping with defeat.  This really wasn't the conversation she wanted to have.  The coffee pot beeped and Ellie hopped up quickly to get a cup for her sister.

She slid a mug across the counter to Rose and sat back down.  Rose in turn took a long, slow sip of the steaming beverage.  "Are you hungry?" Ellie asked.

Rose shook her head no.  "I have some calls I need to make."

"Have you checked in with your sponsor?" Ellie found herself asking.

Aggravation spread across Rose's delicate but emmaciated features. "Yes, all the time."

Ellie knew that was a flat out lie.  She was hoping she still had Bob's number saved because he was about the only person that was ever able to get through to Rose.  Of course a call to him would definitely mean another trip to rehab for Rose.  

Ellie gave one slow nod and stood from her seat.  "Everything you need for a shower is in the bathroom next to the guest room."  With that she got up and left the room.

Poking her head into the office, she checked on Daphne.  Part of her wanted to send the girl home for the day, but then again she would have to leave soon for her appointment with Stephen Blake and she wanted Daphne to keep an eye on Rose.  How terrible was that?

After a quick update on the research task Ellie had Daphne working on, she headed toward her master bedroom to find JC.  The door was closed.  Quietly she slipped inside the dark room, her eyes adjusting quickly as there was just enough sunlight peeking in through the window to highlight his silhouette.  He was flat on his back, eyes closed, ice pack covering half of his face.  For a second she wondered if he was asleep.  "You ok?" he asked, not moving anything but his mouth to speak.

Ellie made way to the bed and sat down beside him.  "Not really," she found herself answering.  "She frustrates me more than I can handle."

He slipped the blue ice pack off his face and shifted sideways until he could see her.  "I'm sorry."

"Part of me wants her to just leave because it's so much easier when I don't have to think about what a mess she is, but the other part of me wants her to stay so I can try and get her back on the right track."

"How many times have you done that?" JC asked, reaching a hand out to brush her knee.

"More than I can count on one hand."

"Maybe you should go with your first instinct... not to be a jerk or anything, but it's hard to help someone who doesn't want to be helped."

Ellie reached out a hand to gently touch his bruised cheek bone.  "Trust me, I know."  Carefully she ran her fingertips against the contours of his chiseled face.  "Does it hurt?" she asked.

"It's kind of numb right now.  I don't think it'll be too bad."

"Don't you have to tape your show this week?"

JC smirked.  "Why, yes, I do.... but that's what makeup is for."

Ellie smirked, remembering that she still hadn't told him about the settlement papers she'd received.  "I have to go see the attorney in a little bit.  I got settlement papers in the mail today from James."

JC sat up at the news.  "What?  And you waited this long to tell me? You must be so relieved."

Ellie sighed again.  "I was at first, but now I'm just hopeful that I'm interpreting everything correctly."  She found herself whispering the next part, leaning in closer to him.  "Looks like I'm getting the doubled amount just like he said when he stopped by that one day."

JC's hands were on her cheeks then, kissing her lips softly.  "That's wonderful, sweetheart," he spoke quietly.  "I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks.  I hope..." She grinned, feeling sort of shy about it all the sudden.  It was weird discussing such things with him.  It felt too personal, which was just silly considering how personal they'd become in regard to intimacy.  Affairs of the heart were different than matters of the pocketbook!

He smiled compassionately, a look of caring and love in his deep blue eyes.  It was obvious he hadn't showered after the boxing ordeal with his brother.  His hair was completely flat against the top of his head and a light aroma of sweat clung to him.  It didn't turn her off though; far from it.  He was dressed like he'd just come from the gym, black warm-ups and a black t-shirt.  Still, she wanted to curl up against him and just lay in his arms for as long as time would allow.  

"Are we ok?" he asked after their brief moment of silence.

Ellie found herself grinning sappily and nodding. "I should probably run far away after this thing you have going with your brother, but for some reason I just feel like I should trust you and not worry about it."

The sentiment he expressed in his eyes only confirmed what she felt in her heart. "There's something I want you to know," he said, reaching for her hand and grasping it tenderly.

"Ok..."  His words made her feel a little unsure.  What else could there be?

"When I'm single..." he took a breathy pause, "I have a tendency to be a very typical single guy, in case you haven't figured that out."

"I kinda have," she remarked.

"But when I'm in a relationship," he continued, his thumb brushing the top of her hand. "I take commitment very seriously.  I am loyal, honest and trustworthy."

"JC," she said softly, trying to stop him.

He kept going, his voice softening.  "I have a tendency to fall very hard and very deep.  That's why I don't let myself fall very easily."  He was looking her straight in the eye when he spoke that last sentence.  Her heart swooned in response.  "I'm not going to ruin this amazing feeling with you by doing something stupid or acting like an idiot like when I was single.  And I did act like an idiot.  Especially in regard to this whole thing with Ty.  Probably one of my most stupid mistakes ever."

Ellie was smiling giddly.  He was saying all the right words.  She wanted to jump into his arms and squeeze him as hard as she could, but somehow she refrained and instead leaned in to kiss him softly.  "It feels incredible being with you," she told him quietly. 

"I couldn't agree more, sweetheart."

Ellie felt like she was on pins and needles waiting for Stephen Blake in his executive conference room.  She found herself re-reading the settlement agreement over and over again.  Although she was far from an attorney, she had enough legal experience to realize there were some definite caveats in the agreement.  This was not cut and dry and the whole thing was far from over.  She should have known that was coming. 

When Mr. Blake finally entered the room, looking as dapper and professional as the last time she'd been in his presence, she was overcome with nervousness.  This was it. Whatever was in those papers affected her whole life. She took a deep breath and then exhaled loudly. 

He was instantly looking at her with reassurance. "I know this is stressful," he said, "but we are going to make sure this is fair and that you are getting everything you deserve."

Ellie was immediately thanking him. "Part of me feels really greedy for what I am asking for, but when I think of all the opportunities I sacraficied because James did not let me do anything on my own..."

"You're not being greedy," he assured her. "You deserve every penny of the fifty million, Ellie. And aside from a few minor clauses, like signing the confidentiality agreement, I don't see anything in these papers that will prolong this much further.  You will get the settlement that you deserve and rightfully so.  Go home and celebrate.  I am going to review these with a fine tooth comb."

JC had slept for a good hour, still fully clothed, on top of Ellie's bed, knowing full well that there were two complete strangers in the house with him.  That alone was kind of amazing and so not like him.  Ellie was either making him way too comfortable or way too secure. He wasn't sure if he should feel so "ok" with that, but for some odd reason he was more than "ok".  He was perfectly "ok"!  

With a stretch and a yawn he wondered how the appointment had gone with her attorney.  He also found his mind wondering as to whether he'd see much change in her if she did get the 50 million.  He liked Ellie just the way she was; what he constantly found himself describing as "real".  He would be highly disappointed if her divorce settlement changed that fact.  Real was not easy to find in Hell-A. 

Brushing a hand down his face, he remembered how stupid he had been with Ty earlier in the day as his fingertip brushed the left side of his face. He rolled his eyes at his own behavior and then reached for his phone to text his brother.  Are we good? Was all he sent.

Ty responded almost immediately.  I don't know.  Are you pissed?

Pissed because Ty had sucker punched him?  Hmmmm.... he probably should be.  Instead he typed back nope.

Cool.  All good then.

JC responded simply -- yep

Can we do dinner tomorrow?  Ellie too?

JC smiled.  He liked that his brother was finally going to make an effort and show his true colors.  Ty really was a good guy and an awesome brother.  JC really wanted Ellie to see that.  For sure, he answered and put his phone back on the nightstand.  He closed his eyes just before the yelling started in the room next door--something about "how could you do this to me?!" and "you left me stranded in the middle of nowhere!" 

He wasn't sure if he should get up and find out what was going on or stay put in Ellie's bed.  He knew either way, he wasn't going back to sleep.  He also knew, regardless, Ellie was not going to be happy.

© BrandyRae 2013