Remnants of Riley

Epilogue 2

“Is she going to rent?”

Emmett and I sit on the patio at one of the bars near the office that we’ve grown to like. It’s become a weekly routine to come here for drinks after work on Mondays, even if we’re not working out of the office. The place is small, the crowd quiet. Usually full of people who work in the area just looking to relax after work with a few drinks.

I pull my tie free from my shirt and unbutton the top two buttons. It’s only May, and I’m already sweating my balls off. I scoot my chair to the side a little more, letting the umbrella at our table block out the sun.

“Nah,” Emmett says, taking a sip from his whiskey. “I’d rather just buy her a place so she can make it her own. She’ll be there at least four years, so it makes more sense than renting.”

Riley was originally looking at schools within a few hours’ radius, but ultimately applied and was accepted into a program in Tennessee. Emmett’s been wound up and moody as hell ever since, hating the idea of her being so far away. Even though he was the one who suggested she go back to school in the first place.

And for Christ”s sake, he’ll probably spend ninety percent of his time there with her, anyway.

“You’re stressing about this too much,” I tell him as delicately as I can. His protectiveness over Riley has been a sore topic ever since her psycho of an ex kidnapped and tortured her.

“I know.” He blows out a long breath, the tension rolling off him in thick waves. “I just hate the idea of her moving away.”

“You know, you could just move there with her. I have things under control here.”

He scoffs, setting his glass down on the table. “I’m not dropping everything on you.”

I shrug. “You wouldn’t be. I can handle overseeing the apartment renovations. I’m sure Tracy and Blake can help with your clients, and almost everything else can be done remotely.”

“That’s not what I mean.”

He’s not worried about leaving too much work for me. He’s worried about leaving me.

I ignore the way it makes my chest tighten. We’ve been by each other”s side for so long, him leaving will be like losing my right hand. But I would never ask him to stay here, never make him choose between Riley and me. Because I’d never win in that scenario. And I shouldn’t.

Besides, it’s only temporary.

Picking up my beer, I tilt it toward him. “You’re finally happy, man. Go enjoy Tennessee with your woman. I know it’ll be tough, but you can live without me for a bit.”

He grunts, but his eyes light up when he says, “I really am happy. I really fucking am.” He lifts his own glass and we each take a drink.

If you had told me a year ago that Emmett Raythorne would fall in love and settle down, I would have never in a million years believed you.

Yet here we are, about to start a long distance bromance, all because of some girl.

I couldn’t be happier for him.

I wave the waitress down and pay our tab, but before we can leave, Emmett’s phone rings. He digs it out of his pocket, brows dipping in concern when he looks at it.

“It’s Gio,” he says.

My stomach drops. Gio calling out of the blue can’t mean anything good, especially after the favor he and Vin did helping us find Riley.

“Put it on speaker,” I tell him.

“Gio,” Emmett answers, his voice casual despite the tense set of his jaw. He sets the phone down on the table between us. Thankfully, there are only a few people out on the patio right now, so there isn’t a lot of background noise.

“Emmett, how are you? I hope Riley is continuing to recover well.” Gio’s voice is like silk through the phone. It always amazed me how deceptively comforting the man”s voice was. He could be threatening your goddamn life with a hacksaw, and his voice would be like a lullaby the entire time. I almost prefer the obvious terror that Vin emanates. At least you know what to expect.

“She is,” Emmett responds without elaborating further.

“Good to hear.” Gio pauses, his voice dropping. “Terrible thing she went through. I’m glad Vin was able to come through for you.”

My eyes snap to Emmett’s. We both know where this is going.

“As am I,” Emmett says. “But I’m guessing you didn’t call for a wellness check.”

“I need you in New York,” Gio responds, not missing a beat. “I want to liquidate half the portfolio, and I need you here to oversee that everything goes smoothly.”

Half? That’s hundreds of millions he’s trying to free up. What the hell is he planning?

“When do you need me?” Emmett asks, dropping his forehead into his hand.

“Next month. Enzo will walk you through everything when you get here.”

Emmett looks up at me, and I hate the conflict I see in his eyes. He can’t say no, but he doesn’t want to risk bringing Riley with and getting her involved. And who knows how long it will actually take to sell everything off? He could be up there for the rest of the goddamn year.

I do the only thing I can.

“Gio,” I say. “It’s Jax. I’ll come up and take care of everything.” Emmett’s nostrils flare as he reaches out to grab the phone, no doubt so he can take it off speaker and tell Gio to ignore me, so I snatch it before he can. “Call me when you have the details.” I end the call.

“You’re a son of a bitch, you know that?” Emmett seethes. “What the fuck are you doing?”

I toss his phone back onto the table. “Saving your ass from making an impossible decision.”

“It’s my debt to pay.”

“Yeah, but you have someone other than yourself to think about now.” He’ll have to run the day to day of the business while I’m away, but at least if he’s here overseeing things, he can still get away to Tennessee from time to time to visit Riley.

“Christ, Jax. You sure you want to get pulled back into his shit?” He runs a hand through his beard.

The beard’s not the only thing that”s changed since Riley came back. Emmett’s become a completely different person with her. Like there was a big teddy bear buried in him all this time, but she’s the only one who gets to see it. Still an asshole with everyone else but… baby steps.

“Yeah, man,” I reassure him. “It’s just a few months. I’ll be fine.”

What’s a little more dirty money on my hands after all these years? Besides, if I royally fuck up, I like to think Vin likes me enough to take mercy on me and not torture me before throwing me in a river.

We get up and walk down the sidewalk toward our office in comfortable silence. The warm smell of spring and fresh earth fills my nose, the sun illuminating all the leaves in the trees along the sidewalk. Spring flowers dot the entryways to some of the businesses, adding bursts of color along the way.

I should tell Riley to get some flower pots for our office.

I’ve always loved this time of year. It holds a sense of promise, this feeling that anything could happen if I just reach out and take it. The feeling settles over me like a heavy blanket, offering a bit of peace I didn’t realize I needed right now.

Emmett’s more and less at peace now than I’ve ever seen him before. It’s a weird dichotomy. Like Riley can simultaneously tame him with the flick of her little finger, and at the same time, he’d burn the entire fucking world down for her.

But it’s that peace I glimpse in him that tells me he’s right where he needs to be in life.

Yeah, I made the right decision to take his place. Emmett needs Riley just as much as she needs him.

He slaps me on the back as we reach my car. “If you change your mind or need any help, just say the word and I’ll be up there.”

I turn and pull him into a hug. He shifts awkwardly before finally embracing it. “I know, brother,” I say, and squeeze a little tighter. “I know.”

Emmett’s found his peace. And hopefully soon, I’ll find my own.

“I want my name taken off that LLC you set up.”

Tracy stares down at me from across my desk, the usual fire in her eyes she always has when we have this discussion.

She’s wearing this fitted white dress that hugs her curves perfectly. It’s cut just low enough for me to admire her ample chest, and annoy me that she just met with her new client dressed like that. Her blonde hair and sun-kissed skin radiate, and she looks so damn beautiful. It makes me want to take her home and lock her in my bedroom, so only my eyes can feast upon her.

Normally, I wouldn’t care how she dresses for work, and it’s not that she’s dressed inappropriately, but that she looks so damn good. Plus, it irks me that she met with this particular client dressed like that.

I just gave her the client last week and I’m already regretting it. A little digging after the fact told me that Cayden Ivenson is a notorious playboy, and I handed him Tracy on a silver platter. I should have had Emmett work with him. At least then I wouldn’t have to worry about them fucking.

“What LLC?” I ask, leaning back in my chair and bringing my hands behind my head.

“Don’t play stupid, Blake. It’s not a good look for you.” She studies her nails, like it’s no big deal that we’re talking about the very illegal shell company I created under her name without her knowledge.

“You want your name off it? Just sign the papers.” I grin at her.

“You’re fucking crazy.”

I lean back over my desk and bring my laptop to life, like I have anything remotely as important as her to deal with right now. “It’s your choice, Trace. Ball’s in your court.”

She throws her hands up, a look of pure hatred on her face. “So either I marry you, or you blackmail me for all of eternity with this shell company? You can’t bully your way back into my life, Blake!”

I shrug, but can’t ignore the thrill that rushes through me at the idea of having her as my wife. “Either way, you’re stuck with me.” My eyes meet her baby blues, and they’re my undoing. “Til death do us part, sunshine.”