The Mercenary and the Mortician (The Silent Hollow #1)

90. Ryan Fairview

Alexa, play: I Wanna Dance With Somebody - Sleep Token

I was going to have a fucking panic attack.

Everything was perfect, which meant I was missing something. I just knew that as soon as I let the first patrons in, I would realize I had forgotten something stupid. Like the hearse would need gas or something…

Holy fuck, I didn’t fill the hearse up with gas!

I rushed out of my office, snatching up the keys on my way to the garage. Theo was lounging on the steps that led up to her apartment above the garage, smoking a joint.

She took one look at my obviously anxious face and smirked.

“What are you freaking out about now?”

“I’m such a fucking idiot, I forgot to fill up!” I cried, jamming my finger into the garage door opener. People were going to start arriving at any moment, but if I hurried, I might be able to get to the station down the street and back in time.

“Relax, Ryan. Your boyfriend took care of that yesterday.”

I was already in the front seat, ramming the keys into the ignition as Theo’s words registered.

Wait… what?

Sure enough, the needle on the gas dial flipped to point at ‘full’ as the engine rumbled to life, and a rushing sense of relief rolled through me.

Thank fuck Cal did that… How did he even know to do that?

The cuts that carved out his name on the inside of my bicep throbbed as my chest swelled with warmth.

This fucking man… he surprised me every day. I didn’t think it was possible to love someone as much as I loved him.

After holding each other and kissing for a long time in the tub the night before, Cal had carefully disinfected the wounds he had inflicted and bandaged me up.

The marks were covered easily by a T-shirt or shorts and even more easily by my shirt and suit jacket.

As much as I knew that the trauma he had sustained would likely take an entire lifetime to overcome, last night had been a step in the right direction.

He hadn’t skirted the tub this morning like he normally did. And when I put on his playlist while we brushed our teeth, a small smile ghosted across his lips.

And now, I was sitting in a fueled-up hearse moments before my big reopening because Cal had the foresight to take care of me in ways no one really had before.

We were fucking made for each other.

Smiling to myself, I cut the engine and hurried back toward the house, pausing briefly as Theo called my name again.

“Speaking of the psycho, he said he needed your help with something upstairs. You should probably check on him before the service starts.”

The relief I had felt just moments before evaporated, and my anxiety returned.

What could he possibly need help with!?

Was he okay?

It wasn’t like him to ask for help with anything… fuck.

Maybe last night was too much for him…

“Thanks,” I grunted before shooting toward the house. Suddenly, the service seemed secondary. All I could think of was Cal and how much I hated the pained look he got on his face when his demons came for him.

I took the stairs two at a time, ignoring the sting of the cuts on my thigh as I burst into our bedroom.

“Cal, are you—” The words died on my tongue as my gaze fell on the man himself.

He was standing in the center of our room in a gorgeous black suit. My eyes followed the straight lines of his perfectly tailored pants up to his crisp white shirt tucked in under a designer jacket. The jacket pinched in perfectly at his waist, and his broad shoulders cut like blades under the expensive fabric, making my mouth dry up.

He was fumbling with a black tie, his brow furrowed in frustration as he struggled to make a knot.

“Jesus Christ, the dude in the YouTube video made this seem so fucking easy…” he muttered as I gaped at him in shock.

“Angel… you look…” My mouth was so fucking dry I could barely form words, and I shuddered as my dick immediately hardened.

Callum fucking Walker was standing before me in a suit, and he looked so good it should be a sin.

He glanced up at me, one of his adorably good-natured grins cocking on his lips.

And… was that… was that a little blush that was staining his cheeks?

“Do you like it? Cass helped me pick it out. I’ve never worn a suit before.”

“Do I like it?” I croaked, stepping forward so I could help him with his tie. “Callum, I’m five seconds away from saying fuck this service and begging you to bend me over your knee.”

He barked out a laugh and smiled down at me as I got to work on his tie, taking my sweet time slipping the silk tails into a neat, clean knot.

“That good, huh?” He smirked at me, watching my fingers as they deftly tightened the tie under his collar. I swallowed hard and nodded.

“How’s that? Too tight?” My voice was raspy and strained, causing his grin to widen.

“No, it’s perfect, baby,” he purred, leaning forward to ghost his lips over mine.

I closed my eyes and inhaled his scent, relishing in the mint on his breath as it mingled with his musky bergamot cologne.

“What’s this all about?” I whispered, and he brushed a thumb against my jawbone, pulling back to meet my eyes.

“I thought… Well, if you would let me, I thought I could help you with Fairview.”

My heart skipped a beat, and my eyes widened in surprise.

“You want… to help?” I breathed, and his eyes shone. He nodded.

“Yeah. I wasn’t kidding when I said I wanted to help you achieve your dreams, Ryan. If this place is what makes you happy, then I want to be a part of it.”

An overwhelming rush of emotion washed over me so suddenly that the choking sound that escaped my lips surprised me.

My eyes burned as tears welled, and my hand flew to my mouth, a wet laugh babbling out of my mouth.

“ Really?” I asked, so fucking touched by his words I felt like I needed to pinch myself to make sure this moment was real.

He wrapped his hands around my hips and tugged me into him, dropping a kiss on my forehead.

“Yes, really. I want to be a part of everything you do, Ryan. Like you said, we’re in this together.”

I leaned back and met his eyes, shuddering as he gently brushed one of my tears away with his thumb.

“Forever?”

He nodded, chuckling. “Yes, baby. Forever.”