Chapter 37
Imeet Parker at Regenerative Industries after my trial, my heart rate pounding out of control at the thought of running into Owen.
My eyes are wandering the room when Parker says, “He’s out at the farms with Charlotte.”
I meet his gaze across the table from me in the office cafe. Surprisingly, or maybe not so surprisingly, the place is packed again. Everyone seems settled back in, and it’s business as usual.
“Oh,” I say, unable to form any more words than that.
Parker frowns. “He still hasn’t said anything to you?”
Parker looks surprised at the shake of my head, which has me wondering if Owen’s said anything about me.
“I thought he’d have reached out by now.” Parker can’t hide the sadness behind his words.
I reach out and give his hand a gentle pat, plastering a smile on my face. “I’ll survive. So, where am I being transferred, boss?”
Parker shakes his head at the term. “Owen is still your boss, Nova. I’m only trying to keep the peace around here.
” I scowl at his response, which makes him laugh.
“I know how much you love working with the charities, so I got you a position working with Charlotte over at the community farm school.”
I almost squeal with delight.
Parker laughs again. “I thought you’d like that. It’s mostly administrative stuff, though. Not much fun, but you can work from wherever you want. No need to be on site or in this office. You’ll have to attend mandatory meetings, but that’s it.”
It’s the best I could hope for, actually. “Thank you for doing this for me, Parker. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this.”
Parker’s silence has me searching his face, which is suddenly far too serious.
“Nova, you should never, ever thank me. What you’ve done…
” Parker chokes on his words a bit, totally throwing me off.
“You have my eternal gratitude, and there are no mountains I wouldn’t move for you.
I hope you know that. For fucks’ sake, this whole company would no longer exist if it weren’t for you. You do know that, right?”
Well, when he puts it that way. “I guess I didn’t really think about the broader implications of getting Owen out of jail. I was only focused on him.”
Parker nods. “You don’t ever have to cross paths with him if you don’t want to, but if you want my opinion—”
“I don’t,” I snap.
Parker chuckles but continues, “You should try again.”
I don’t give him any response because I don’t know what to say to him, so I stand, holding out my hand. “I’ll see you Monday for the charity meeting. And don’t forget to have Peyton set up the plants I left in Owen’s office.”
“You aren’t coming to my birthday party?” Parker asks, clasping my hand and not letting me go.
“I don’t think that’s the best idea,” I reply sadly.
Parker shakes his head, dropping my hand. “I understand.”
I spend the weekend punching things. Literally.
Everyone I know and love is at Parker’s birthday party, and I’m too chickenshit to face Owen, so instead, I punch holes all over my apartment until my knuckles are bleeding so badly that I’m dripping blood everywhere.
I really need to get myself a punching bag or start going to a new gym.
Declan paid off the apartment with CIA funds so I could stay here, but my salary probably can’t afford to redo all of the walls, so I finally stop, my anger mostly spent.
I’m attempting to wrap my knuckles when there’s a knock at the door.
I stop, dropping the wrapping material and grabbing my phone.
No messages.
Who would be here on a Saturday night at this hour?
I cautiously approach the door, halting my instinct to grab a knife. The doorman would never let anyone up that I didn’t know.
I crack the door to find livid green eyes glaring at me.
I step back so fast that I almost trip over my own bare feet.
Owen barrels into the apartment, not breaking eye contact as he practically yells, “You replaced yourself with Peyton fucking Radd!”
Oh shit.
I can’t help the laugh that bubbles up, and I smack my hand over my mouth to stop myself.
Owen’s eyes flare when he sees the blood, and I drop my hand, putting both of them behind me.
That’s when he finally looks around and notices the mess I made of the walls.
When his eyes meet mine again, they’ve softened, and there’s a hint of amusement in them.
“I don’t have a punching bag or a gym membership currently,” I spit out as a way of explanation.
“And why, Miss Riley, were you beating up your apartment?”
His low voice and close proximity have my body trembling. It’s completely inappropriate, but I cannot help it. How do I answer him? How do I tell him everything I’m feeling right now and before he walked through that door?
“I was angry,” I say, hoping that’s enough of an answer for him.
“You’re angry? You’re the one who hired my assassin to be my personal assistant in your place.”
Somehow, I hold back the chuckle, but the smile I cannot help. “I had to, or he wouldn’t have testified.”
Owen shakes his head, and I think he’s going to finally step away from me, but he doesn’t. “I told him I’d give him a job. I did not tell him he could have your job.”
“It’s the only job he was qualified for that was in the pay range he demanded.” I pause, realizing something. “He doesn’t start until Monday. How’d you find out?”
Owen’s eyes sharpen. “For some reason, Parker thought it would be a good idea to invite him to his party, and sure enough, Peyton couldn’t stop talking my ear off about his new position.”
I stifle yet another laugh.
Owen narrows his gaze and takes another small step toward me. “I see you find this very amusing, Miss Riley, but I do not. I snapped when he started talking about you.”
My eyes widen, and I can’t help the “oh shit” that escapes my mouth.
“That’s right, Miss Riley. I wasn’t too keen on how he was speaking about you.”
I jump in to defend Peyton for some odd reason and start rambling like an idiot. “He apologized for touching me. He told me it was only to get under your skin to get you to listen to him, which I think was genius and worked very well.”
I look up to find Owen glaring at me, and so I just keep going like the dumbass I am.
“And he promised he’d never do it again, and he did everything I asked him to do, and he helped us get you out of jail, and he helped me get off with no jail time in my own trial, and the crime syndicate is no more, and he played a huge role in that, and I just couldn’t say no when he asked for my job. ”
I squeeze my eyes shut and scrunch my face up, ready for his harsh retaliation.
When I’m met with silence, I crack one eye open to find him watching me with a slight grin.
I punch his shoulder before I can stop myself. “You asshole! You knew all of this and made me stand there and ramble like a complete fucking idiot.”
All Owen says is “Edwin” before he actually laughs.
I huff and turn to walk away, but he grabs my bleeding hand and holds it gently, giving me an out if I want one.
His face softens, the smile disappearing as he stares down at the carnage of my knuckles.
I open my mouth to say something, but snap it shut again, slowly pulling my hand away.
“You knew from the beginning what I’d done?” he asks, still staring at my now-absent hand.
It isn’t really a question, but I nod. My voice shakes as I explain. “I knew what you were suspected of doing. When I got to know you, though, I wanted to believe it was all a misunderstanding. I didn’t want to believe it was true.”
My hands itch to touch him, and I curl them into fists to stop myself. His eyes track my movement.
“Why?” his voice cracks as he says it.
“Fuck Owen, if you haven’t figured out why by now… Did you not see the people who showed up for your trial? Who showed up for you? Who decided they didn’t give a fuck what you’d done because you’ve created a better world for every one of them?”
I don’t know how, but suddenly Owen is closer. Close enough that his familiar scent washes over me, and I suddenly can’t breathe.
“What you did for me…” Owen stumbles over his words. “What you did… How can I ever thank you?”
“Thank me?” I shake my head. “You shouldn’t be thanking me. I lied to you. I was the person responsible for putting you behind bars in the first place. I let you believe I was a different person.”
I can’t find it in me to meet his eyes, so I stare at his broad chest. My nails are now digging into my palms so hard that droplets of blood form.
“Are you a different person?” he asks.
My head shoots up, and I narrow my gaze, not understanding his question.
“The way you were with me was that you, or was it an act?”
I squeeze my eyes shut, trying and failing so miserably at hiding my emotion.
When I open them, a single tear slides free, tumbling down my cheek.
“At first, it was an act. You were just another target. But damnit if I wasn’t absolutely livid at how fast you were able to tear down every wall and boundary I’d put around myself the moment my father was murdered.
I wanted it to be an act. I was so desperate to keep my distance and yet I… couldn’t.”
I finally look into his beautiful green eyes to find them glassy, but he doesn’t say anything, so I continue with my rambling.
“You weaseled your way so easily into my life. It felt as if you belonged there. Like you’d always been there.
And fuck did I want to murder those naked women in your office. I’d never felt so…” I trail off.
“I think the word you’re looking for is jealous.”
Damnit. The way he is smiling at me, with the easy arrogance I am used to…
I roll my eyes, and he chuckles but lets me finish. “If you’re asking if you’ve been with the real me, then the answer is yes. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever been more myself with anyone.”
Owen narrows his gaze as if studying me.
When he opens his mouth, my stomach tightens so hard that I think I’ll puke. “I love you!” I blurt far louder than I intended.
His eyes widen, and he takes a step back. My fragile heart is so afraid of rejection that I still can’t stop the tumble of words coming out of my mouth. “I should have told you that at the jail. Hell, I should have told you before that moment. I was a coward. And scared—”
Owen cuts me off by grabbing my chin and forcing me to look at him. He leans in, impossibly close to my lips, and whispers, “How is it that you can put the most notorious criminals behind bars and survive multiple shootouts without backup, but you’re afraid to tell me you love me?”
My voice wavers a bit. “Because you scare the shit out of me, Owen Mills. Because I’m afraid to lose you again.”
“You never lost me, Nova. I was yours from the moment I laid eyes on you.”
His words send a shiver down my spine, but I remain frozen in his grip, staring into depthless green eyes. Eyes I never thought I’d be able to see again.
Owen rests his forehead against mine, and his breath skates along my lips.
“And you saved me, Nova. Not just from this trial but from myself. You made me feel like I was worth loving for the first time since my mother died. Most importantly, you gave me a reason to keep fighting for what I believe in.”
I can’t stop the second tear escaping down my cheek. This time, Owen releases my chin and wipes it away with his thumb.
“The plants, too. You filled my office with plants even when you thought I’d never speak to you again.”
This time, I smile through my tears. “I promised you plants for your office, Mr. Mills.”
“Our office.”
I cock my head to the side. “You mean your and Edwin’s office.”
Owen laughs, and it’s a balm for my weary soul, erasing all the tension that I’ve been holding for far too long.
“You’re mine, Miss Riley. You always have been, and you always will be. If you’ll have me.”
Fuck if those words don’t flow straight through me. I reach up to pull him toward me and he smiles, the dimple making an appearance the second before our lips crash together.
And it feels like coming home.