Chapter 14 Emma #2
“Just—” I gesture vaguely. “He’s trying. I’m trying. We’re both trying really hard to have normal conversations and it’s like we’ve forgotten how to talk to each other without arguing. We kind of have to learn how to be around each other again.”
“That’ll pass,” Kya says with confidence. “Stone’s not great at emotions, but he cares. He’s just shit at showing it. I like to think of him as a really aggressive teddy bear—looks scary, will definitely hurt you if necessary, but deep down he just wants everyone he loves to be safe and happy.”
“That’s . . . actually kind of accurate,” I admit.
Lee appears then, sweaty and irritated, carrying a box of liquor bottles. “Found your missing inventory,” he says to Kya. “It was behind the water heater. Why the fuck was it behind the water heater?”
Kya raises her hand with a regal little wave. “That was my fault. I was hiding it from Cash because he gets grabby with the good stuff when he’s buzzed and I was trying to save it for a club event.”
“Not my fault you order cheaper shit for house drinks. You want premium bourbon not to be ‘grabby,’ don’t put it within arm’s reach behind the bar,” Cash says, not missing a beat.
Lee rolls his eyes, shoves the box onto a chair, and slides in next to me. “You still pissed at me?”
I blink. “Was I pissed at you?”
“You’ve barely spoken to me since you got back. Figured you were mad I was with Dad that morning. It wasn’t me who told him. In fact, I was trying to keep him away.”
“Oh.” I hadn’t even thought about that. “No, I’m not mad. You were just being a good brother. I never even considered that you were there to back him up. I saw you as the peacekeeper.”
“Good.” He nods, satisfied, then reaches around me and claps Bones on the shoulder. “You coming to the fight night thing next week? Tank’s organizing it.”
“Maybe,” Bones says. “Depends on if Emma’s got class that night.”
“You don’t have to skip fight night for me,” I say, nudging him. “I’m not going to die if you leave me alone for a few hours.”
“I know. But I’d rather be with you.”
The table makes various noises of disgust at the sappiness, but I just smile and kiss his cheek.
“You two are disgustingly cute,” Mercy says. “I hate it.”
“No you don’t,” Cash counters. “You literally celebrated their reunion. Got teary and everything.”
“I did not—”
“You absolutely did. I saw you.”
“If this were a movie, we’d all be crying. Thirteen years pining. He rescues her. They fight. And then . . . well, the entire club heard that part.”
I blush at the memory as Bones smirks. “Yeah. We may have gotten a little lost in the heat of the moment that day.”
“Heat?” Mercy fans herself with the back of her hand. “You two were combustible. And then you have the whole defying orders to get you home to safety, another six months of pining . . . How could I not get emotional when you showed back up here again?”
“I love love,” Kya says in a tone that’s at once deadpan and almost wistful. “But I also love when people say the quiet part out loud, so here’s to you both finally getting it together. It’s honestly inspiring.”
Bones lets out a chuckle. “You getting soft there, Sullivan?”
Kya brandishes her glass like it’s a weapon. “Don’t make me throw you out of the booth, Bones. I bench more than you these days.”
“She’s not kidding,” Lee mutters. “She squats me. For fun.”
“Don’t threaten me with a good time,” Kya fires back, and Lee practically chokes on his drink.
I lean my head on Bones’s shoulder, watching my friends—my family—fall into a rhythm I haven’t been part of for years. It’s easy to forget, for a second, exactly how much time I’ve missed. How much this town and these people have changed while I was away.
But it’s also easy to see how much nothing has changed, either—like the way Ginger and Tank walk in, his arm slung over her shoulders like she’s his precious cargo to protect. They beeline straight for our table.
“Emergency meeting,” Tank announces. “We’re taking a vote. Ginger wants to get a dog. I think we should get a cat. Emma, you’re the tiebreaker.”
“Why am I the tiebreaker?”
“Because you’re neutral territory,” Ginger says, sliding into the booth next to me and forcing everyone to rearrange. “You don’t have a stake in this.”
“I have a stake,” Kya interjects. “Get a cat. Dogs are too much work.”
“Says the woman who owns a bar,” Tank mutters. “That’s literally constant work.”
“Different kind of work. I can leave a bar and it doesn’t shit on my floor.”
“If we get a dog, I promise to clean up all the shit,” Ginger says to Tank sweetly.
“You say that now—”
“I solemnly swear on my love for you that I will handle all dog-related bodily functions.”
Tank looks at her for a long moment, then sighs. “Fine. We can get a dog.”
Ginger squeals and kisses him, and Tank pretends to be annoyed but I can see him fighting a smile.
“You’re all whipped,” Cash observes. “Every single one of you.”
“Says the guy who drove two hours to find the specific brand of chocolate his old lady likes,” Bones points out.
“That was one time—”
“It was last week,” Mercy says smugly. “It was that time of the month, and I really appreciated it.”
The banter continues, easy and warm, and I realize this is what I’ve been missing in New York. This sense of community. Of family. Of belonging somewhere that didn’t have a competitive undercurrent that you have to constantly be on your guard from.
I catch Bones watching me, and he leans in close enough that only I can hear. “You good?”
“I’m really good,” I say, meaning it. “In fact, I’m pretty near perfect.”