Chapter 19
Evans and Thatch hissed low curses.
Rush dragged a hand over his face.
Mallory tensed at the implication, but just as those shields started forming, my attention snapped to our team leader. “What happens when you and Lainey don’t work out?” I tossed back coldly and watched as his expression darkened in warning.
“We’re different.”
“Briggs—” Thatch began, but I spoke over him.
“And why’s that?”
“Because every woman catches your eye,” Briggs said unapologetically. “And I have a company to protect from your fallout.”
“Briggs,” Rush warned on a low, disapproving murmur.
“I’m not saying anything we don’t already know,” Briggs defended. “Monroe included.”
“But I would never throw your past in your face like it was a reason your marriage wouldn’t work out,” I seethed before gesturing to Mallory and admitting, “And, you’re right.
She does know every single thing about me, and that’s taken years away from us.
But she’s the one who gets to decide if she can handle my past. You don’t get to use it against us the way you just did.
“As for your company . . .” I used the same hand to carelessly wave at Briggs. “Right now, I’m kind of wondering if I even wanna still work for you.”
Briggs studied me, his face cold and unreadable, before he gave a subtle dip of his chin.
“I wasn’t much better than Gray,” Thatch began, then straightened in his chair and cleared his throat.
“You all knew that. I also have a lot of demons that, honestly, still terrify me for Chloe whenever I think about them too long. But you never once used any of that against me in my relationship and marriage with Chloe.” He glanced at Briggs. “You encouraged me.”
“I almost let you go because of the way you handled nearly every conversation with Chloe,” Briggs reminded him.
“You kept making the happiest woman I’ve ever met cry.
You kept going against every rule I laid out.
It was hurting my company.” The last words were said slowly, as if to drive home his original point.
“When that change happened for you?” Briggs went on. “When you went from viewing her like a threat to wanting to protect her?” He held up a hand before letting it fall again. “Yeah, I encouraged that—encouraged you—because I knew she was it for you, just like I knew you wouldn’t hurt her.”
A bitter sound ripped from me, but Thatch held up a hand to keep me from responding as he firmly repeated, “But my past wasn’t much different than Gray’s, and you’re using that against him.”
“Because Chloe came into your life and changed who you were and what you wanted,” Briggs informed him, ignoring when Rush tried to get him to stop. “It was the same for me with Lainey. Monroe isn’t someone new who’s coming into Gray’s life to make him see that he wants something different.”
“That’s enough.” The words lashed from me, fueled by my anger and years of regret. Regret that surged when I looked across the table to see uncertainty and insecurity seeping through the cracks in Mallory’s armor, her blank stare on the table.
As if a few careless statements from Briggs were enough to undo everything from our earlier conversation.
“Briggs . . .” Rush began, his voice filled with that same disapproval from earlier. “Man, that was too far.”
Briggs tipped his head as if to say someone needed to say it.
Not that I should’ve expected anything less. Again, Briggs said whatever he was thinking. It didn’t matter who he potentially offended or hurt in the process.
“I did things I shouldn’t have,” I admitted through clenched teeth. Not that I owed them anything, but, like Briggs said, this was nothing they didn’t already know. “I know that. Monroe knows that. But she also knows it’s always been her for me, and that’s all that matters from here on out.”
A clear disagreement formed on Briggs’ expression, but just as his mouth opened, I snapped, “Don’t,” in warning.
“For someone who just got on me, saying you expected our friendship and this job to mean more to me, what about you?” I firmly pressed a hand to my chest. “Because I was confiding in you when you said that to me. But you? You’re risking twelve years of friendship—of family—all because you think you know who I am.
I promise you, you don’t. I promise you, you don’t have the first clue about what’s really been going on between Monroe and me all these years.
And I promise you, if you keep putting your incorrect assumptions in her head, forcing a wall between us all over again, I’m walking out of Shadow and never coming back. ”
Thatch nodded, the corner of his mouth lifting in approval.
Briggs studied me for a while before conceding, “I hear you, but understand where I’m coming from as the owner of this company, not just your friend.”
A tense laugh bled from me as I prepared to do exactly that—leave.
“After how strained these last months have been,” he went on, “after Monroe lost it on a detail, then told me she was leaving because it’s too hard to work with you—”
“Because it’s always been him for me too,” Mallory said over him, even though her voice lacked strength or any kind of emotion.
“I reacted emotionally and hurt your company. I did that—not Gray. I also owned that. Fire me, or don’t.
Accept that we’ve stopped pushing each other away, or don’t.
” Finally shifting her lifeless stare from the table, she focused on Briggs.
“But know that, even though I just said this is my home and my family, everything you said following that has me ready to leave if Gray does.”
Briggs took the monotonous threat stoically before eventually sitting back with a muted sigh.
“These are valid concerns,” he defended with a shrug.
“You can’t fault me for worrying about both of y’all and my company when y’all have always been explosive at best. When you have always resorted to violence first, especially with Gray.
” He directed the words at Mallory before narrowing his dark eyes on me.
“You have always had a wandering eye. And y’all had, what, ten years to get together, and didn’t? ”
“I can fault you for almost everything you said, actually,” I muttered coldly.
“You know, there isn’t much about your past I know because you’ve always kept that locked up tight, but I’m pretty sure this guy knows.
” I nodded in Rush’s direction. “Did he use any of that against you when it came to your relationship with Lainey? Did he hint that your marriage might not last because of it? Better yet, did Lainey use any of it against you when she found out?”
Briggs didn’t even glance in Rush’s direction, he just stared me down with a look that gave nothing away.
“Rush didn’t have to,” he finally said in low warning.
“I hurt Lainey because of my past. Repeatedly. I also used other parts of my past and my current life to try to prevent us from happening. So, I’m not singling you and Monroe out.
” He leaned forward to brace his arms on the table again.
“I tried to prevent my own relationship and marriage. If Chloe hadn’t helped with Thatch’s past in obvious ways—if he hadn’t gone back to therapy—I would’ve had conversations with him like this.
And I’m sure I’ll have something to say whenever Rush and Evans find someone. ”
He lifted a hand just a fraction off the table, but it was enough to stop me when I started letting him know this conversation had felt like more of an attack on my character than what he was talking about.
“If y’all want to say it’s always been the two of you for each other, then great.
” One of his shoulders lifted, the action nearly as slight as the hand raise.
“I hope it works out for you. Honestly, I do. But before you come back at me for anything else, stop and think about how we all just found out y’all are married. Well, except for Evans,” he relented.
“And me,” Thatch added, earning a sharp, bemused look from Briggs. “I found out yesterday.”
Briggs’ mouth opened only to shut. “I was with the two of you yesterday.”
Thatch shrugged as if he’d enjoyed knowing something Briggs hadn’t, when he’d always hated secrets between any of us. “And I found out before I texted you.”
“You didn’t believe me when I told you the first time,” I reminded Briggs. “Didn’t see a point in telling you again.”
“You told them?” Mallory hissed, even though her eyes were wide with wonder and worry, as if she was trying to figure out what had led to me telling them.
I slanted my head her way and lowered my voice to an unrepentant mumble. “I was losing you, Peach.”
Her brows drew together in sorrow before smoothing out when Briggs continued.
“Fine. How Rush and I found out y’all are married.
Not even in a relationship—already married.
We found out in the middle of one of your arguments, after months of Monroe being a shell of herself.
Months where we were all sure you were sleeping with at least one other person.
” He waited until my attention was back on him to give me a meaningful look.
“I’d have conversations with both of you regardless. But that’s what I’m going off.”
Silence filled the conference room before I finally nodded.
“I haven’t been,” I began, then swallowed uncomfortably.
“Monroe and I have been going around in circles on this, and I know part of the reason why she doesn’t believe it is because y’all are so sure of it too, but I haven’t been with anyone in years,” I told them, then hurried to add, “I like being around people. I liked going on dates because I like being around people. But nearly every one of those women knew what wouldn’t be happening and why before we ever went out for a fun, no-expectations dinner.
And, yeah, I liked picking up women because I knew it irritated Monroe, and irritating Monroe has always been a favorite pastime.
” The corner of my mouth twitched sadly.
“What did it matter what I was doing when I knew—thought I knew—she wanted nothing to do with me?
“However,” I continued as my stare sought out hers, “these past few days especially have made me painfully aware of how I come across to women, even when I couldn’t be more disinterested.
And I know all those things combined are the main reason behind why Monroe’s struggling to believe anything about—well, the entire time I’ve known her.
” I flicked my attention Briggs’ way again.
“And what you implied about our future isn’t gonna help. ”
Briggs glanced between us before pulling his tablet in front of him and repeating, “Like I said, I hope it works out for you.” With another meaningful look from Mallory to me, he added, “Really. And not just for the sake of Shadow.”
“What he means is congratulations,” Rush said. “I’m happy for y’all, and I know he is too.”
Briggs slanted a glare at Rush. “I said I was.”
A sharp laugh burst from Thatch as Rush shook his head, fighting a smile. “Briggs . . .” Amusement laced Rush’s tone. “No. Not even close.”
Briggs gave his best friend a dull look, then focused on Mallory. “I’m—” Dark eyes snapped my way when my phone chimed. “Meeting, Gray.”
“Is that what this is?” Evans murmured as the chime sounded again, his sarcasm nearly drowned out by a healthy dose of irritation.
“Was just focused on getting here,” I said apologetically as I slipped my hand into my pocket to turn my phone on vibrate. But when it went off again almost immediately, I slowly slipped the device from my pocket.
It could’ve been anyone.
It could’ve been any of my cousins checking in after how I’d run out after Mallory. It could’ve been my parents or my sisters, if they’d found out I’d gone to Amber and hadn’t gone to visit.
But something ominous and cold crawled up my spine and gripped tight as Tessa’s features flashed through my mind again and mixed with Briggs’ earlier words, drowning out what he was saying to Mallory right then.
“Are your cousins capable? Tell them to start watching her immediately.”
My stomach dropped when I glanced at the lock screen of my phone, filled with messages from Cayson and his wife.
Just as I started tapping into them, another popped up from Emberly, sending me to her thread first.
Emberly Dixon
What’d she say when you saw her?!
Like EXACT words, Hudson!
Without responding, I moved into my messages with Cayson, my lungs straining as I read what he’d sent.
Cayson Dixon
You need to get back here. We might’ve been wrong.
Tessa’s gone.