Chapter 17
S ailor
"What about Comfort Food? I haven't been there in ages."
Rival looked up from his coffee, considering. "Southern food. Sounds good to me."
After a morning that had left me feeling both physically satisfied and emotionally off-balance, we decided to do brunch. Having sex again shifted something between us, creating a new dynamic I wasn't entirely sure how to navigate. This time it wasn’t orgasms. We connected.
Sex had always been straightforward for me, a physical need, but with Rival, I felt different, more exposed somehow. The way he looked at me and touched me, like I was his, it was unsettling.
"I'll make a reservation. They’re always packed on Sundays." I reached for my phone.
Twenty minutes later, we were in his truck heading toward Brookwood Hills. I opted for casual. A sundress and Rival was typical Rival, dark jeans and a graphic tee that showed off the body I was now addicted to.
“Do you think your family has a group chat about us?”
I grinned and shook my head. “Nope. They said it all last night. Speaking of, what did Teej say to you before we left?”
"He wanted to make sure I understood what I was getting into. Said you were worth the trouble, but there would definitely be trouble."
"They make me sound horrible.”
Rival chuckled. "He also said if I hurt you, they would never find my body."
I nearly choked. "He didn't."
"He did. Very calmly, with a smile, while shaking my hand."
I groaned, covering my face. "My family is embarrassing and a lot."
"Nah, they’re cool. They care about you."
"They're overprotective. There's a difference."
Rival shrugged, turning into the restaurant parking lot. “Either way, I get it, they love you."
We parked and he opened my door. After I was on my feet, he jerked me into his chest and his mouth was on mine. The kiss had me ready to say fuck food, but Rival took my hand and dragged me toward the entrance.
Comfort Food was busy, as expected for Sunday brunch, but our reservation secured us a table near the windows, so I was happy.
"You come here often?"
"Not as much as I would like to. Work keeps me busy, and when I do go out, it's usually to places with more of a social scene."
"You mean places where you would meet your next victim." I cringed but he kept his tone neutral.
"That's not always my motivation for going out."
"But it was a motivation."
Before I could respond, a waiter appeared to take our drink orders. I opted for a mimosa, Rival picked just juice. When we were alone again, I studied Rival's face, trying to read his expression.
"Does my past bother you?"
"It's not about bothering me. It's more about me understanding who you are and what you want."
"What do you think I want?"
"That's what I'm trying to figure out."
“I don’t know what I want, but this feels good.”
He stared at me for a minute. “So stop fighting me then, because making you feel good is easy, Sail.”
My pussy received the message even if that wasn’t his intent but our conversation was interrupted when our drinks arrived. I sipped my mimosa and noticed Rival's attention shift to something or someone behind me. His expression turned dark, which had me tense.
"What’s wrong?" I asked, turning to follow what shifted his mood.
That was when I saw the problem. Julian Parker, a hedge fund manager I'd hooked up with a few times, one of which had him picking me up from my apartment one evening Rival had stayed late enough to cross paths with him. He was making his way through the restaurant with his eyes locked on me. I assumed Rival remembered him until he spoke.
"Don’t you know him?"
"Just an acquaintance.” I really fucking hoped Julian wouldn't make this a thing but no such luck.
"Damn, Sail. What a surprise. I haven’t seen you in a minute."
I plastered on a polite smile. "Yeah, that was intentional?"
His eyes moved over me appreciatively before landing on Rival. "And who's this?"
"My husband, Rival Hassan." The words felt strange. “Rival, this is Julian Parker."
Julian smiled arrogantly. "Husband? That's unexpected." He glanced at me, then extended his hand to Rival. "Nice to meet you."
When Rival looked at his hand and leaned back in his chair, I knew things were about to go left. “You heard her say husband, right?”
There was an awkward silence with Julian’s dumb ass still standing beside our table, clearly not processing what was happening, or maybe he didn’t care. "Yeah, I heard. So when did this happen? I don't recall seeing an announcement."
"It was a private ceremony. Just family."
"Very private considering I saw you at Bar London like what, two months ago? You damn sure didn’t have a ring then."
“Either you’re incredibly fucking stupid or you just want to ruin the rest of your week,” Rival said calmly.
“Nah, I’m just curious. Sail was never the commitment type when we were…” he trailed off and glanced at Rival before he finished, “acquainted.”
“Julian, you should leave.”
"Does he know about your little arrangement with the bartender at Levels? Or that weekend in Savannah with me and Davis? Or?—"
Rival was out of his seat so fast I barely processed what was happening until the woman near us screamed something about getting help. I blinked and pushed my chair back, almost falling over when I grabbed Rival’s arm mid-air to stop him from making contact with Julian’s face again. Based on the blood and swelling, he had already hit him multiple times.
“Rival, stop, please.”
He swung his eyes to me and the rage in them had me wanting to step back but this was assault and I had to get him out of here. He glared at Julian one last time who had crawled back and managed to stagger to his feet.
“You just might lose your first case, Sail. I’m gonna sue the shit out of that muthafucker.” Julian had a hand on his face but made the mistake of taking a step toward us.
"Walk the fuck away," Rival warned, his voice had me considering a quick escape. "Now."
Julian’s pride was crushed as he looked around but he had enough sense to leave.
“You're fucking crazy," Julian muttered, but he backed away, retreating toward the exit.
The restaurant had gone quiet and all eyes were on our table. Rival stood there for a moment, fists clenched at his sides before his eyes were on me again.
"We should go," I said quietly, signaling for the check.
Rival nodded with his jaw tight and eyes still fixed on the door Julian had exited through. The waiter hurried to our table, clearly just as ready for us to leave.
"Is everything alright? Can I get you anything else?"
"Just the check.”
He nodded but Rival had already tossed a hundred and three twenties on the table, which was more than enough to cover our forty-dollar meal.
Once we were back in his truck, an uncomfortable silence settled between us. Rival's body was tight with anger.
"You didn't have to do that," I finally said as we pulled away from the restaurant.
"Yes, the fuck I did."
"I can handle myself, Rival. I don't need you defending my honor like I’m fragile or…”
“You are my wife, Sailor, and that wasn’t about your damn honor. That was about respect. Basic human fucking decency."
"I get that but?—"
"But nothing, Sailor." Rival cut me off and the anger in his tone was thick. "He disrespected you. He disrespected us and I can promise you he won’t try that shit again."
"He could sue.”
Rival snorted. “He’s gonna fucking sue but I don’t care.”
I sighed. “He won’t.”
When he glared at me, I added.\, “I know things about him that could ruin him and he cares more about his reputation than suing you. I will make that very clear…”
“Nah, you ain’t saying shit to that muthafucker. If he wants to sue, let him.”
“Rival.”
The look he gave me had my thoughts scrambled and pussy thumping. I loved Bossy Rival. “Fine, I’ll let Sky communicate to him how this will play out, but that will definitely happen because the last thing you need is to be caught up in more of my bullshit. My past doesn’t need to be your present.”
“It already is, but when I married you, I married all of you, Sail.” I stared at him, completely thrown by the edge in his voice. This wasn't the patient and measured man I had been living with for the past week. My husband was showing his protective instincts that were dangerously close to possessive and I liked this side of him too.
"Where are we going?" I asked when I noticed we weren't heading home.
"I need to clear my damn head. I’m going to walk this shit off because I don’t want to take it home with us. Ponce City Market okay with you?"
I nodded, relieved that he still wanted to spend the day with me. It took us about forty minutes to get there. We parked, and even though I could still feel the tension from our ruined brunch, Rival held my hand as we walked through the building. We didn’t talk but he was there and that was enough. I followed Rival through the food hall and into the retail section, where we moved from store to store, barely looking at anything.
After about an hour of this I was over the silence. So when we entered a home goods store, I tugged him to a secluded corner near some throw pillows.
"Are we going to talk about what happened or are you going to keep ignoring me all day?"
His eyes met mine and the anger was still there, but I refused to be a coward, so I stood my ground and waited.
"What the fuck do you want me to say?"
"I want you to say whatever you need to so we can move past this."
"We’re past it.”
"No we’re not.”
He raked a hand over his head. "He was deliberately trying to humiliate you and he disrespected both of us. I didn’t like that shit so I dealt with it."
“I’m going to say this and you’re not going to like it but it has to be addressed.” His eyes narrowed but I kept going. “My past is my past but I have a pretty extensive past. What happened today could happen again. What are you going to do? Fight every man that disrespects me?”
He smiled arrogantly. “My hands are nice, Sail, and I don’t have a problem using them.”
“Rival…”
“It is what it is. That shit will not fly, ever.” I opened my mouth to argue but he shut me down. “And don’t you say shit about being able to handle yourself. Just because you can doesn't mean you should."
He grabbed my hand and pulled me to him. “I felt how that made you feel and trust when I say I feel things too.”
"Feel what, exactly?"
"Protective. Possessive. Jealous. Take your pick." He brushed his mouth over mine.
"We're not a real couple," I reminded him but the words didn’t hold any depth, which had me smiling.
"We live together. We sleep together. This morning, you were in my bed and I was in your pussy while you said my name like it was the only word you knew. We’re real, Sail."
"That's just sex."
"Was it?”
"Are you saying it’s not?"
"I'm saying when that muthafucker stood there talking about you like you were an object and something he'd used and discarded, it made me want to break his fucking jaw."
“I’m pretty sure you did.”
Rival shrugged, unbothered. "My point is, I didn’t react like that because I think I own you or because I can't handle that my wife has a past. You deserve better than that. You matter to me, Sail, more than I expected you to and I’m good with that. This is real. Look, shit was pretty fucked up and I apologize for fucking up our breakfast, but I'm not sorry for breaking his jaw." Rival smiled sexily and I rolled my eyes.
“Maybe next time catch him in the parking lot and not in the middle of a crowded restaurant and I'll work on not attracting assholes from my past."
"Your past is your past, Sailor. I don't judge you for that shit. I just don't want it becoming a recurring part of our lives."
“Our lives as in, we’re in this?”
"Is that a bad thing?"
"No, just unexpected and I don’t like fighting with you."
"All couples fight. Even the fake ones."
"We just had our first fight?"
"Nah, your ass has been fighting me since day one.”
“Right, which is why I said we . You participated this time.”
He chuckled and nodded. “Aight, you got that. How’d we do?"
"Good enough for makeup sex.”
Rival lifted a hand and gripped the back of my neck. "I’ll think about it. We good?"
The question was simple, but loaded at the same time. Were we okay? This morning I woke up in his bed and my body still remembered his touch. I just watched him nearly make a man comatose defending me. Now he was looking at me with those damn intense eyes, asking for reassurance that we were still moving forward, whatever "forward" meant for us.
Through all the chaos, I still wanted this and him…
"Yeah, we’re good."
"Aight good, because I'm starving since we never actually got to eat."
"There's food here," I pointed out. "Lots of it."
"Then lead the way, wife, and I promise not to hit anybody before we finish our food."
M onday morning came too quickly and that meant back to reality. I had to go back to work and Rival and I both had to shift back into the separate lives that existed before this marriage. I was disappointed about not having full access to him all day.
"You sure you don't want me to drive you?" Rival walked up behind me and caged me in, placing his hands on the counter and his chest to my back while I gathered my briefcase and travel mug of coffee.
"I'm sure. I’m perfectly capable of driving myself. It's easier than trying to coordinate pickup later." I checked my watch and smiled when he started a trail of light kisses on my neck. "Besides, don't you have that consultation in Virginia-Highland?"
He nodded, looking impressed that I'd remembered. “Let me find out my wife pays attention.”
“I pay attention.”
He kissed my neck again then stepped away, watching me secure the lid to my mug before he added, "Meeting the clients at three."
"Then there's no sense in you going downtown just to come back this way, but thanks for offering.” I lifted my things and moved to him, dropping a kiss to his mouth. “I have to go.”
He nodded but moved his hand to my waist and stole another kiss. "Have a good day at work, wife."
"You too, husband." The word still felt foreign on my tongue but less uncomfortable than it had a week ago.
I headed to the door, and after a quick goodbye, I was off to work. The downtown traffic was its usual Monday morning nightmare, giving me time to mentally prepare for the questions I knew were coming. TJ hadn't said much after the dinner with our parents, but I knew my brother. He was processing, formulating his thoughts, and eventually, he'd want to talk.
When I walked into our offices, my assistant was the first person I saw. She was standing near the receptionist’s desk, sipping coffee with her eyes narrowed on her phone.
"Morning, Sheila, any messages?"
"Just a few calls to return." She handed me a small stack of pink slips which she lifted from her desk. Instead of emails she was old school and preferred to write out each message. I hated it because it was too much to keep up with but I loved Sheila and so did my siblings. She was efficient, thorough, and kept things running smoothly around here. "And your brother is looking for you. Said to send you his way when you got in."
"Thanks." I nodded, heading toward my office to drop off my things before facing my brother.
I'd barely set my briefcase down before Teej appeared in my doorway, dressed impeccably in a navy suit with his expression carefully neutral.
"Morning, Sail," he said, leaning against the doorframe.
"Morning. How was the rest of your weekend?"
"Fine. Indi and I took it easy yesterday. You?"
I thought of Rival beating the crap out of Julian, the tension between us afterward, and our quiet resolution among throw pillows at Ponce City Market.
"Same.”
TJ arched his brow but didn't call me on it. He stepped fully into my office and closed the door behind him. "We should talk about Saturday night."
"Do we have to?" I sighed, dropping into my chair.
"Yes. Sail, what the hell were you thinking?"
"I wasn't, clearly. I was drunk and impulsive."
“Not the marriage. We already cleared that up. I meant confessing to Dad. You know how he is and that's not like you."
"Being impulsive isn't like me? Please. I'm the queen of rash decisions. Hence the reason Saturday was so entertaining."
"Impulsive, yes, but not like this. Random sex? Sure. Spontaneous trips? Absolutely. But marriage? That's next level, even for you, and to fess up to Dad is…”
“Stupid, I know.”
He grinned and shook his head, then his expression turned serious. “Mature and I’m proud of you. You’re owning this, which I didn’t believe was possible.”
I couldn't argue with that. “Thank you.”
"You’re welcome. So you're really stuck with this for a year?"
"Unless I want to lose half my assets, which includes the firm, yes."
TJ frowned. "Here's what I don't get. He seems like a good guy, Sail. Solid. Why would someone like that agree to this arrangement and why would he insist on seeing it through?"
I thought about Rival's words from yesterday. You matter to me, Sailor. More than I expected you to.
"He says he sees something in me. In us," I admitted quietly.
"And do you? See something in him?"
The question caught me off guard. Did I? Images flashed through my mind of Rival's hands crafting a table in his workshop, his steady and protective presence as he faced off with my father, the gentleness in how he handled me when he didn’t have to because I was a fucking mess. I saw more in him than I expected too.
"Maybe," I whispered, more to myself than to my brother.
His expression softened. “That's not such a bad thing."
"What do you mean?"
"This mistake is actually an opportunity. A chance to try something different."
I stared at him, surprised by this perspective. "You're not going to lecture me about being reckless and selfish?"
TJ laughed. "Would it do any good?"
"Probably not."
"Then, no. But can we talk about the part where you mentioned you were tired of being the reliable one and that…”
I quickly shook my head. “Teej, no. I was just venting.”
“No, you weren’t. You were speaking from the heart and that’s okay. You always tiptoe around mine and Sky’s feelings so you don’t upset our balance, but that means you don’t get to be yourself and express how you feel. That’s not fair, and truthfully, Sky and I haven’t been fair to you by allowing you to pick up our slack.”
“That’s not the case.”
“Yeah it is, Sail. I can’t help what happened to me. I can’t help that I shut down and how things work in my mind but that’s not an excuse to overlook that you were struggling too. I love you, Sail. I’m the big brother, and I haven’t always done my part, but I promise from now on, I will do better. I see you and I hear you, okay?”
My heart tightened and I felt tears forming. “Teej.”
“No tears, Sail. Fuck, we’ve had enough of those in this family. It’s time for the good shit. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“Look, you've spent years avoiding anything that resembles commitment. Maybe this forced situation is exactly what you needed."
"I didn't need to be trapped in a marriage," I argued.
"Didn't you?" TJ challenged. "Because the Sailor I know runs at the first sign of emotional attachment. Being trapped means you can't run. You have to face it."
I frowned. "That's a pretty twisted perspective."
"I prefer insightful. Just give it a chance, Sail. That's all I'm saying. I like him and more importantly, you clearly do too, even if you're not ready to admit it."
Before I could formulate a response, there was a knock at my door. Sheila poked her head in. "Sorry to interrupt, but your ten o'clock is here, TJ."
"Thanks, Sheila. Tell them I'll be right there." He stood, straightening his tie. "Think about what I said, okay?"
I nodded, still processing his words as he left. My brother was now delivering relationship wisdom and I was married. Life really did have a strange sense of humor.
After TJ left my office, I got to work. I had more than enough to keep me busy, and by lunchtime, I was deep in the thick of things and grateful for the familiar routine. I was reviewing an email from the ADA stating he was going to dismiss the charges against Fredrick for lack of evidence when my phone vibrated with a text.
Rival: How's the legal world today?
I smiled and lifted my phone.
Me: Cutthroat as always. How's custom furniture?
Rival: About to head to that consultation. Wish me luck.
Me: Good luck. Don't give away your skills too cheaply. You have a wife that loves expensive things.
Rival: Indeed I do. See you tonight.
It was a simple exchange but left me feeling oddly grounded.
I was still smiling when I heard the unmistakable sound of a toddler's laughter echoing down the hall. A moment later, my office door burst open and a tiny whirlwind of wild spirals and pink barreled toward me.
"Auntie Sailor!"
I barely had time to push my chair back from my desk before Skylynn launched herself into my lap and her small arms wrapped around my neck.
"Hey, pumpkin. What a surprise."
Skylar appeared in the doorway, looking exhausted and amused. "Sorry about the ambush. Daycare called. Some stomach bug is going around, so they closed for the day. I had to pick her up, but I've got client files I need to grab."
"No problem." I adjusted Skylynn on my lap, smoothing down her wild hair. "We're good, aren't we, Lynnie?"
Skylynn nodded enthusiastically. "I got a sticker at daycare!" She proudly displayed a slightly crumpled star sticker on the back of her hand.
"That's amazing. What did you get it for?"
"Sharing my cookies with Lewis.”
I threw my hand over my mouth to hide my laughter and Sky shot me a warning glare, but shit, sharing cookies had two very distinct meanings even if that wasn’t what my niece meant.
"Very generous of you, Lynnie. What kind of cookies?"
"Chocolate chip," she said, then leaned closer and whispered very loudly, "but Lewis is kinda gross so I gave him the broken ones."
"Smart girl."
Skylar rolled her eyes. "And that's why you two get along so well. Kindred spirits."
"Uncle TJ gave me candy," Skylynn announced, changing subjects with the lightning speed only toddlers possessed. I kissed her cheek, lifted from my chair, and placed her in it before I walked over to the door where Sky was standing.
"Corrupting your child already?"
"He did it before I could stop him." Skylar sighed. "Just what I need, a sugar-hyped three-year-old for the afternoon."
"I'm almost four," Skylynn corrected indignantly, holding up four fingers to emphasize her point.
"In five months," Skylar clarified.
"That's practically four." I shrugged and defended my niece, who beamed at me.
Skylar shook her head, but she was smiling. "How was your first day back? Everything normal?"
I knew what she was really asking. Was there any fallout from Saturday's dinner revelation or any office gossip about my surprise marriage?
"Smooth sailing. TJ and I talked this morning, but that's about it."
"And how are things at home ?" She emphasized the last word, mindful of little ears.
"Good. Really good, actually."
Skylar studied my face for a moment, then nodded, apparently satisfied with whatever she saw. "I'm glad."
Skylynn was bored with our adult conversation and had begun spinning in my office chair, making herself dizzy. "Auntie Sailor, do you have any crayons?"
"Let me see." I crossed the room and yanked open the drawer, pushing things around until I found a small pack of colored pencils and a legal pad. "Will these work?"
She nodded wildly and lifted onto her knees when I pushed her closer to the desk, leaving her to create before I walked back to my sister.
"So I met Mom for lunch after the dinner disaster."
"Yeah?”
"Yep. She was surprisingly understanding."
"Mom's always been the reasonable one. Dad's the hothead."
"Like you, Sail.”
"Like all of us in different ways.”
“But you got the worst of it.” She grinned.
"Lucky me."
Skylar glanced at Skylynn, ensuring she was absorbed in her artwork and not paying attention to us. "He treating you okay?"
"Better than okay. He's patient and understanding. Even when I don't deserve it. Lord knows I’m a handful.”
"Don’t do that. You’re not that bad, Sail. But I’m glad, because if he wasn't, I'd have to get Gray to handle it, and honestly, I need him focused on baby prep right now and not beating up your husband."
I laughed. "I can take care of myself, Sky."
"I know but that's what family does, we worry and get involved when we don’t have to." She checked her watch. "I should get those files and head out. I have to figure out what’s for dinner so I can run by the store before we head home and I've got calls to make this afternoon."
"I could watch her. If you need to work."
Skylar's brow lifted. "You’re volunteering for toddler duty? Who are you and what have you done with my sister?"
"Shut up." I rolled my eyes. "I like Lynnie and you look like you could use a break."
"While the offer is very tempting, I'll pass. Gray's home today, so he can take over once I get there, but thanks for offering. That was very maternal of you."
"Oh God, don’t get any ideas. I'm just being a good aunt."
"Uh-huh." She smirked. "Come on, Lynnie. Time to go see Daddy."
I arched my brow and mouthed to Sky. “Your daddy or her daddy?
She shot me a bird and I laughed.
Skylynn looked up from her drawing. "But I'm not finished!"
"You can take it with you and bring it back to finish next time you visit." I helped her gather the colored pencils.
"Promise?"
"Promise," I assured her, accepting a hug after she launched herself at me.
Skylynn rambled on excitedly about showing her drawing to Gray as they left and Sky paused at the door. "This marriage thing might be good for you, Sail. You seem happy."
Before I could agree or deny, they were gone, leaving me alone with my thoughts. Was I happy? This marriage was brand new but something had shifted. I felt more grounded. The constant search for the next distraction and my next conquest no longer existed.
I filled the chair my niece had just vacated and TJ's words kept echoing in my mind. Maybe this forced situation is exactly what you needed.
I wasn't ready to admit he might be right but I wasn’t arguing that he was wrong either…