Chapter 7 – Cannon Nash
Cannon Nash
D inner is a very sedate affair. Killian and Finn keep stealing glances at Riley. Riley is melancholy and quiet. She only really interacts with Cove. After dinner she offers to wash the dishes and excuses herself when Killian says he'll handle it.
"What happened?" I ask, taking a swig of my beer.
Sunde shrugs. "Came upon her all cuddled up with Killian in the living room with a red face."
Killian curses, "I didn't do anything to upset her."
"Obviously," I say, nodding. "But what happened?"
"I watched Cove while Riley slept. She colored and then fell asleep too. It was right around the time the baby woke up so I took her and fed her a bottle, changed her diaper, and let her play on the floor. Riley woke up. Seemed fine. Then she burst into tears."
"And you guys say I'm pushy?" I scoff. "I didn't steal her damn kids while she was asleep."
"You know you're a pushy fuck." Sunde chuckles. "That's why you're just eating this up."
"I was trying to help," Killian says. He shakes his head, staring at the ceiling. "She said she thought she got too much sleep."
Sunde scoffs. "Lord, she truly is completely on her own."
"Uh yeah," I say, rolling my eyes. "You think I'd bring home a random woman and kids unless I felt like there was no other option?"
Finnegan scoffs again . "Did you happen to get a name off the check?"
"Some financial management company," I say with a sigh.
Christ . Sunde's detective mode has been activated. There'll be no peace, no stone unturned until he solves the mystery. Hopefully, he unravels the puzzle quickly so his obsessive brain won't become even more fixated.
If he can't get to the bottom of any given conundrum he'll unleash his legion of equally obsessive fans. Which would only cause Riley a mountain of a headache.
Finnegan Sunderland is quite well-known for his mystery and horror themed podcast. He writes horror themed novels that have a nearly cult-like following. His true crime novels are equally as well received, but it's the fiction books that cemented his fans' loyalty.
"That figures," Sunde says. He glances toward the door to the garage. "Would you recognize the fellow if you saw him again?"
"Without a doubt," I say, nodding.
"I wonder if that fancy SUV is registered in Riley's name?" Sunde says, again eyeing the door to the garage.
"It's likely in her name," Killian grumbles. Pulling a hair tie from his pocket, he ties back his shoulder-length dark hair. "Still worth a try though."
"Are you planning to go digging for her registration?" I hiss.
And these fuckers have the balls to call me intrusive?
"Perhaps," Sunde says, with a feral grin. "If it's locked I have a contact who can possibly get information off her plates."
"Good idea," Killian says, pushing himself up out of his chair.
My eyes widen. Killian never gets involved in other people's business. He's the least gossipy person you'll ever meet.
He wants to fuck up Riley's ex. I realize in shocking clarity. That's not good. Not at fucking all. Killian retired from professional fighting for a reason. He was damn close to crossing the line from feral to full blown savage.
"Ahh, yes," Sunde says, chuckling. "I do love it when I have a partner in crime."
"That's not a good idea," I growl. "Riley signed confidentiality papers. If you two go digging around finding out things that are better left forgotten…" I sigh, shaking my head. "You'll only make her life more difficult."
"Confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements do not protect against crimes committed.
" Sunde tosses over his shoulder. "The bastard is counting on Riley's fear to keep her silent.
Unfortunately for him, I'm feeling quite intrigued by the little blonde enigma.
I don't need her to say a word for me to fuck his shit up. "
"Just go," Killian grumbles, giving Sunde a shove out the door that leads to the laundry room and eventually to the garage.
"Yes, sir.” Finn smirks over his shoulder. "I do love when daddy verbally spanks me."
"Fucking idiots." I sigh, swiping a hand over my face.
* * *
"Is this a bad time?" I ask, leaning against the door frame to Riley's bedroom.
She blinks up at me from behind dark blonde lashes and shakes her head. "No, the girls are sleeping."
"I brought you this," I say, holding out the baby monitor. "I ventured out in the storm to the shed. There are a few other things in the living room if you want to come see them?"
Riley takes the monitor. "Give me just a minute to set this up."
"I replaced the batteries in the receiver. I'll be in the living room."
"Thank you, Cannon. I'll be right there." Riley gives a little wave and disappears back into the bedroom.
I'm lounging back into the black leather couch when Riley appears. She's carrying the baby monitor and her phone. She's got on a set of long-john pajamas in navy blue and green. They're striped cotton and they're absolutely adorable.
Okay, she's absolutely fucking adorable.
"You guys are a matching set," I say, nodding to her outfit. I saw the girls in the same outfit at dinner.
"Yeah, they're meant for Christmas, but it's cold." She shrugs. "I found them in one of the bags and I desperately need to do some laundry."
Riley shakes her head, blushing up a storm.
"The laundry room is right off the kitchen," I say, pointing in that direction.
"Use whatever you'd like. The storm is supposed to peak tonight and early tomorrow.
If you can, it might be best to hold off until we see if we lose power.
The generator supposedly runs the whole house, but we try to avoid using anything aside from the necessities. "
"Oh yeah, of course. It can wait," she agrees.
Pushing myself off the couch, I take a few steps over to the pile of stuff I found in the shed. Shed might be an inaccurate word to describe the giant room we use for storage out in the mother-in-law cottage.
"My brother, Brian, and his wife, Savannah, you met her at the restaurant. Their kids are getting older. We had all this out sitting in storage," I say, studying Riley who has gone as pale as a ghost. "Are you okay?"
"You have a brother named Brian?" she whispers, shaking her head. "I did too."
Did? Shit.
"Yeah, he's a pediatrician. The only one in town. You'll meet him if you stick around," I say, guiding her back to the sofa. She takes a seat and I sit next to her.
Clearing my throat, I ask. "Your brother passed away?"
She snorts. "He hung himself in a hotel so none of his friends would have to find his body."
My jaw drops. Fucking Christ. This woman has been through hell in her young life. It makes the alpha urge to protect almost more than I can handle. Clenching my fists, I barely curb the urge to pull her into my arms. I'd snarl at anything that got too close.
Fuck. What the hell is wrong with me? She's not my omega .
"It was a tragic senseless death. It is what it is," she says. She shrugs and glances away purposely avoiding eye contact with me.
"I'm so sorry for your loss," I tell her. It's not empty words either. I can't even imagine losing one of my brothers.
"Thanks," Riley says. "He was a lot older than me. It happened a few years ago. I'm over it."
Don't have to be a psychic to know that's a load of bullshit.
"Are you planning to go back to Florida after the storm?" I ask.
Riley sighs. "No, I don't think so. There's nothing there for me."
"What brought you this far north?" I ask, studying her face.
"My ex got traded," she says. Rolling her lips together, she cuts herself off from saying more.
Professional athlete was right.
"Where do you plan to end up?" I probe.
Riley twists the bottom of her hair, staring at the ends. "I haven't decided yet."
"Listen, this is probably out of line…" I sigh, sitting back against the couch. "The island is generally pretty empty during winter, but we do have a solid year-round population. We're one of the only restaurants that stay open during the off season."
Riley studies my face with a look of confusion.
"Savannah prefers to hibernate for the winter. Her words, not mine," I say, grinning. "I could really use the help at the restaurant if you would consider sticking around."
"I have two kids," she says, shaking her head. "I'm sure the daycare options around here are limited."
"Killian's mom runs the only daycare. I'm sure she'd give you the family discount for helping me out.
" I wink, tossing my hands up in front of me.
"No pressure. It's just an idea." I nod to my laptop and the files on the coffee table.
"I've been trying to figure out some semblance of a schedule, but it's just not coming together.
I have to hire one or two more servers, or I'll have to cut back my operating hours. "
"Can I think about it?" Riley asks, swallowing. "I've never driven in the snow. Last year I had most of my groceries delivered during the winter months. Or Jeremy drove if he was around."
Jeremy. Perfect. I have a name.
"I understand," I say, nodding. "I'm sure Killian or I could drive you to your shifts. Sunde doesn't get out much this time of year. Felicity Adler lives a few houses down."
"Killian's mom?" Riley asks.
"Exactly," I say, nodding.
"Is rent around here affordable?"
I barely hold back the grimace. Rent is astronomical everywhere around here. There are very few apartment complexes. The private homes that are rented out are far from budget friendly.
"We have a mother-in-law cottage," I say. "No one's renting it currently, so it's available. It has two bedrooms, but no laundry facilities. You'd have to come up to the house during storms because the generator only powers the house. And to do laundry, although it does have a full kitchen."
Back when my parents' pack lived here, my brothers and I used that cottage as our hook-up spot.
It's been a whole lot of years since then.
We've never actually rented out the mother-in-law cottage, but I hold that fact back.
She doesn't need to question why we're willing to go out of our way to help out.
It's just sitting there. I'd offer it out to anyone who needed it. It's pure coincidence that she's the first person I've met recently who really needs a helping hand.
"Thank you, Cannon," she says. "Can I think on it and get back to you?"
"Absolutely, no pressure. You can stay in the cottage as long as you'd like. Even if you don't want to work at the restaurant," I say, nodding over to the pile of baby and kid stuff. "Anything in there you can use, feel free to put it to good use. There's a lot more in storage out in the cottage."
"Thanks," Riley says. She stretches and yawns. "I'm pretty beat. Do you mind if I leave it there until morning?"
"Don't mind a bit," I say, offering her an easy smile.
Riley grabs the monitor and heads to leave the room. I stand up gathering my laptop. Riley spins around, coming back over. She wraps her arms around my waist, resting her head against my chest, and hugs me tight.
"Thank you for everything," she whispers. "Mostly I think I have to thank you guys for restoring my faith in humanity."
Tossing my laptop back on the couch, I wrap my arms around her curvy frame. There's something about Riley's scent that sends my baser urges into overdrive. I've been around a fair number of omegas, never once have I felt like their scent was the only smell I wanted to smell for the rest of my life.
"It's nothing. You girls have really livened up the place.
To be honest, we needed it," I tell her, kissing the top of her head.
My heart aches with a strange yearning as I watch her back disappear from the room.
She's not even fully out of sight when a fist wraps around my chest. There is definitely something about Riley Thomas.
I need to protect her, keep her safe, make her smile, help relieve some of that never-ending stress she carries around. Most of all, I want her to know she doesn't have to do it all alone.