CHAPTER 6 #2
Archer had taken a seat, his latte in hand. Benjamin sat next to him, an equally highly decorated latte in his grip. Archer’s fiancé, Marc, stood next to the window, phone in use, but he gave me a wave before going back to his conversation.
Then there was Clay, sending my senses into overdrive with the sexy just-woke-up look about him.
He stood in the kitchen with two mugs of coffee in hand and a small smile on his face.
“You’ve been trapped. Just know that there is no way out.
Now that the Montgomerys have officially assimilated you, you’ll either get tattooed or be brainwashed. There is no middle ground.”
“Why would there be a middle ground between tattooing and brainwashing?” Archer asked after he’d taken a sip of his drink. “They’re clearly on the same path.”
“Shut up,” Clay said with a roll of his eyes before handing me the extra mug in his hand.
I nodded my thanks. “Hey. Didn’t know you’d be here.”
Talk about awkward. I felt everybody’s eyes on me, but I ignored them and just focused on Clay. Clay gave me a small smile and then took a sip of his drink. “Of course, I’m here. Someone’s trying to hurt you. What did you think we’d do?”
“I don’t know,” I whispered. “I didn’t expect this.”
“Well, you should. I mean, we do have a lawyer here. And this is his house.”
Jacob came in, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yes, I am a lawyer. Do you have one?” he asked, and I nodded.
“I do.”
I named the firm, and Jacob nodded tightly. “They’re good. They know what they’re talking about. If you need someone else, I’ve got you.”
I snorted. “I can’t afford your rates, Jacob.”
“For my favorite bar? I’d do it pro bono.”
“Don’t let Annabelle hear you say that because you guys have twins coming. You can’t just go off giving free advice to anyone,” Archer teased.
Marc ended his phone call and sat next to Archer, undoing his suit coat buttons as he did.
Everyone else was in casualwear, but Marc looked like he had just stepped out of the office.
I was honestly surprised to see him. He rarely came to the bar anymore as he worked so many hours, but he was engaged to Archer, and the two looked happy.
The only person who wasn’t here was Colton, Paige’s man. I didn’t know the story there, but there had to be a reason he was absent. Not that I would say anything. Sometimes it paid to be silent and listen when you wanted answers.
Except everyone was staring at me. Apparently, I was supposed to speak.
“Tell us what’s going on,” Jacob urged as he pulled out a pad and paper.
“You’re really going to work?” I asked with a laugh, oddly shocked—and touched.
“I like notes. It’s a legal pad. I’m a lawyer. That’s what I do.”
“Just tell us,” Clay urged, his voice low.
I sighed and looked at everyone and figured I knew a lot of their secrets.
They might as well know mine. It was just odd to be so near Clay and not touch him.
Then Clay reached out and squeezed my knee, and I relaxed marginally.
The others smiled or at least looked happy about the touch, so I figured…
why the hell not? They all assumed Clay and I were dating anyway.
I might as well pretend while living in my own dreams.
“A few of you already know this, but I was married.”
Clay nodded, as, of course, Clay and Lee knew, but not everyone else did.
Archer’s eyes widened. “How did I not know that?”
“Because you don’t need to know everything?” Beckett asked with a grin.
I held back a smile, nearly breaking out in a cold sweat being the center of attention like this.
“Anyway, I was married. It didn’t work out.
I don’t want to get into the details, but it didn’t work out.
My grandmother left me money after she passed, and it wasn’t part of the divorce.
The way the will was structured, it was clearly and purposely not part of any proceedings that happened with Neil. ”
“Do you have the paperwork on that?” Jacob asked, tapping his pen.
“Yeah, I do. Though I don’t know how it’ll help you because you’re not my lawyer.”
“Pretend with me for a minute,” Jacob said as I rolled my eyes.
“Fine. Anyway, Neil wants the bar.” I explained in detail what I knew and what was happening on my end. I explained how the divorce had gone, and which paperwork went where.
It didn’t make it any easier for me to get it all out there. Contrary to popular belief, I liked my privacy, and I didn’t like that I felt as if I were losing something. Then again, maybe that was all on Neil.
“What grounds is he suing you on?” Clay asked. “Because from the way Jacob’s frowning, it doesn’t seem like he has much of a case.”
Jacob snorted. “I don’t know exactly what you see on my face, Clay, but honestly, if he’s already lost it in the divorce, he shouldn’t be able to get your bar. And your lawyers are good.”
“They’re the best,” I teased as Jacob flipped me off.
“I’m trying to help you here, don’t make me feel like I’m screwing up.”
I ran my hand through my hair and noticed how Clay’s gaze went to my forearms. Not the best time for that.
“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. I can hand you the paperwork, get you in contact with my lawyers if they want help with this, but it just feels like he’s trying to intimidate me. ” I paused. “And it’s fucking working.”
Clay reached out and squeezed my hand. The touch made my throat close, and I let out a breath. “We won’t let it.”
“I don’t know about that. Neil’s outstanding about messing things up.”
“Then we have to be smarter than him,” Lee said, setting down his coffee. “First, though, we have cake. Then we’ll make some plans. Including bachelor plans because we are here to do a bunch of lists and schedules for the upcoming months while Annabelle is out with the girls.”
Jacob crossed his eyes. “I have some ideas for you, Riggs. Let me think on it. As for the rest of the meeting today, let’s get through our list. Annabelle will be home and will want to take a nap. The twins are taking a lot out of her.”
I leaned forward. “She okay?”
“She is. She’s just tired. I don’t know how your mother did the whole twin thing twice,” Jacob replied with a cringe.
I nodded at him, thinking of the Montgomerys’ mother. She’d had five children, two sets of twins. I was drained just thinking about it. “Seriously, I have no idea.”
“I’m exhausted with three kids that I didn’t have as infants. I don’t know how you’re going to do it, Jacob,” Clay put in.
“You’re doing a pretty damn good job,” I added softly, ignoring the looks from the others.
“Thanks,” he whispered.
Everybody started talking about the bachelor party, my issues tabled for the moment.
They wanted to know what was going on, but they wouldn’t have answers.
I wouldn’t either until my lawyers went through everything.
It didn’t matter that none of us felt that Neil had a case.
There was always the potential for catastrophe. Something I had learned far too well.
I looked over at Clay, letting out a breath as I stared into his gorgeous eyes. “Holden doing okay?”
“Yes, doing much better. And, thankfully, as I knock on wood as I say this,” Clay said as he literally knocked on the wooden table in front of him, “the other kids didn’t get sick.”
“Thank God. I was actually really worried about that because I didn’t know how you were going to handle it.”
Clay shrugged. “I’d handle it.”
I believed him. “Good.”
We met each other’s gazes and didn’t say anything until Archer cleared his throat. “Hey, Riggs, Clay is coming to the Montgomery dinner in two nights and bringing the kids. You should come, too.”
Marc groaned at his side as everyone spoke up.
“What night?” I asked.
Archer smiled. “Thursday. What do you say?”
“I’m sure you have to work,” Clay put in quickly.
“Actually, I don’t,” I whispered, meeting Clay’s eyes, challenging him.
Archer beamed. “See? It’s kismet.”
The others continued talking about the upcoming bachelor party as I met Clay’s gaze. “What are we doing?” Clay whispered.
“I don’t know, but it looks like I’m coming to dinner.”
Clay sighed and leaned against the back of the couch, but his knee didn’t stop touching mine.
This was probably a mistake, something I was good at making. However, why not?
Dating for a single dad and a bar owner meant doing what you could. Whether it was coffee and breakfast with a bunch of guys, a hookup when you could, or a family dinner with a family that wasn’t quite yours.
I would have to figure out what I was doing if I wanted this to work. And that was the question. Did I want something more with Clay? Would it blow up in my face as it had with Neil if I tried?
The fact that I was worried that I didn’t have the answer to that told me I should be cautious, but the smile on Clay’s face as Beckett joked told me that maybe I should just jump.
Just this once.
I’d figure out what to do when I landed.