45. Ryder
RYDER
“Let’s eat in the den,” I say, taking my plate. I stand close to Oliver, looking down at him.
“If you’re going to yell at me, I know. But you weren’t any better.”
“We all have to do better.”
“I overheard Lilith and Em talking in the kitchen last night. Lilith thinks Em should have a hen party with strippers.”
Anders laughs.
“No strippers,” I reply. “Her fiancé wouldn’t like them.” My eyebrow shoots up. But fuck Thayer. I’m not having another guy touch her. Or at least another guy I don’t know.
“I thought you were kidding.” Anders grabs his plate. “We need to chat.”
I lock the door behind Oliver.
“She’s going to have some sort of party. It’s tradition, right? And Emily loves tradition.” Anders sets his empty plate on the side hutch.
“We create it here, then. Take control of it. Like the wedding dress shopping.” I finish my sandwich.
“Emily’s not a stripper-crazy bachelorette kind of girl anyway,” Oliver says.
“No, she’s a having a sleepover with movies projected on a sheet, popcorn, ice cream, and scones kind of girl.” Anders nods like he’s cured cancer.
“Maybe, but she’s also not turning ten. Something in the middle of the two?” Oliver says.
“In the middle sounds boring. We take the sleepover idea and blow the shit out of it.” I grab my phone.
“What are you doing?” Anders raises his chin at me.
“We’ve all seen the sort of parties stews throw. And we know plenty of stews. I’m texting Shayla and Haley.”
“You’re texting Haley after the messages we got from the guys?”
“Fine, just Shayla then.” I scowl at my phone. “No, fuck that. Haley would want to make it special for Em.”
“I think you’re forgetting that it’s none of our damn business.” Oliver pours himself a drink from the bar cart by the wall. “It’s Lilith’s, and she’s already onto us.”
“Correction, Prince. She’s onto you.” I point at Oliver and pull up Shayla and Haley’s numbers.
Surprisingly, there’s a few group texts to just them, all from the time before we abandoned the Rock Candy, and it makes me clench my stomach.
Things like where party supplies were in the rear storage.
Or if they wanted anything from the port’s convenience store.
Energy drinks and granola were their replies.
I shake it off.
“Ryder?” Oliver says.
“What?”
“Did you hear what I said?”
“No, I was reading some old texts.”
“Right, well, bringing Shayla and Haley into this could work to our advantage. It’ll throw the bloodhound of a best friend off me.
She thinks Emily’s a na?ve, missionary almost-virgin.
With the three of us putting in effort? It will put a cap on Lilith poking around. ” Oliver hands Anders and me a drink.
“And we can make a great day for our girl. Send the text.” Anders nods at my hand.
Anders, Oliver, and I are throwing Emily a bachelorette party. We want to do an old-fashioned slumber party but make it extreme.
“Wait, does Shayla know?” I ask Anders.
“Yeah, she told her the day after she told her dad.”
I hit send.
My phone vibrates in my hand, with Shayla and Haley sending idea after idea. When the texts slow, the topic shifts.
Haley
Does Easton know about the party?
He knows about the wedding
Haley
He’s pretending it’s not happening
I sink onto the sofa, Anders on one side, Oliver on the other. “We’re getting into deep water. Does Easton know when the wedding is?”
“She told him, but I don’t know if she told him when.”
The bachelorette party is happening. A small gathering.
Shayla
I wish I weren’t in the middle of the fucking Pacific right now. I’d be there
Haley
Me too
“Damn, I didn’t think about how this would make them feel.” I bite down on the inside of my cheek.
I know she’d want you both here if it were possible.
I show it to the guys before I hit send.
Haley
Hey, that’s the hard part about being so far away from people you care about.
Definitely. Thanks for all your suggestions.
Shayla
Anytime. Don’t fuck this up.
My phone dings again, and this time it’s a message just from Haley.
Haley
When is the wedding?
“Fuck,” Oliver says, the same time Anders says, “Damn.”
“What do I do?” My fingers are frozen over my keyboard. I’ve made million-dollar trades that haven’t had me as stressed as this.
“You tell her. If Easton didn’t tell Haley, she doesn’t know it’s next Saturday—”
“They might show up.”
“And that’s a bad thing?” Anders cocks his head at me.
“It could be,” I add. “I’m putting this in Emily’s court. It’s her decision, not mine.”
Haley
It’s fine if you don’t want to tell me. Easton hasn’t said either. He’s being . . . difficult. As much as I don’t want to judge someone else’s relationship. This is difficult for all of us.
Her words flash in my brain. The underlying subtext. Isn’t this hard for you too?
I shouldn’t speak for the other guys, but I think it’s hard for all of us. I know it’s hard for me.
For reasons she has no idea of.
Haley
She’s okay though?
Yeah, she’s doing pretty well. Her friend Lilith is here.
Haley
Lilith? Easton has stories about the two of them.
What kind of stories?
Haley
Stories—lol
I want to pry harder. Find out all the little details of the two of them getting in trouble for taking one more book than is allowed from the school library.
My childhood, if you could call it that, has left me with a peculiar view when it comes to family.
Especially women I perceive as family. Because that’s what Haley’s become to me.
We all grieved with Emily when Easton’s raft was missing.
As much as the media presented it as Easton Rockwell and others lost at sea, it never felt like that with Emily.
It was all of them. Haley and Dante were new friends when they went missing, but Zane, Sam, and Calvin? They were like brothers to me.
But my sisters, mother, and grandmother?
They were like a lifeline when I’d come home.
They treated me like a normal kid. “Take out the trash, watch a movie with us, and put away your math book.” I loved going home, like an addict.
Was I emotionally dependent on them? Absolutely, but when you’re eight to twelve years younger than everyone around you, you have to always be on edge.
So not telling Emily everything she wants to hear? It is hard.
Three quick raps let us know it’s Emily. I’m the first there and the one to throw the lock.
“Hey! Look at you.” I pull her into the room.
“Hi . . ” She trails off.
I poke my head out into the empty hall before throwing the lock. Emily is on the other side of the room, collapsed onto the sofa, when I turn around.
“I’m exhausted.” She scooches up the leather cushions and puts her head on Anders’s lap. “Who knew trying on dresses could take more out of you than a marathon?” Her eyes close, and her chest heaves.
“Did you eat?” Anders smooths her hair away from her face.
“Yes, no, sort of. I picked at lunch while Lil and Callie talked about how to alter the dress.” She shakes her head and sits up in a swift motion. “I can’t believe you guys did all that overnight. Thank you so much.”
Oliver shrugs.
I smile. “You’re welcome. But it was Prince Charming’s idea.”
“Don’t you start too,” Oliver says, pointing his finger at me. He settles down next to Emily.
“What are you drinking?” She removes Oliver’s glass from his hand and sniffs it. “I’d have one, but Lil would find out. I knew she was clever, but she’s said a few things that have me worried.”
“Distance will help. We get through the week and the wedding, and it will be okay.” I pull a chair up next to the sofa and squeeze her knee. “Where’s Lilith?”
“She and Callie went back to Callie’s workroom to get some supplies they need. They’re going to be gone for a few hours,” Emily says and wiggles her eyebrows.
As much as I’d like to take advantage of Emily being left alone, I could hardly control myself this morning. And if the three of us start in with her? There will be no pulling back until the finish line, so no. Anders jumps up off the sofa. Oliver too.
“What am I, lava now?” She stands between my legs.
“You’re always meltingly hot. As much as I hate it, we have to behave.”
She nods. “You’re right.”
The lock on the door turns, and the mood of the room crashes even before he steps in.
“Thayer,” Emily says. Ice hangs in the air around her.
“Wife.” He shuts the door behind himself.
“That’s wife-to-be,” she says with a defiant tone.
Oliver shakes his head. “Scotch?” He holds up a glass to Thayer, ignoring his words.
Thayer’s figured out my double life. Watching the flicker of threat my position causes to his status come to life in his eyes was fucking beautiful.
If he only knew Emily enough to know that money doesn’t mean jack shit to her.
If Thayer truly wants Emily? Anders is more of a threat than either Oliver or me.
But I’ll let him figure that out on his own.
“Yes. There’s a bridal shop in the ballroom.”
“It’ll be gone tomorrow. A truck will take them to a charity shop. The amazing thing is, the ballroom full of dresses cost a quarter of what my cousin’s one dress cost,” Oliver says.
“It’s ridiculous, isn’t it?” Emily says, bouncing on her heels.
“Your friend is looking for you. They need to take another measurement.” Thayer takes the glass from Oliver and sits in the leather chair by the cold fireplace.
“Why didn’t you say that first? I didn’t know they were back already.” She’s out the door.
Thayer raises his eyebrows after her. “My brother arrives tomorrow. He wants to know what to do for the stag party. A party I’m not having. Make sure of that, Oliver. Do this one thing for me.”
“I’m not in your wedding. Your brother can do whatever he wants.” Oliver raises his glass at Thayer.
“Which brings up another thing. I want the three of you in the wedding.”
“Why in the hell would you want that?” I ask.
“You’re Emily’s friends. You say you care about her. At least, you’re refusing to leave.”