Chapter 37
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Monroe
Ican’t believe I can walk on my own this morning after the night I spent tangled in the sheets with Jameson King.
The man was an enigma. Beautiful, charming and playful on the outside, but inside he was feral, erotic and oh so fucking hot.
He gave me three earth-shattering orgasms, and feeling him come in my mouth and inside me again is more than I ever imagined it could be.
On our first night together in Miami, we’d both had something to drink.
We were lucid. However, last night, I felt and saw everything clearly.
Well, as clearly as I could in a Jameson King, lust-infused daze.
The way his mouth, hands, and dick worshipped me like I was the god he prayed to, left me satiated and a bit in a haze.
It’s why I don’t see the stack of lumber right in front of me as I walk onto the job site Monty is currently at.
Beams stretch overhead, sunlight slanting through the open framing, and the sharp buzz of a power saw echoes from the far end.
Monty stands on a ladder, measuring the trim he’s about to add to the wall, and doesn’t hear me coming.
“Hey,” I call out, weaving between the stacks of wood and nearly tripping on them as I make my way toward him. With my attention on him, I nearly trip to my death but fall into my brother’s open arms.
“Goddammit, woman, you’re going to drag me to an early grave with your clumsiness.” He glances down at me, brows knitting. “You’re supposed to be on maternity leave.”
“Thanks, but that won’t be for another few months. I’m already barely working. I have to get some things in order first,” I say, forcing a smile at the scolding I’m about to get.
He releases me, brushing sawdust from his shirt, but his eyes narrow in on me. “What do you need, Monroe?”
Here we go. I knew this would not be easy, but I don't like the way the conversation about Raven ended yesterday.
I fiddle with the strap of my bag, nervous to meet his stare. “About Raven…”
“Monroe,” he groans, “I already gave you my answer.”
“And I don’t accept it. Look, I know this isn’t ideal, but it’s temporary.
She’s going to be homeless in a matter of weeks, and I can’t let that happen.
” His jaw flexes, but understanding dawns in his tight-lipped expression.
“I like Raven, and despite what you may think about her, she doesn’t come with a heap of chaos like me. ”
His shoulders slump slightly as the situation settles upon him.
The corners of his eyes crinkle as a flicker of a smile threatens to break through his controlled demeanor.
However, he stays quiet. It’s the fact that he’s not immediately sending me out of here with another growl that I call progress.
“It’s just for a few months, at least until she can save up some to afford to pay rent in Crossroads, which you know is not easy. ”
“I don’t want a charity case.”
“She’s not. She will pay what she can. She’s still working at Stingers, and since she’s not in school, I’m thinking of bringing her on board at Monroe Avenue, and starting to train her to take over when I’m out.”
He scoffs incredulously. “On top of living with her, you want me to give her a job.”
I take a breath to gather my jumbled thoughts.
My brother is known as the only Bishop this town tolerates, and it’s because of his kind-heart hidden deep beneath the grumpy caveman.
He’s selfless and compassionate. Has given so much to this town that’s done nothing but hurt his family without second-guessing.
Why he’s acting so cruel towards Raven, I don’t understand.
“Look, this isn’t about me. It’s about her.
She needs a place, Monty. A safe space, somewhere she can afford. She’s drowning right now.”
“I thought you just said she wasn't trouble. She can find somewhere else,” he mutters, reaching for his tape measure again.
“She can’t, not in time,” I say, stepping closer and reaching for his bicep.
“And she won’t be freeloading. I told you, she’s taking over my clients while I’m on leave.
She’ll be handling projects, running the day-to-day.
She’ll be paying rent. I’ll make sure of it.
This isn’t charity. It’s business. And it keeps her close so we can work together. ”
He stays silent, pretending to double-check a beam that’s perfectly stable.
“Please,” I plead softly. “Just think about it.”
His shoulders tense. “You know I don’t like getting dragged into your messes, Monroe.”
“It’s not a mess.” My voice cracks, just a little. “I just want to be someone people can count on. Even if I’m still figuring out how to be that person myself.”
That finally makes him stop and look at me. His eyes turn to me, softening just enough to make me ache for him. He feels as if he has failed me. He was given the responsibility of taking care of me, and my brokenness is telling him he failed. It’s not his fault.
I smile through the sting in my throat, and wrap my arms around him. For a second he goes stiff, then he sighs and hugs me back. His embrace is solid and warm, like he’s been holding that hug back for months.
“You’re better at this than you think,” he murmurs into my hair, kissing me softly.
“Maybe,” I whisper. “But it helps to have you in my corner.”
“And what about Jase?”
I look up at my brother, tears welling in my eyes, with a few stray ones running down my cheek. “Him too.”
When we pull back, he kisses my temple again like he used to when I was little and says gruffly, “I’ll think about it.”
I know that’s as close to yes as Monty is ever going to give me, but I have a Plan B.
“Don’t think too long. I didn’t want to have to ask him since he's got a load of chaos that neither of us even knows how to begin fixing, but I know Beau will take her in if I ask him.”
“Fine,” he says with a loud grunt. “Three months, that’s all I’m giving her, and that’s being generous. She’ll stay out of my way, no funny business. And she won’t just be working for Monroe Avenue, she’ll be working for me if she’s going to be living rent free in my house.”
Well, that went exactly as I planned. Curious, how suddenly he didn’t have to think it over at all.
“That was quick thinking,” I tease, my lips curling up into a sly smile.
“Beau doesn’t need that kind of trouble. He’s already dealing with enough shit for the rest of his life. If anyone’s taking in that girl, it’s me. Someone ought to teach her some manners.”
That gets my attention. “What is it with you and her anyway?”
“Nothing,” he says matter-of-factly, and I know that's all I’m getting from him.
“Okay, well, I’ll let her know she can move in as early as next month. It gives her some time to settle in before I bring her on board to help me. She already did yesterday, and let me tell you, the girl has an eye for design.”
He doesn’t answer me, instead gets back to the task at hand, so I turn to start some of my work.
I pull my binder out of my bag and turn to the page with my most recent design mock-up for this kitchen.
It’s a smaller Craftsman-style fixer-upper Monty purchased last year but hadn’t gotten around to fixing.
It will be my last project with him other than Nash and Bailey’s home, but that won’t be ready for another six months at least.
“Howdy, Bishops,” Billie exclaims as she enters the house. Unlike me, she’s careful to step around the lumber on the floor, her hot pink cowboy boots clicking on the hardwood currently covered with a protective film.
“You handle her,” Monty grunts, turning away from both of us.
He is definitely not someone who likes to be bothered while he works and the crew of men working with him are nowhere to be seen because they know when the boss is in, they are to stay as far away from him as possible when he’s in one of these moods.
“Rude, cowboy,” Billie snarls, but she pays no more attention to him. “Guess what? Oh my God, never mind, you’re never going to guess. Guess who has her first official gig this weekend?”
Her excitement is contagious, and probably because I’m already in such a great mood, I let her tell me the news. “No way.”
“Yours truly, the new, up-and-coming Country Music Princess, Miss Billie Cole.” She shrieks, and I can’t help but scream along with her.
“Billie, oh my God. How did this happen?”
“Stingers is having a honky-tonk next weekend, like legit what they had back when it was The Old Nellie,” she says, referring to the Legendary Honky Tonk that was Stingers Tavern before Bailey and Jase turned it into what it is now.
The Old Nellie stayed vacant for decades after it closed its doors, but the rich history remains etched into the walls.
It was initially what Bailey wanted to restore when we’d planned on purchasing the property, and I feel some sort of ache that I wasn't able to be a part of it like we’d planned.
Though, having Jase on board was the best decision she could have made.
He’s a businessman foremost, and the plans he has, not to mention the contract he got with Lane & Co. , are sure to take Singers Tavern far.
Monty turns, and suddenly his interest is piqued. “Honky tonk?”
“Yes, Cowboy. Boots, beer, and dancing. Oh, and Theo’s performing,” she says, the last part sounding annoyed.
“My brother Theo?”
“The one and only,” she mocks, and I laugh at the eye roll she gives. “But I can’t be mad, because guess who’s singing with him?” Billie’s grin turns wicked. “Me.”
Monty glances at me, his lips twitching. “So sweet old Billie Cole is getting her big break?”
“Yup, I had a meeting with an agent yesterday, and he managed to get a record exec from Theo’s label to come to Crossroads. I still can’t believe this is happening. I mean, I knew I wanted it, but I didn’t know how much until I realized it’s happening, you know?”
Monty eyes me quizzically, like he understood none of what she just said, but I know my best friend, and I know how much this means to her. It’s what Bailey and I have been telling her to do for years, but I’m glad she came to this decision on her own.