Chapter Seven #2
“What about you and Emory and this place? My choices will affect all of you.” These fucking emotions, man. I have never been good at controlling them, and most of the time I am faking it till I make it, but since Jenn I haven’t been able to fake shit. She’s not the only one feeling everything.
Shawn continues to stare at me. I know that there are a million things running through his head since the encounter with Tristan.
“Like I said, all that matters is that you love her. And I will have your back and so will Emory. You know that,” he states calmly.
He needs to give me some of his fucking calmness.
“I know. That’s what I am afraid of,” I reply, hearing the anxiety in my voice. Before Shawn, I didn’t fucking care about anyone, only money, power, and drugs. Since meeting him it has all changed. I care about so many people now and they are always in my mind before I act.
I know if our enemies can use them against me, they would, and I never want that to be a fucking option.
“Ethan, you are family. And now Jenn is family. And we protect our family.” He’s not going to change his mind. He is not going to try and change my mind. I know he will be right by my side with whatever I choose to do, no matter if it’s right or wrong.
“Shawn, I don’t think this time will end the way it did before,” I whisper, remembering Emory going to the hospital.
For a while we didn’t know if she would make it or if the baby would make it.
I saw what that fucking did to Shawn. But at the end we won, and she survived, the baby survived, and we started to build what we have now.
But this feels different. I feel less prepared for this because this time it’s the girl I love in danger.
It is my family in danger. Emory has since become like a little sister to me, but, fuck, it is different.
A new territory that I am not familiar with.
All of this is new for me, and it is shattering me.
“No, probably not. But we will deal with that when it comes.” Shawn takes out his cell phone. I can hear the buzz, but he doesn’t answer it. So many people have been calling. Clients have been calling freaking out and I don’t blame them.
The rumors are spreading about Tristan and who he is and why he came here, and everyone knows that we didn’t give him what he asked for.
They need to hear from Shawn and Emory that everything is okay, that everything will be okay.
I wish they could tell them it would be okay.
That everything will just go back to the way it was, but that would be a lie.
And Shawn and Emory will never lie to the clients. Or the community.
“How can you be so calm about this? About me and Jenn?” I ask the question, but I already know what he is going to say.
He takes a deep breath and slowly picks up a picture on his desk.
I know which picture it is—the picture we took last summer at the lake house.
The picture of Shawn and Emory and their children.
He keeps pictures of them everywhere, reminding him what we are fighting for here.
Everything Shawn does is for his family.
It has been a crazy ride watching him change into the man he is now.
But because of Emory and their children he is finally the man he was always meant to be.
“Because you look at Jenn the way I still look at Emory. You can’t help who you fall in love with,” he states slowly, setting the picture back down on his desk.
“This is all fucking insane. You know that, right?” I allow a laugh to leave my lips.
He smiles and nods. “Of course it is, but that is our life. Everything is fucking insane and looked at as wrong.”
Tristan’s words start to run through my head. He knows a lot more about me than I do him and that needs to change, and it needs to change fast. “Shawn, I need to go find out who this guy is.”
“Okay. We’ll watch over Jenn.”
His words start to repeat over and over inside my head.
He doesn’t try and convince me not to. He just says they will watch over Jenn.
Shawn really means what he says about having my back just like I always have had his.
He knows that I would die for him and Emory and their kids.
There is nothing I wouldn’t do for them.
Just like there is nothing they wouldn’t do for me.
“Please don’t let her out of your fucking sight.
She is stubborn and I know if she can, she’ll go back because she thinks it will save all of us.
” I love that she is stubborn, that she challenges me, but I need her to stay here.
I need her to be safe as I try to send a message her father and Tristan will never, ever fucking forget.
“I know, brother. She and Emory are a lot alike,” Shawn states, laughing a little. That is no fucking joke.
I nod my head. “Yes, they are.”
“We’ll watch over her and keep her safe. just please be fucking careful.” I know he knows I won’t be, but I also know he just has to say it. He needs to hear himself say it out loud.
“I will try,” I whisper watching him closely. That is all I can give him for right now. That is all I must give right now.
I sit back on the couch as Emory and Jenn walk in. I watch Emory make her way over to Shawn taking a seat on his lap. She leans in and gives him a quick kiss.
I turn my attention from them to Jenn as she slowly makes her way to me and takes a seat on my lap. She wraps her arm around my neck and shoves her face into my neck, making my heart fucking melt.
I wrap my arm around her waist and pull her against me. “I need you to stay with Shawn and Emory for a little while,” I whisper.
She quickly pulls back and looks at me. Her eyes rapidly search mine. Her eyes are filled with fear and anxiety.
I lift my free hand and rest it against the side of her face. “Hon, I need to do this. I need to do this so I can keep you safe.” I try to convince both of us of what I need to do.
“Ethan, please don’t go,” she whispers as her eyes start to fill up with tears.
I feel my heart racing and sinking at the same time at her words. “I need you to listen to me, honey, okay?” I say softly. doing my best to reassure her.
“Okay.” She continues to look into my eyes.
I lean in, my lips almost touching hers.
My eyes are locked on hers as I watch the tears slowly start to escape her eyes and roll down her face.
“I promise I will always come back. I love you, Jenn. I will always come back.” She needs to know that I mean what I say.
That I am not like the others and that I will never break my promises to her.
She doesn’t say anything. I lean in the rest of the way connecting my lips to hers. Tasting her tears and sweet taste. Her sweet taste. I tighten my grip around her making sure she can’t get away from me.
This is why I need to do this. I need to find out as much about Tristan as possible. Because I love her. Because I need her. Because I want more moments like this. She is worth fighting for. And I will remind her of that fact every single day.
“Then Shawn is going with you,” Emory states, making me break the kiss from Jenn. I look up at Emory, still sitting in Shawn’s lap. His arm is tightly around her.
“What? No.”
I would never ask Shawn to put his life on the line for me. Never would I make him choose between me and his wife and children.
Emory takes a deep breath and slowly nods. “I am not taking no for an answer, Ethan Raven. You two have always been stronger together. And we need a strong front.”
“Emory,” I say through gritted teeth. No. The plan was for them to watch Jenn. Not for Shawn to come with me and get a target on his back.
“Don’t fucking ‘ Emory ’ me. I will watch over Jenn and the children. You two go and make them remember exactly who the fuck we are.”
“I love you, angel,” Shawn whispers.
“I love you, too, babe,” Em whispers back, keeping her eyes on me.
I slowly nod because, honestly, there is nothing else I can do. Jenn leans in resting her forehead against the side of my face.
It is time to remind them who the fuck we are. They are in for a big-ass fucking surprise. because we will make a statement they will never forget.