The Price of Redemption

Chapter 1

“Mr. Pennington, you have a call on line one.”

“Thank you, Donna,” I answer the intercom as I reach for the receiver. “Pennington.”

“Asshole.” Riley’s baritone voice booms through the phone.

“What makes you think I’m alone?”

“Cause you suck.” Riley chuckles.

“Fuck you,” I snap. “What’s up?”

“Wondering if you’re still coming for the tux fitting tomorrow?” He sounds almost giddy. I guess I would be too if I were marrying the love of my life.

“It’s on my calendar.” I double-check it on my cell phone.

“Good.” He pauses. “Everything all right?”

“Stellar. I’m packed with appointments until after the first of the year, and most of my clients followed me here.”

Riley’s words come out no more than a whisper. “And you’re doing okay with the move?”

Mom must be within earshot. “I’m happy to be home. I’m putting everything in order and moving forward. It’s time,” I say, looking around the room.

“Damn straight, you deserve to be home. You have nothing else to prove.”

I shake my head. “I’ll always blame myself, Riley.” I sigh. “It’s what I deserve.” I leave it at that. He doesn’t get to know everything.

“Whatever, asshole.” Riley irks me.

I hang my head. “Can you swing by after the appointment and help me move a few things around?”

Riley perks up. “Be happy to. Later.”

As the phone goes silent, I lift my eyes, looking over the room. Moving back home from Charleston felt right, but I’m having second thoughts. I’m positive Riley knows what I’m thinking. Being here, where my demons haunt me, may not have been the best of ideas.

A cough from the door jerks me back to the here and now.

“I’m so sorry, sir. I did call your name several times,” Donna says from the door. She’s a petite woman with graying hair that frames her face.

I wave her apology off. “Perfectly fine.”

“Of course. I have a few more things in the file room. I’ll finish tomorrow before starting on my office,” she explains.

Turning to my phone, I see it’s seven in the evening. “Yes, Donna, please go home. I suppose we lost track of time,” I say as I walk around my desk. “Thank you for all your help today. I couldn’t have done it without you.” I reach for her hand.

She looks from me to my hand and back before taking it. We shake as her smile grows. “You’re welcome. I’ll be here at nine in the morning.”

“I have an appointment around ten. I’ll be in after.” I return her smile. “And please, call me Walker. I look for my dad every time you say Mr. Pennington.” I chuckle as she smiles.

“I can do that. I’ll see you in the morning.” Donna turns to leave before pausing. “I’m bringing coffee. It’s my life source. How do you like yours?”

“Oh, I—don’t drink it.” I wince as her eyes grow wide.

“A lawyer who wants to be called by his first name and doesn’t drink coffee. Where were you twenty years ago?” She smirks.

I laugh. “Third grade?”

“And suddenly, your allure is gone.” Donna snaps her fingers in the air.

“I’m sorry. Please take the company card and buy whatever supplies we need, including coffee.” I wink, trying to appease her for my earlier faux pas.

“I’ll do it before I come in. Is that all right?” she questions me.

“Yes. You might want to grab some basics. Water, soda and cookies. Maybe I need to have a bakery deliver a few times a week?” I ask.

“We’ll start here and decide later. Have a good night.” She smiles with a wave, walking out the door.

Scratching my head, I appraise what’s left to do and dig back in. The thirty-nine hundred square foot brick exterior building is larger than I need, but I’m hoping to grow. I have enough office space to have three junior partners. I added a full-size kitchen upstairs for a lunchroom.

Before I know it, it’s two in the morning and my eyes are burning from lack of sleep. I’ve been staying in my parents’ guest house now that Riley has his own home. I toss and turn there, so I clear a spot on the sofa. Sitting down, I rub the tension from my neck.

I stretch out, closing my eyes as I tuck my hands behind my head.

My mind races as I face the chasm of mistakes I’ve made in my life.

It sickens me to think of the hurt I’ve caused and how it could’ve been avoided.

I sit up and jump from the couch. “I know there’s some in here,” I say to myself as I search the boxes.

I rip open the third top and sure enough.

“My old friend or nemesis, we’ll decide later,” saying as I pull the bottle of Jameson free.

I remove the lid and tip the amber liquid back. I lay on the couch with my sleep aid in one hand. It didn’t use to be this hard to sleep, but the last two years have been my own personal hell. I take another swig from the bottle, positive I’m making my parents proud. Not even close.

“One more, Walker,” I say before taking another swallow. I push the lid on and set the bottle down. I try to sleep again. I’m not sure when I finally doze off, but my wake-up call wasn’t what I hoped for.

“Wakey-wakey, hands off snakey.” A warm rush of air sweeps over me as I register the whisper, suddenly followed by a sharp pain in my leg. “Mornin’, buttercup!” Riley says.

“Motherfucker!” I lurch forward, grabbing my thigh. I fall to the floor, rubbing the charley horse delivered by my brother. “You little shit.”

“Little my ass,” he replies with his arms flexed, and I glare at him.

I sit up as he walks over, making himself at home at my desk. “You ever been told you’re a helluva wake-up call?”

He props his feet on my desk, grinning as he leans back. “I sure have.” He waggles his brows.

I shake my head as I stand, making my way over to him. “Why are you here so early?” I knock his feet from my desk as I reach for my phone and see I’m an hour late. “Sorry. Give me five minutes.”

He nods. “We’re good.”

“Naw, man. I need to get my shit straight,” I reply, rushing toward my private bathroom.

“There’s plenty of time,” Riley grunts as I grab my toothbrush. I know he gets sick of my self-contempt.

My answer is muddled as I speak with my toothbrush. “The fuck there is.” I look at him over my shoulder. We both know we’re talking about two different things. “But thanks.”

I rinse my mouth and wash my face before reaching for a clean shirt from my linen closet that holds towels and clothes, along with other essentials. I grab the first thing I find, dragging it over my head, as I join him again.

He leans forward, eyeing me. “Walker, you have to stop kicking the hell outta yourself for what happened.”

I step into my shoes and shrug. “At some point, I will.”

No one understands. I really loved Thayer. And knowing I not only pushed her back to Hardy, I became everything I hate. I’ve tried drowning my sorrows in women and booze. Thought about moving further away and even swore off women.

“You ready to be the best man?” Riley asks as he stands.

“I’ll be second. My little brother is the best.” I look at Riley, realizing what an incredible man he has become. And I know it hasn’t been from my example.

“Yeah, well, and the best looking.” He fake punches my stomach as he steps around me.

“Whatever,” I say, rolling my eyes. “Let’s go get your funeral clothes.”

“Seriously?” He cocks his brow.

“Get your ass in the car. I’m coming.” I grab my phone and keys, following him out of my office. I pause by the file room. “Donna, I’ll be back in a few hours.”

“No problem, Mr. Pennington,” she responds.

Riley holds the door as I walk out. “You think she’ll stay?”

“Yes. She’s an excellent assistant.”

“She’d have to be to work with you.” He smirks as we open the car doors.

“Asshat.”

Riley starts the car, pulls out of the parking lot and onto Highway Seventeen toward his waiting bride-to-be. I’m happy for my brother, but I’m also a little jealous. Nobody to blame there but myself.

“Ava’s blowing up my phone,” he grunts, pulling his phone from his pocket at the first light.

“I’ll apologize. I can’t fucking sleep.” I lay my head against the cool glass, hoping it’ll stop pounding.

“Because of the move?” Riley questions, quickly texting something before laying his phone on the seat when the light changes.

“Everything.” I drag my hand over my face.

“Yeah, I can understand. It must be hard being good looking, rich, having your own law firm and all the potential in the world.” He smirks. “Helluva hard life.”

My jaw ticks as I glare out the passenger window. “You’ll never understand. You haven’t done the things I’ve done.”

“I’ve made my share of mistakes.”

I glance at him. “Oh, yeah. I remember that one time.” I smirk when he flips me off.

“Fucker,” he says as I pick at my thumbnail, trying to clear my thoughts.

My soon-to-be sister-in-law stands at the front of the men’s wear store. Her black hair peeks from under the white-blonde, drawing attention to her curvy body that could stop traffic. But it’s the smile on her face that brings men to their knees. She’s a helluva woman, in more ways than one.

If I didn’t know better, she was tapping her foot as we parked. As Riley steps out of the vehicle, Ava’s face lights up. There it is, the look on my little brother’s face is worth everything. My chest tightens as memories cloud my vision.

“You’re late. I was worried,” She presses her lips into a thin line, narrowing her eyes. Riley reaches her, taking Ava in his arms and leaning her back to place a kiss on her lips. When he releases her, she murmurs, “You’re forgiven.”

“Thanks for waiting.” Riley kisses her again.

“It’s the least I could do. You waited for me long enough.” She wrinkles her nose and giggles.

“And you’re both making me wait. Get to movin’, lovebirds.”

“Hey, brother,” Ava greets me with a kiss on my cheek.

“I overslept. Sorry.” I shrug my shoulders.

Riley fell in love with Ava when he was six-years-old. We’re four years his senior. After running to the Army to try to forget Ava when she had a baby with one of our childhood friends, he came home still in love with his favorite version of trouble, and they finally found each other.

If only love was that easy.