“Finch.” I rub behind his ears. “Did Mommy walk you? Shit. I should have told her—”
“Don't refer to me as Mommy to that beast.” My wife stands a few feet away, looking like a bronze Amazon in a long robe, hopefully with nothing under. “Selene walked and fed her.”
I never thought I’d be thankful for Selene, but I am, though no one will ever know it.
I open my arms and wait for her to come to me. It takes a few seconds, but she comes, and I wrap them around her.
“I’ve been worried out of my damn mind,” she admits. “How does Eden do this?”
I rub her back and enjoy the feel of her soft body against mine. I kiss her forehead.
“Everything is fine. You don’t ever have to worry. My businesses are not violent. They’ve never been.”
She doesn’t seem appeased by that.
“What—”
“I can’t talk about it, sweetheart. It’s better for you that way.”
“I don’t want that kind of marriage. I want to be your partner. I want to know things.”
I rub my hands over my face and sigh. I’ve never had to deal with this shit before. I’ve always done what I wanted and didn’t need to answer to anyone, but I’ve also never been married before. It’s been ten years since I was in a committed relationship. She ended things to attend graduate school out of state.
After that, I focused on work. I worked with the Titans and made more money than I could have anticipated. Then, I moved my operations to Shadow Cove. Everything was fine. The business was running like a well-oiled machine for years. Then, Cori decided to stalk me.
“Is there anything to eat?” She takes my hand and leads me to the kitchen. Once I’m seated, she rubs my shoulders while I lean into her. My stomach growls, so she leaves me and pulls out Tupperware containers from the fridge.
She plates leftovers and sits with me while I eat.
“I can’t tell you everything, but I want to meet you halfway.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m in the midst of cleaning up a bit of a mess. That’s what I was doing tonight.”
“Is it handled?”
“Plans were put in place. I promise it will be fine.”
“Okay,” she says, and I sigh in relief. “I’d much rather talk about your bridal shop. Let’s tour the place tomorrow. I’ll call the contractor, and you can tell him what you want.”
Chapter 56
Cori
My future bridal boutique is in the busiest part of Main Street. It’s on the part of town that connects Shadow Cove to Widow’s Peak.
It’s also right off the highway, which makes it a perfect location. One thing a bride is going to do is travel far and wide to find the perfect wedding dress.
“I want to help decorate,” Selene says from a few feet away. Dax makes a face, but he keeps his mouth shut. Selene pulls out her phone. “Eden asked me to take pictures.”
“You can have whatever you want,” Dax whispers in my ear. I tap his cheek in gratitude as I think of ways to make my boutique warm and inviting while also upscale and sophisticated. “You should consider—”
His words get cut off when I hear a buzzing in his pocket. He pulls out another burner phone, excuses himself, and walks through the back door of the boutique.
I decide to leave it alone for now and explore.
The gowns will be downstairs. The brides will go up the curved staircase to the second level, into the fitting rooms. The upstairs is like a large loft. It’s an open concept, and is visible from downstairs. The brides will gather in the middle of the loft to show off their dresses to their entourages.
