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He closes his laptop and swings his legs over the side of his bed. “I’m not gonna be with her. Not even gonna act on any feelings I’ve got.”
My eyes shoot to his. “You have feelings for her?”
His shoulders rise, holding tight around his neck. “Well, yeah. I like her a lot, but you’re my best friend. I’d never do that to you.”
“See,” I grumble, shaking the knife in my hand that’s now pointed at the floor, “a fucking saint, you are.”
"Hey,” he says, now on his feet. “What’s our motto?”
“Don’t start with me right now. I don’t need this sappy blast from the past pact bullshit.”
“Say it, Ridge.”
Dragging my words lazily, I say, “We will reign.”
“Damn straight, we will, and no one, I mean no one, is going to get in our way. No one comes between us. We’re brothers—me, you, and Lev.”
“She did, though. She came between us. She’s right in the center.” I wave the knife toward the center of our room. “A big fucking elephant sitting right there.”
“She’s nothing to me.”
“She’s everything. She’s everything, Maddox. She’s the sun and the rain, and the stars and the moon. She’s classic novels and horror movies. Song lyrics and music notes.” I drop down on the couch, letting the knife fall to the floor. “She’s fucking everything.”
"Don’t give up so soon, Ridge. She’ll come around eventually. Just give her some space.”
My eyes shoot to his. “Oh, I’m not giving up. And even as I tell you to go get her, I’m still not giving up. Her happiness is what’s important and if you can make her happy while she waits for me, then I can deal. When I say we will reign, I mean it for all of us. Riley included. So go get her, but keep in mind, I’m going after her, too.”
Maddox blows out an airy chuckle. “I’m not going after her. I already told you—”
“Yes, you are. Now get the fuck out of here.” I reach down and pick the knife back up, then point it at the door. “I won’t be the reason for your misery or hers. You can try, but I can’t promise you’ll win.”
Maddox steps forward, then back. Forward then back like a damn toddler learning to walk.“Are you fucking with me?”
“I’m gonna fuck you up if you don’t get out of here right now. Don’t make me regret this, Maddox. And if you hurt her,” I pull the sheath off the knife, exposing the blade, “I will choose her.”
That’s enough for him tosnatch his jacket off the hook and leave.
I’ve always known I feel things too deeply and love too hard. But it’s not just Riley. I love my boys, too. A life alone is not a life worth living, and I can’t imagine doing it without her, or them. My happiness is in the back seat, and they’re all riding shotgun.
CHAPTER30
RILEY
“I needed this,”I tell Scar, who’s standing behind me at her vanity, French-braiding my hair. “Everything has been so chaotic lately, so a night with my bestie is perfect.”
Her hips sway to Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero”as she weaves the braid. “Agreed. It’s been great staying with the guys and my bed is going to be cold tonight, but I’ve missed this. We need to do it more often.”
“I just still feel so bad for Ridge—”
“Ah,” she cuts me off with a hard glare in the mirror, “we’re not talking about him, remember?”
“Maddox?”
“Nope.”
“The guy who fell to his death from our window?”
“Not a chance.”
