by Livy North
As we approached St. Crow and started our descent, the city lights appeared like a reverse starlit sky. For some reason, the descent felt almost wistful.
This trip had been everything I didn’t expect.
She’d been everything I didn’t expect.
And I’d definitely been everything I did not expect.
While Emory came back to an entire fortune for herself, a company she didn’t know how to run, and people wanting to cozy up to her, all I was returning to was the father I loathed and two brothers who still adored him.
Still, a part of me knew I couldn’t blame Emory for that, but it was the easiest thing to do. But this trip had changed everything for me. As I looked down at the sleeping woman next to me, I couldn’t help but feel a wave of protectiveness wash over me.
“What a ride this has been, huh,” I whispered to myself. Chuckling softly, I couldn’t help but smile. “You and me, Nightmare? Us, together? We will burn. But even if we do, I wouldn’t regret any of it. Any of us. It’s time to wake up.”
Forgetting myself, I touched my finger to her temple, brushing away a loose strand of hair. When I realized what I was doing, I tensed up. Through wary eyes I watched for movements.
Emory didn’t open her eyes, but her eyelids moved—a dead giveaway she wasn’t as asleep as she wanted me to think. My heart skipped a beat.
She’d definitely heard me.
I’d heard him, loud and clear. If I was completely honest, I hadn’t slept at all. I’d rested my eyes, that was all. And I could feel his lingering gaze every once in a while.
It felt good knowing he was as conflicted about us as I was. The problem was, I couldn’t like him. He was obnoxious, arrogant, and cruel most of the time. He knew how to get on my nerves, and he was pretty damn good at it.
But he’d shown me a different side of himself this week. Sure, he hadn’t been overly chivalrous, but he’d told me things about himself I never thought he’d confide in me with.
Stuff about his father, for instance.
But back at the plane, he’d seemed almost sad. He wasn’t himself on that flight.
We’d retrieved our luggage and were heading to River’s car.
“Nice car,” I said as we approached it, mostly to say something. The matte black paint did look good, though.
River cleared his throat as we stopped by the trunk. “Don’t scratch the paint and don’t ruin anything. I had the seats and paint redone less than two months ago.”
I couldn’t resist the urge to snicker softly. “Sure. Well, you know what they say. Either he cares about cars or he can make a girl come.” I couldn’t help myself. Whatever happened between us on this trip, I needed things to go back to normal. To when I knew how to act around him, to when all we did was bicker and tease each other.
Squaring his shoulders, he stepped closer. “I assure you, I can do both.”
“Prove it,” I teased, but as soon as River stepped toward me, I regretted opening my mouth.
“You don’t want me to. You wouldn’t be able to walk for days. And you certainly wouldn’t be able to settle for some vanilla guy afterward.”
The confidence his words carried was more attractive than I would like to admit.
The New York trip had triggered something inside me. Suddenly, he wasn’t only annoying; he was annoying and attractive. God, he was attractive.
I needed to watch out for this one.
This River might be even more dangerous than the one I went to New York with.
I drove to my apartment after dropping off Emory. I didn’t sleep at all. The bed was too warm, my skin itchy, and my mind was on fire. It was nothing like me. I’d always slept peacefully, no matter what had happened or what I’d done to people. Fire someone loyal but who couldn’t match the company standards? Not an issue. Cut a girl off whenever she got too clingy? So easy, it bordered on fun.
I spent the early hours of the day in my atelier.
When morning came, I wasn’t at peak like I usually was. I was a mess, and for no clear reason. I had Emory where I wanted her for the most part. But the more I tried to get under Emory’s skin so I could break her from the inside out, the more she started poking holes in my exterior. Every time she did, I got desperate and erratic.
Because I felt like being with my brothers, I went over to the estate for breakfast.
I regretted that the moment I walked into the kitchen the following morning. My father sat in his usual spot at the head of the table like the self-proclaimed king he made himself out to be with Seb and Nico on one side of the table. But the shock came when I spotted blonde hair and a thin frame.
I stopped in the doorway. “Mom?”
Their heads turned to me, including my mom’s. “Hi, Rivvie.”
Rivvie. A daft nickname for the daft boy I used to be. I hated it.
“What are you doing home?” My mother had been shipped off to Europe for the past few weeks. She wasn’t supposed to come home before the end of October, which was still a few weeks away.
“River,” father warned.
I clenched my jaw. “I didn’t think you’d be home yet,” I rephrased. Glancing over at my brothers, they looked equally as disinterested as I was.
My mom wasn’t a bad mom, but over the years we’d learned not to rely on her. Unlike most couples, I think my father and mother indeed loved each other. They were a perfect match—Father was dominant and cold while Mom was soft and caring. She didn’t embarrass him or challenge him, and only stood by his side.
It helped that she seriously looked like someone picked straight out of Heaven with her blonde hair.
“I got an earlier plane because Thomas wanted me to come home.” Mom squeezed Father’s hand in her own.
“When did you come home last night?” Father asked between sips from his coffee cup, preventing me from asking any questions about Mom’s sudden appearance.
“Around three,” I replied, shooting down the caffeine from the cup Lucy had placed in front of me.
He nodded slowly. For a second, the room was peaceful, and I pretended we had a normal father-son bond, but then he folded together his newspaper and continued with folding his hands over the table. I knew he meant business. He had put his judging glasses on. Now came his verdict—and in this house and city, his word was law.
“So, how did it go?”
I played dumb again. “How did what go?”
His eyes narrowed and he feigned a smile. “Drop the attitude.”
Clenching my teeth, I cursed myself for being such a wuss who couldn’t stand up to his own father. Emory was right about me, and I hated it.
“So?” Father prompted, leveling me with his scrutinizing eyes.
“It went fine. I believe we made a good impression.”
“Believe?”
My jaw clenched. “I know we made a good impression. They all loved us.” I forced myself to answer what he really wanted to know. “They loved Emory.”
Father leaned back in his chair. “That pleases me to hear. I can count on you to put your best foot forward when it comes to her, right, River?” He eyed me suspiciously.
“Of course,” I ground out, forcing myself not to sound constipated. I put on a smile and stabbed a piece of bacon with my fork.
Father cleared his throat, and when I looked up, he nodded down at my sleeve. “You’ve been painting again.”
I glanced down at the little red paint sticking out from my sleeve that had ridden up my arm as I’d crossed them over my chest. “How observant of you.”
He only gave a nod, but the move was drenched in disapproval.
Silence filled the room like fog closing in on us, making it harder to breathe.
After a while, Father cleared his throat and tapped his lips with his napkin. “Keep your schedule free this week. I’m inviting the Darlingtons over for a dinner sometime to discuss business.”
“So?” I asked. My brother’s eyes cut to me as if I’d cussed him out.
&nbs
p; “I need you to be there, too,” Father said to me. “And I need you to come with Emory.”
“Emory?” I scowled at him. “Why?”
“Because after you screwed it all up, this is the backup plan. The Darlingtons have already invested in Lauder Inc. They’ve always respected the Lauders. If Emory is here with you, they’ll be less opposed to the idea. They’ll see she supports us, too.”
That made me snort out loud. “I thought I was banned from all things Sinclair Corp.?”
“Watch your tone.”
I glowered at every one of them. “How are you even going to get Emory to come? Since I’m guessing you aren’t going to tell her the real reason why she’s being invited to dinner?”
“No. I thought you’d come up with something. You’ve always had a way with your words and with the ladies. And after New York, I expect you’ve gotten to know each other.”
God, he was clueless.
I shook my head. “No. I’m not doing that. If you want her help, you gotta find another way to do it. I won’t lie.”
I would not ask Emory for any kind of help, especially when that help only benefitted my father.
“You kicked me out of the company, remember?” I seethed. “Get someone else to do your dirty work.” I straightened my back. “I’ll come to dinner, but I won’t come with her. Nico, Seb, you want to catch a ride to the university?” I inclined my head back toward the hallway.
“Yeah,” Nico said, standing up.
Seb nodded, kissing Mom’s cheek before following us.
Once in the car, my anger seemed to evaporate. It was weird how my body worked these days. Simply being in the same room as my father pissed me off, and it hadn’t been like that until recently.
“What’s going on with you?” Nico asked, pursing his lips together and looking at me from the passenger seat.
I clenched the steering wheel and hit the gas. “Nothing.”
“What you did wasn’t nothing.” His eyes burned like laser beams in my side profile.
“Cut the crap, Nico. If you’ve got something to say, then say it.”
I felt slightly bad for being so snappy with my brothers lately, but I’d inherited my father’s habits, and my patience wasn’t something to brag over.
Nicolas sat back and shook his head. “I just hope you know what you’re doing. He’s letting your behavior slide—”
“My behavior,” I mused before I scoffed.
He rolled his eyes. “He’s letting your behavior slide, and frankly, I don’t know why. But I know he won’t tolerate it if you disrespect him in public.”
“I know. He’s my father, too.”
Nico sighed. “I still hope you know what you’re doing.”
“How cute that you’re looking out for me, little brother, but I’m a big boy.”
“So, what are you doing with Dad?”
“What do you mean?” I pulled up to the parking lot outside the university.
Sebastian shrugged. “You know what I mean. He won’t be happy about this and he certainly won’t take no for an answer. You’re not asking Emory to come to dinner?”
Killing the engine, I shrugged. “No.”
He smiled sheepishly. “Okay.”
We got out of the car and it locked once all the doors were shut. I walked ahead with my brothers trailing after.
A phone rang before Nico spoke. “It’s Father. I have to take this. I’ll see you later.” He walked away from us while Seb and I continued inside the school.
“You know I can tell something’s bothering you,” Seb said, pushing the doors open. “I’m your brother, after all.”
“Your brotherly intuition is right,” I muttered, keeping my head held high as people parted for us.
“So, are you going to tell me now that Nico isn’t here?”
Guilt filled my chest with heavy pressure. “Don’t say it like that.”
Nico was my go-to brother for most things because Seb was still young. Yet, if I had a personal issue, Seb was the one I talked to. He didn’t judge. He was a much better person than me and Nico.
Seb clapped his hand together in prayer. “River, we love you, brother, but you can be a little negative sometimes. Now tell me what’s up.”
We settled in the back corner of a lecture hall, away from the masses.
“It’s Emory,” I admitted.
“Yeah, I figured.” He smiled at me. “So, is anything happening between you? A bit of amour?”
“No.” I shut him down quickly. “It’s not like that. You know we don’t like each other but—”
“But she’s starting to grow on you,” Sebastian continued.
To that, I didn’t answer.
“River, I can’t help you deal with what you feel. No one can. Only you know how you feel and how to deal with it. But would it be the worst thing if you actually liked someone?”
Yes. Because I knew that said someone wouldn’t remotely like me back. Friendly did not equal flirty. I wasn’t a fool.
“Emory and I are on two different sides,” I stated.
Sebastian shrugged. “But what if you’re two sides of the same coin?”
I frowned at him. Fuck. Now my baby brother was messing with my head.
“You should probably keep an eye on her, though,” he added, not meeting my gaze.
“What do you mean?” My mind backtracked to when he’d said almost the same thing when he called me in New York.
“Nothing.” I could tell it was a lie. “But Dad doesn’t like her and… she’s the only Lauder left.”
Something inside me had changed during the trip to New York. And that was mostly because of River. That guy infiltrated himself into every part of my life, and not even intentionally.
After a few days home in St. Crow, the town was already strangling me. In retrospect, New York was a trip that I had needed, despite the several lapses in judgment, the arguing, the tension, and everything. The air was lighter to bear in New York than in St. Crow.
I was headed to my secret spot by the pier, but my plans were immediately ruined when I came down there and the elite had already fired up a big bonfire at the beach below it.
I groaned, slowing my steps. They were dancing and grinding to music I could already hear. I scanned the crowd, seeing the Adley brothers, the Colby siblings, the Darlington sisters, and the Sinclairs among them.
Nico spotted me, gave a nod, and a shy smile. I returned the greeting.
“Emory!” Alexa Colby shimmied over in a T-shirt and jeans, her messy bun almost falling out. “What are you doing here?”
I don’t know.
“Just stopping by.” I smiled awkwardly, my eyes darting toward River, who sat on a big stone a few feet away. He was busy listening to the Adley brothers talk. I could hear their muffled voices from here. He didn’t look my way.
“Well, have fun!” Alexa smiled and went off with a guy who had grabbed her arm and pulled her away.
Amongst the people, I spotted a familiar blonde head. My mood spiked. “Evie! Hey!” I went over and tapped her shoulder. She swiveled around.
“Emory.” Her eyebrows popped up. “Hey. I thought you said you needed a day to yourself.”
I nodded. “That was my intention.”
“Hey, Em.” Elijah Colby gave a small wave from behind Evie. He wasn’t Evie’s usual type, so I was kind of surprised she was dancing with him out of everyone here.
“Hey.” I tipped my chin at him. “How are you?” I eyed him carefully, wanting to see if he was nervous about being caught with Evie. If he was, it would mean something deeper was going on, but Elijah was cool as a cucumber and polite as usual.
He smiled, half a dimple coming out. “Just dandy. And you?”
I smiled. “Fit as a fiddle.”
His smile widened, showing off his perfectly white teeth. I’d never seen teeth so white. “Are you staying?” he asked.
After a second of consideration, I shrugged. “Haven’t decided yet.” I pulled m
y knit cardigan tighter around me. It was cold. If I was going to stay, I need to get closer to the fire. “I’m gonna head to the fire,” I said awkwardly, feeling as though I’d intruded on something. “See ya.”
They waved me off as I turned around and walked. The Darlington sisters and a few of the people from my class were circling the huge bonfire, sitting on wooden stocks I had no clue where they’d come from. Some of them were grilling marshmallows while others were drinking.
“Hey, Marty,” I greeted the oldest Darlington as I sat next to her on the stock. “Didn’t think you were the beach party type.”
She shook her head. “I’m not, but Isabella dragged me here because our parents grounded her, so she isn’t allowed to go anywhere if I’m not—”
“Marty!” Isabella came up behind her. She towered over us, looking at me with her brows drawn in. “At least my parents care enough to ground me. How are your parents doing?” she directed the question at me and raised one of her eyebrows.
I narrowed my eyes at her. “They’re fine. A little cold, I guess. The ground freezes in October. But you probably don’t know that since it doesn’t have anything to do with you.”
It was a pathetic dig, but I couldn’t help myself. Isabella was annoying me. She’d grown more annoying over the past months. How she and Martina were sisters, I didn’t get, but I guess Isabella was one of the stereotypical spoiled youngest kids.
“Hey, Lauder,” a rumbly voice said behind me. We all turned to see the Adleys coming our way with the Sinclairs behind them. My eyes darted to the back where River was on the move too, hands stuck in his pants and head tilted at an angle that made his hair hang lower on his forehead.
“Sean,” I greeted, smiling tiredly.
He popped down between Marty and me, forcing Marty to scoot over with an eye-roll.
“How was New York?” he asked, his eyes searching mine with a smug smile on his lips.
My gaze found River, who was staring holes in my head. I turned back to Sean. “Fine. What did you hear?”
