“Good evening, Fi.” My sophisticated future brother-in-law sat in a chair by the front desk, ankle crossed over his knee, surrounded by files and his laptop. “Roxy told me you were coming by to, quote, take me for all I was worth, end quote.”
I blew out a big breath. Edward’s steady, calm voice was the comfort I needed right now. “I should hope you’re worth more than fifteen grand.”
His eyebrow lifted. “As would my investors.”
I pulled over a chair and sat down next to him. I’d come right from Mateo’s garage, right from Max telling me he needed me.
Right from Max getting a job on the other side of the country.
The bizarre part of it, the part that had sent me running scared, was that my attraction was so strong, so persistent, so tempting, I didn’t even care that he was moving away again. I’d broken the rule of my contract. I’d happily engaged in physical affection with him even though I absolutely could not guarantee his commitment.
I’d done that with a man who was boldly anti-relationship.
“What’s wrong?” Edward asked softly. “You look wrecked.”
I waved my hand back and forth. “I’m tired from work. I’m okay.”
He didn’t seem convinced.
“Max and I are planning this benefit show in a week to raise money to save The Red Room,” I said. “Pop’s being sued for back rent.”
He nodded, brow still pinched. “Roxy told me. Bloody awful business.”
“We need help filling a gap. If we sell out of tickets, which I think is likely, we’re still short. I thought maybe The Logan Hotel would like to sponsor the event. I can offer basically nothing in return except my lifelong love and admiration as your sister-in-law.”
His lips twitched at the ends. “And the satisfaction in knowing this city’s last remaining punk rock club won’t be demolished.”
I nudged his knee. “So that’s a yes?”
“Of course,” he said. “Let me figure out how I’ll swing it, but you’ve got my word.”
I leaned back in the chair, sighing with relief. “Pop’s going to need more help than that though. Business coaching, revenue plans, marketing help.”
He was writing something down on a pad of paper. “I’ll set him up with a few mentors I know who are free right now. It’s a grand idea, and one that will help him avoid this situation in the future. Dodgy landlord or not, if he’s easily making rent and maintaining a healthy revenue stream, Pop should be able to rest easier at night.”
I sighed, relieved. Squeezed his knee. “Thank you. I knew you’d understand.”
“Let’s be honest.” His smile was playful. “The Red Room was saved the minute you attached your name to it. I’ve never known you to back down from doing what’s right. And I’ve technically been on your bad side before. Still gives me nightmares.”
When Edward was attempting to win Roxy over during their breakup, I’d been the sole mediator, sitting him down with my parents to show them he’d mended his dipshit ways.
“I think that was a compliment, so thank you.”
He grinned. “It was.”
I clapped my hands together. “So I’ll help make the connections, loop Max into the process, and follow up once you’ve secured your gift amount.”
I winced when I said Max’s name, and Edward caught it. He slowly set his paper aside and leaned his elbows onto his knees. His expression was almost unbearably compassionate. “Are you truly alright, Fi?”
I chewed on my lip and shook my head. “Were you…” I stopped. He waited patiently. “Were you in love before you met Roxy? With Emily or anyone else?”
Emily was the woman who dumped Edward the night he wandered into Roxy’s tattoo parlor, drunk and heartbroken.
“Not at all,” he said swiftly. “In fact, meeting Roxy helped me realize I had never, truly, been in love. My feelings before I met your sister were tidy and careful and had more to do with making my parents happy than anything else. But love’s not tidy, and the experience of falling in love is not at all careful.”
I chewed on my bottom lip. Even before last year’s dating disasters, I was hard-pressed to remember a relationship that had left any sort of impact on my life or my heart. Every attempt at love I’d viewed as a stepping-stone, yet the one thing I resisted analyzing was my own lackluster response to their affections.
Those tense moments with Max on that bike were the hottest of my life, hands down. I was struggling to fully accept the level of passion I’d been missing out on all these years. Like think about you all the time, dream about you at night, want to kiss you for hours and hours type of attraction. It wasn’t linear. It wasn’t quantifiable. It was wild and rebellious.
Turns out I wasn’t an expert on the mysteries of the human heart after all.
“I’ve never been in love either,” I said. “I thought something was wrong with me. Everyone around me seemed to be passionately in love with someone. I thought it was because I was too busy focusing on school and then my career. That love wasn’t something I ever experienced because it wasn’t a priority. But I made it a priority last year, and it still felt tidy and careful.”
He made a sound of understanding. “It’s a risky business, this love stuff. I fought that for a long time until I realized that terrifying, god-awful leap was the first step.”
I was lost in thought until he nudged me. “Forgive the intrusion, but are you considering taking the leap with someone?”
I thought about Max, tilting my face up with his fingers in my hair. The rough, reckless desire in his voice when he said, I need you. The memory had my heart hammering against my rib cage.
“Yes, I am considering it.”
For a man who didn’t do relationships and was moving in ten days.
His lips quirked up. “Let me guess. This gentleman does not conform to that contract of yours.”
I gave him a knowing look. “No. He does not.”
“And what did you tell your sister when she swore up and down I wasn’t the right man for her?”
Oh god, this was terrifying.
“I told her to go for it.”
I crossed my arms, smirking. He mirrored my pose, eyebrow raised again.
“Roxy’s been a bad influence on you.”
He laughed, casting his eyes over at my sister in the back. “She certainly has. And I’m grateful for it.”
My sister came swaying over not a minute later, snapping off her gloves and beaming when she saw me. But she pulled up short as soon as she got close. “Hold up. What’s going on?”
“I’ve been hit by Hurricane Max.”
She nodded in full understanding. “Right on schedule. Sounds like it’s time to go be brave, Fi.”
“How come I want to puke?”
“That’s the bravery talking.” She patted my shoulder. “Now go chase your fucking joy.”
23
Max
The next morning, Pop was in a chipper mood, which wasn’t like him at all. He strode into the office with a pink box of donuts and an expression that was more smile than scowl.