Reid smiles as he wraps his arms around Sie from behind. “Fuck yeah,” he says, clearly excited about all of this. “It’s going to be awesome, dude.”
I turn to my best friend. “You trust me not to fuck it up? It’s a lot of money, almost all the money we have,” I say, motioning between the three of us. We pooled it all in the end, Reid’s trust, the money he gave us from his dad’s safe. It wasn’t all of it, but most of it is now being poured into this bar. “And you’re making the biggest investment, Reid.”
“Meh,” Reid says, waving a hand dismissively as he moves to stand beside me. He throws a casual arm around my shoulder as he reaches for Sie with his other hand. “I’ve told you, there is no me and you, Caleb,” he says, squeezing my shoulder. “It’s us, just like it’s always been. We’re family, dude. There is no my money or your money, okay?”
Sie smiles as she leans into Reid, her eyes shining with happiness as she turns to me. “You’ve got this,” she says quietly.
I smile as Reid pulls us closer and into one of those awkward group hugs that has us all laughing. “Besides, do you know how much street cred this is gonna give us?” he says, slapping me once on the back. “I mean fuck, we are going to be the coolest on campus.”
I pull back, giving him a wry smile. “I thought you didn’t give a shit about any of that crap.”
Reid shrugs, smiling at me as he says, “Nah, I don’t really, but it’ll still be cool. And besides,” he adds, a mischievous grin on his face, “once we own the place, we make the rules.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning,” Reid says, his grin widening as he glances at Sie. “That fuckwit Justin Hamilton is banned for life.”
I shake my head, laughing as we turn back to the papers that will transfer ownership of The Last Drop to the three of us.
After we’re done, we head out to have a quick drink with Ken. He doesn’t hang around for long though, just wishes us good luck and then heads out. And just like that, this place is ours.
“So, done deal then?” Adam asks as I wander over to the bar to grab us some more drinks.
“Yep, done deal.”
Adam leans against the bar, his arms crossed over his chest as he smirks at me. “So, do I still have a job?”
I grab three beers from the fridge. “Dunno, you planning on sticking around for a bit?” I ask.
Adam turns as the bell over the door sounds. I watch as he straightens, his grin widening as he says, “I could be persuaded to stay for a while, yeah.”
I glance over at the door and see Ruby and Mila as they walk over to the table where Reid and Sie are sitting. Shaking my head, I turn back to Adam. “Underage, remember?”
Adam chuckles, turning back to me. “Only for drinking,” he says with a wink.
“And my girlfriend’s sister,” I remind him. “Don’t fuck with her.”
Adam holds up his hands in surrender, that grin still plastered on his face. “Please, give me some credit,” he adds. “Besides, I promised her dad I’d keep an eye on her. You think I’m gonna break my word?”
“Wait, what? You’ve met their parents? When? How? What the fuck?”
My mind is racing with a million questions, but Adam ignores all of them as he turns to me and says, “Go join your crew, boss, I’ll take care of things here.”
He wanders off to serve another customer, leaving me standing here like an idiot. Before I have a chance to ask him any more questions though, Ruby comes over, leaning over the bar to press a kiss to my cheek. “Hey,” she says.
I turn to her, shaking my head a little, still trying to process what the fuck Adam just told me. “Hey, how was class?”
Ruby smiles at me and tugs on my arm as she pulls me down to the end of the bar. She steps around it and into my arms. “Class was good. How did everything go here?”
I lean down to brush my lips against hers. “Good. Paperwork is all signed. Place is ours.”
Ruby’s arms wrap around my neck as she presses herself against me. “Congratulations,” she whispers. I smile against her mouth before kissing her again. “So as the girlfriend of the new owner,” she says between kisses. “Does this mean I’m getting free drinks?”
I chuckle, my fingers sliding beneath her sweater and brushing over her bare skin. “Maybe,” I tease.
“Maybe?” Ruby asks, pulling back a little. “I think I need something a little more definitive than maybe!”
I burst out laughing. “Is that so?”
She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth, looking up at me with a seriously sexy smile on her face. “Yes, it is,” she says, pressing her body flush against mine as she pushes us backward and toward the office at the back. “But in the meantime…”
She trails off, saying nothing more as she guides us back behind the bar and down the small corridor to my office. Once inside, she closes the door behind us and I hear the click of the lock turning.
“In the meantime?” I prompt, leaning back against my desk.
Ruby walks slowly toward me, a smile on her face as she slips her arms around my waist and presses a hard kiss to my mouth.
“In the meantime,” she whispers, her fingers moving to the front of my jeans where she starts to undo my belt. “I really think we should christen your new office.”
I smile against her mouth as my hands slide up her back, pulling her top up along the way. “I think that is a fantastic idea.”
Ruby’s hand moves to my cheek, cupping my jaw as she pulls back and stares up at me. “You feeling okay about everything?” she asks, suddenly serious.
I take a deep breath in, letting it out slowly as I contemplate her question. “I am,” I tell her, meaning it. “I mean it’s scary as fuck having this responsibility again, but yeah, I’m feeling okay.”
She smiles now, pushing up to kiss me again. “You’ve got this, Caleb,” she says. “But you know if you ever need us, we’re all here to help.”
My hands skim over the warm skin of her back, brushing over her bra strap and moving to cup her face. “I love you, Ruby,” I say, my eyes locked with hers. “I’d never be where I am today without you.”
“Yes you would,” she whispers, undoing my jeans, one of her hands sliding into my boxers. “But for the record, you don’t need to worry about being without me.”
I groan as her hand circles around me, her grip firm. “Good,” I moan, my eyes closing.
“I love you,” she whispers against my mouth. “Now how about you have your way with me on this desk of yours.”
My eyes fly open, a huge grin on my face as I turn us around, propping her up on the desk as I move between her legs. We stare at each other for a few moments, both of us silently acknowledging everything we’ve found together, everything we have now.
Despite what she says, I know I never could have done this without her. That even though I had the support and friendship and connection with Reid and Sie, what Ruby has given me is so much more.
A reason to fight my past, to deal with my demons and hope for a better future.
She’s given me that future because I cannot imagine my future without her in it.