The Wright Boss(67)

"Already did."

"Fuck," Emery groaned. "Okay, okay. I can figure this out, but if he shows up and y'all are together, I never knew!"

"Got it," Landon agreed.

I nodded. "Thanks, Em."

"You owe me," Emery told me. "And you … you should be lucky it's my best friend."

Landon held his arms up. "We both appreciate it, Emery. Even if we don't both deserve it."

She nodded her head as Landon eased out of the bedroom.

"I have to get ready for work," Emery said with a sigh. "Will you please be careful? I could have easily had Jensen with me, and we'd be having a much different conversation."

"I'd like to avoid that conversation if at all possible."

"Me, too," she muttered. Emery's eyes cut to mine again. "This is so weird. You're sleeping with Landon Wright. Like … Landon Wright."

"Yeah," I said with a one-shoulder shrug. "Guess so."

"And it's the week of … and you seem okay."

I swallowed hard. "I'm holding up. I told him last night … about everything."

"Holy shit, Heidi. That's huge. Y'all are really serious, aren't you?"

I bit my lip and did a brisk nod. "I feel like it all happened so fast, yet … I've been waiting for this moment for so long. Just finding a guy who really gets me, you know?"

Emery looked down and grinned. "That, I do. And I'm also queen of realizing that it's not always the guy you expected you'd fall for."

"What is it with these Wright brothers?" I asked.

"If only I knew."

"Seriously."

"Falling for them only pads their egos," Emery said.

I snort-laughed. "As if their egos need padding."

"Yet we love them."

"We do," I agreed softly.

Emery laughed. "Okay, seriously, work. Go put some clothes on, you slob. You're super naked."

I tugged on the T-shirt I had on, suddenly remembering I'd never put on shorts. "Whatever. You like it, ho."

"Oh, yeah, baby. Take it all off."

I tugged at the bottom of my shirt, giving her a peek of my stomach. "Come and get it, lover."

Emery winked at me before I disappeared around the corner.

I breathed a sigh of relief. I was the luckiest fucking person in the world to have a friend like her. It was no joke when I said that she was the only family I had left. I worried more about what she thought than about losing my job at this point. I knew that she was putting on an act, too. She wasn't a hundred percent comfortable with me and Landon, but she loved me and wanted me to be happy. I hoped that we could all figure out how to handle this over time.

"She okay?" Landon asked when I stepped back into my bedroom.

"I think she's adjusting."

"Yeah, welcome to the club."

"You know what? Don't use that tone with me about Emery. You were the one who ditched her on graduation day and left her in tattered pieces that I had to put back together for years, Landon."

He held his hands up in defense. "Whoa. Okay. I didn't mean to upset you like that. I meant that I had to adjust to her and Jensen. At least you told her about us before she walked in on us."



       
         
       
        

"I know," I said with a shake of my head. "I get defensive about Emery. You really hurt her, you know."

He scratched the back of his head. "Yeah. Trust me, I carry around the guilt from it. I was mad about what had happened with my dad, that the last thing I'd ever said to him was that I chose Emery over him and that I would every time. When he died, I blamed myself, and I stupidly blamed Emery. I couldn't even look at her or think about her or talk to her without that pain. So, yeah, I get that you want to protect her. I was a dick to push her away when I was grieving, but it was high school. I have apologized for how I acted. And what happened with me and Emery has absolutely nothing to do with what's happening with me and you, Heidi."

"That was what you said to your dad?" I asked softly.

"Uh … yeah," he said, glancing off. "Did I never tell you that?"

"I … no. I knew you got into an argument about college."

"Yeah, well, what I wouldn't give to redo those days. But then I don't know if I'd be standing right here, and I know this is where I'm supposed to be."

I stepped into his arms, rested my head on his shoulder, and closed my eyes. This was where I was meant to be, too.

"We should probably get my car," I whispered, tightening my grip on him.