Chapter Six

Mina

" H ey." Riley pokes her head into my office, her gray eyes searching my face as soon as they land on me. "Can we talk?"

I sigh, pushing away from my desk. "If you're here to talk about what I want to do with this company, I still haven't decided."

"No," she says quickly, coming in and closing the door behind her. "I'm actually here about Priest."

"Who?"

"Oh, right. I keep forgetting…" She grimaces, sliding into a chair across from my desk. "Grayson."

I flinch as soon as she says his name. Ever since he left my office yesterday, I've felt wispy and insubstantial again. Like he's haunting me. I'm pretty sure he was sitting outside my house last night when I slipped out of Brinley's room. And again this morning when we left for school.

"You called him Priest?" I ask quietly, my hands clutched together in my lap.

Riley nods, hesitation written all over her face. "The hospital gave him the name since he didn't know his."

"You believe his story about not having any memories?" I ask, genuinely curious what she thinks about all of this. She knows him. It'd be nice to hear what someone else thinks for once. I thought about calling Theia, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I didn't even know where I'd start.

"I think the important question is whether you believe him," she says gently. "Because it's your life that fell apart when he went missing, not mine. Yours and his."

"How is he?"

She hesitates, clearly reluctant to answer that question.

"Please," I whisper. "I know you don't owe me an answer. I just…I spent every damn day afraid he was dead, Riley. It destroyed me. Then he shows up out of the blue, and my whole world feels like it's imploding all over again. I'm terrified he's lying to me. I'm terrified I'm going to end up broken all over again. And still, all I can think about is whether or not he's okay."

"You still love him."

"I never stopped." I glance down at my hands, laughing ruefully. "I'm such a mess. I'm so damn mad that I've been here alone, raising our daughter alone, but I'm the one who chose it, you know? I never even tried to move on. I refused to accept that he was gone. I just…couldn't. So I never dated. I never even considered it. I've always been stuck on him. And now, the one thing I wanted more than anything is literally happening. He's back, and I'm screwing it all up."

Guilt pricks at me, tears welling in my eyes. That's the part that's really messing with my head. I've dreamed about this exact thing so many times. But I guess I never really let myself believe it could happen. Now that it has…I feel like I don't know how trust it. I don't know how to trust myself or him or anything. When miracles don't happen in your life and suddenly one does…how are you supposed to just accept it?

"You're not a mess," she whispers fiercely. "You're surviving, Mina. There is no rulebook for this. There is no right way because it's not something that happens every day or every other day. You're in an impossible situation. Your husband died for all intents and purposes. For six years, he was dead. You grieved him. You raised your daughter on your own. And then he came back ." She stares at me with wide eyes. "Anyone who tells you that they'd handle this any better is full of crap. They'd be just as confused and overwhelmed and messed up as you guys are right now."

I smile, the first genuine smile in days. "Are people talking about us?"

"There are rumors, but nothing has been confirmed yet." She smirks at me. "No one could hear anything at the concert, so no one knows what the heck was going on. We've been tossing out theories online to muddy the waters and keep the press off your doorstep for as long as possible." Her dimples pop out. "Everyone is currently split between whether the two of you have been secretly hooking up for a while or whether he saw you in the crowd and knew you were the one. We weren't really sure which you guys preferred, but we figured they were probably better than any version of the truth."

"Thank you," I whisper, gratitude welling in my chest. "Seriously, thank you. I don't think I have the mental capacity to deal with the media right now on top of everything else."

She winks at me. "It's what we do for our friends. And you and Priest—Grayson—are friends."

I sit back in my chair, exhaling a breath.

"I really want to meddle right now," she admits. "But I promised myself that I was just coming to check in on you after what happened. I figured you could use a friend more than anything."

"I appreciate it," I say, meaning it. "I don't imagine it's easy being caught in the middle."

"You clearly have not been around long," she says with a light laugh. "Around here, I always seem to end up in the middle. Perks of the job, I guess."

"Speaking of the job…" I lick my lips. "I need a favor."

"Name it."

"Can you convince Kasen Alexander to meet my daughter?" I rub my temples, staring at her with pleading eyes. "And before you agree, you should probably know that she asks inappropriate questions, has no filter, and will likely try to convince him to help her do all kinds of shady shit. But I told her about Grayson last night. It ended with me agreeing to try to get her a meeting with Kasen."

Riley covers her hand with her mouth, laughing. "You got swindled, huh?

"I got swindled so bad," I whisper.

"I'll make it happen," she promises, still laughing. "He owes me for putting up with him anyway." And then she sobers. "How did she take it otherwise?"

"Surprisingly well. I expected tears and screaming. Instead, she just…accepted it."

"Kids are sometimes more resilient than we are."

"Yeah," I say softly, glancing around at my dad's office. Even though he isn't here, the office is still steeped in his personality. His books still line the shelves. His sad, beige tones still cover the walls. Nothing here feels like me. "Do you really think I can run this company?"

"I think the real question is, do you want to run this company?"

"No," I whisper. "I really, really don't. My dad was…complicated." I grimace at the word, my conversation with Brinley floating to the surface of my mind. She was right. Things between us were complicated and he did make me sad. He made me sad long before I met Grayson. I just never realized how lonely I was fighting against his vision for my life until I had Grayson telling me that I could be anything I wanted. He gave me strength when mine was flagging. He gave me hope when mine started to dwindle. He changed my life in ways I don't think he even realizes. "He left me the company to force me back here. He loved trying to control my life. I don't want to spend the rest of it dancing on his strings."

"Then don't." Riley shrugs. "Find someone to dance in your place. Sell it off. Do what you want. This is Nashville, Mina. And you have a company full of the best entertainment lawyers in the country music industry. Believe me, if you dangle the hook, they'll come running to snap this place up."

"What about your artists? Whoever buys me out could gut this place."

"My people will be fine. I've been terrorizing this town since I was a little girl." She shoots me a sly smile. "And I married a freaking billionaire. Regardless of who buys you out, I'll have mine taken care of," she says. "I was hoping you'd keep the company for purely selfish reasons. I'm tired of being one of the only young, fashionable female CEOs around here. This is still a Boy's Club. I just elbowed my way in and refused to leave."

Once upon a time, I wanted to be just like her. When I married Grayson, I had big plans for my life. I was going to conquer every single one of my dreams with him at my side. He made me believe I could do it. Even in our tiny apartment, I felt like the world was at our feet. He made me feel that way.

I never once missed my father's money or his mansion. I had everything I needed with Grayson. If there's a chance, no matter how miniscule, of recapturing that…don't I owe it to us to find out?

I was brave enough to leave everything behind for him once. I threw caution to the wind and followed my heart. And for a brief moment in time, we had everything. At least, I thought we did. Things don't seem as clear anymore. There are so many pieces missing, so much I don't know. Maybe he did leave. Maybe he's telling the truth, and he did wake up in a hospital with no memories. I don't know.

But I have to find out. For Brinley's sake. For my sake. And for his. Because regardless of where he's been…he's here now. And when he left my office yesterday, he didn't walk away like a man who spent all those years separated from me willingly. He walked away like a man who was losing everything all over again.

And if anyone can understand how that feels, I can. I do.

"Do you know where I can find Grayson?" I ask Riley, praying that, whatever happens, I'm strong enough to protect Brinley. If my heart ends up crushed, I'll take that risk. But I can't risk hers. She deserves to know her daddy. And she deserves to be loved. I'll protect her. I'll always protect her.

"Promise not to shoot the messenger?" Riley asks in response, nibbling on her bottom lip.

My brows furrow in confusion, and then I groan as realization dawns. Of course. "He's in the parking lot, isn't he?"

She bobs her head in a nod. "In his defense, I don't think he's stalking you," she says quietly. "I think he just doesn't know what else to do with himself right now. It's either this or drink. And he picked drinking yesterday."