Chapter 35

It tooka little longer than I expected for the three of us to finally leave the bedroom. By the time we did, the scent of bacon filled the apartment, and my mouth watered. When was the last time I’d eaten?

Jay bounded into the main living space and immediately scooped Dakota up and had him in his arms, and kissed him. It was still a little odd, even though I was thrilled for him. It was really nice to see Jay so free and affectionate.

“Just in time,” Wes called out. “Breakfast is almost ready.”

I took a moment to look around the space. It was nice. It wasn’t one of those ridiculous penthouses you saw on TV, but the open-concept living area was really spacious. The flooring was wood and not stained and moldy carpet. The one wall was just all really large windows that seemed to open up to a balcony. The island Wesley was currently working on was large and clean and was made outta granite or one of those other fancy countertop materials. I wasn’t sure.

Becks crowded me and kissed my neck. “You okay?”

I nodded. “Yeah, just a little overwhelmed.”

“Me too.”

We’d lived in a real house when we were younger, before Mom died, but it was so long ago I didn’t remember much about it, and it wasn’t like there were any pictures of it. The garden was really the only thing I could recall clearly. After that our current apartment was one of the nicest places we’d ever stayed.

Wesley’s place wasn’t even showy or over the top, and in a way, that annoyed me more. It was a regular place. Nice, clean, probably in a good neighborhood, but something that pretty much any middle-class person in the city could afford. Yet, it just seemed like so much. What was my life that having a balcony seemed like such luxury?

I cleared my throat and forced myself to walk to the small dining room table where Wesley and Dakota had placed a bunch of food. I knew I shouldn’t feel jealous. It was such a weird fuckin’ reaction. Wesley was helping us when he didn’t have to. He was likely keeping me outta jail, had let us stay here for days, and was now even feeding not just us, but our friends too. He was a good guy, and I should be grateful. I was grateful. I was also just a little salty.

“It smells amazing,” I heard myself say, and it felt good when Wesley smiled.

“Thank you. I love cooking but rarely have a chance.”

“Oh, hey, Riley loves cookin’ too,” Jay added unhelpfully. He was already sitting down and scooped some kind of casserole looking thing onto his plate. I glared at him, especially when Wesley’s face lit up with hope.

“Oh really? Maybe once all this dies down, we can cook together, or even swap recipes.”

My stomach tilted but I forced a smile. “I don’t really have many recipes. But maybe.”

Wesley kept his expression schooled. “Of course. Now eat up. I asked Luca to come by after we’re done, and we’ll fill you all in.”

The food was really good. To the point that by the time I was finished, I was asking Wesley questions about what he did and what seasonings were in the casserole. I’d never made one of them before, but now I wanted to try.

I got so lost in the conversation, I didn’t even realize how long we’d been talking until there was a knock on the door.

“That’s Luca,” Wesley said, clearing his throat. “Excuse me.”

I looked down, suddenly embarrassed. Beckett reached out and squeezed my hand. He was staring at me with this goofy look on his face.

“What?” I whispered-snapped.

He grinned, the asshole. “Nothin’. That was just nice.”

I flushed. “Shut up. I was just bein’ polite. And the food was good.”

“Mm-hmm.” Becks kissed the side of my head.

We all quieted down when Luca walked in.

I had heard so much about him already, it was nice to put a face to the name. Luca looked like a Luca. I didn’t know how else to explain it. There was something very Mediterranean about his features, from his olive skin tone to his thick brows and dark brown eyes that were assessing all of us. His hair was also dark brown, and he had it pulled back into a small ponytail at the nape of his neck. I could see a few gray streaks.

“Guys, this is Luca. Luca, this is Riley, Beckett, Jay, and Dakota.”

It felt like Luca was able to see my whole life in just one glance. He took all of us in, and made a mental picture before he smiled in greeting. It was a little unnerving.

“It’s nice to finally meet all of you in person.” He sat down in the chair Wes had just dragged over and looked at us. “I don’t want to ruin the mood, but I’m guessing you all want an update.”

Becks squeezed my hand. “Yes, please.”

Dakota excused himself before we started, saying he was going to run a few errands, which I appreciated. I was sure he knew what had happened, but while he was quickly becoming family, I wasn’t sure I was ready to share these details. Once Dakota left the apartment, Luca began.

“The simple explanation is that everything is handled. Mr. Chase won’t be found. Your landlord might have questions about the new carpet, and your couch was a goner, but we’ll handle those things.”

Fuck. That was it? Was it really this simple?

“There’s no chance this comes back to Riley, right?” Beckett asked, his tone intense.

Wesley shook his head. “No. We’re good at what we do. Riley is safe.”

“What exactly is it that you do?”

Luca grinned. “Trust me, you’re better off not knowing.”

Fuck. I looked at Beckett, but he was staring both of them down. Okay then.

“So what now? We just go back to the apartment and our lives like nothin’ happened?”

I wasn’t sure I could do that.

Wesley shifted and something changed in his usually neutral expression.

“What?” I asked suspiciously.

Wesley looked toward Luca, but Luca put his hands up in front of him. “Don’t look at me like that. I’m not helping you with this one.”

Wesley groaned, and I looked at Becks, who shrugged. “Helping you with what?” he asked.

“I don’t think you two should go back to that apartment.”

“Why the fuck not?” Becks snapped. “Is there a chance of us getting’ caught?”

“No, nothing like that. It’s just not . . . the best neighborhood or building.”

I snorted. “No fuckin’ shit, but not everyone can afford a fancy place like this.”

Jay leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his head, looking completely relaxed. “Oh, this should be good.”

Wesley ignored him. “You can if you let me pay—”

“No!” Beckett and I both snapped at the same time. We were both on our feet, glaring down at my stupid bio-dad.

“There’s no fuckin’ way you’re payin’ for our place,” Becks said as he started pacing. He was pulling at his hair and it made me nervous that he was gonna hurt himself. He spun around and faced Wesley again. “We appreciate everything you’ve done for us, but there’s already no fuckin’ way we can pay you back for all this. I ain’t addin’ anything else to the list.”

“You don’t owe me anything—”

“Bullshit,” Becks snapped. “Fuckin’ bullshit. There’s always a price. I’m willin’ to pay it to keep Riley safe, but this, this is too much.”

My eyes bounced back and forth between Wesley and Beckett. I wanted to interrupt, but I didn’t even know what to say.

“What if you split it?” Luca interceded before they started really fighting.

Becks whirled on him. “What do you mean?”

“Find a place that’s maybe just outside your budget. One in a better area, maybe without mold and with working heat, but nothing crazy, and you split it three ways. So Wes will just be paying the difference.”

“We’d still owe him,” I reminded Luca.

Wesley opened his mouth to speak, but Luca stopped him. “Think of it like this. If Wes knew you existed, he’d have been paying child support all this time, right? Plus a bunch of other stuff parents usually buy for their kids. He’s just paying you back the money he owes you.”

Wesley looked like he wanted to murder Luca, but it made sense. “Make that spilt four ways.” Jay spoke for the first time.

We all looked at him. “I’m not really ready to move in permanently with Dakota. Maybe we can find a two bedroom or something?”

I smiled at him, and I Becks started to calm down. “I’d like that.”

I looked over at Beckett. “Baby,” I said quietly, as I stepped into his space. “It’s up to you.” His mind was spinning. With everything with Mr. Chase front and center, it had to be hard for him to trust something like this. I was struggling too, but if I thought about it the way Luca had said, it wasn’t too bad.

Finally, Beckett turned toward Wesley. “The place will be in our name only. Mine, Ri’s, and Jay’s. If we can’t get approved for it without your help, we won’t take it. And if you hold it over our heads in anyway, we’re movin’ and all this”—he gestured between us—“is done. I don’t think you’re like that, but lots of people didn’t think Mr. Chase was like that either.”

Wesley’s expression was hard, but he tilted his head in agreement. “Understood.”

After that, things started to settle. Luca left after checking over Beckett again. Then Dakota came back and he and Jay left a little after that. Becks and I agreed to stay with Wesley until we found a new place. It wasn’t like we wanted to go back there anyway.

It was odd, but it seemed like our circle was expanding. It had been just the three of us for so long, I wasn’t really sure where to go from here, but it wasn’t healthy to just keep pushing everyone away. It might take a while to fully let Wesley in, but we’d never get anywhere if I didn’t try.