34. Monroe

THIRTY-FOUR

MONROE

"I miss you already," I say into the phone as I pour myself a cup of coffee. I'm exhausted, and my body is still sore from our date at the stadium a couple of nights ago, but I'd be lying if I said that every little mark that decorates my skin isn't a welcome reminder of the best sex I've ever had in my life—hands down. Adding that kind of adrenaline and anticipation just heightened my arousal, making me come so hard that I barely remember anything other than the way I ascended into pure bliss as Riggs gave me everything I never knew I needed.

"Mayhem, I've been gone for," he pauses, no doubt to check his watch, "eight minutes. You better be careful, or I might start to think you actually like me."

I playfully scoff. "In your dreams. This is all a ploy so I can get closer to Friggle. Now that you two are besties, how about putting in a good word for me?"

"Don't even joke about shit like that," he deadpans, making me giggle. Although it seems like the two of them have buried the hatchet, I'm still pretty sure Riggs won't really be letting up on his grudge anytime soon. They don't have a game today, but he's on his way to the stadium to meet with the trainer and get in a workout before they play at home tomorrow. The Fury are leading their division right now, and early predictions have them bulldozing their way through the playoffs, straight to the World Series. Between that, business starting to pick up for me, and all the progress we've made in our own relationship, it finally feels like I can truly enjoy my life.

"Okay, okay," I relent. "I'm going to jump in the shower and get myself together for the day. There are a few updates I want to make to my website, so I'll see you when you get back. I was thinking I would try that new lemon chicken recipe for dinner, so we'll have that while we watch our movie tonight. It's your turn to choose, but I'm warning you right now, if you pick another cartoon, I'm leaving forever."

He gasps in mock outrage. "Who hurt you so badly, that you continue to talk shit about the most innocent type of entertainment we have in this world? Cartoons are for everybody , Monroe. Even awful shrews like yourself."

I roll my eyes, not that he can see it. Which is good because that means I don't have to hide the silly grin that blooms across my face. "Whatever, manchild. Have a good workout. I'll see you in a bit."

"Love you, sweet thing," he replies softly, and my heart beats faster in my chest. I'll never get sick of hearing those words.

"Love you too. Hurry home."

I hang up the phone and set it on the counter next to me before picking up my mug and taking a sip of my coffee. I smile to myself, thinking back to my very first day here. All I wanted was to help Riggs fix his image so I could cash in on his end of the bargain and move forward with my life. Little did I know, I'd end up falling for him and deciding to put down roots right here in Daytona.

I spoke with a realtor in Hope Harbor, and she told me that renting my place out may be a more lucrative option right now. I definitely don't want to lose money if I decide to sell, so I'll hang onto the house for now and maybe start interviewing tenants soon. I've dropped a few hints here and there, so I'm sure Riggs knows that I'm considering moving down here for good, but I wanted to have all the puzzle pieces in place before I told him it was happening for sure.

I know how crazy this all sounds, but it just feels right. The more time I spend in this city, the more I love it. Grace has her hands full with Tanner and her new business, and it's time that I do something for my own future. I thought that was my job at the boutique in Massachusetts, but now that I'm on the path to truly having my own independence, I realize it can look however I want it to. If I decide six months down the road that Florida isn't where I'm supposed to be, I can go somewhere else. This business gives me the freedom to travel wherever life takes me. But to be honest, I can't imagine being anywhere that Riggs isn't. I love him, and I want to savor the newness of our relationship.

I finish my coffee, getting up to place the mug into the sink before grabbing my phone and heading upstairs to shower. Just as I turn on the water to warm it, my phone rings on the counter. It's definitely a Rolling Hills area code, but I don't recognize the number flashing across the screen. I'm sure it's one of my parents, and as much as I don't want to talk to either of them, I need a clean break. I need to let them know that as long as they're unwilling to respect my decisions about how I live my life, there's no need for them to contact me at all.

After the night my dad showed up at our door and spewed the most vile, hateful words at me, there's no way Riggs would let him anywhere near me. But I was too stunned to say my piece then, and I deserve that.

I turn off the water and take a deep breath before answering the call. "Hello."

"Monroe, how are you, sweetheart?" my mom says, and her cheerful tone immediately pisses me off. Either she knows what went down and she's okay with her husband speaking to her daughter that way, or he's keeping her in the dark about it. No matter which one of those options is true, it's equally fucked up.

"Spare me the fake concern, Mom. Unless you're calling to tell me that you finally grew a backbone and decided to think for yourself, I'm not telling you shit," I reply. She gasps in surprise, but I don't let her tell me how unladylike my language is before I continue. "Did you know Dad was going to come here?"

She stays quiet for a moment, no doubt attempting to come up with a story that doesn't make her look just as bad as he does. I spent way too much time thinking she was remaining neutral in our situation, but I should've opened my eyes long ago to the fact that he's got her completely brainwashed into thinking he's a good man.

"Yes," she says, solidifying what I already knew. "He's running for office now, and we need you to come back so we can show that we're a strong family unit."

I choke on a laugh. "You're kidding, right? We've never been anything close to that. I was a little doll that you dressed up and paraded around, making me think I had no other choice but to go along with the life you forced on me. I almost did it too. I guess I can thank you for giving me the strength to run away, because after looking at your miserable existence for so long, I knew I deserved better than that."

I wait for her to say something, but as usual, her silence doesn't surprise me. The woman doesn't have an independent thought in her head as long as my dad continues to provide the lifestyle she's used to.

"You know what?" I say. "Fuck this. I'm living my best life right now, absolutely no thanks to the two of you. I have a man who loves and supports me, and I don't need to beg him for affirmations because he gives them freely. Shame on you for wanting me to settle for less in this world. I don't want to hear from you ag?—"

"Goddamn it, Monroe!" my dad booms, the phone rustling as I hear him take it from my mother. "I was trying to play nice with you, but since you're deciding to be a spoiled fucking brat, you leave me no choice. Either come home, or I release the video of your boyfriend attacking me."

"What?" I ask, immediately feeling my stomach drop. "What video?" He was alone that night. When Riggs went down to the property manager's office the following morning, they checked the lobby cameras and saw my dad come in by himself. They still have no idea how he got past security, but they were able to see him slip through the door to the stairwell that leads to our floor. They apologized profusely and vowed that it wouldn't happen again. I begged Riggs to let it go because I was afraid that if we dug deeper, the whole debacle would somehow make it to the media, and I just wanted to move on.

"You didn't really think I'd let him get away with that and not cover all of my bases, did you?" he says, and the darkness in his voice sends a chill right up my spine. "From what I understand, that guy can't keep himself out of trouble. It would be his word against mine. Do you really want to be the reason he loses everything? Come home, and I'll delete the video. Nobody else will ever see it. Or don't, and it'll be all over social media. It's your choice, Monroe."

"You're bluffing," I whisper, unsure of whether I should believe him or not. I know the kind of lying, cheating, and stealing he's capable of. I've watched him do it all my life.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," he replies. "This surveillance video has no audio, so my story about how I showed up to tell you how much I missed you, only to be met with your angry boyfriend shoving me down and threatening to kill me will be quite believable." Just then, my phone vibrates with a notification and a grainy black-and-white video pops up on the screen. Just as he said, there's no audio, and I watch as Riggs grabs him by the collar and pushes him down, towering over him. Even though the details of their faces are hard to make out, you can tell that my father is terrified. The beginning of the video, where I answered the door to his disgusting words, is cut off. But it wouldn't matter anyway since we wouldn't be able to hear them.

This is bad.

I stay silent, trying to fight back the tears that are gathering in my eyes. He has no idea how close to the real truth he is. That Riggs was already on his last strike with the team even before my dad showed up. If this video sees the light of day, the work that we've done to clean up his image won't matter. Assaulting what appears to be an innocent man isn't something we can talk our way out of, especially when we can't prove that Riggs didn't fly off the handle for no reason again. He was defending me, but with his track record, I don't think anyone would give him the benefit of the doubt.

It's way too risky to leave it up to chance.

"Give me two days."