Chapter 23

twenty-three

. . .

River

“Wipe the frown offyour face. They’re already stuck somewhere they don’t want to be. The least you can do is try to look friendly,” she said.

“You know, for a non-girlfriend, you’re awfully bossy.”

She smiled. “Deal with it. You look like a grump.”

“You didn’t seem to mind when I was on top of you this morning making you cry out my name,” I teased.

Yeah, this arrangement was working out fantastically. We had sex whenever we wanted to, which was all the time. I’d buried my face between her legs that day we were out on the kayak, and that would go down as one of my favorite memories to date. Watching her try to control herself and not tip the boat while I brought her right to the edge over and over again, torturing her slowly, until I finally let her go over. She was ridiculously sexy when she came, and I’d never get enough.

And now we ended our days with her reading her book to me about some dude who was damaged and broken and in love with the girl next door. Literally, I shit you not. She lived next door. They were high school sweethearts, and he’d fucked it all up, because, well, he’s a dude, and he doesn’t have a fucking clue how to deal with all his feelings.

I couldn’t say I minded the book as much as I pretended to be uninterested.

Maybe it was just the sound of her voice that I liked so much. She read a chapter to me every night before we went to sleep and every morning when we first woke up.

Yeah, we’d spent every night together since we’d come up with our little agreement. Normally, this would feel like a death sentence to me, but with Ruby, it was the opposite.

I only wanted more.

“Just because I enjoy having sex with you does not mean that I won’t tell you when you’re being an asshole. Go in there and give these kids some hope. The guy that asked you here did it because he thinks you’ll be an inspiration to these kids. You’re a freaking attorney, and a damn good one. You took something shitty and turned it into something positive,” she said, her hands flailing around.

I smiled. Couldn’t help myself. “I thought I wasn’t very good at being lawyerly?”

She covered her mouth with her hand in an attempt to hold back her laughter. “I just say that to get under your skin. You’re sort of a rock star, River Pierce. You’re an amazing friend, a fabulous uncle, a wonderful grandson, and a damn good attorney and human being. And you’re not too shabby in the sack. There. Are you happy?”

“I want to fuck you right now. Right here in this car.”

“And now you’re fucking crazy,” she said as I leaned over and tickled her senseless. “We’re parked outside a juvenile hall, you lunatic. Stop being a perv and pull your shit together.”

I kissed her hard before jumping out of the car and going around to open her door. “Let’s get this done.”

“It’s not the death chamber,” she mumbled beside me before glancing up to find me smiling down at her. “Stop acting like you hate this. I think you’re actually excited to talk to them, aren’t you?”

“No. I’m excited that you just made it clear how amazing I am.”

She pinched my arm hard, and I laughed before wrapping an arm around her shoulder as we approached the building.

Once we were inside, we were greeted by Terrence Juniper, the director of operations at Fresh Start Juvenile Detention Center. He’d taken the position six months ago and had reached out to both me and Romeo. He led us to his office first, and we took the two seats across from his desk as he sat and faced us.

“Romeo was very open about your situation. I assume I’m free to speak in front of your friend here?” Terrence said.

“Absolutely. Ruby just graduated with her Ph.D. in psychology; I think she can handle whatever you want to share.”

She feigned being annoyed that I’d thrown her fancy degree out there, but I saw the way her cheeks pinked the slightest bit. She’d accomplished something impressive, and I wanted Terrence to know it. I did that a lot lately when we spent time together.

Ruby Rose was impressive as fuck, and the world needed to know it.

She liked to act all tough and hard around the edges, but I saw through it.

Saw the vulnerable side of her.

“That’s quite a feat. Congratulations, Ruby. I’d love to speak to you about some programs we’ve set up for the kids here. We’re hoping to provide them more support to deal with the reason they are here and the challenges of being away from their families during their stay.”

“I’d like that. And I’m happy to help in any way I can. I’ll leave you my phone number and you can give me a call. Today, I’d like to focus on why River is here, what he went through, and all that he has overcome since.”

I turned, my gaze locking with hers, before shifting my attention back to the man in front of me.

“I know things were different back when you were here, and I want to apologize for that.”

I cleared my throat, curious how he’d have a fucking clue about the shit we lived through back then. “How do you know what went down when Romeo and I were here?”

“Because I was here a few months before you. It was abusive and scary as hell, and I know that you found your way into the legal world after, and I’m guessing it was to make a difference in the world. Romeo obviously became a professional fighter, and I went the route of studying psychology like Ruby. I guess we’re all just trying to make things better, right?” He smiled, and his gaze moved between us.

There was no doubt that Terrence was a straight shooter. No bullshit. I was fairly good at reading people, and there was nothing manipulative or calculating here.

“None of that was your fault. I’m glad things are different for the sake of the kids here now,” I said. “So, what exactly would you like me to talk about today?”

“I thought you could share your story from the perspective of how it affected your life after you left. How you pursued a career in the legal world. How one set of circumstances changed the trajectory of your life.”

I nodded. It surprised me that I felt relaxed and fairly at ease, considering I’d hated this place with a passion. “I can do that.”

“I was hoping you could speak to the group first and then after, maybe spend some time talking to them individually or in small groups?”

“I’m fine with that.”

He nodded and glanced over at Ruby. “Maybe you’ll be willing to stick around after and talk with the kids.”

“Yeah, I’m here for as long as River’s here,” she said, and for whatever reason, my chest puffed up like I was some fucking caveman who’d just impressed his girl.

I pushed to my feet, and we made our way out to the hallway and down to a room with maybe thirty chairs facing the front, filled with young men who looked to be around fourteen to maybe seventeen years old.

“You ready for this?” Ruby asked as we followed Terrence toward the front of the room.

“As ready as I’m going to be. Not big on talking about this stuff, but Romeo said it wasn’t too bad, and we’re here.”

She nodded. Terrence came to a stop and held his hand out for Ruby to take the seat in the front row. She looked up at me. “Break a leg, Wild River.”

I smirked before making my way to the stage, and Terrence took the microphone and introduced me.

“River was here for eight months when he was seventeen years old, and he is an attorney now. I thought he could offer some insight about his journey that you might find helpful,” Terrence said before stepping aside.

“Hey, I’m River Pierce, and as Terrence said, I spent some time here when I was seventeen years old. I think you recently met one of my best friends, Romeo Knight, and we were here together,” I said, as a few people cheered for my boy. They’d obviously remembered him. It didn’t hurt that Romeo’s name was all over the news after winning his fight recently, so he was not only a badass but also somewhat of a celebrity at the moment. I gathered my thoughts. “So, here’s what I’m going to tell you. At the end of the day, you’re going to make mistakes that are big and small. But it’s what you do with them that matters. My reason for being sent here all those years ago wasn’t for something that I actually did. It was for something that someone else had done. And for a long time, that shit ate me up. But the truth is, I wasn’t a perfect kid, and spending time here gave me a lot of time to think about what I wanted out of life. I spent eight months here, and it wasn’t pleasant. I missed most of my senior year of high school.” I paused and reached for the water bottle that Terrence had set there for me. You could hear a pin drop in the room, as everyone was completely silent, waiting for me to screw the lid back on my water bottle. “So, I decided to make some serious changes when I left this place. I knew that what happened to me wasn’t fair, and I was going to do something about it. I didn’t retaliate against the dude who let me take the fall for his crime, though I didn’t care for the asshole.” I paused as laughter erupted around the room. “I thought about what I could do to make a difference moving forward, and that took me to college. It wasn’t an easy path. I had to make up for the time I’d missed and repeat my senior year in high school. And guess what, I got straight A’s that year. I’d never done that before.”

A few people clapped and cheered, and I glanced over at Ruby, who was listening like I was giving a presidential acceptance speech.

“How’d you pull that off?” someone yelled from the back.

“I put my head down and worked my ass off. Because when I left here, I made a decision that no one was going to tell me who I was moving forward. I was going to decide who I was. I was going to decide who I wanted to be. And that’s exactly what I did. I went to community college first and then transferred to a larger university, and then I went on to earn a full-ride scholarship to law school. If you want it bad enough, if you stay determined, you can make your dreams a reality. I wanted to make a difference in this world. There were a lot of people who were betting against me, but do you know what matters most at the end of the day?” I paused and glanced around the room, my gaze landing on Ruby’s briefly before turning my attention back to the center of the room. “You. Who you believe you are. Who you want to be. No one gets to decide that for you. Now, you’ve got to follow the rules while you’re here, stay the course, toe the line, and all that shit. And it’s the same thing when you leave here. You’ve got to be smart and do your time in and out of here to pursue what you want. But in the end, you get to decide your path. I work for myself now. I represent people who can’t represent themselves. I get to be the voice for those who aren’t equipped to speak on their behalf. And I get to fight for things that I believe in. That’s what you need to figure out.” I paused and took another sip from my water bottle. “What do you believe in? Who do you want to be? Because only you have the power to make that happen.”

Everyone clapped and whistled, and I chuckled and held my hands up. “I’ll hang out for a while and come around and chat with you. And if you want to know anything important, I’ve got my friend, Ruby, here,” I said, motioning to where she sat in the front row. “She’s actually a doctor, so she’s a hell of a lot smarter than I am, and I’m sure she’d be better at talking to you than I would.”

More whistling and clapping.

I stepped off the stage, and Terrence told everyone to head to the lunchroom, letting them know that we’d be in to chat soon.

“Nice job, River. They like you. They relate to you. You can make a difference here just by sharing your story,” Terrence said, leading us down to the cafeteria.

The next hour was spent with both me and Ruby moving around and talking to the kids. They were fascinated by her, and I understood it because I was, too.

“You’re a real doctor, Ruby?” Jonah asked. He was fifteen years old, and he’d been sent here because he’d broken into his neighbor’s house and taken food, which he’d said was for his younger siblings who were hungry. The neighbors had called the police, and they’d found a pocketknife in his jacket, which made it a much more serious crime, and here he was.

“I’m not a medical doctor. I have my Ph.D. in psychology.”

“So, you’re a doctor of the mind. Do you work in a hospital with sick people?” Patrick asked with a big smile on his face. He was sixteen years old and hadn’t disclosed why he was there. But at the end of the day, these were kids. Just young men who’d made some mistakes and were paying the price.

“I’m just someone who knows a bit about psychology,” she said. “And I just graduated, so now I have to figure out what to do with that.”

“What would you like to do?” Jonah asked.

“I think I’d like to work with kids to some extent.”

“You’re a real lady boss,” Patrick said, and the other kids started laughing.

“She is a lady boss,” I said with a smirk.

“Is she your girlfriend?” Duncan asked. He was the youngest kid here at fourteen. He looked even younger, and I saw the sadness in his eyes. Recognized that the minute I looked at him.

“Nope. She’s calling the shots, and she doesn’t want a boyfriend,” I teased, and all the kids erupted in laughter, taking turns slapping me on the shoulder.

“Don’t give up, dawg,” Patrick said as he fist-bumped me like we were old friends.

“Did you ever get in trouble for anything, Ruby?” Duncan asked, and the rest of the kids turned their attention back to her.

“I got into a few fights when I was young, and I wasn’t the best with authority because I always thought I knew better.”

Shocker. She still did.

“And now you’re a real doctor? How’d you do that?”

“I didn’t have a perfect life. But I knew that education was important at a young age, and I was determined to take that as far as I could. I didn’t have money or people pushing me to go to college in my family, outside of my dad, who supported my decision to go. But it wasn’t important to him. He just respected that I wanted something more for myself.”

“Your mom wasn’t around?” Duncan asked, his voice making him sound even younger than he was.

Shit. He was Romeo’s age when he’d been sent here. The one thing I’d always been grateful for was that I’d been here with him. That we’d been together when we were here. We’d had one another’s backs, and we’d been forced to defend ourselves more times than I wanted to think about. But we’d made it because we’d had one another.

I didn’t know if Duncan had anyone in his corner.

“Not a whole lot. And it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. My dad is a really great guy, and that was enough, you know? But what River said is true, only you can decide your future.”

“I like that.”

“How about you? Does your family come to visit?” she asked.

“He’s got a family here, don’t you, Duncan?” Patrick said. I saw the bond there, and it was going to help get them through this.

“I do. These are my boys. And my dad’s never been in my life. My mom tries, but she has her hands full with my two younger siblings. My stepdad doesn’t like me much,” he admitted, and I could see the hurt written all over his face.

The loneliness.

The wounded young kid who was trying to put on a brave face.

I’ve been there.

“Lots of people didn’t like me when I was young. That doesn’t mean anything. People are tough on kids. Do you like who you are?” Ruby asked.

His eyes widened. “Well, I can be a jerk to my mom sometimes. I get pissed off and act like an asshole.”

“How about you stop doing that? Because you know who that hurts in the end, right?” she said.

“Me.”

“Yep. Does your mom love you? Does she deserve to be treated like that?”

“She loves me a lot. I know she’s sad that I’m here.”

“Well, then maybe you can make the best of the time you’ve got here, like River said. Think about who you want to be when you leave.”

Damn. This kid was looking at Ruby like she set the sun. Hell, I glanced around, and they all looked at her that way.

“I’d like to be a fireman someday,” Duncan said unexpectedly. “But my stepdad said it won’t happen because I’m not big enough.”

“Pfft,” Ruby huffed as she shook her head. “You’re fourteen years old. You don’t know how big you’ll be when you’re older. But do you know what the best revenge is when someone tells you that you can’t do something you’re determined to do?”

“What?” he asked.

“You go out there and you do it. You leave here, and you work hard in school because you need to be a good student to become a firefighter. It’s competitive, and they won’t hire someone who causes trouble. So, you put your head down and start making good decisions. It doesn’t mean that you won’t make mistakes, but when you make them, you learn from them. And you keep that goal of becoming a firefighter in your mind the whole way. Let that drive you toward becoming everything that you want to be.”

“Is that what you did?” he asked.

“Yeah, something like that.” She smiled just as Terrence came over and told us it was time for the kids to go outside and get some fresh air.

He walked Ruby and me back to the front lobby and asked for her number to see about her coming back to speak to the kids again sometime.

We thanked him, and when we were both in the car, she turned to look at me.

“You were great in there.”

“You were fucking amazing. You had those kids eating out of the palm of your hand,” I said.

“Whatever. They idolized you.” She shrugged. “You were very inspiring, River Pierce.”

“Remember that when we’re naked later.”

I could feel myself getting pulled in deeper with this woman.

It should terrify me, but it didn’t.

I only wanted more.