Page 72 of Take Me Slowly: part 2
She gave me another hug before hurrying out and leaving us alone.
"Well, that was something else," Riley said. "Coral Clarke was really Leah Kent all along. My mind is a bit blown." He rubbed a hand over his head like it was physically uncomfortable.
"Josiah was right the whole time," Connor said softly. "Bro, we should have listened. I'm sorry for being a fucking prick to you."
Josiah rolled his shoulders. "Yeah, well… Bygones."
"If there's anything we can do to make it up to you," Riley said. "Free white water rafting for life."
"I don't need free white water rafting," Josiah said. "Or free zip lining. Or skiing or snowboarding. I can do those things whenever I want." He hesitated for a moment. "There is something you can do, but it's gonna sound dumb."
"Try us," Connor said, gesturing to him with his fingers.
Josiah glanced toward the carpeted floor and started to speak tentatively.
29
CONNOR
"You were what?"Whitney's squeal was almost ear piercing. "Oh my God!"
I shared a glance with Riley and went on handing out beers to everyone. It felt like half the town was here in Leah's tiny rental cottage. She sat on the couch surrounded by her friends, looking overwhelmed.
I was keeping an eye on her. If they got too much, I'd kick everyone out. They were already too much for Josiah, who'd retreated to a corner of the kitchen. I'm not going to lie, I was tempted to do the same. This whole day had been a lot for all of us. I would have preferred my sister and her friends see Leah tomorrow, but it wasn't my call to make. Wild horses wouldn't have kept Whitney away once she knew we returned to town anyway. Nothing would have stopped her from showing up, needing to hear the gossip.
"This is big news for a place like this," Riley said, raising his beer to me in a salute before taking a sip.
"Big news for anywhere," Brooks said. He hadn't taken his eyes off Leah since we got back. At the same time, he'd stayed close to Josiah, as if he couldn't stand to be apart from either of them.
It wasn't until I was taking the top off my beer I realised I'd done the same thing. Watching her, while sticking close to Riley. Drawing comfort from having him close by. Inhaling the scent that was uniquely his and letting it settle my discomfort. Remind me I was home, as long as my found family was around me.
"Yeah, it is," I said with a grunt. "She's handling it." If it was me, I'd probably start to come apart at the seams. I mean, it wasn't every day you got told you were stolen at birth. She'd have every right to be going out of her mind right now. Why wasn't she? Probably because she was strong as fuck. And maybe a little bit because she had us. Multiple shoulders to lean on, to cry on, if she needed them. Support and love. They were everything.
"I don't know what to think." Riley leaned against my shoulder and exhaled.
I snapped my gaze toward him. "What is there to think? She's still the same person. Still our woman. She still belongs here with us." Yeah, I understood what he meant, but I needed to hear the words myself. To remind myself it was true. Leah was still our Leah, no matter what.
"She might not want to stay," Riley said. "Knowing what she knows now, she might think this place is… I don't know, tainted."
I wanted to tell him he was out of his mind, but he was right. Aurora Hollow was the place she was rescued from, in a manner of speaking. The place she'd been brought when she really belonged with her mother. She might decide to pack up tomorrow and go back to the city. Fix the relationship with her mother and forget all about us.
I caught the expression on Brooks' face. He was thinking the same thing I was, while looking between her and Josiah. Clearly torn between the decision to follow her and to stay here with the other guy, and his new life.
"We have to respect her decision," Josiah said, looking as unhappy as the rest of us. "If she wants to leave, we have to let her."
"Fuck." I rubbed a hand over the back of my head. I didn't want her to leave without me either, but I'd spent years building my business with Riley. Walking away from that was going to suck. For a while it would. We could start over in the city if we had to. Right? Maybe we could run jet boat tours around the harbour and out to Howe Sound. Or whale watching tours. Or…something.
Whatever we needed to do, we'd do it.
"We could open that restaurant," Riley said. "You could be the chef and the rest of us could serve the customers." He raised his shoulders and dropped them slowly, obviously not liking his own idea very much.
"We could open a bar," Brooks suggested. "We all have experience doing that now."
Josiah raised his head and frowned at Brooks. "I don't, but I could keep the place from falling apart." It seemed wherever we went, he was in as well.
"We could come up here on the weekends some times," I said. "Whenever we can get away." Yeah, I knew as well as the rest of them a business like that would keep us too busy for vacations in the mountains. If we left, it might be a long time before we returned. Together at least. We might come here separately to visit our families. If I had anything to say to my father. He was going to be pissed if we left. So was Riley's dad. This town was in their blood. In ours. We'd never seriously toyed with the idea of living anywhere else. Didn't want to. We had no good reason to, until now.
"As long as you guys are there, I'm good," Riley said. Always trying to be the chill one amongst us, but not pulling it off today.He didn't want to leave any more than the rest of us. But he also wouldn't give up Leah for anything.
