Page 77 of Hating On Riot

His face softens, and he runs his fingers through hair the same color as Riot’s. “If it’s any consolation, she was already dead. Thank you for giving her a proper burial.”

“How—”

“I followed you. You have a good heart, Arie Kim. My brother is one lucky bastard. Now, get on the road and get that guy on his knees.”

My jaw drops to my chest. My eyes must be wide. I’m mentally seeing Riot on his knees with his face pressed to my sex.

Merrick grabs me by the arm and steers me to the door, laughter booming from him. “Yep, you two are meant for one another. Mind’s always in the gutter. Later for now, little one. I hope to hear good news from you soon.”

30

Arie

I make the two-hour drive home and ask my brothers for what I asked from Merrick.

Tony scoffs. “You want us,” he says, pointing to Cameron, who is sitting on the couch watching college football and avoiding the conversation, “to give you the okay to date a guy whose brother can make life a living hell for our business? Who didn’t help Laney when she was shot? Who will most likely bail and save his own hide rather than our little sis if she ever is in danger?”

Tony snatches a beer from the refrigerator and goes to sit beside Cameron, but Cameron stretches out his legs, leaving him no room. Grumbling, Tony sits at the kitchen table and shoots daggers at me with his dark brown eyes. Sighing, exhausted from the drive, I pull up a seat across from him and deal with his concerns one at a time, in as calm a voice as I can muster, though I really want to kick him in the shin for being so stubborn.

“One, I already have permission from Merrick to see Riot. That means I’m in his good graces and can talk to him if you have concerns about him and how he and Grayson could be messing with your business.” I just want to say, can’t we all get along? Then I can find Riot to tell him the good news. But I need my brothers’ buy-in too. Otherwise, Riot isn’t safe from their fists.

Riot is a big boy and can take care of himself, but I’m tired of sneaking around, and I want my family and his family to all have dinner together again, like old times.

“Two, Riot couldn’t help Laney because Brock knocked him out to keep him out of harm’s way. Laney was already gone, Tony,” I say in a soft voice, my heart hurting all over again. “And Riot will not run when I’m in danger. He saved me from a shot to the eye during Professor Wilson’s Nerf War. Riot risked our team getting pissed at him by breaking a rule that would’ve instantly disqualified us.”

I get up and go behind him. I drape my arms over my big, strong, but stubborn brother’s shoulders and beg him to understand where I’m coming from. Being away from Riot and giving him the cold shoulder killed me, but I needed that time to think. Like, really think. I’ve come to a conclusion I can’t wait to share with Riot. I have so much to tell him.

“Blood is thicker than water. You and Cameron said so many times that I should always choose family over others in my life because we’ll always be there for one another, but the others will come and go. Well, I don’t want to choose. I shouldn’t have to choose. I can have both. I want to be selfish that way.”

Tony’s stiff shoulders relax. He takes a long draw of his ale.

“You and Cameron are half my flesh and blood. Mom and my dad own the rest of my blood. Riot,” I sigh, “Riot isn’t my flesh and blood, thank fuck.”

“Hey, watch the fucking language!” Cameron bellows from the couch.

I smirk. “Riot and his love complete me. Can you understand that? Riot doesn’t want to choose between his brothers and me, either. We can all coexist and be happy. Some days we won’t be, but that’s the great thing about being adults and talking through the difficult stuff rather than letting it fester or get us down.”

“Like talking about Laney? Who she was before and after her death?” Tony’s voice is thick with emotion.

I blink back my tears, but they still fall. “Yes,” I say, my voice hoarse. “I miss her. I want to talk about her without getting sad and depressed. She’d hate us for letting memories of her get us down. She would never want that.” My twin was the happiest, most positive person. “Can we do that? Talk about her as much as we want without walking out of the room? Do I have your permission to see Riot?”

“Yes to both, Arie.” He pushes back his chair. I back up. He wraps me in his big, muscular arms, lifts me off my feet, and holds me tight. “I love you, baby sis. Miss our Laney so much.”

Cameron comes over and wraps us in his arms. We cry. Lower ourselves to the ground and bawl our eyes out. But we can laugh when we bring up Laney’s shenanigans, the flowers and vegetables she loved to grow in the tiny backyard in our housing development, and her epic failure learning to drive a manual. My sister was the sunshine in our life, and her death left an emptiness that no light could penetrate.

But now that we’ve talked—why didn’t we do this earlier?—I have a feeling our life will be bright and full again.

Little did I know a disaster in the making awaits me at Riot’s place.

31

Arie

I rush out of my car and hurry to the rugby house. I still have the key. I let myself in, say a quick “Hi, bye,” to the guys loitering in the kitchen and living area, and hurry up the stairs to Riot’s room.

The guys call after me, but I don’t hear them in my excitement.

I open the door, and my worst nightmare comes true.