Page 31 of Falling for You (Balsam Cliffs #2)

“Hunter Keaton, that is your best friend. I know you’re angry with us for lying, yes us, not just him, but you need to get yourself in check right now.

I love Roman Thomas, and he loves me. Get the fuck over yourself or get the fuck out.

There’s the damn door.” My chest heaves, waiting for him to make a decision.

I’m pretty sure I know which one it’s going to be but when he stomps toward the door letting it slam behind him, it still stings that he doesn’t trust Roman and I enough to hear us out.

I slump back in the office chair I was in before he left, blowing out a breath.

“So we give him five minutes then hunt him down?” Cooper asks.

“He’s going to the brewery, guaranteed,” Wyatt answers the rhetorical question.

“Yeah, great, not like I had any actual work to do today.” Liam rolls his eyes.

Violet walks in with a tray of cookies and small glasses of milk.

“Hey.” She pouts. “I said wait for me!”

Liam loops his arm around her waist and pulls her toward him. “Sorry beautiful, you know how Hunt is.” He looks at the rest of us. “Any idea why this seems to be setting him off so much more than usual?”

The boys shrug.

“I know he’s always been the most vocal about keeping assholes away from Emma. But Rome is his best friend, and the things he’s been saying…” Wyatt grimaces. “Rome is like another brother to us, obviously not to Ems, but to us.”

Liam’s face scrunches in disgust. “Can we not talk about Em’s sex life please?”

“Uh, I’m sorry, are you forgetting that I caught you two on camera, on the desk in this very office?”

Wyatt rips his hand from the desk, like it burned him. “Ew. Seriously? You know how many times I’ve had lunch here with you? And the whole time you knew that your bare ass was where I ate my food?”

Violet rolls her eyes at Wyatt’s reaction, “Please stop being so dramatic. Besides, Emma made him replace it, and now we have the old one in our house… for memories. And it was my bare ass. Not his.”

Cooper and Wyatt stand.

“Yup, Wy and I need to go find Hunter now. We’re done with this. Call us later, Liam, we can go out on the four wheelers to where you want to fix the fence tomorrow.” Cooper has been roped into maintenance on the inn while he’s home for an extended time.

“Yeah, probably around six if that’s okay?”

“You got it.”

Wyatt and Cooper leave the three of us in the office.

Violet pats Liam’s shoulder, “Okay, out my big bad wolf.”

“Seriously?” He tickles her side.

“Seriously. Out. Now.” She hands him a cookie. “We have girl talk. So unless you want to hear about the size of Rome’s dick, I’d leave.”

“Fucking hell, Violet.” He growls, “Why the fuck do you want to know about the size of anyone’s dick?”

“So I can make sure my girl is being taken care of.” She winks at me over his shoulder.

“Jesus. You win. Give me a cookie and a kiss. I’m out.”

She does as he asks and within seconds he’s out the door.

She fills the seat he just left, and hands me my own cookie. “You know you need to stop feeding me chocolate.”

“What was that? I don’t think I could hear you over the absolute blasphemy that was just uttered.”

“Give me another damn cookie.” I giggle at her antics.

“Not until you tell me about the sex. Because damn girl, you are fucking glowing.” She pops a piece of her own cookie into her mouth.

“It’s so fucking good still. Even better actually. And that’s with all the emotions. He’s been so gentle, attentive, and caring. It’s just been something really special.”

She pouts. “I was really hoping for like, he threw me against the wall and ripped my panties off with his teeth.”

“Oh, you mean like when we were in the shower and he just lifted me up onto his shoulders so he could eat me out against the shower wall while he held me like I weighed absolutely nothing?”

“Uh yeah, just like that. Why didn’t you start with that?” I swat at her arm. “I’m kidding. Kind of. But seriously, how are you doing with everything?”

“I’m okay. Rome let me wallow for a minute. Then he gave me some tough love.”

“Right. Because we’re bad bitches, not sad bitches. So solid plan on his part honestly.”

I laugh at her using my words against me once more. “Right. Then he gave me an orgasm, or five, and we met with the lawyer Wyatt referred us to.”

“Oh, Wyatt said he’s kind of an asshole but you want him on your side in court. What did he say? What’s next?”

“We talked to the lawyer this morning and he said that the Ryans were served their custody paperwork today, and that they seemed really shocked. He said that most people think they can just bully you and that you won’t fight back. But obviously—”

“They picked the wrong fucking family for that.”

“They absolutely did.” I smile at the support from her and my family. “Okay, one more cookie then I need to finish this report for the accountant.”

She winks at me and hands another cookie in my direction.

It feels really good to have my family supporting me, even if Hunter is being a prick, the rest of them are here for me and Rome. And Rome doesn’t have a broken nose yet, just a black eye. So I count that as a win.

I should probably text him a warning though about Hunter.

Me: Just a heads up, Hunt is probably on his way to the brewery.

Rome: Too late. He’s already here.

Me: Ugh. I’m sorry. Wy and Coop are on their way to save you from Super Prick.

Rome: Super Prick? laughing emoji

Me: shrugging emoji It’s fitting today.

I place my phone down on the desk, and finish my conversation with Violet as I pour over this last quarter’s numbers one last time.