Page 121 of Second Sets Omnibus

“She asked me to leave,” Kieran grumbles, lips twisting into furry. “She's hiding in her fucking grief and pushing me away.”

“Maybe we should give her some space,” I say, folding my hands in my lap. “She doesn't…”

“Like fuck, bro. Respectfully, of course. River pushes us away when she doesn't want us to see her vulnerabilities,” Rad snaps, getting in my face. “I won't be dragged away when she needs us.”

I sigh, nodding. I knew it would not be easy to convince them that we needed to give her some space and talk sense into them.

“She wants to be alone.” We all jump when her best friend Ode marches out of the emergency room doors with a grim expression, shaking her head. Her heated, dark eyes lock on us, and she sighs, hurt, making her face fall. “She even kicked me out,” she mutters, putting a hand on her forehead. “My mom is going to take her home. We need to give her a day or two to process, alone. That’s how she handles shit. It’s stupid, but that’s the River West way.”

“Let's regroup at Callum's,” I suggest, getting to my feet. “Make her think we've given her space.”

Looking around, I see the war brewing in their minds. They don't want to, but they know we need to. River will push and push until we're so far away we'll never get back. And somehow, this works into my plan to pull them as far apart from her as I can. Pain tightens my chest at the thought of abandoning her like my father did to me the moment my mother took things into her own hands and ended her existence. Unlike me at the time of my mother’s death, River has a family with Ode and Korrine. They’ll guide her through this rough time with love and compassion.

River doesn't need us. Not now.

“Fine,” Kieran barks with a frown, pushing past me with a rough shoulder check. “Let's go to Callum's and work out a plan. But after tomorrow, I'm not leaving her alone. Do you fucking understand? I'm here for her. No matter what.”

Fury blazes to life, lighting up his haunting mismatched eyes, giving me all the confirmation I need. He's too deep, and it's time to pull the plug.

“Men,” Ode mutters under her breath, rolling her eyes. “Could one of you run me home, please?” she asks, eyeing each of us with raised brows.

“I will,” I say with a sharp nod, gesturing for her to follow. The more distance I can put between the guys and River's apartment, the better. “I'll meet you back at the house,” I confirm before they do something stupid like camp out at the hospital all night or try to break into her apartment again.

“I'm going to bake her a pie,” Rad murmurs, putting his love into his food. “And fried chicken, potatoes, and corn.” Listing off more food, he rambles on until he's settled into his car and starts it, cutting him off. I wave each of them off and take Ode home without a word.

“Thanks,” she says, climbing out. “And uh, you know. I don't usually say this shit, but you guys have turned River around. She's been in this funk for years, working her ass off. And then you guys come into her life, and I've never seen her smile more. You guys don't know what a gift you've been to her. She's my best friend; all I want for her is the best. So, uh, thanks,” she says with a grimace, shutting the door before I can speak.

She won't be as accommodating when I have the courage to answer the text message awaiting me. It came through at the hospital, discreetly vibrating in my pocket, but I refused to answer when so many people were around. Indecision pushes at my mind, and guilt pushes down on me like a heavy weight on my shoulders. Now is the time to embrace River and take her with us; let her grieve in our arms as we make our dreams come true. Not run away and do it all ourselves. But what other choice do I have? They’re eating out of the palm of her hand, bending over backward to make her happy. What about us? Me? Ourdreams? That’s what it all boils down to—our future. We can’t sit around here forever waiting for River to decide what she wants to do with her life. We need to act now while the iron is hot, and our talent is what they’re looking for—not three years from now when she graduates.

Leaning over, I catch my reflection in the mirror and quickly look away. I do what I have to do to ensure our future stays on track.

Their words from our trip play in my mind, making the decision easier.

“We'll wait for you.”

“We’ll wait for you…”

“We’ll stay if you can’t go…”

Instead of going to California, they'd rather risk our careers and stay with River. Sweet, sweet fucking River. The girl we sought out to help us get to this point. And now, everything is one big fucking mess. They’re damn near in love with her and ready to propose a fucking five-way marriage.

I heave a breath, glaring at the ceiling. Without overthinking my actions anymore, I grab my phone and look at the screen, swallowing the heavy lump in my throat. One message rests unread from an hour ago that I haven't bothered to answer. Or fucking look. If the guys knew what I was up to, they’d fucking murder me on the spot.

Me

I need to talk to you.

Van

Why?

Me

You want your girl back, right?

Don't get shy about it now.

We all know who you want.