Know Me Well (Wishful 3)

In the back of her mind, she could hear Liam. If you get into a situation where your safety is threatened, remember, it’s you or them. No holding back. No doubts.

Steadied by the thought of him, Riley fisted her hand around the pitiful weapon. If she made it through this, she owed him so much more than an apology.

“What about this stuff in vials?”

“I said everything.”

“We’re running out of room.”

“We do not have time for you to be reading labels. Hurry the fuck up so we can get out of here.”

He waved the gun for emphasis, and Riley moved, hooking one arm around his gun arm and yanking, even as she stabbed down and back with the Epipen. Her assailant roared. Riley stepped back, struck with her elbow, but she caught his ribs rather than his gut. Pain burst along her arm as they fought for control of the gun. He struck her hard across the cheek with his free hand. She felt herself start to fall, her hands still around the wrist of his gun hand, griping like a vise. Her momentum tipped them both. In horror, unable to make her fingers release, she watched his aim come down, down toward the floor, as if in slow motion. His hand clenched, his finger squeezed the trigger.

And the gun fired.

Chapter 17

“Okay, you’ve had a good three hours to sulk. Tell me what’s wrong.”

Liam scowled at his mother. “I’m not sulking.”

“Brooding then.” She sat down beside him on the porch swing. “Did you and Riley have a fight? I could tell something was off with her when I left.”

“The only thing wrong is that she’s the most stubborn woman on the goddamned planet.”

Molly nodded. “A fight then. It was bound to happen sometime. You’re both strong-willed people.”

“Remind me why I thought that was an attractive trait in a woman?”

She laughed. “Because a pushover would be boring. What did you fight about?”

“She found out I helped her mom out with the up-front costs to lease the apartment and got pissed.”

“Found out? As in, you didn’t tell her you were going to do this?” Her tone said everything he needed to know about what she thought about that plan.

Liam hunched his shoulders. “No She’d have said no, her mom would still be under her roof, and her stress level would be somewhere around the stratosphere. If she was gonna be mad either way, it seemed like they’d both be happier in their own places. Riley’s been so much less stressed the last couple of weeks. At least until Mrs. Wofford spilled the beans. Now she’s furious. I don’t get it. What the hell is wrong with me taking care of her?”

“Oh, my sweet boy. Nothing is wrong with the desire. But Riley has taken care of herself and her mom for a long, long time.”

“Shouldn’t she be grateful for some help with that?”

“It’s not that simple.” Molly toed the swing into motion. “You already know Riley took a lot of flack from others about her mother’s bad decisions and the help they needed because of it. That night they came for dinner, Riley didn’t repeat any of the kinds of rumors that spread about Sharilyn out of respect for her mother, but she was on the receiving end of plenty.”

Liam sighed. “Gold digger looking for a sugar daddy?”

“Among others. You’ve met her mother, so you know that’s not really how she is, but people rarely care about the truth. Riley has always hated that Sharilyn looked to anyone else to fix things, hated that she didn’t or couldn’t deal with it herself. Sharilyn always expected to find that stability elsewhere. My point is, Riley’s not going to naturally do that. She’s been the anchor in that family since she was a child. She doesn’t know how to let anyone take care of her because no one ever really has. Your father and I have done our best, but you know we’ve been subtle about it. What you did wasn’t subtle.”

“Subtlety is overrated.”

“No. Subtlety allowed your dad and I to give Riley help while actually staying in a position to keep providing it. Your way backfired. This isn’t something you’re going to be able to blast through with a brick of C4.”

“There’s no room for these kinds of walls in a relationship.”

“Long term, no.” Molly paused. “Is that what you want? Long term?”

He hadn’t come home looking for long term. A part of him never thought he’d get past the hypothetical of a lifetime commitment to a woman. But Riley had worked her way under his skin—her strength, her determination, and that icing of sweetness that came out when she felt safe and happy. He wanted to give that to her, wanted to make a life where safe and happy were the norm instead of fleeting bursts. He wanted to give her the life she deserved, one where she didn’t have to fight and claw and struggle. And, damn it, he wanted her to let him.

“She’s it for me, Mom.”