Lucas dips to kiss the soft spot behind my ear, and my knees go weak. If it wasn’t for Wyatt at that moment dropping a plate onto the kitchen island that he says he made just for me, I might have even dropped all the way to the floor, hopefully taking Lucas with me. Instead, I move forward, recognizing right away that he’s made me French toast, but it isn’t the bland way we used to eat it. It’s coated in what smells like cinnamon icing.
“Someday, a girl’s going to lasso your heart, Wyatt Longhorn. When she does, she’s going to be one lucky lady,” I say, salivating over his breakfast.
Wyatt chuckles darkly, but he doesn’t say anything in return. The smell of his breakfast makes me dive right in, and it tastes just as good as it looks.
“I take it Stone and I are still fending for ourselves?”
“It’s still midweek, isn’t it? And before you say anything about Tits getting food, it’s because she has a pussy and you don’t.”
“What if I had her pussy, does that count?”
“No, it means I ain’t making you shit during the weekend either, you bastard.”
Lucas grins over at me, and my heart melts into a puddle. I swear there’s currently icing dripping from my lips, but he doesn’t seem to care.
Footsteps mark their way into the room. My back heats as Stone comes up behind me. He drops a stapled stack of papers in front of me. I eye it, reading the first few lines. I swallow the food in my mouth as Stone says, “This is a contract I had drawn up for you. I want you to read through it and see what you think, but in a nutshell, it says that whatever you tell us about the Superstition Mountain treasure stays between us. The information will only be used in conjunction with working with you as part of our team. And that myself, Wyatt, and Lucas will do everything in our power to conceal your family’s years of research and knowledge from any other parties.”
I turn in my chair after briefly running my gaze over the words on the first page which affirm what he’s just said. Yes, it’s all legalese, but I think he’s right. “You’re serious?”
“One hundred percent,” he says, sliding his cold blue-gray gaze to mine. “You always had my word. Now you can have it in writing, complete with a clause that says if we default on any part of this contract, you can sue me for a hefty sum of money.”
“It’s not about money,” I say, still sizing him up, almost disbelieving that we’re having this conversation.
“I know,” he growls. “It’s so much more than that, but I had to offer you something sizable in return so you can be assured that we’re all on your side. This is a contract between teammates with one common goal.”
I lick my lips, tasting the sugary sweet of the icing still there. “Thank you,” I tell him. “I’ll read it over today and have an answer for you by the end of the day.”
“If you want, I’ll pay for your own lawyer—a disinterested third party—that you can discuss it with, but I assure you everything in that contract is legal and binding.”
“That won’t be necessary,” I tell him, feeling a little breathless.
He nods at me and walks away, going to the cupboards to retrieve a bowl and an oatmeal packet. I watch as he works methodically, like he’s been doing this very thing his whole life. I bet I’m an anomaly to him. He dealt with me as he knew how, through lawyers and contracts. No matter how different it is from how I would deal with something, I can’t help but think that what he’s just done is monumental, showing his true colors.
Judging by the way Wyatt and Lucas are watching him too, I know I’m right. Stone Jacobs just relinquished control for once.
29
Instead of focusing on school, I read through Stone’s contract. With each clause I decipher, I know he’s trying. Actually, this is probably the best gift he could give me.
When we returned home from my dad’s house a couple of days ago, I hid the key to the safe behind the nightstand in my room, taping it to the back where no one could easily find it. It’s been years since I’ve even seen the safe, but I know what’s in it. Dad used to say, “Everything you might forget, it’s in there.” Maybe he was preparing me for the time he wouldn’t be here all along.
The last class I have for the day ends, and I don’t even realize. Wyatt saunters up to me while everyone quietly shuffles out of the room. I try to hide the contract quickly, but it’s no use. “He surprised you, didn’t he?”
I nod. There’s no use hiding anything from these guys anymore. It’s sad, but I know these guys more than anyone else. My dad’s gone and Dickie’s a friend, but he could never be a friend I could lean on.
“He has a tendency to do that, by the way. You’ll see,” Wyatt says. “You’re a part of us now, whether you sign that contract or not. That’s just a formality to make you feel safe, but I know my best friends. There’s no way they would let anything you know slip out. I can promise you that.”
His words reaffirm everything for me, but I can’t let him get away with that. “You going soft on me, cowboy?”
A hint of a smile teases his lips. “Don’t be calling me out like that, Tits. I have a reputation to uphold.”
I smirk and shake my head, peeking at the contract again.
