She snuggles tighter against me. “I have to get back. Eva is watching the girls.”
I sigh. Everything in me wants to order her to move back here so I have access to her twenty-four-seven, but if we rush this, we’ll end up back here in a few months. We have to face our demons.
“I can’t drive, I’ve had too much to drink. I’ll get a prospect to take you.”
“Riggs, can we keep this between us?” she asks. I bristle at her words, but she gently strokes my arm. “I’m not ashamed. I just feel like when everyone gets involved, it becomes complicated. Let’s see how things go for a while before we make any big announcements.”
I nod. Big announcements are what started all this.
Chapter Ten
ANNA
Eva grins the second I walk through the door. “Well, look at the glow on you,” she says.
I subconsciously rub my cheeks and blush. “We talked.”
“Please,” she scoffs. “You did much more than talk. How did he worm his way out of it?”
I shrug. “We talked. We cleared the air. We needed that. I’ve agreed to see the counsellor with him again.”
“That sounds like a plan.”
“He kept something from me, something huge,” I say and she eyes me suspiciously. “I can’t tell you, it isn’t my thing to tell. But he told someone else, confided in her, and it bothers me. Do I say something to her or leave it?”
Eva purses her lips, thinking for a minute. “Is she a threat to your relationship?”
I shrug again. “Honestly, I don’t know. In one way, I should thank her for spotting something I didn’t, but in another, I’m mad she didn’t tell me.”
“Then say that. Speak from the heart and be honest. If you don’t get it off your chest, you’ll be eaten up with it.”
I don’t sleep well. My mind is replaying everything Riggs told me. What if the treatment hasn’t worked? We’ve spent so long being apart and playing stupid games that we might have lost our chance.
I toss and turn the entire night again, and when the sun rises, Willow wakes and I’m lost in baby stuff. When the rest of the population rises at a more reasonable hour, I send a text off to Raven asking her to meet me in the park.
I like Raven. It’s hard not to like her. I know Leia has her issues, with Raven and Chains being close friends, but even she struggles to pick fault with the redheaded beauty. I smile as she walks towards me. “Hey,” she says, taking a seat and peering into Willow’s pushchair. “She’s getting so big,” she points out.
“I know about Riggs,” I say, and she eyes me. “He told me everything last night.”
“That’s good,” she says warily. “What did he tell you exactly?”
“About the cancer,” I say, and she looks relieved. “I want to thank you,” I begin as she frowns. “You noticed enough to ask him to go and get checked. If you hadn’t,” I shrug, “well, maybe he still wouldn’t know.”
“I’m glad he got checked and he’s having treatment.”
“I also wanted to say something else.” I bite my lower lip, choosing my words carefully. “You must be watching him pretty closely to notice how often he goes to the bathroom,” I say, and she hangs her head, her cheeks turning crimson. “I get it,” I continue. “He’s the President, he’s charming, good looking. It’s hard not to fancy him.”
“I’ve never once made a move,” she blurts out quickly. “I wouldn’t.”
I nod. “Good. I just wanted you to know that I see it. I love him, despite what it might look like from the outside. We’re married and we have Willow. I’m asking you, woman to woman, stay away from my husband.”
“I have, I promise. I respect you, Anna. I’d never go there, I swear. He doesn’t know how I feel, and I’ve not made a single move on him.”
“Let’s keep it that way.”
Riggs is in my office already when I arrive at Easy Riders later that day. He closes his laptop and looks at me. “I have a confession,” he says.
I place my bag by the side of the desk. “Okay.”
“I own this place. Well, the club does.”
My mouth falls open. “I thought Vinn owned it?”
“I had to tell Leia that because I knew you wouldn’t come and work here otherwise. I needed a manager and you were doing the course, it was an obvious choice, and if you’d have told me months ago how you felt about getting a job, I would have done it sooner.”
“I wanted to get my independence,” I argue.
“And you have that. You earn your money here, Anna. The figures look great,” he says. “And if you fuck up, I’ll fire you. No special treatment,” he adds, grinning.
“Talking of doing a great job,” I say, taking a seat opposite him. “I’m thinking of making some changes to the staff.”
“I’m listening.”
“Raven, for example,” I say, casually. “Nothing against her, but I’d like some new faces around.”
Riggs frowns. “The customers love Raven. She’s great behind the bar.”
“I’m just not comfortable around her at the moment,” I admit.
“Then change your shifts so you aren’t together, Anna. You can’t let personal shit get in the way.”
“I thought you said I was the manager, therefore, I should make the decisions, right?”
I watch him gather his things. He kisses me on the cheek. “Baby, you are, but it’s a stupid idea. Raven is good for this place.” He leaves the office. The truth is, I want to limit her time around Riggs as much as possible.
RIGGS
I find Raven in the cellar changing a barrel. “Things okay with you and Anna?” I ask, and she jumps at the sound of my voice.
“Yep,” she says, smiling awkwardly.
I step closer and she takes a step back. “You’re lying.”
“She warned me off you today, okay. She was marking her territory.”
I smile. I like that
