to be millions in love,
I’m rollin’ in it
Avery
“I can’t believe it,” Sophie exclaims. She’s grasping onto my hand, shaking her head.
“You’ve had a shit week, girl.” November reaches around and gives me a side hug.
“I just feel bad for Link.” I gesture up to The Knot. “He worked so hard to open his bar and now look.”
I squint from behind my aviators, looking up at the damage from where we’re standing in the parking lot. In fact, we’re standing in almost the same place Link and I were targeted just a few short hours ago.
EMS checked us out at the scene and we’re both okay, but I do have scrapes down one leg to add to the bruises on my jaw. Link, on the other hand, must be made of armor—he was fine. We finally got back to his house around five in the morning for a couple hours of sleep and now we’re back.
“Don’t you worry,” November levels her eyes on me. “Asher said he’d clear the schedule or hire more crews if he had to. He’s hell-bent to do everything in his power to get Link up and running again. I know my husband and his brothers—they’ll move heaven and earth for Link.”
I give her a tired smile and look over at my man. He’s with Asher, Trevor, Cash, and Nico as we speak. It looks like they’re making lists, drawing up plans, and surveying every bit of damage. Insurance adjusters are on the scene and when I asked Link if he was worried about being shut down, he just leaned in to kiss me and said, “Got insurance for that, too. Don’t worry about me, little one. I just need to rebuild so your beautiful songs can be heard by the world.”
I’m not worried about that. Whatever happens will happen. I’m just glad we’re okay and I can go back to wandering campus freely again.
Last night, the police caught up with the second car after the first one wrecked into a light pole. Two men were arrested—Link’s old boss who was just paroled in Vegas and the bouncer who let me in the night I met Link. The same bouncer Link fired. It turns out he got a job with Link for the sole purpose of taking down The Knot in retaliation. It didn’t go well for either of them in the end. They’re in a heap of trouble and Nico’s friend, Leo, said we have nothing to worry about. There’s video surveillance of them planting the bomb and shooting from the car. They’ve broken every law from here to next year and won’t be getting out anytime soon.
“Don’t worry about babysitting for a while. You get caught up in your classes and settled. Susan said she can take the kids this week. Heck, she has all of them right now,” Sophie says, with a grin.
“Speaking of getting settled,” November adds and widens her eyes. “I hear you’re getting settled in with Link. That was fast.”
“I am?” My eyes go wider than hers. November laughs out loud and when I look at Sophie, she’s rolling her eyes with a smile on her face. “What’s so funny?”
“Been there, done that,” Sophie tips her head and shrugs apologetically. “I’ve never seen Link like this before. I have a feeling you should just let your apartment go and save yourself the monthly rent. My guess is, you won’t be sleeping in it ever again.”
“I can’t move in with Link. Not right now. My parents would kill me.”
November nods and pats my shoulder. “It’ll all work itself out. It always does. But, Avery, that man over there?” She motions to all the men but I have a feeling she’s talking about the one who doesn’t mind having unprotected sex with me. “You’ve hook, line, and sinkered him. I’ve seen it play out with all the Mayson men and Link is no different. He’s gone for you.”
Link glances over, catching me ogling him, his thick, inked arms folded across the expanse of his chest. I can’t see them, but I bet his blue eyes are shining bright from behind his shades, matching the color of the clear, fall day.
“You good?” he calls from where he’s standing with the men.
I smile and nod, appeasing him enough to turn his attention back to his burned bar.
“Yeah, November is right,” Sophie agrees. “Let that apartment go.”
I can’t take my eyes off Link, him surrounded by his friends who have become his family, and me surrounded by their wives who have become so dear to me. I even adore their kids and Susan and James. Generations of love, right here in Tennessee—exactly what I grew up with at home with the Carpinos.
I realize how lucky I am. Not many people ever experience love like this, not to mention getting it twice in one lifetime, all at the young age of twenty.
I never knew it could be this good. Until Link, I had no idea how rich life could be.