Page 47 of We Will Rise

She nods once before she pushes herself off the couch and moves toward the kitchen, allowing the three of us to lean back in our seats.

“I don’t know how the hell you do this every day, Em.” Snow runs her hand down her face.

She half laughs. “I don’t know either some days.”

“When do you need to head back to Chicago?” I ask.

“Probably tomorrow. I need to get back to the youth center before my dad has to do any of the paperwork, and it’s making Rayne nervous having me out of the city when I’m so far along,” Emerson says.

“Storm is overseeing the Russo businesses, and it’s making Elijah antsy. He thinks he’s going to change everything in the span of a week while also running our own businesses.”

Emerson scoffs, and I can’t help but smile. Their family is really fucking unconventional, but watching them together has shown me that unconventional can work.

“Now, speaking of overbearing men, can we talk about the fact you’re handling those four scary as fuck men like a champ?” Snow giggles, and I follow suit.

“I wouldn’t say I’m handling them.” I rub my hand down my face. “I just won’t let them walk all over me.”

“I remember when Wynter met them for the first time, and she was telling me about them. Her literal words were, ‘God help the women that end up with them,’ and here you are doing it all by yourself.”

Emerson snickers, her smile growing as she rubs her belly absentmindedly. Every time she does it, I can’t help but stare at how loving the gesture is, and then I try to ignore the part of me that longs for that same love.

“I gotta ask, how does that whole thing work in the bedroom?”

“Snow!” Emerson reprimands as a deep blush spreads across my face. I must be red as fucking tomato right now.

“What? I’m just curious.” Snow shrugs.

“It’s fine.” I half laugh. “It’s…a lot sometimes.”

“I mean, that’s four alpha male cocks, of course it’s a lot.”

Emerson covers her face as she dissolves into a fit of laughter, and my own giggle escapes my throat.

“I mean, you’re not wrong. They each have their own…tastes, shall we say, and when there’s more than one of them, it can be as overwhelming as it is earth shattering.”

“You’re so lucky,” Snow says wistfully, earning her another laugh from her sister-in-law.

“Don’t let Elijah hear you say that. He’ll be reminding you real quick you wouldn’t survive more than one of him.” Emerson giggles.

“Oh, I should definitely say it louder in that case.”

A laugh bursts from my throat, and for the first time in days, I allow myself to relax. I’ve never had many girlfriends, but I have a feeling this is what it feels like, and I hope once this is all over, that I can keep these two because they’re too good to let go.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

BISHOP

“This is Bishop,” I say into the phone without bothering to check the caller ID.

“Hey, it’s Noah.”

“Oh hey, what’s up?”

“I think you may have a problem.”

I half laugh. “I have way more than one problem but go on.”

“It’s Davenport. He reached out to my dad today to set up a meeting to discuss the future of the Syndicate.”

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