Page 96 of Ramsey & Emerson

I’d also woken up to Emerson telling me that she was having brunch with the girls, and that I could fuck off if I didn’t like it.

Yeah, good times.

So, since she had obviously called the girls for some sort of quasi-intervention, I’d had the privilege of answering the door a few minutes ago to a grinning Liam, stoic-looking Deke, and a tired-looking Ace, and now we were all sitting on the deck in the backyard. Luckily, Ace had been considerate enough to grab some lunch before heading over, and my hungover ass really appreciated it.

“I thought you and Ava weren’t due to come back until this afternoon,” Liam remarked before adding, “This really feels weird without alcohol.”

“We were,” Ace answered. “But when Delaney texted Ava that the girls were all getting together for brunch because Ramsey was being a dick, Ava barely gave me time to get dressed before insisting that we come back early.” Ace glanced over at me. “You guys sure do know how to fuck up at the most inconvenient times.”

“I didn’t fuck up,” I lied.

“Uh, an impromptu brunch at my house says otherwise,” Deke snorted.

“Yeah, Roselyn was ready to leave me behind in Sands Cove this morning when she got the call from Emerson,” Liam added. “So, hate to break it to you, but sounds like you did.”

“To quote Crew when we dropped off the babies with him and Athena this morning, ‘What did Uncle Ramsey do this time?’,” Deke drawled out.

“Okay, I’ve been on vacation, so can anyone fill me in on what the hell is going on?” Ace asked before adding, “And Liam’s right. This feels weird as fuck without alcohol.”

Ignoring their complaints about no alcohol, I recapped everything from when I’d first spotted Cossacks getting cozy with Emerson in her office to dragging her out of the charity event last night. Though I’d left out the intimate details, the guys knew me well enough to know that our ‘talk’ in the restroom had been more than a talk, and so had the ‘talk’ in the kitchen.

“I don’t get it,” Ace said. “Why not just call Maddox to ruin this guy’s life?”

“Because Emerson would skin me alive if she ever found out that I dragged Ram or Maddox into our drama,” I answered. “Trust me when I tell you that my wife loves her sons way more than she loves her husband.”

“I think that’s safe to say about all of them,” Deke drawled out.

“Speak for yourself,” Ace huffed. “Ava adores me.”

“Oh, she does, does she?” Liam deadpanned.

“This is where I’d like to point out that I never fucked up like the rest of you,” Ace retorted. “I’ve got a clean criminal record.”

“That one time when you lost Maggie doesn’t count?” Deke asked, eyeing him.

“I didn’tloseMaggie,” Ace lied. “I just…didn’t know immediately where she was at the time.” He shook his head as he waved the question away. “Besides, I knew that she was in the house, just not where exactly.”

Liam chuckled before asking, “So, what’s the plan? Not for nothing, but it’s never good for anyone whenever you and Em are on the outs. If you don’t figure this shit out soon, the kids are liable to take matters into their own hands. Never mind R.J. and Maddox, but no one needs Crew or Lennon stopping by the CPS offices to introduce themselves.”

“Dude, quit making my children sound like their vicious drug cartel leaders or something,” Deke told him. “They’re not that bad.”

We all shot him a look.

“Fine,” he relented. “You guys can have Lennon, but Crew’s not that bad.”

“Have you even met your children?” Liam snorted.

Deke flipped him off.

Ending the discussion on Deke’s children’s state of minds, I said, “Look, I’ve already commissioned a background check on Cossacks, so he’s not really a problem. He’ll be dealt with soon enough, and if his check comes back clean, then I’ll just dig further. While Emerson might end up mad as hell for me about it, I’ll still recruit Mad if I have no other choice.”

“Okay, so then Emerson is the issue,” Ace surmised.

“She really thinks that I’m not happy or trust her,” I replied.

“Well, we all know that you trust her, but is she right about you not being happy?” Deke asked.

I looked at one of my oldest friends in the world. “When have Ieverbeen happy?” I glanced at each man sitting at the table with me. “When haveanyof you ever known me to be happy?” I leaned back in my seat as I let out a deep breath. “I’m not sure if I even know what that feeling is. I can’t even remember feeling happy as a small child.”

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