Holden's Resurrection (Gemini Group Book 6)

by Riley Edwards

  Live.

  He could totally do that. But while he was living, he’d do more than show his girls how loved they were—he’d prove to them he was absolutely worth the wait.

  Holden was on his way down to the conference room when his cell vibrated. Charleigh’s name flashed on the screen and his heart flip-flopped.

  Damn, he had it bad.

  “Hey, baby,” he greeted.

  “Sorry to bother you at work but I wanted to tell you Jodi called and asked if I was available today to see the property you told me about.”

  Holden smiled and asked, “What’d you tell her?”

  “I told her I was. But, Holden, are you sure about this? She told me the list price on the house and it’s—”

  “Go look at it, Leigh-Leigh. If you like it, call me and I’ll make an offer.”

  “You can’t make an offer without seeing it.”

  “Sure I can.”

  “What if you don’t like it?”

  It seemed his woman didn’t understand, so he walked past the conference room, noting everyone was already around the table, went into the reception area, and stopped in front of the big window overlooking Fountain Park.

  “Okay, Charleigh, I guess I haven’t made myself clear, so let me do that now. I don’t care where I live as long as it’s with you and Faith. I don’t care what the house looks like, if it’s in a development, on a farm, one-story or two. The only requirement I have is that there’s a yard for Faith’s dog. So, if you like the house, tell Jodi to call me. If you don’t, set up more viewings and when you find what you’re looking for, we’ll make an offer.”

  “It’s really expensive, and as you know—”

  “Then it’s a good thing your man is rich.”

  “You’re rich?” she wheezed.

  “I live in a trailer. I have minimal overhead. My Suburban’s paid off. I saved money while I was in the Navy mainly because I was gone more than I was home and I had nothing to spend it on. I own Gemini Group with Nix, Jameson, Weston, Chasin, and Alec. You’ve seen where they live; tell me, do they look like they’re hurtin’?”

  “No, but—”

  “Trust me, we got the money to buy the house.”

  “But—”

  “Charleigh, baby, please find us a house. I want my family set up and settled as soon as that can happen. I know it’s asking a lot for you to handle it on your own, but I’m asking all the same—find our family somewhere to live.”

  “Okay,” she whispered. “But, Holden, I’m not alone, I have you.”

  His eyes lost focus and his body locked.

  Jesus, Jesus.

  They’d done it.

  They’d won.

  Just start living.

  Holden let the beauty of her words wash away the bitterness of the past and he did exactly what Jameson told him to do.

  “You’re correct. You are not alone.” Holden was well-aware his voice was gruff and he didn’t give two shits it cracked when he said, “I love you, Leigh-Leigh.”

  “I love you, too, Holden.”

  Last night, he hadn’t been wrong when he was lying between his girls thinking there was nothing better, but he hadn’t taken into account how good it felt to hear Leigh-Leigh say those words. Having his girls close, heaven. Hearing Leigh-Leigh tell him she loved him, a mili-inch less than the best feeling in the world. And only because anytime Faith was in the equation, it was the best.

  “Find us a house.”

  “Okay. Um…”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing, really, but…um…the girls are here and they want to go with me.”

  Fuck, the velvet blows just kept coming. The girl posse had closed ranks. Six new best friends for Charleigh. Six new aunts for his daughter. Six women who would show his daughter what it meant to be strong, loyal, and loving. Hell, yeah, that blow took his breath.

  “Then take them. Just don’t let Evie buy us the house.”

  “Would she do that?”

  “Absolutely, yes. She is generous with wedding gifts.”

  “Wedding gifts?” Charleigh breathed.

  He didn’t bother explaining to her she’d be wearing his ring in the next couple of days. And as soon as the weather broke, he’d be dragging her ass and all of their friends up the knoll that used to be Swagger land but now belonged to Chasin and Evie. And they’d be saying their vows in the same place everyone else had.

  Nixon had once said that farm was hallowed ground. All of his childhood memories were wrapped up with that land. And when Nix’s father passed, that farm became even more sacred. Nixon allowing Evie to buy the farmhouse and some of the land from him with the promise to keep it in the family was a testament to how much Nixon trusted Chasin.

  Holden caught Weston’s reflection in the window and told Charleigh, “Gotta run, everyone’s waiting on me to start the meeting.”

  “Wedding gifts,” she echoed.

  “Baby, we’ll talk when I get home. It’s Sunday and no one wants to be here. Let me get this meeting done and you and your girls go buy us a house.”

  “Hold—”

  “Love you.”

  Holden disconnected and pocketed his phone before he turned and caught Weston smiling at him.

  “What?”

  “Pleased as fuck.” That was all his friend said before he walked away.

  “Me, too, brother. Me fucking, too,” Holden mumbled to the empty room and made his way to the conference room.

  “Anything?” Holden heard Jonny ask as he walked into the room.

  “No. The girls are talking about it over messenger but they’re not using his name,” McKenna answered. “As you know, Donna Lot didn’t give us anything new. And she wouldn’t give me Kimberly’s cell or laptop. Both are turned off, which means I can’t access them remotely. Honestly, I think she’s been through enough. She doesn’t want to know what’s on those devices, and as frustrating as it is from an investigation standpoint, I don’t blame her.”

  “I agree,” Alec put in. “We need to respect her right to privacy and find another way.”

  McKenna glanced around the room sheepishly before her eyes landed on her husband and she worried her bottom lip.

  “Out with it, sweetheart.”

  It was safe to say, not much got by Nixon, and nothing did when it pertained to his wife. He had finely honed skills when it came to McKenna.

  “Molly Buchannan, the girl Jonny found behind the barn at the party?”

  “What about her?” Jonny asked.

  “She has a friend, Sydney, who from what I can tell is newish to the area. Sydney was telling Molly about a party she went to. She didn’t mention any names but she was bragging about this hot older guy she met.” There was a twinge of recognition, but before he could suss it out, McKenna continued, “Sydney’s description was tall, built, brown hair. She told Molly for an old guy, he was ripped.” Seven disgruntled male growls sounded in the room but McKenna pushed through. “Molly was engaged, asking questions and sending thumbs-up emojis until Sydney told her the guy brought a bottle of Malibu rum. After that, Molly shut down and warned Sydney to stay away from him. Sydney became angry and accused Molly of being jealous she couldn’t get an older guy. Molly’s last message was, and I quote, ‘been there, done that, and threw the t-shirt away.’”

  “Fuck,” Jonny grunted.

  Holden’s stomach dropped. “Sydney Powell?”

  “I don’t know her last name. They use an anonymous messaging app.”

  “Then how did you get Molly’s info?”

  “I may or may not have sent Molly an email with a link to a YouTube video of a hilarious camel spitting at a zookeeper. And I may or may not have cloned her mother’s email address to make sure Molly opened the link that, once clicked could hypothetically give me access to her phone.”

  “Jesus.” That came from Jonny who was used to Micky’s hypothetical scenarios but still mostly liked to be kept in the dark on how Gemini Group obtained their
intel. And that ‘mostly’ actually meant that he absolutely didn’t want to know when McKenna hacked illegally.

  “I only know HotSyd4Life’s name is Sydney because that’s the name Molly used.”

  “Are there no goddamn parents that check their kids’ phones?” Alec grumbled.

  “Even if Molly’s parents checked her phone they probably wouldn’t think to check an app that’s icon is a clock. Teenagers are crafty when they want to hide stuff.”

  “Who’s Sydney Powell?” Weston asked.

  “Charleigh’s planning her fifty-thousand dollar birthday party,” Holden answered, then asked, “The girl’s turning fifteen. What the fuck is she doing at a party in the first place?”

  “He’s starting early,” Jonny noted.

  “Or he’s grooming her,” Jameson retorted. “Didn’t think about what comes before the three-month mark and he takes the girls. This could be his normal routine.”

  “Jesus. Are you telling me he picks a girl and spends the next few months toying with her before…” Jonny clamped his mouth shut, unable to finish his thought.

  “That’s exactly what I think. And it makes sense. If he just showed up out of the blue and forced himself on the girls, even if he threatened them, more than likely they’d break. But, if he takes his time and makes the girls think he loves them, that they love him, there’s nothing wrong with what they’re doing, convinces them they’re in some sort of sick relationship, it would be easier for him to control the girls. And when he’s done he could manipulate them into thinking that the disintegration of the relationship was somehow their fault, that they weren’t good enough, and he moves on to the next.”

  “The ultimate mindfuck,” Nixon added.

  “And they don’t tell because they think they’re in love.”

  “A teenage girl’s emotions are fragile,” McKenna said softly.

  Jonny’s hands went to his temples and his eyes closed. When he opened them, his expression was tortured. “Been a cop a long time. I thought I’d seen pretty much all there was to see. I know we live in a small town and we don’t have the same crime as they do in big cities. But people still rob, kill, and harm around here. Never did it occur to me that…” Jonny gritted his teeth. “Fuck, what else have I missed?”

  “You can’t find things that people don’t want you to find,” Chasin told Jonny.

  “Then what the fuck am I doing?” Jonny stood and shook his head once. “Appreciate you all coming in on a Sunday.”

  “Jonny,” Alec called out, and Jonny stopped in the doorway but didn’t turn back.

  “Whatever you’re gonna say, don’t. I’m a fucking cop and this sick shit has been happening in my town, under my watch for a long goddamn time. If I can’t even protect my own fucking father from my piece of shit brother, then what fucking good am I?” With that parting shot, Jonny was gone.

  And there it was—the truth.

  Jonny was still struggling with the death of his father and brother.

  “We’ve gotta get his ass sorted,” Alec said.

  “Agreed. This shit’s gone on too long and he’s retreating more and more,” Holden said.

  All eyes swung to Holden. There were varying degrees of the same ‘what the fuck’ expression. Jameson’s was accompanied by a smirk. Weston’s was a frown. Nixon had narrowed his eyes. Alec was shaking his head. But it was Chasin who was smiling.

  “Pot, have you met kettle? His name is Holden,” Chasin jabbed.

  “Never said I was a smart man,” he admitted. “But I’m sure as fuck not stupid. So just to clear the air, I know my head was up my ass. I know I was wrong. I know I should’ve opened up. I know I should’ve told you all the truth, but more, I should’ve told Charleigh. Now, can we please move on and talk about Jonny?”

  “Sure, after you explain to us why you still haven’t put a ring on that woman’s finger,” Weston asked.

  “It’s been about a minute since our world was rocked. I figured I’d come in, participate in a meeting like I actually worked here, then I’d hit the jewelry store on High Street. I know it’s hard for a man like you to understand, since you clapped eyes on your woman, knocked her up the second she let you into bed, then had your band on her finger before the haze had cleared. Which was a smart move on your part, because Silver is way out of your league, friend, so you had to be speedy before she figured it out. But some of us like to bask in the moment.”

  “Bask in the moment?” Nixon sputtered. “Holy fucking shit, Holden just said bask. Do you know what that word even means?”

  Holden leaned back in his chair and took in the scene around him.

  Some of the good-natured insults hurled his way were hard to understand seeing as they were said through laughter. Others were things he’d said to his friends as they struggled through the beginnings of their relationships. But the bottom line was, Holden enjoyed every minute—dare he say, he was basking in a brotherhood he was blessed to be a part of.

  But Holden wouldn’t be Holden if he didn’t do it with his middle finger extended.

  34

  “You’ve lost your mind,” I told Holden.

  And the room exploded into laughter. Everyone was back at the house—that was Evie’s uncle’s house, not the house that Holden was currently putting a bid on.

  “You like it?” he asked.

  “Well, yeah, it’s beautiful. But it’s also more house than we need and expensive and you haven’t seen it.”

  “Told you I didn’t care.”

  Obviously, he was telling the truth because right then, he had his phone to his ear and he was talking to Jodi. To bid on a house he’d never seen—not even a picture on the internet, nothing. He was actually going to purchase a house sight unseen because I liked it. Or maybe he was buying it because Faith had prattled on and on about how much she loved it. And then Rory put in her two-cents about how awesome the finished room above the garage was, which I learned was called a FROG. Faith had declared that room would be her playroom and had even picked out which room she wanted for her bedroom.

  Next, the women had all added commentary about all the great things about the house. McKenna and Silver were all for it, since the house’s property butted up against theirs. Kennedy and Macy both admitted the house was beautiful but wasn’t close to their houses so they voted to keep looking and find something close to them.

  But it was Evie who’d cinched the deal when she told Holden I’d absentmindedly said the house felt like home. And it did. The house was big, but it just had this homey vibe. The interior was stunning but it didn’t feel like you were in a showroom. And the living room with the big fireplace made you want to lounge on the couch and watch a movie. And the firepit out back screamed Holden and the guys. I could totally see them hanging around the fire, shooting the shit, enjoying a beer.

  Of course, there was also the fact Faith could have her dog. She could have ten dogs, a horse, a goat, and a few donkeys and there’d still be leftover land. Thankfully, I’d refrained from mentioning this, or we’d have a menagerie in our backyard.

  “Right, I appreciate it. Tell me what they say.” Holden ended his call and tossed his phone on the counter. “Are we ordering in or braving taking the kids to a restaurant?”

  My mouth dropped open at Holden’s question. He had lost his mind. He’d potentially just purchased a house, hung up the phone, and essentially asked what was for dinner.

  “You…” I snapped my mouth shut and tried again. “You just…”

  Nope. I was still at a loss for words.

  “I what, Leigh-Leigh?”

  “Just bought a house.” I told him something he very well knew but I felt it bore repeating.

  “Actually, we just put a bid in. It remains to be seen if our offer is accepted.”

  “Oh, no, you just bought a house like a crazy person. You need to go see—”

  “You gonna marry me?”

  The room fell silent and someone sucked in a momentous lungful of air, or
maybe it was me who’d removed all the oxygen from the room. And did someone light a fire, because suddenly I was sweating, as in profusely.

  “What?”

  “Are you gonna marry me?” he repeated but offered no further explanation.

  Was he serious? Throwing out a theoretical question as it pertained to the future? Did he mean right this second? And again, was he seriously asking me that in a room full of our friends?

  Then I got pissed, because I wanted to marry him. I had wanted that ten years ago the moment I laid eyes on him. I had obsessively wanted to marry him the years we were together, and in the years we’d been apart I’d mourned the death of my dream. Now he was just tossing it out there willy-nilly like it wasn’t the most important question he’d ever ask me, without giving me the opportunity to express how much it meant to me he wanted to spend his life with me.

  That was why my eyes narrowed, my hands went to my hips, and my attitude flared.

  “I don’t know, Holden Clarence Stanford. Are you gonna ask me properly or is it a leading question before you enlighten me on how we bought a house, when really you bought it because I certainly don’t have the money to—”

  I didn’t get to finish my rant. Holden’s hands went to my face and he tipped my head back so he was looking in my eyes.

  “Take a breath, Leigh-Leigh.”

  My eyes got squintier and Holden smiled.

  Jerk.

  Then I lost his hands and his eyes. I tucked my chin and looked down. Once again, my breath caught, but this time I was positive I was the one who extracted the air from the room.

  “Leigh-Leigh, baby, I knew the moment I saw you we were going to spend our lives together. It was your beauty that caught my attention but it was your spirit that captured me. And since that day, there hasn’t been a single one that has passed that I haven’t thought about you. Marry me, Charleigh, and let me—”

  “Yes,” I interrupted the rest of the proposal I thought I wanted when really all I wanted was the man. “Yes. Yes. Yes.”