Salem thought too much about Dodge. Why had he looked so sad? He wished Quest had been awake when he left. Salem knew those two always had each other’s back. For nearly a decade, they had been two peas in a pod. Now they were three. Salem fought a smile at the idea. Sitting alone in a booth at a coffee shop wasn’t the place to smile too much. He didn’t want to look insane. Really, though. Before those two, Salem hadn’t known what it was like to have anyone lovehim for real. But that was just who they were, two freaking amazing people.
Of course, JD had always been a fantastic judge of character. He had known who to keep and who to throw away. When Quest was seven, JD had married his mom. Ten years later, they divorced. Quest had wanted to stay with JD, the only real father he had ever known. Since he was seventeen, the decision had been his to make, and JD loved him every bit as much as he would a biological son.
Two years later, JD married Dodge’s mom. Dodge was seventeen and anticipated a ton of resentment and hatred from the older stepbrother who likely didn’t want him. Instead, it waslike they met their person and had been inseparable ever since. Unfortunately, Dodge’s mom had died in a freak riding accident shortly after marrying JD, leaving Dodge nowhere else to go. Once again, JD loved the son he had gained. He never gave the pair a reason to leave. Their content life was interrupted once again six years later when JD came home from vacation with a new husband, Salem. Thankfully, Quest and Dodge were rays of light and positivity. They had welcomed Salem with a love Salem hadn’t had before them. Now, three years later, Salem would walk through fire for them, which circled all the way back to wondering what the hell wasgoing on with Dodge.
A cup appeared in front of Salem. “Black coffee, as requested, since you’re obviously a masochist.” Shaw slid into the booth across from him.
It was impossible not to smile. Shaw bled charisma. Salem imagined that made him a good lawyer. “My grandfather always said real men only drink their coffee black.” His southern accent came out hard. He tried reeling it in. “I don’t give a shit about any of that, of course. It’s just that’s all he let me have. Now anything else tastes too sweet.”
Shaw’s dark green gaze moved over Salem’s features—like studying for a test. “I forget you’re from Mississippiuntil that accent peeks out and reminds me.”
“Actually, I’m from Louisiana.” This time, Salem purposely allowed his accent to shine.
A sigh-worthy smile appeared. “A Louisiana boy named Salem. Did you live in New Orleans?”
Salem despised talking about his past, but he understood that was how people got to know each other. “No. My mom was a witch. Of course, the only thing she had cooking in her cauldron was meth. That’s how I ended up in Mississippi, living with my grandfather.He was the only relative willing to take me when CPS came calling.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
Shaw’s sympathy made Salem want to growl. This was why he hated these conversations. He was no one to pity. Salem shrugged. “It doesn’t matter now. I’m here, living my best life. Where I came from matters not at all.” Salem knew that wasn’t true. Where he came from would always follow him, but he wasn’t weak. “What about you? Have you always lived in this area?”
“Not too far. I was born in Pennsylvania before going to Yale. From there,my career took me all over New England until I came to work at my dad's practice here.”
Salem chuckled. “Ah. Who can resist all the wealthy criminals in this town?”
“Attorney-client privilege,” Shaw said with a sexy laugh.
Salem shrugged. “Big money is never clean money.”
Shaw’s smile never dimmed. “Except for maybe yours. JD was an honest businessman.”
Salem sipped his coffee before responding. “I’m not JD.” It was a test. Shaw likely knew it. Salem was used to being treatedlike a gold digger, but he didn’t have to spend his time with people who thought badly of him.
“I knew JD pretty well. He never chose anyone to be in his life on a whim. JD saw something in other people where no one else might. He was a hell of a judge of character. If he left everything in your hands, he had a good reason. He saw something in you.”
Every word Shaw spoke was likely bullshit. He was a lawyer, after all. But it was nice being treated like more than trash that married for money and won the lotto. “Not everything. You forget his stepsons.”
Shaw laughed. “I doubt JD left much to them specifically. No doubt he put you in charge of their shares. There’s no way those two could handle a fortune landing on their heads.”
It was true, and Shaw was right. Basically, every dime had been left to him with a stipulation: he always care for Quest and Dodge like the puppies they were. Still, Shaw’s words chafed. He didn’t like anyone treating his boys like they were dumb. “They’re not stupid or incapable. They’re just too nice to be in charge of the kind of money JD had. He knew they’d be eaten alive by ladder climbers and every other piece of shit withina thousand miles. They have too good of hearts for this world.” Salem heard the papa bear in his voice. He couldn’t help it. Quest and Dodge were his. No one would insult them.
Shaw looked thoughtful. “I can’t tell if your fierce defense is fatherly or something else. Either way, they’re lucky to have you, and I meant no offense. I was just saying—badly, apparently—the same thing as you. They’re not meant for the world you and I see.”
Salem’s shoulders relaxed. He felt kind of dumb. People loved to treat Dodge and Quest like idiots. It enraged Salem. A guilty smile tugged at his lips. “Sorry. Since marryingJD, I’ve run into way too many people who speak badly of his boys. They were the light of his life. He would’ve destroyed anyone who thought about insulting them. I suppose that’s something else he left to me.”
Shaw’s expression took on a new dimension, as if Salem watched the powerful attorney rise to the surface. “It’s odd. If he hadn’t been a ninety-year-old billionaire, I’d say it sounds like you loved him very much.”
His hackles more than rose. They flew. “Oh, there it is. I’ll admit you made it much longer than expected. Thank you forthe coffee. It’s been a pleasure.” He moved to slide from the booth.
“Did I offend you, or are you just looking to be offended?”
The question pissed him off just enough to stay to answer. “Can’t it be both? Yes, I stay on constant guard to be treated exactly as you’re treating me now. But yeah, I’m also highly insulted nonetheless, because despite what everyone thinks, I loved JD. Maybe it wasn’t the way a husband loves his spouse, but I did love him. He was a good man who took me in, loved me, and cares for me still to this day with his legacy. Everyone in this goddamn town can think what they want, but this is exactlywhy I have nothing to do with any of you. Any time any of you say shit about me, you insult him. He knew exactly what he was doing when he left everything to me, and it didn’t have a damn thing to do with his dick. Just because that might be all you think with, it doesn’t mean everyone is like that.”
Shaw’s eyebrow rose. “Someone like me doesn’t get where they are by thinking with their dick. I sure as hell didn’t get here by judging people. In fact, I give no fucks why JD left that money to you. I don’t even give a fuck about the money. It’s you I want to know, but goddamn, you have a thornypersonality to get past.”
Despite everything, a laugh burst from Salem. His shoulders relaxed. “You’re not wrong.” He took a breath. It was possible he overreacted. “It’s just this goddamn community. I’m a hot topic, which is fine, but I don’t care to take an active part.”
Shaw nodded. “I get it. The upper crust has a way of being incredibly intolerable. I’m only on the fringes, keeping their money safe and their asses out of jail. That’s a close enough view that I can say with certainty I have no desire to delve deeper than the edge. Because… yikes.”
