The Touch Series Box Set

  “No worries, Emma, I respected your father a great deal and I hate what Keith has done to your family’s business. It will all be made right again, you just need to be patient.”

  I hand him the envelope and watch as he files it away in the cabinet against the wall.

  “It’s in good hands here, Emma, don’t worry.”

  “Is it that obvious?”

  “Pretty much. Honestly, if you need anything please let me or Patty know.”

  “Will do, thanks again. I’ll be in touch.”

  I turn from him and walk out the door and into the parking lot toward my car. I feel a sense of reassurance knowing that the original documents are out of Keith’s reach and that we’re one step closer to getting back the family business.

  I hop into my car and start on my way back home.

  I know Mr. Bryant said I need to be patient, but holy hell, I want this misery to end now, not later.

  My phone starts to chirp from my purse and the number on the display screen isn’t one that I recognize. I hate telemarketers and I’m not really in the mood to talk to one this early in the morning.

  Feeling like a bit of a rebel, I hit the hands-free button on my steering wheel and answer the call.

  “Emma,” a voice says.

  Oh my God, it’s Riley.

  “Riley,” I reply with a twinge of excitement to my voice.

  “Hey…um…I…um. I’m down here in Greensboro on business and really wanted to know if there’s any chance I could see you tonight,” he rambles.

  I’m so excited to hear him I could scream.

  “Riley! It’s so good to hear your voice. The way we left things was absolutely horrible on my part, but you have to understand, I don’t think I’ve been in my right mind since Mom and Dad died.”

  “Emma, you’re my sister, and no matter what’s happened over the past few weeks, I’d like nothing more to move past it all with you.”

  “Oh, thank God!” I screech. “Where are you staying while you’re down here?”

  “I’m in the Embassy Suites by the airport. Can you come by and meet me for dinner? I’d rather it be just us though for tonight. I want to talk to my sister without distractions and interruptions. To be honest, Emma, I really don’t think being around Keith is a good idea.”

  Oh shit, he has no clue how bad it’s going to get.

  “I understand, Riley. I can be over that way around six-thirty tonight.”

  “Good, thanks, Emma. See you then,” he says and disconnects the line.

  My heart is racing and I can barely think. He’s back—well, not technically back—but I have him here for one night. It’s my chance to make things right and tell him what’s really been going on with me, Keith and RPK Contracting.

  This should make for an interesting reunion for sure.

  My nerves are all over the place as I drive over to the hotel Riley’s staying at tonight. I don’t know what I’ll do when I see him. Do we just say hi, shake hands, lean in for a hug? I hate that it feels so awkward meeting my little brother for dinner, but then again we didn’t leave things on the best of terms.

  I have so many questions I want to ask him. Where did he move? Where is he living? Does he have a job? Is he eating right?

  Ugh, I feel like a mother hen.

  I pull into the parking lot in front of Embassy Suites, and honestly, I’m feeling a bit sick to my stomach. I’m not sure if it’s the fact that I’ll be seeing my brother after what happened or that I’ll be telling him what I’ve recently found.

  I sit in my car for a good twenty minutes zoning out before I realize what time it is.

  Shit! It’s after six-thirty. I need to get inside the restaurant before he thinks I’ve stood him up. I don’t need to piss him off more than I have already.

  I step out of my car on wobbly legs and make my way toward the hotel. I look around the lobby and steer my way to the restaurant. My heart is pounding to the point that I feel like my hair is about to stand on end.

  I glance around the tables in search of Riley and spot him standing next to a table. I raise my hand to wave and walk toward him.

  “Hi, Emma.”

  He extends his arms in front of him and a warm feeling spreads from my heart all over my body. I need to relax. This is not going to turn out bad; it’s going to be amazing.

  “Oh, Riley, I’m so sorry. I’ve missed you so much!”

  I lean into his embrace and hug him as tight as I can.

  “I know it’s only been a few weeks, but I feel like I haven’t seen you in years,” he says, pulling away and taking a seat at the table.

  “I know, me too. I don’t want this meeting to be awkward between us. You’re my baby brother and I want to know how you’ve been since you left,” I reply, taking a seat across from him.

  “I agree. I’m just glad you came,” he says with a smile.

  Seeing him again makes me feel so happy. Even though we’re ten years apart in age, we’ve grown quite close to one another in our adult years. It’s just not the same not having him around all the time. I miss our banter, his sick and twisted jokes and the way he can turn any topic of conversation into a comedy show.

  I watch his every move. His hazel eyes are no longer trimmed in red and the smile on his face tells me that he’s happy.

  I know I need to share my news with him; I just hope I don’t freak him out in the process.

  “So Riley, I need to talk to you about something I found after you left. I know I should’ve tried to find you, and I probably would’ve built up the nerve to do so sooner or later, but there’s some stuff you need to know. But first, and don’t argue with me, tell me where you’ve been living and what you’re doing now.”

  He looks at me with a playful glare and I can tell what’s brewing in his head. I may be bossy at times, but I want to make sure he’s been okay before I drop this huge weight on his shoulders.

  “Typical Emma,” he says with a wink.

  “You know it, now spill,” I reply with a smile.

  He squirms around in his chair and sets his hands down in front of him on the table.

  “Well, I moved up to Boston a few weeks after I came to see you. I’m living with a guy that had an ad on Craig’s List. I’m dating a girl I met at a mini-mart. And I’m working for a contractor.”

  Shit, could he have given me any less detail? I guess I should’ve pried a bit more, but now the punkass is giving me the bare minimum. He’s such a little shithead, but I’m still so happy to be sitting here with him again.

  “Well played, Riley. I hope your short story really isn’t as creepy as you just made it sound and I hope you’re happy,” I say, staring into his eyes.

  It’s kind of scary how well my brother and I can communicate just by looking at one another.

  We’re interrupted for a few minutes while the waiter approaches our table to take our order. It’s moments like this I can appreciate. I needed a second to take everything in and breathe.

  “So, does Keith know that you’re meeting with me tonight?”

  I let out a heavy sigh and swallow hard.

  “Actually, no he doesn’t. He doesn’t even know what it is that I’ve found. I’ve thought a lot about how things were handled after you left, Riley. I’m embarrassed to say that while mourning Mom and Dad, I treated you so unfairly. I let Keith walk all over the both of us so that he could fulfill his own need to run the business. Things are really going to change and I needed to tell you first.”

  I look into my brother’s eyes and my heart starts beating out of control.

  “Emma, what did you find that you need to tell me about?” he asks in a nervous tone.

  I start to fumble with my napkin on the table.

  “Well, don’t freak out. Okay?” I’m really getting nervous now.

  His eyes begin to squint and he runs his fingers through his short brown hair.

  “Emma, you can’t start off a conversation like that and not expect me to freak out.”


  “Fine, Riley, don’t piss me off,” I pause for a second to take in a deep breath, “So, after you left I went to RPK’s headquarters and tried to clean out Dad’s office. Keith had been working in it the past few weeks and really didn’t have the time to go through a lot of the paperwork. So I decided I could do a little housecleaning for him. After sorting through some things I found a key.”

  “A key to what?”

  “At first I wasn’t sure—I didn’t know. It didn’t fit into any locks in the building, and it looked too small for a house key, so I started to ask around. Turns out it belonged to a storage unit not far from Mom and Dad’s house.”

  “What? Why would they have a storage unit when they owned a huge house and a business?” he asks with a tone of pure confusion.

  “That’s what I thought, too. I went down later that night and checked it out. Riley, it was filled with stuff that neither you nor I would have ever known they had. I don’t know what the hell they were doing with all the stuff and why it wasn’t in the house.”

  I can tell he’s dying to know what I’ve found, but this isn’t the easiest of conversations to have. Regardless of the outcome, I hate what has happened, and to know my husband is the cause of all of this just makes me sick.

  “Emma, what did you find?”

  “Well, at first it was just big stuff like a bass boat, a motorcycle and some big tools to use on jobs. Stuff like that. But then there was a lock box. A brand new lock box that still had the original labels on it and everything.”

  “Come on, Emma, you’re freaking me the fuck out. What was in the lock box?” He’s starting to raise his voice.

  Oh shit, he’s getting pissed off at me. As much as I want to blurt it all out, I’m scared he’s going to be upset with me for not telling him sooner. I lock my eyes onto his.

  I let out another breath of air. It’s now or never.

  “The deed to the business, the land, the building—everything belonging to RPK Contracting was in this lock box, Riley.”

  “Okay, so what’s the big deal? We had all of that with the will,” he says, looking at me like I’m an idiot.

  Ugh, come on, Riley, use your fucking brain. Don’t make me spell this out for you; it’s hard enough to tell you as it is.

  “No, Riley, you don’t get it. It was an updated deed of everything and it all has your name on it.”

  His mouth drops to the table and I can see that he’s at a loss for words.

  He clears his throat. “Emma, what does that mean?”

  Good God, Riley….pay attention…think!

  “Riley, it’s all yours. RPK Contracting is yours.”

  The look of shock on his face is priceless. There’s no doubt in my mind, I’ve shocked my little brother and he’s now speechless.

  Just as luck would have it, our dinner arrives and we’re forced to eat the food setting in front of us.

  While we eat our meals we talk a bit more about the items I found in the storage unit. I let him know that I’ll support whatever decision he chooses to take with his new ownership of the family business. I encourage him to take some time to think things over, nothing has to happen right this second. Even though I hate Keith, he’s still doing his job and running the business.

  I’ve clued Riley in about what’s been going on with Keith and how I’ve consulted with Mr. Bryant. He needs to know what’s happening and if I want us to remain close I need to let him in on my life again.

  After dinner, Riley walks me out to my car. Together we decide to head over to the storage unit in the morning so that he can see everything that’s left of our parents’ possessions.

  On the drive home, I think back on the past few months and everything that’s happened to my family. There’s no doubt in my mind that I’ll ever push my brother away again. He’s willing to help me in any way he can and even suggested that I can come up to Boston if I need some time away.

  It’s so good to know that I have him in my life again. I’ll need his support to get through these struggles with Keith, especially once I confront him and file for divorce. I wish that Mom and Dad were here to help me too, but as long as I have Riley I know I’ll be able to get through this.

  I’ve managed to make it through today and I’m excited to see Riley again in the morning. I don’t know if he’ll want anything that I’ve found, but if he does, everything has already been registered and insured under our names. I know I sure as hell won’t need anything in the unit, but I’ll make sure he knows he’s welcome to anything he wants.

  I make it home, and without even shedding my clothes, I fall onto my bed.

  Tonight I’ll be able to sleep so much better knowing that everything is progressing just as it should. I’ve found my brother and I know we’re in this together. My next obstacle is to deal with my asshat of a husband when he returns in two days. If I can keep up this act, I’ll deserve the academy award for best and biggest bitch wife ever.

  I stare out at the road in front of me and watch as the trees fly past me and the cars and tractor trailers go by in the distance. I’ve traveled quite a few hundred miles since I left early this morning and still have a way to go before I reach my final destination.

  Getting lost in my own thoughts, I start to think back through the past year of my life.

  It’s been three hundred and thirty-eight days since my parents passed away in that tragic accident.

  Eleven months and two days since I heard my mom’s voice through the phone telling me we would meet for dinner later that night.

  We never got a chance to say goodbye.

  It still hurts every day that she’s gone, but her sweet voice and beautiful face are etched in my memories forever.

  I don’t know how I’ve gotten through half of the struggles I’ve been through without her. I’ve seen the tagline, God only sends you what you can handle. Well hot damn, I must be a serious badass because all I’ve been handed is shit for the past several months.

  A single tear runs down the side of my face and I remind myself that I need to be strong. Mom would want me to only remember the good times and not dwell on the loss of those we love.

  I can only hope that both my parents would be proud of me for what I’ve done. Even though I may have had to lie and be deceitful, I still accomplished the job I set out to do.

  It’s been one hundred and forty nine days since I found my brother, or more like since he found me again. Four months and twenty-seven days since he walked back into my life and forgave me for being a stupid-ass big sister.

  I hate the way I treated him. It kills me that I pushed him away when I should’ve been grieving along with him, but I’m so glad that we’re a family again. I’ve learned so much through my mistakes and promise myself that I’ll never take my loved ones for granted again.

  I’ve said goodbye to the shell of a person I was for far too long.

  I’m moving on to a new life, a life that’s focused on me. No longer will I allow others to control how I feel or cause me to hurt those that love me the most. I have an incredible support system and I’ll do anything to keep them close and let them know how much they mean to me.

  It’s been five days since I last spoke to my husband.

  One hundred and twenty hours since I’ve had to see him.

  The man that lied, stole and destroyed so much of my life and my family.

  He was the person I thought I’d spend forever with, but yeah, not so much now. If only I could have known then what I know now, my life would’ve turned out completely different.

  My last words to Keith will stick with me forever, “When you said that we’d be together forever, I thought that would mean until the end of time. But I guess forever isn’t as long as it used to be.”

  He looked me in the eyes, grabbed the pen out of my hand and signed the papers that were laying on the kitchen countertop. Once he was done signing at all the red X’s, he slammed the pen down, turned away from me and stormed out the garage door.
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  I haven’t seen or heard from him since. Good riddance, you stupid fucking asshole.

  I don’t know why he was so pissed off at me. Maybe it was the fact that I caught him in one too many lies or it could’ve been that Riley and Mr. Bryant were standing behind me the whole time. Either way, I got what I wanted: a divorce from the asshat and his resignation from RPK Contracting.

  I had known for a long time what I needed to do and I stuck around just long enough for Riley to decide what he wanted to do with the family business. Everything that was once broken is now fully restored. Keith is out of our lives and the business is back in the capable hands of my little brother.

  Now it’s my turn to focus on me and my happiness. I know it’s out there somewhere; I just need to be patient and let it find me.

  I don’t know what will happen next—or where my journey will take me—but for right now I’m heading to Boston; it’s where my support system is located.

  Riley has assured me that I have a good place to stay for as long as I’d like. He even said that there will be a job waiting for me at Char’s dad’s business, Taylor & Sons Contracting, if I want it. With an offer like that, how could I say no? Plus, I get to be closer to my favorite girl, Char.

  I never really got to be close with another female, unless you count the snotty trolls at the club. There’s something about Char; we click in a way that I never have with another female.

  I can see why Riley loves her so much. I’m happy for both of them and excited to see where their relationship goes. Neither one of them is pushing the marriage factor, but I’d love for them to pop out some babies for me to spoil.

  I’m ready to put this road trip behind me and get to Boston, but according to my navigation I still have a little over three hours. My legs are getting twitchy and I think my ass fell asleep a few miles back.

  This is no ‘simple’ journey; this has been a fourteen hour nightmare. I should’ve taken Riley up on his offer to go back with them the other day when he went with the moving truck.

  Now I’m stuck taking this God forsaken road trip from hell all by myself.