Into the Tide (Cottonwood Cove #1)(93)

He responded within seconds.

Wolf



Done. Can you come to the city today to discuss?





On my way.





I grabbed my keys, and when I made my way outside, Brax was walking up my driveway.

“Hey, I came to check on you. I went by the restaurant, and they said you hadn’t been in the last few days,” he said.

“Yeah. I’ve got bigger things on my mind. You want to ride with me to the city? I’m going to talk to Wolf about possibly buying me out of the restaurants.”

Brax’s eyes widened. “You’re really fucking doing it. What about Travis? Does he know?”

Brax climbed into the passenger seat as I settled in the driver’s seat. “He’s next.”

Brax and I talked through every possible solution on the drive to the city.

“Are you sure she won’t want to leave Chicago? Should you talk to her before you do anything rash?” he said, as I pulled into the parking garage where the Lions’ headquarters were located. Dylan and Wolf both worked here.

“I’m not going there until I have a solution that isn’t just about her giving up her dreams. I need to have something to offer her on my end. I won’t do anything or make any decisions until I speak to her, but I need to know my options.”

He nodded. “I like seeing you all pussy whipped. It looks good on you.”

We climbed out of the truck, and I flipped him the bird. We both laughed. After taking the elevator up to Wolf’s office, Dylan was there as soon as the doors opened.

“Hey,” I said, wrapping her up in a hug. “How’d you know I’d be here right now?”

“I have your location.” My cousin held up her phone and smirked. “Of course, I know. I’m Dylan Thomas-Wayburn… I know all things. And I knew you loved Lila before you even knew it, so there you go.”

Brax chuckled, and I shot him a warning look. “I knew. I was just being a—”

“Coward? Baby?” Dylan asked.

“Pussy? Weak motherfucker?” Brax added, and even I had to laugh along with them.

We followed Dylan down to Wolf’s office, and she closed the door while Brax and I each took a seat in the leather chairs across from his desk. Dylan settled onto her husband’s lap, and he wrapped a hand around her and pulled her down for a kiss. I loved seeing her happy. She deserved it.

So did Lila. And if that was something that I could give her, I was damn well going to try.

We spent the next two hours going over every option. Dylan left to go grab us all sandwiches, while Wolf, Brax, and I crunched the numbers.

“So, the bottom line is this,” Wolf said. “I can buy you out, or I can flip them. But I know these are family-run businesses, and I think you should keep them if possible. I believe your best option is to let me take over the financial piece, you and I partner up, and we get people that you trust to manage all three places. But they remain yours. So if, for any reason, Lila wants to come back, now or later, it’s all yours once again.”

I nodded. I couldn’t ask for more than that. “Thank you. I really appreciate you stepping up for me.”

“You’re one of the most important people in my wife’s life, and that makes you one of the most important people in mine. I have the resources to help you, and I’d like to see you keep all three places. Selling them is very final. Let’s just give you a way out without selling them off.”

“I don’t think it gets any better than that. And who knows? You could fly there, and she could reject your ass.” Brax laughed with this dopey smile on his face, and I rolled my eyes.

But the thought had crossed my mind.

But deep down, I knew she loved me as much as I loved her.

“I don’t see that happening,” Wolf said, as he shook his head. “But regardless of the outcome, you have options. If she wants to come back to Cottonwood Cove, everything stays as is. If she wants you to stay in Chicago, you can open something up out there, and I’ll invest in that one, too. But these will remain in your name. Leave here knowing that you’re covered, all right?”

I was overwhelmed by his generosity. I nodded, letting out a long breath that I hadn’t even realized I’d been holding. “I don’t even know how to begin to thank you.”

“You don’t need to thank me. I’m happy for you, man. I know how it is to feel that way about someone and not know how the fuck it’s going to work out. But there’s always a fucking way. And if it’s the real deal, you’ll move fucking mountains to make it happen. Or you’ll ski down them in your underwear if that’s what it takes.” He laughed, and I filled Brax in on the crazy-ass stunt he’d pulled to win Dylan back. The dude was a Navy SEAL for a decade, so skiing down Honey Mountain in his underwear in frigid temperatures was just another day at the office for Wolf.

The door flew open, and in walked Dylan, with both of my sisters right behind her. Georgia and Brinkley were holding bags with sandwiches in them, and Dylan had a tray of drinks she was balancing.

We all pushed to our feet to help them, taking the bags and the drinks and setting them on Wolf’s desk.

“What are you two doing here?” I asked, as I raised a brow at Dylan, knowing she’d called them to tell them what was going on.