The Heirs: The Murphy Sweetheart

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Emery

The new apartment is gorgeous. Mom, Bridget, Aunt Rose, Aunt Maeve, Aunt Brenna, and Aunt Ava worked tirelessly this week to get some furniture in here for me. I step inside, box in hand, unable to hide my smile. Despite all the insane things going on in life, I am happy to have my own space.

"Do you like it?" Mom asks nervously.

"I love it. Thank you, Mommy." I smile at her. Mom looks pleased as she pulls me into a hug. Noah and a few of his friends are helping move in the rest of my things today. I have no idea how long I'll be living here, but I'm not complaining.

The view is great.

The thought of living down the hall from Rhys Freaking Whelan – equally appealing and terrifying.

I get out my phone to text Mila, which is like second nature for me. But I forget she isn't speaking with me.

Weirdly enough, I haven't heard from Harrison in a few days either.

Hopefully that means he doesn't need me to pretend to be his girlfriend for a little while. Or better yet, hopefully that means he died in a terrible fire accident.

A girl can dream.

I sigh, feeling strangely lonely as I start unloading some of my clothes. My mom and aunts are laughing together in the kitchen as they unpack cookware that I hardly know how to use.

When I hear them start cooing, shouting, "Aw, there he is!" and "Rhys!" I almost drop the box of shoes I was unpacking.

Rhys is here?!

I straighten and attempt to fix my ponytail before walking out carefully towards the kitchen.

Sure enough, Rhys Freaking Whelan is standing there being fawned over by Mom and the aunts.

I bite back my grin as my mom squeezes his cheek.

Rhys does look adorable. He's dressed down today in a black hoodie, gray sweats, and a backwards cap. I haven't seen him this dressed down since he was trying to blend in with me as my guard freshman year. He looks a bit rumpled, like he just woke up.

"Ladies, ladies, please!" Rhys grins with a mock-bashful demeanor. "You'll give me a complex."

"You already have a complex," I smirk from where I'm standing.

"Now," Mom tsks, "Is that any way to speak to your boss and landlord?"

"Landlord?" I frown.

Rhys winces a bit.

"Well, he owns the building," Mom snorts. "Duh."

The other aunts laugh. They must have cracked open the wine without my knowledge.

I flush. I didn't know that.

"I just wanted to drop in and see how you were settling in, and if you needed a hand with anything."

"We've got it covered," I say. "Thank you."

"Actually! Can you help us hook up the television?" Aunt Ava whines. "I hate bolting things to walls. Makes me nervous."

"Sure thing," Rhys laughs a bit, stepping towards the living room. I follow him. Mom and the aunts have turned up some music and pop open a second bottle of wine.