Apparently, Riley seemed to know exactly what he didn’t say that day, because from that day on, she’d simply been nice and offered a friendly ear in a very discreet, indirect manner. Now, she was the only one around the office that knew what was currently going on in his life, including the fact that he had a boyfriend. Funny thing was, when he first told her about Cael, her response held only happiness when she’d said, “I’m not at all surprised.”
“Hey,” she said, pushing a few loose strands of her short, dark brown hair off her forehead. She gave him a knowing, heartfelt smile. “I couldn’t help but notice no lunchbox today. You wanna grab something to eat?”
Zach glanced at the time on his monitor. Almost two o’clock. Fuck, where did the time go? Raking his fingers through his hair, he blew out a breath. “What’d you have in mind?”
Riley’s grin widened as she pulled her arm from behind her back, presenting a yellow, unmarked paper bag, which could only mean one thing.The Hat. The best food for kicking depression and stress in the ass.
“My stomach and I fucking love you right now.”
Riley laughed. “I thought so.” Pulling out a chair, Riley set the bag of hot sandwiches on his desk and sat facing him, pushing the rolled sleeves of her lavender button-down up over her elbows.
Zach rolled his chair back about a foot and opened the door to his mini-fridge. “Water?” he asked, grabbing two cold bottles because he already knew her answer.
“Yes, thanks.” She slid the napkins and paper-wrapped sandwiches from the bag, pushing one toward him and taking the other for herself. “You don’t seem quite as stressed today,andyou forgot your lunch.”
Riley arched a thickly shaped brow. Taming her brows was the closest Riley came to making up her face. She hated makeup, preferring the natural look.
Zach felt his face flush a little, a smile attempting to form on his lips. He never talked details about his sex life with anyone, no matter how close. Even his best friend had been in the dark until they’d become intimate with each other.
“You know, one of these days, I’d like to meet him. Or maybe at least, see a picture of him.”
“I’ve never shown you a picture?”
Riley shook her head. “Nope.”
Zach took a bite of pastrami and rye then set his sandwich down. He grabbed his phone from the wireless charging disk and swiped the screen. Flipping through his photos, he stopped at one he’d absolutely fallen in love with—one with Cael lounging on the couch in nothing more than a pair of jeans watching TV with Taylor sleeping on his bare chest. He’d taken it a couple weeks ago.
“Wow,” Riley commented, and Zach lifted his gaze. “You are a man in love. Can I see?”
Zach held his phone out for her. Riley wiped her hands on a napkin and took it from him. She examined the picture.
“This is your boyfriend?”
“Yeah.”
“Wow,” she muttered under her breath. “He lives with you now, doesn’t he?”
“Yep.”
“Is that your niece he’s holding?”
“Mmm-hmm,” Zach answered, his mouth full from another bite.
“I love this photo. It’s sexy and adorable.” Riley smiled at Zach and slid his phone back to him. Zach stared down at the photo until the screen dimmed.
“So, how long before you two get engaged?”
Zach shrugged, chewing the bite in his mouth. He wasn’t about to confess his fear that Cael might actually say no if he proposed. It was sort of irrational. Zach knew that. His best friend who’d been practically family for years wouldn’t lie to him about how much he loved him and how he’d held out hope that Zach would one day fall for him. But this was Cael’s first serious relationship with anyone, and Zach was worried about pushing Cael into any sort of firm commitment too soon.
Zach’s cell phone rang, saving him from having to answer. He glanced at the screen, and the blood drained from his face. He swallowed hard.
“It’s Abbey’s doctor,” he muttered, hesitating to answer. The news could be good or bad.
Not caring about the slight bit of grease on his fingers, he grabbed the phone and took a deep breath as he swiped the screen and held it to his ear.
“This is Zach,” he said, his voice already strained.
Zach stared at Riley, his eyes locked on her empathetic brown ones. She put her sandwich down, watching him.
