Her father's a stocky man with gray hair and blue eyes that are red-rimmed from crying. He rushes toward Riley and pulls her into his arms, and I see his shoulders shake as he holds her. Deep, powerful sobs erupt from his chest, rattling his body and hers as she lets him envelope her in thick arms almost swallowing her whole.
"Thank God," he says, so choked up. "Thank God you're okay."
The other man is tall and lean with silver hair and a gray jacket. He must be the groom's father, the one who's been pushing the investigation. He stands in the doorway watching the reunion, staring at me like he sees right through me, but he won't get me to crack.
"Riley," her father says, pulling back to look at her. "What happened? Where have you been?"
"I'm okay, Dad. I promise. I just needed some time away, and I should've told you. I'm so sorry for scaring you."
"Time away? Your mother's been out of her mind. Your sister thought you were dead. We all thought—" His voice breaks again, and he pulls her back into his arms.
The state trooper steps forward. "Miss Maddox, I'm Detective Paul Hargrove. I've been assisting your family in the search for you. I need to ask you some questions."
Riley pulls away from her father and wipes at her eyes. "Of course. Whatever you need."
"Were you held against your will at any point during the past few weeks?"
"No. Absolutely not."
"Did this man" —he gestures toward me— "coerce you or threaten you in any way?"
"No. Rafe has been nothing but kind to me. This was my idea. I asked him to take me away. I needed the break."
"And your car? The abandoned vehicle on the highway?"
"It broke down. We left it there. I should've reported it, but I wasn't thinking clearly at the time."
Detective Hargrove studies her face, and I can see him searching for any sign that she's lying. But Riley holds his gaze steadily, looking open and honest.
"Your family has been searching for you for weeks," he says. "The FBI has been involved. Resources have been dedicated to finding you. And you're telling me this was all just a misunderstanding?"
"Yes. And I'm so sorry for the trouble I've caused. I never meant for any of this to happen."
He looks at me, and I see the suspicion in his eyes. He doesn't believe her. But he also doesn't have any evidence to contradict her story.
The detective with the warrant steps forward. "Miss Maddox, we're going to need you to come down to the station tomorrow to give a formal statement."
"Yes, of course. I feel just awful." Riley pulls away from her father and walks back to me, letting me put an arm aroundher. I don't say much because what am I supposed to say? This entire story has been concocted in her head and we haven't even discussed it at length. The last thing we need is a contradiction that will cause problems.
"Well… it’s Christmas Eve, but we still have a lot of questions…” The lady cop hands Riley her card and backs away. It appears they may leave, given that they have what they wanted—knowledge that Riley is safe. But her father isn't budging.
Not exactly how I expected my "meet the parents" moment to go.
And judging by the look on his face, I think I'm in for a very hard road toward acceptance.
Heaven help me.
27
RILEY
My father holds me at arm's length and studies my face, his eyes searching for something I can't quite name. His hands are trembling where they grip my shoulders, and I can see the exhaustion written into every line of his features. He's aged in the weeks I've been gone, his hair grayer than I remember, the creases around his eyes deeper.
"You're really okay?" he asks for what must be the third time since he arrived at the safehouse.
"I'm really okay, Dad. I promise."
"Then you're coming home with me. Right now—tonight."
