"Too bad. We're doing this anyway."
He climbed out, and Riley sat there for a second, trying to breathe.
Then her door opened, and Grant stood there, holding out his hand.
"Come on," he said softly. "I've got you."
Riley took his hand and let him pull her out of the truck. His fingers closed around hers, warm and solid, and something in her chest settled.
"We're going to be fine," he said.
"You keep saying that."
"Because it's true."
They walked toward the house together, and Riley felt the weight of what they were about to do pressing down on her.
But Grant's hand was steady in hers, and for the first time all day, she thought maybe—just maybe—they could pull this off and it would be great.
They reached the front door. Grant squeezed her hand once.
"Ready?"
Riley nodded.
He opened the door.
And the entire room went silent.
Hannah stood by the fireplace, mouth hanging open. Emily froze mid-laugh. Jenna nearly dropped her drink. Mark's eyes went wide. Ryan choked on his beer.
Chris recovered first. "Holy shit."
"Chris," Emily hissed, smacking his arm.
"What? I'm just saying what everyone's thinking."
Grant's arm slid around Riley's waist, easy and natural, like they'd done this a thousand times. "Hey, everyone."
The room erupted.
Hannah shrieked and rushed forward, grabbing Riley's arm."Riley. What."
"Hi, Hannah."
"You—he—Grant—" Hannah spun to Grant. "You're the mystery man?"
"Surprise?" Grant said, smiling his calm, steady smile that made everyone trust him.
"I—" Hannah looked between them, eyes wide. "How long has this been happening?"
"A few weeks," Riley said, her voice steady even though her heart was trying to escape her chest. "We ran into each other at the hardware store right after Thanksgiving. Started talking. It just…happened."
"Naturally," Grant added, his thumb tracing small circles on her hip that made it very hard to focus.
Hannah stared at them. Then she started laughing. "Oh my god. Oh mygod. You two. I should have known."
Emily rushed over, pulling Riley into a hug. "This is amazing! You guys are so cute together!"
