She nuzzles into my chest.
I press a kiss to her head, squeeze my eyes shut and let it out. “I love you.”
A soft snore meets my statement.
Stunned, I bend my neck to observe her face and realize with a quiet laugh that Riley Carter is fast asleep.
Chapter Fifty
RILEY
The next morning, I wake up in bed and stretch with a grin on my face.
Last night’s events come rushing back to me.
Yes, this time I remember how I got home.
Nat and I had a hard conversation about Betty and my old job. The argument—if I can call it that—reached an amicable end. We cuddled while he massaged my scalp and it felt so good that I was out like a light.
Sometime later, Nat woke me up and drove me home.
We didn’t talk on the drive back, but it was a comfortable sort of silence that felt like we’d been dating for years instead of days.
Nat walked me up the stairs, holding my hand.
He couldn’t let go.
I couldn’t either.
Then he reminded me that I had work in a few hours.
I kissed him goodnight.
It woke me right up.
We ended up kissing in the hallway.
Until, unfortunately, Chris called to ask why Nat wasn’t home yet.
The menace.
I will hold that ill-fated call against him for the rest of my life.
But today is a new day. Chris is flying back home later, and I can see Nat again without any interruptions from my older brother.
Feeling more energetic than I have a right to be at this hour, I skip to the bathroom and brush my teeth.
More memories from last night’s incredible date rush through my head. The airplanes. The pickup bed. Unveiling my deepest, darkest secrets under the stars.
It was the perfect night.
I need to do something just as amazing for Nat for our next date.
Tamping down my giddiness as best as I can, I spit the toothpaste suds out and gurgle one more time. As I do, a strange memory lodges in my skull.
It’s of Nat, limping down the stairs.
My arm loses strength and both it and the toothbrush swing downward.
