I finally—finally—laid eyes on the man I’d been dying to see for the last ten years. The picture on his website didn’t do him any justice. Riley—Preston—wasn’t just beautiful, he was downright gorgeous. His full height was a few inches shorter than me, and though Riley was slender, he was by no means small or weak. Just… perfectly Riley-sized. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from his face, though. He had a natural glow and his dark hair was now longer than in the photo, falling low on his forehead and shielding his eyes a little. I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d ever have the opportunity to muss up his hair again, like I did when we were kids, to feel the silky warm locks slide between my fingers. Dare I hope for such a thing?
It dawned on me then, possibly much too late, that I had no idea if Riley even wanted to see me. Fear and doubt wiggled their way in, gripping me in their snare. What if this was all just some big mistake? What if Tosh was right and I was setting myself up for more heartache?
“Oh, shoot. I forgot. Someone’s here for you,” Amelia said, gesturing to where I stood in the shadows.
Riley—Preston—turned toward me. I wanted him to recognize me, which was ridiculous since it had been ten years since we last laid eyes on one another. But I selfishly still wanted to believe we had the kind of connection that needed no introductions, despite the years.
We did.
I could see the moment recognition hit. His eyes widened as he stumbled back a step, one hand going to his mouth in shock.
“Oh my God,” he whispered, blinking twice.
“Hey,” was my brilliant response.
We stared dumbly at each other for several long seconds, neither of us sure what to do or say. His gaze traveled all over my face, taking in my unshaven cheeks, my mouth, my messy hair before traveling down my body in one quick move. When he finally locked eyes with me I felt something deep inside click into place, like a missing piece of myself had just been reconnected after dangling out of place for so many years.
My feet moved forward on their own accord. I was unable to stop myself from folding my arms around him in the way I’d dreamed of doing for so, so long. Riley hesitated, but then his arms were around me too, crushing me to him in a hug so tight I could scarcely breathe.
“Is this even real?” he breathed against my skin.
I felt Amelia’s eyes on us but made no move to break our hold until Riley did. He put a hand to my arm, then my shoulder, then my face for the briefest of touches, as if needing to feel me to believe I was really there.
“Ho-how?” he asked. “How are you here?”
Lady barked, trying to get her master’s attention. Riley jerked his head in her direction but never looked away from me.
“Ames, this is him… the guy I told you about. This is Beckett.” A beautiful smile spread over his face as he said my name, making my stomach dance with joy. Hehadn’ttried to forget me all these years.
Amelia turned her wide eyes to me. “Holy shit,” she squeaked. “The cop isyourBeckett?”
I couldn’t ignore the little flutter deep inside when she said it asyour,claiming me as Riley’s… no,Preston’s.Fuck! I was still struggling to accept his new name. He would always be Riley to me.
Riley glanced between us, confused. “Wait… cop?Hewas the one who questioned you?” His defensive tone didn’t surprise me at all, he always did hold those he cared about close to his heart.
Amelia was quick to diffuse the situation. “Pres, don’t. I was stupid, okay? He was just doing his job.”
Two people walked by us, and I saw Riley tense as he glanced at them before studying what remained of his display equipment. He didn’t ask, and I didn’t offer, but together we went back to work loading everything into the trailer. When we were done, he hugged his friend goodbye and promised to call her later. She cast me one more curious look before walking away. Then Riley was in front of me again, his arms folded over his chest.
“Um, mind if we go somewhere quieter?” he asked.
“Lead the way.”
We walked to the outer edge of the park, constantly looking over at each other. Riley shook his head every now and then, a shy, surprised smile on his face.
“So, you’re a cop?” he finally asked.
“No. I own my own private investigation business. My friend Jake is a cop, he’s the one who was with me.”
“But you were in town for Amelia?” he asked. It dawned on me he was trying to figure out how I found him.
“Yeah, she um, stole something that belonged to one of my clients. I came across your booth while asking around for her and bought Lady Jasmine last week,” I explained. “That’s how I found you.”
“Lady Jas—oh! The ship! Of course.” He blushed.Was he nervous about me owning his work?“That was a fun piece.”
“It’s beautiful.” I barely caught myself before I used his former name. “I love your work. I spent a couple hours browsing your website when I got back home. Couldn’t believe it was you when I saw your picture.”
That shy smile widened, then he pointed at a small table. I nodded.
