The rest of the evening was more of the same. Mathew left her in peace here and there as he visited with people he knew, but she caught him watching her more times than she could count.
And when it was time to serve up the food, Mathew fixed her a plate before she had a chance to get up from the table where she was chatting with Rose, Wynter, and Isabelle. The latter two were going to be sisters-in-law and all they could talk about was planning their weddings. But the second Mathew placed a plate piled with food in front of River, they stopped mid-chatter and stared wide-eyed at River.
By the end of the night, River didn’t know what to do with herself.
Mathew was tearing down all her walls. Making her question every argument she could come up with. Making her believe that love could exist if she only gave it a try.
Maybe fairytales weren’t real.
But maybe… this wasn’t a fairytale.
Maybe this was just a good man, showing up.
And maybe, if she let herself breathe, it wouldn’t be so terrifying to want him back.
15
MATHEW
Mathew pinned his phone between his ear and his shoulder. “Yeah, Mom. I know. I’ll be there later. I just finished my shift.”
“Oh, there’s no rush, sweetheart.”
“Mom, you said the washer is making a banging noise. I don’t want it to cause any damage. It’s brand new. Let me take a look at it.”
“I’m not an invalid, Matt. I can handle washing my clothes by hand.”
Mathew fought the urge to groan. “It’s fine, Mom. It won’t take but a couple minutes. I’m dropping something off right now for a friend and then I’ll be there.”
“Okay, dear. I’ll see you soon.”
Mathew nearly dropped the phone when he pulled it from his ear with the hand holding the pastry bag. Then he straightened his shoulders and stared at the door that blocked him from seeing the girl of his dreams.
He moved the pastry bag to his other hand, then knocked on the door. The washer was likely just unbalanced. Sometimes his mother put a heavy piece of bedding in the machine, and when it bunched on one side, a clunking sound started up. Didn’t sound great, but there was an easy fix.
Mathew blew out a breath and glanced over to where River’s truck was parked beside his car before he knocked again. She wasn’t in the hangar, he knew that much. But when she didn’t answer, he started getting nervous. He pressed his ear to the door and called out, “River?”
There wasn’t any answer.
Another knock.
Then he moved to pull his phone from his pocket to call her when the sound of the lock clicked. The door slowly opened to reveal a pale and very disgruntled River.
“River?” His voice sharpened with concern. “What happened?”
River scowled, then made a vague gesture at her face. “What does it look like? I’m sick.”
It had been a week since the barbecue, and River was definitely opening up to him. He had it in his head that he would ask her out again, but by the looks of it, she wasn’t in any state for a date.
“Can I come in?” he questioned, moving closer.
“What? No! I’m sick.”
“Well, good thing I’m a doctor.”
She opened her mouth as if she would be able to argue with him, and he might have laughed out loud if he wasn’t so worried about her.
The fact that River stepped back and allowed him entry was all he needed to know that this wasn’t an ordinary cold. He placed the coffee and pastry bag on the counter before turning around and striding toward her.
