Emerson stiffened. His eyes widened, and for a second something like hurt flashed across his face—sharp enough to make River’s chest tighten. She nearly pulled the words back, but she held her ground.
“Are you saying I’m jealous?” His tone went defensive, like he’d thrown up a wall. “Because that’s not what this is.”
River shook her head, slower this time. “I’m saying this feels like it’s not only about Mathew and me.”
Emerson’s jaw worked as he looked away, then back at her. “I’m your friend.”
“Yeah, I thought you were until you came here to tell me that my relationship is doomed to fail.”
“I didn’t say that,” he huffed. “I said that you can’t trust him.”
“Same thing.”
They were scowling at one another now. She’d grown far too defensive of Mathew over the last couple of weeks, and she refused to let anyone talk about him like he wasn’t capable of change.
“I think you should leave,” she murmured, pulling herself back beneath the truck. “If you were a true friend, you’d support my relationship.”
“No, a true friend tells you how it is even if it hurts,” he argued back, but then he stormed off before she had a chance for a rebuttal.
She fumed beneath the truck, not able to focus on what she was supposed to be doing. Everything they’d said to one another rattled around in her brain for the next hour. River couldn’t help but overanalyze everything Emerson was hinting at.
Mathewcouldhurt her. Maybe not intentionally, but he could. What if he fell back into his old ways? Would she be able to handle it if she was once again tossed aside for something else? She’d never been prioritized. Her whole life, River had been disposable—tossed aside without another thought.
Her parents.
All those foster homes.
Even Skye was willing to walk away from her and only called on her when needed.
Would Mathew be the same?
She shook her head and shoved those fears aside. She couldn’t start thinking like that just because her friend said it was possible. Relationships took effort. They took time. They were hard. But at the end of the day, they were worth it.
River had to believe that.
When she was finally done with her work, she hurried into her apartment to get ready for another one of her dates. Mathewwould be here to pick her up any minute now. They were taking it easy tonight, picking up some food and watching a movie at his place.
She smiled at the simplicity of it all and the fact that she still got butterflies just thinking about seeing him soon. Getting ready didn’t take much time at all. Even though it would be a relaxed night, she decided to put on some light makeup, and she picked an outfit that was a little more feminine.
Opting to leave her combat boots behind, she grabbed a pair of cute cowboy boots that Rose had insisted didn’t fit her anymore, even though River had seen the box in the garbage bin out back. While dresses weren’t really her style, River didn’t mind wearing a Levi skirt paired with a flowy blouse. The outfit was definitely more feminine than she was used to, and she hoped Mathew would appreciate the effort she took to dress up for him.
Glancing at the clock on the wall, she picked up a book and settled on the couch to wait.
Any minute now turned into thirty minutes of waiting. She frowned at the clock, then picked up her phone. There were no missed calls or messages that he’d sent her. She fiddled with the device for a moment, wondering if it would make her look bad if she called him.
As much as she didn’t want to admit it, her relationship with Mathew was somewhat perilous. It was too new. She didn’t know how he’d react if she got too pushy. What if she scared him away?
One phone call.
She could manage that much.
If she called to check on him to make sure he was okay, then what would that hurt? It was part of being a good girlfriend.
Blowing out an unsteady breath, River nodded to herself and opened up his contact information before finally tapping thescreen to call him. The phone rang. And rang. It rang four times, then cut to voicemail.
She stared at her phone screen with a frown and hung up, her nerves getting the better of her. Immediately after, she regretted not leaving a message. Now she couldn’t call him back without making it look like she was obsessed.
Groaning, she tossed her phone on the couch. He was late. Mathew was never late.
