Mathew let his gaze move over her face, taking her in like he needed to remember every detail. “You’re so beautiful,” he said quietly.
She rolled her eyes, though it lacked all real heat. “Mathew.”
His mouth twitched. “I like it when you say my name.”
That earned him the faintest curve of her lips. “Will you just answer the question?”
His eyes held hers. “I meant every single word.”
Emotion surged back into her expression, but this time he didn’t let the silence stretch too long.
“I’m in love with you, River.” His voice dropped, turning rough around the edges. “So much that sometimes it scares me.”
Her nose wrinkled. “I scare you?”
He huffed a soft laugh. “Not you. What I feel for you.” His hand rose to her cheek, thumb brushing lightly over her skin. “Because losing you would wreck me. And I don’t think I could ever love anyone the way I love you.”
Her lips parted on a shaky breath. “Mathew?—”
He touched a finger lightly to her lips. “You don’t have to say it back. Not now. Maybe not for a while.” His gaze searched hers. “Just know that if you give me the chance, I’ll spend every day making sure you never doubt how important you are to me.”
They stood there for a long moment, the world narrowing to the space between them.
Then her lashes fluttered, like she was only just finding her way back.
“Mathew?”
“Yes?”
“Would it be okay…” A small smile tugged at her mouth. “If we tried that date again?”
28
RIVER
“Stop fidgeting. You’re the one who wanted this, remember?”
River shot Rose a look. Rose hadn’t stopped smirking since hearing about the date. “Why do you look so pleased with yourself? I thought you were mad at Mathew.”
“Mad? Sure.” Rose crossed her arms and leaned against the counter. “Do I agree with what he did? Absolutely not. Will I hold it over his head for the foreseeable future?” She paused, then flashed a sly grin. “Probably. He made a terrible choice by not telling you about his divorce. But no, I don’t hate him.”
River stilled and turned fully toward her. “You don’t?”
Rose laughed. “No. In fact, from the moment I met you, I thought you two would be perfect for each other.”
“What?”
“You had chemistry right away,” Rose said, like it was obvious. “And you’re different enough to challenge each other. Opposites attract. That’s not a bad thing.”
“I guess.”
Rose crossed the room and rested her hands on River’s shoulders. “He’ll be here in a few minutes. You two are going on your second first date, and then you’ll decide what to do next.”
Deep down, River already knew her answer.
She’d hidden just how miserable she’d been over the last several weeks. Of course, Rose and Emerson were better at reading her than they let on, so for all she knew, they’d seen right through her from the start.
She wasn’t proud of how long it had taken her to work through everything. Every time she convinced herself she’d been too hard on Mathew, another part of her insisted she’d only get hurt if she rushed it. There were risks involved when it came to opening up to someone.
