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Steph picks up her cell and hops onto the counter. “Well River and I don’t, so I guess you’ll be eating a salad while we indulge in greasy, cheesy goodness. Won’t we, River?” Mason frowns at his girlfriend. “You’re an evil, evil woman.” Steph blows him an air kiss. “But you can’t get enough of me. If you’re a good boy when the pizza arrives, I’ll breathe near you so you can get a good whiff of all those yummy carbs.” She turns to me. “Aren’t you glad we’re not actresses? All those body restrictions and diets would kill us.”
“Nobody deserves to be treated the way they’re treating you. Do you understand me? They’re petty bitches who have nothing better to do than spew hate.”
“You came here to talk, so let’s talk. Let’s talk about how long you’ve been in love with your best friend’s little sister. Let’s chat about all the feelings you’ve had for her when you were inside me.
“You’re River Jean James, a fighter and a survivor. Let Everett drown in you, River. Let him see that you can’t be controlled or manipulated or beat down by old choices.
Stop crossing oceans for people who won’t even jump over puddles for you.”
I don’t want Everett to drown in me. I just want him to float away.
She’s gone through hell and back, experienced the type of pain I can relate to. But unlike my sad excuse of a life, she channels hers into her passion and lets it make her stronger. I admire her strength and ability to trust and love and fight. I’m not sure I know another woman like her.”
“Nobody messes with my little sister,” he tells me as we step into the elevator. “That means you, too, just so we’re clear.”
Mason threatened to punch one of the jerks who came onto me and wouldn’t take no for an answer, so we left.
Steph walks in the room. “You two are so boring. Why do I love you?” “Sex,” Mason replies.
“Sometimes you meet that one person in your life who holds all of that love for you and then some.” But how could that be Everett to me? “Could those people hurt you?” He taps the edge of the table. “They’re the only ones who have the power to hurt us. But it’s only us who has the power to forgive.”
“I’ve known about your feelings for quite some time, son. If you expect surprise from me, you won’t get it.”
You said, ‘I’m sad, Robert. Not just for the Issy and the baby, but for River.’ And I asked why you’d be sad for her, you told me it was because you loved her, but you couldn’t be with her.”
“To us, you’ve always been family, Everett. We’d be glad to have you as part of it permanently. Frankly, I can’t think of one person who’d be better for her.”
The little girl pops up beside me. “It’s for me, Mel. Right, dude?”
“River is going to come back, Charlie. You have to believe in people once in a while, even if you’re used to it not working out. Okay?”
“Remember not to give up on her. Sometimes distance is hope in disguise.”
And I manage to crack through the barrier of unknowns that hold me back to realize that this is right where I belong. River James. Daughter of Robert and Bridgette. Sister of Oliver. Best friends with Stephanie. And in love with Everett Tucker.
If she came in here for a fucking book, then I’m going to have some serious words with her when we’re outside.
“I wanted you to have this. Maybe it’s stupid, but I saw it in California and just felt like it meant everything was going to be okay when I got home. Home to Bridgette and Robert and … home to you.”
“Nothing you do is ever stupid, River.” His head tilts as he glowers at me. “Except walking into a burning building. That was pretty dumb.”
“But I do hope you understand that, for me, it has always been you.”
Death never claimed me even when I begged for it, because there was always something more for me out there; love of all kinds that I used to believe I didn’t deserve.
She’s been mine since the day she asked me to take her virginity. She’s been mine since the day I punched Asher fucking Wilks for bragging about sleeping with her. She’s been mine for years, she just hasn’t known it.
Neither of us are in any condition to follow through on what I’m sure both our bodies are telling us to do next.
“I love you, River James. I’ve loved you for a long time.”
Kissing the top of her head, I rest my chin on the crown of her skull. “I’m going to be saying that for a long time, baby. We’ve got lost time to make up for. Which means a lot of I love yous, plenty of kisses, and you bet your pretty little ass there will be lots of touching.”
“Don’t you know by now, River? We’d do anything to protect you. And if that means throwing a few punches,” he shrugs, “that’s what big brothers are for, isn’t it?”
This goddess wrapped in white is mine, and the thought alone nearly brings me to my knees.
I’m told I can kiss my bride, and I don’t waste time before my lips are tenderly pressing against hers. One kiss will never be enough for us.
My hand cups her face, my thumb stroking her cheekbone. “I love you more than words, baby. So much. Every day.”
My wife. Fuck, that won’t get old.
“You look beautiful, River.” I nuzzle my nose against her cheek, my lips grazing one side of her face until our tongues are tangling together and our breaths become one.
Her heart is pure. Her laugh is intoxicating. And her body brings me to my knees.
When I find her and Everett holding hands in the kitchen, smiling lovingly at each other like they’ve known each other for ages, I feel like I find my answer.
