She better be on her fucking way over here.
“Mornin’,” I greet the group, pulling out the chair next to Tessa and sitting in it. I stare at the empty seat across from me, then lift my eyes when Ben starts talking.
“Where’d you end up last night? You stay at the bar?” he asks me.
Mia elbows him, careful of Chase who’s sitting in her lap.
He gives her a look. “What?”
She subtly shakes her head, briefly looks at me, then grabs the purple stuffed octopus sitting on the table and bounces it in front of Chase, making him laugh.
My brow furrows.
I don’t know what the fuck that’s about so I grab my glass and shoot him a vague, “For a while,” before taking a sip of my orange juice.
“You see my sister when you were over there?”
I cut my eyes to Reed.
Fuck.
Fuck.
“Yeah. She was taking shots,” I tell him, figuring I’m in the clear admitting my knowledge of that. I did say I was at the bar. I would’ve seen her.
No fucking way would I have missed Riley. Jesus.
Can’t believe I had the chance of meeting her a year ago at Sam’s Deli. What the fuck? That must’ve been one helluva call for me to not notice a girl looking the way Riley does.
Damn.
“Great. She’s probably too hungover to show up to this,” Reed guesses, shaking his head and tossing a napkin on his empty plate.
I can clear that up real fast but I don’t, because how the fuck would I know if Riley got drunk unless I was watching her or with her until she called it quits last night?
And considering how much watching I was doing and what all we did while I was with her, I keep my mouth shut.
“No. Look, there she is,” Beth announces, raising her finger to point.
I set my glass down and turn my head, watching as love-me-and-leave-me makes her way across the room wearing a white midriff tee with the word Rebel scrolled in red across her tits, showing off her tanned and cute stomach, jean cutoffs and black badass-looking combat boots on her feet. Her hair is down, falling past her shoulders in a mess of waves, and her face is free of makeup. She looks like she just rolled out of bed.
Her own fucking bed. Not mine.
I feel my jaw clench.
But holy fucking shit, she looks good. A little rough and sharp edged. Far from the pretty thing pounding back shots of tequila and asking me for secrets, that's for damn sure.
Riley Tennyson looks ready to hop in my truck, not ask questions, and just let me take her.
And I will fucking take her.
She locks eyes with me, blue flames burning me up but only for a second before she cuts away, smiles shyly at the group and lifts her hand in a wave.
“Hey. Sorry I'm a little late. I forgot to set my alarm,” she explains, rounding the table and moving across from me. She pulls out the vacant chair and sits in it, briefly catches my gaze, then leans over and nudges Beth’s shoulder. “Happy wedding day,” she says.
Beth’s entire face lights up with a smile.
It’s a smile that caught my attention last year and had me wanting to see more of it, but I’m over that now. Beth is Reed’s. Has been since before I ever laid eyes on her.
I’m happy for them.
“Thanks. I'm so excited,” Beth says, nudging Riley back.
Reed sits forward and plants his elbows on the table, linking his hands together. He sighs. “Look, Riley, I get why you’re pissed at me and all, but—”
“It's fine, Reed. Really,” she interrupts, leaning forward to see him. “I’m sorry for yelling at you the way I did. I get why you didn’t want him here. I shouldn’t have pressed. It’s your wedding. Let’s eat and just, enjoy the weekend, okay? I'd rather not talk about it anymore.”
“It’s fine?” Reed echoes. His brow lifts. “Are you sure? You were pissed last night. You looked ready to kill me. What happened?”
Riley slices her eyes to me, then looks down at her plate.
“Tequila happened,” she answers, sitting back.
I feel my mouth twitch.
Fuck yeah. Looks like the Tully charm sticks with you even after you sneak out of my room. Good to fucking know.
“Really? You drink that stuff?” Mia asks with her nose scrunched in disgust. “I can't stand the taste.”
“It's not so bad,” I throw out, shrugging. “I like it mixed with something sweet.”
Riley’s eyes go round.
“Dude, really?” Luke asks me. “Somethin’ sweet with tequila?”
I keep my eyes on Riley when I answer.
“Yep.”
She pulls her lips between her teeth, blushes, and looks away.
“Well, whatever the reason, I’m glad you’re here, Riley. It means a lot to me,” Reed says, causing Riley’s blush to turn a shade redder and her eyes to mist. He leans back and drapes his arm over the back of Beth’s chair. “Plus, Christ, now we can order.”
“Finally! I’m starving!” Nolan whines, dropping his head on his arm.
Ben laughs and rustles his hair.
Luke asks Reed something, and Ben joins in, stirring up conversation I’m not paying mind to while Mia, Tessa, and Beth start discussing wedding shit.
I stare at Riley, watching her pick up her glass and bring it to her lips. She looks at me over the rim.
“What the fuck?” I mouth.
She swallows some juice and licks the residue away. “What?” she mouths after lowering the glass.
What?
Is she serious?
I cock my head.
Then before I can get anything else out of her, the waitress steps up to the table and begins taking orders.
Riley gives hers. I rattle off mine without glancing at a menu, not really caring what I eat at this point. I’m more interested in wrapping this shit up fast and getting someone alone so I can get some answers.
I slide my gaze back to Riley when I’m finished speaking and watch as Beth ropes her into wedding conversation with the rest of the girls, completely screwing me out of keeping her attention, unless I feel like offering my opinion on false lashes and whatever-the-fuck breast tape is, which I don’t. I don’t even have an opinion on them. Don’t wish to have an opinion, and sure as hell don’t want to pretend that I do. And thanks to Reed and his hard-on for giant motherfucking tables, I can’t stretch out and nudge Riley’s foot to get her out of that conversation and back into the silent one we were sharing.