Page 49 of Puck Shy

I take the pillow from my lap and press my face in it, debating if I should scream or not. I let out a weird half scream instead before I pull my face away and look at a confused Riley.

“I should probably start from the beginning.”

“That might be a good idea.”

Riley stares at me, her mouth open after I finish catching her up.

I probably told her more information than she wanted to hear. But last time we were together, she got so drunk she told me about how Leo used a tree-shaped decoration on her during their sexcapades on Christmas Eve—and let me tell you, that image will never leave my mind. I owed her some TMI.

“Honestly, Stevie, I think this is good. Lucas saw you taking a big leap and had you step back. I think it’s good for him, too. That way, your relationship starts fresh if that’s what you want.”

“I can’t help but think he pushed me away because I scared the shit out of him.”

Stevie places her hand on my shoulder and squeezes. “I can tell you, that’s not the case. He’s been texting Leo nonstop to make sure you’re okay once he found out you came here.”

“He has?” Since I left Vancouver, he hasn’t texted me once. I knew he was doing it to give me space, but I’ll admit I’ve missed his incessant texts, even though they were always work related before.

“Yep. Leo didn’t tell me anything about their conversations out of respect for his brother, but I knew something was going on. Especially when he asked Leo to take a picture of you for proof of life.”

I can’t help the smile that comes to my lips from that. “I don’t know what to do, Ri. Is it crazy that I think I’m in love with a man I just met?”

Riley snorts a laugh, one that scares the crap out of me. “Stevie! Aren’t you the one who told me, ‘Dude, it’s 2023. Weirder things have happened than falling in love at first dicking.’”

Okay, she’s got me there. “I did, but this is different.”

“Different how?!”

“He’s my boss. He’s my future brother-in-law.”

Riley rolls her eyes. “You know he’s not technically your boss, and you also know we love the taboo around here.”

I roll my eyes. “Okay, that’s fair.”

“It sounds to me like you freaked out. Which is normal. You’re more like how Leo was when I first met him. You don’t like feeling feelings or commitment. Also, someday we’re going to talk more about how you lied about your finances and didn’t tell me how you really felt about your life. I would have never judged you for any of that. You know I’m insecure, too. You know my life is far from perfect. Remember my ex, Chad?”

I huff. “Nobody can forget that asshole and how he treated you, but honestly, Riley, I wanted you to be proud of me.”

Riley places her hand on my shoulder. “I’ve always been proud of you, Stevie. You’re my little sister, the one who speaks her mind and does her own thing. Sometimes I get jealous of you because you’re so much freer than me. You go with the flow, and there’s a lot of courage in that. Sometimes more than doing what is expected and ‘normal,’” she air-quotes.

“You really think that?”

“I know that,” she says. “You helped me be brave enough to be with Leo and Jace. You helped me see it was okay to want that for myself. I don’t know if I would have been able to dive in like I did without you.”

I smile gently at her. “Thanks for saying that.”

She squeezes my shoulder again before dropping her hand back to her lap. “Now, let’s talk about you and Lucas. I have some thoughts. Especially about this whole ‘fangirl’ thing you’re hung up on.”

“Okaaaay…please enlighten me.”

“It’s no secret that you were a big fan of his before you met him. I can see how you’d be worried that you’d already made pre-judgments about him and fallen in love with a person who isn’t real. But can you honestly tell me that after the last couple of months, you don’t know who he is? I mean, do you know his favorite color?”

“Red.”

“Favorite food?”

“Chicken parm with extra noodles. He needs carbs.”

“What time does he go to bed?”

---