Page 31 of Double Booked

I could hear Jessica shriek loudly in the background before yelling “Go get her!” into the phone. I laughed and Colton grinned as Jake scolded Jessica playfully.

“I’ve got it. Go get your girl,” Jake didn’t sound surprised, just amused. Did everyone know but us? “And Justin, it’s about time, man.”

I rolled my eyes even though Jake couldn’t see me and laughed. “I know. Apparently I was the only one who didn’t know.”

“You were,” he shot back. “But seriously, we’re happy for you both. And I’ll convince my wife not to shout it from the rooftop while you’re gone.”

“Probably for the best, at least for a little bit.” I said before Colton could say something. Just because Colton was all gung-ho about a three-way relationship didn’t mean the rest of the town was. And it would be nice to have some time to ourselves before we shared it with the world.

Colton nodded. “Just for a little bit. Gotta go now. Need to pack and find a flight.”

Jake hung up and Colton leaned over and pressed a quick, hard kiss against my mouth. I chased his lips when he drew back and he chuckles. “More to come,” he promised. “We’ve got a plane to catch.”

CHAPTER 17

COLTON

Justin’s shoulder brushed mine as we walked down the bustling Minneapolis airport. Compared to Cincinnati’s, this place was huge. A tram ran next to us but we had elected to walk. Out of the corner of my eyes I caught the smirk playing on Justin’s face and I rolled my eyes and nudged him. “You look like the cat got the cream.”

“That’s because I did,” Justin always had a quick wit but last night seemed to unlock his dirty mouth too. The earliest flight from Cincinnati to Minneapolis was early so we elected to drive up the night before and spend the night at the hotel near the airport. And what a night… memories flashed to my mind and I could feel heat rise on my cheeks.

I rolled my eyes again and Justin laughed. Our shoulders continued to brush as we made our way out of the airport. I looped my arm around Justin’s waist. He tensed at first, not used to the contact but relaxed quickly. I still couldn’t believe we were here. Not just in Minneapolis but here together. And it was all thanks to Riley. Now we just had to convince her that being together with us was worth it. She didn’t seem entirely opposed to the idea but it was a big jump from idea to reality. I just hoped we could convince her it would be worth the leap.

According to the address I found online, Riley’s office was thirty-five minutes away from the airport. I didn’t think Riley would be upset to see us but Justin suggested we get a car so she didn’t feel guilty about driving us around on the off chance I was wrong. I didn’t think that was the case though. I remembered the look of cautious hope on Riley’s face when I told her that this wasn’t over between us and the pretty blush that danced on her cheeks when she admitted Justin was attractive. It wasn’t going to be easy, no relationship was, but it would be worth it.

Forty-five minutes later, we were pulling into a parking lot for “Benton Offices.” The banner outside the elevators boasted several different size offices and co-working spaces available for rent. It was a neat idea and definitely something we didn’t have in Oakville. We rode the elevator to the third floor and exited into an empty lobby. A sign on the wall listed the businesses on the floor along with helpful arrows pointing which way to go. Justin squeezed my hand briefly as we turned the corner.

Riley’s office door was brightly decorated with posters of her books plastered over the windows. I recognized the titles of her best selling series, Meira Quinn, on a few of them. Above the posters, I could see the lights on inside. Good, she was here. I suppose if she wasn’t, I could always text her but I wanted to surprise her. It wasn’t just to see the look on her face but also to show her she was worth the effort. I had a feeling that Riley hadn’t had a lot of people in her life that treated her like the goddess she was and I was determined to change that.

Justin knocked on the door and a male voice called, “Come in.”

Justin pushed the door open to a large office space about twenty feet wide and forty feet deep. The front part held two desks sitting opposite of each other while the back half of the room was filled with shelves holding stacks of books. A large table was shoved against the back left wall and covered with shipping materials and boxes.

Only one of the desks was occupied by a man who appeared to be in his late twenties. This must be Ryan, Riley’s best friend and assistant. He was sharply dressed in a pale pink dress shirt with teal suspenders connected to gray checked pants. A slow grin spread across his face at our entrance. “Well, hello there,” he purred. “How may I help you fine gentlemen?”

“Are you Ryan?” I asked. “I’m Colton and this is Justin. We’re looking for Riley.”

Ryan’s eyes widened. “Wait, you’re Kentucky Colton?”

I laughed. “I am.”

He looked me up and down and then looked Justin up and down almost as an afterthought. “Well, damn, Riley, you lovable idiot,” he muttered almost to himself. Did Riley share what had gone down on Sunday? Ryan’s words indicated he had some idea.

Some of his smile dropped away as he eyed us. “Does Riley know you’re coming?”

“No, we wanted to surprise her,” I said, looking around the room.

“Mmmhmm,” Ryan hummed. “And what are your intentions with my best friend? It’s very clear that you two are a couple,” he waved a hand between Justin and I and we shared a look. Other than Justin standing close to me, there was no way Ryan puzzled that out unless Riley told him.

Ryan laughed at our look. “Darlings, look at me. I knew it the second you walked in. Riley’s been suspiciously quiet about how things are going but when she sat over there in a daze all yesterday, I started piecing things together. So I’ll ask again. What are your intentions with my best friend?”

“To treat her like the treasure she is,” I said simply. And it was true. “She’s amazing and I want to keep learning and building a life together.”.

“And what about you, Tall, Dark, and Silent?” Ryan eyed Justin suspiciously. “You’ve been awfully quiet over there.”

“I don’t know Riley as well as Colton does,” Justin said, “But I know she’s brilliant and funny and selfless. And I want to get to know her better.”

“And what about this?” Ryan waved his hand between us. “What are you doing about this?”

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