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Riley steps back and toys with a loose strand of hair. Her gaze strays over to the photo again before darting away. “Can I ask what happened between you two? Why you got divorced? Was it... amicable?”

I take a slow, deep breath to stem the rush of defensiveness. I couldn’t expect Riley to understand. She’d never been married before, or had kids. “Lisa and I didn’t separate in some nasty way. She’s a good woman; things just didn’t go as planned.”

I’m not sure what else to say about it. Lisa left because she claims the passion between us fizzled out, but who knows? Maybe there was some larger issue she didn’t want to share. After all, Riley ditched me without so much as a goodbye the first time, so clearly I was doing something wrong.

Riley gazes up at me with those clear blue eyes. Doesn’t say a word, but even after all these years apart, I can still read her curiosity in the cute way she tilts her head. At first I bristle, then realize, why not? Maybe an explanation would help prevent a third relationship fail. “My job interfered with a lot. It takes me away from home too often, like across-the-ocean-distance away. Even when I’m here, my schedule is unpredictable. All that time apart makes it hard to maintain a relationship. I missed the birth of my son, holidays, lots of other important events. Eventually it drove a wedge between us, and we went from being lovers to friends. The passion was gone.”

Even though I’d felt the distance between us, too, I’d been willing to fight to get us back on track. Lisa hadn’t. She’d been done. Ready to move on and find someone else.

My lips twist at the memory. The failure of my marriage still hurts.

Riley steps closer and curls her fingers around my upper arm. Her touch is soft, warm. Electric. My skin tingles in response. “I’m sorry. I bet that was hard on you and your son.”

I edge away from her grasp, annoyed by my body’s betrayal. I don’t have to be a dick, but also, only a glutton for punishment would invite the first woman to ever break his heart back in for a second chance without showing some caution. “Sure can say that again. That’s why I joined the program, and why I agreed to the match even when I saw your name on the paper. I don’t want to bring a parade of women through my kid’s life. I need a partner who can deal with this life and be there for me and for Mason.” When my eyes start to burn, I tilt my head and stare up at the ceiling, hoping to chase away the tears that are forming. “The kid’s had a tough time with the move and hasn’t been adjusting well. It’s not what I want for him.”

Once I regain my composure, I look back down at Riley, to find her smiling at me. “You’re probably a great dad. Your family was amazing, so caring, did a lot for one another. I remember those mandated family dinners every Sunday.”

“Wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. They worked hard and still struggled to make ends meet. You know that.” I shake my head. “It’s why I started working at fourteen, to help out with bills and putting food on the table.”

“Luc, I know. And your loyalty and selflessness to your family is one of the things I admired most about you.”

Not enough to keep you from ditching me to find someone closer to your income bracket.

Although based on that crappy apartment she was living in, that didn’t exactly work out so great for her. A bitter taste floods my mouth. I swallow and shove the memory aside.

As for my parents, maybe I should keep my current relationship status quiet. Who knows how this will turn out and my father sure as hell will read me the riot act. Whenever my parents visit, he constantly makes offhanded comments about how some of the more expensive things in my house were purchased for no other reason than because of the Thompsons. At least he’s smart enough never to have mumbled his feelings in front of Lisa. But if he found out I was back with Riley…yeah, not ready for that.

And my past with Riley no longer matters, not when I have Mason to consider. Which means it’s time to draw the line in the proverbial sand before the officiant arrives. “Listen, I’m not sure why you’re really here. With me, no less. But as I already said, I’m doing this as much for Mason as I am for myself. If you are having cold feet or are here for a quick trip down memory lane, leave now. It’s one thing to bail on me, but I won’t allow you to do it to my son. Not that there is a guarantee this match will work. But if you are going to jump ship in a month, tell me now.”

Riley pales and fidgets. Fuck. I groan and take a step back. Of course she hadn’t intended to stay. While this house is far from the trailer I grew up in, it still doesn’t compare to the fancy ranch she called home, although it’s far better than that crappy studio she was living in. Which still makes no damn sense to me.

“Luc, I am not leaving in a month. And I assure you I will not do anything to harm your son. And I am certainly not here for revenge. I left you, remember.”

She averts her eyes when she says it. Like there’s something she doesn’t want me to see. Before I can pry further, the doorbell rings. Lousy timing. Fists clenched, I stare at her for another moment, waiting for her to confess. To what, I’m not sure. But she remains silent, so when the chimes sound throughout the house again, I pivot and head upstairs, with Riley right behind me.

When I reach the front door, the officiant is waiting on the porch. The storm door creaks when I swing it open, allowing him to enter. “Thanks for meeting us.”

A short, dour-faced man with a receding hairline and bulldog jowls squints up at me. “Where would you like me to set up?”

So much for pleasantries. “The living room should be fine.”

Riley and the officiant head into the living room and I follow behind. We sit on the couch opposite the man, watching as he places his briefcase on the coffee table, then pulls papers from the manila envelope in his hand. He pauses while thumbing through them and glowers up at me. “No witnesses?”

“No, sir.” While Jim and Tony both had witnesses, there’s no statutory requirement that witnesses be present at a marriage ceremony in Virginia. And since I had no idea how things would actually go with Riley, I’d opted to keep our impending nuptials quiet for now.

The officiant mutters something I’m guessing is uncomplimentary under his breath.

Geez. Hadn’t been expecting confetti bombs and backslaps from the guy, but did he have to be such a grouch?

I steal a peek at Riley to see how she’s taking all of this, but she’s staring into her lap, her blond hair spilling forward and hiding her face. My muscles tense when I notice her shoulders shake. Oh hell, is she crying? Over our troll of an officiant?

Or... what if she’s upset over the reality of marrying me?

My blood turns cold and my stomach flips, making me queasy. Before I can completely freak out, Riley sweeps her hair behind her ear. That’s when I get a better look at her face, and comprehension dawns. Riley’s not crying. She’s laughing.

I let out a breath I didn’t even realized I’d been holding. I’d forgotten how Riley had a bad habit of bursting into laughter at the most inappropriate moments.

I peek at our officiant, who clears his throat with a very dramatic herm-herm while drumming his fingertips on his thigh. I press my lips together tightly to fend off my own smirk. Once the need to chuckle passes, I return my attention to the man sitting in front of me. “I’m sorry, is there something I need to be doing?”

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