Page 37 of The Hot New Bartender in Town

“Is Richard here?” Mom asks.

“At the moment, no.” Riley points down the aisle toward the exit. “Bruno had some last questions about the catering, so he left to go deal with it.”

“Good,” she says, though her toes bounce with excitement. “Can’t have the groom seeing me before the wedding. It’s bad luck!”

“I think that’s just the dress, Mom,” I say.

“Is it? Well, in that case, I’m gonna go track him down for one last smooch. We’re getting married today!”

I smile as I get out of her way. “Yes, you are.”

With a happy squeal, my mother rushes off with her garment bag gently folded over her arm.

Allowing myself one last look, I give Riley a nod. The air between us feels thick and heavy, like the moments before a thunderstorm, and I’m not sure I want to stick around and wait for the rain.

“There are a lot of buttons on that dress,” I offer. “I should probably go so I can help her when she’s ready.”

“Wait.” Riley steps forward. “I, uh... I was actually wanting to talk to you before...”

Before the wedding.

Before we become family and therefore never allowed to be what we could have been.

I pause, but I keep my weight on my toes.

Riley takes a breath, his eyes briefly scanning the chapel before he looks at me. “You look nice,” he says.

I glance at my outfit; a simple yet elegant satin halter top dress that matches his sapphire blue tie. “Thanks,” I say. “You do, too.”

He shifts on his feet, his hands slowly sliding into his pockets. “I just wanted to say that... I’m sorry I lied to you. About my mother.”

I nod slowly. “It’s okay. I understand why you did.”

He returns the nod, grateful. “It’s easier to just say she’s gone for good than to admit she hated you so much, she walked out.”

“I’m sure that’s not true, Riley.”

“I appreciate you saying that, but...” He swallows hard. “If she loved me, she would have stayed.”

I bite my cheek, unsure how to reply. I never knew my father. I never had the chance to bond with him, so I’ve never known the pain of being abandoned by one meant to love me unconditionally. “I’m sorry,” I say, offering comfort.

“It’s all right,” Riley says with a smile that trembles my knees. “If she never left, I may never have dropped out of school and moved down here. I may never have met you.”

I snort. “Not sure us meeting the way we did was a good thing or not.”

“It was,” he says. “Tish, it was a very good thing.”

I look down, blush filling my cheeks. Before I can reply, Riley steps forward, the tips of his shiny black shoes in line with mine. His hand rises to my cheek and I inhale sharply, his touch unexpected.

“Riley,” I whisper. “What are you doing?”

His thumb glides along my jaw as his eyes lock on mine. “If you love someone, you don’t leave.”

He leans in close, his lips brushing tenderly against mine; a silent invitation. His words wash over me, filling me with hopeful longing as sinful thoughts take hold. I want so badly to kiss him now, to be kissed by him over and over again.

But our time is over, before it ever really began.

“Riley,” I whisper hesitantly, foolishly unable to step back myself.

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