Page 40 of The Hot New Bartender in Town

“Do you love him?”

My breath held tightly, I glance at Riley again. He looks back, his handsome eyes full of nothing but steady devotion.

“I don’t know,” I whisper, though the feelings in me are more than sure. “I think so.”

“That settles it, then,” my mother says, smiling. “We’re both madly in love, and nothing is going to stand in the way of that.” She cups my cheeks. “Okay?”

“Okay.” I smile back. “You’re not mad?”

“Nah,” she says. “So, we’ll have some awkward family dinners for a while. Nothing we can’t get over!”

My heart pounds with happiness.

Richard, however…

“I can’t believe I’m hearing this,” he says, still looming over Riley’s shoulder. “They can’t be together, Tanya!”

My mother glares at him. “Why not?”

“Because we are getting married,” he argues. “They will be siblings. It’s not right!”

Her shoulders roll back as she inhales, ready to defend.

“Dad,” Riley says, stopping her with a word. “You. Me.” He gestures at the space between them.“Middle.”

Richard arches a brow. “That’s quite the middle, Junior.”

“I know. But I care about her. You don’t have to like it. All I ask is that you accept?—”

“Okay.”Richard holds up a hand and sighs, hearing his words thrown back at him. “Point taken, son.” Clearly outnumbered, he glances between the three of us and sighs. “It’ll take some getting used to...”

“Oh, it’ll be just fine.” Mom detaches from me to move closer to Richard. She hooks her arm over his and nuzzles close, hersmile wide and infectious. “This whole thing will be a hilarious anecdote before you know it.”

He eyes her with doubt.

“Trust me!” She bats her eyelashes. “But if you need more convincing, I’m sure a few days alone with me in the honeymoon suite will be enough to persuade you.”

I gasp.“Mom.”

She giggles, happily ignoring me as Richard cracks a smile.

“All right, Tanya,” he says, his eyes only for her. “Say no more.”

“Please,”I add.

“Excuse me,” Reverend Pierce says, approaching us slowly from the entrance. “I don’t mean to interrupt, but I’ve got an entryway full of wedding guests who keep asking me if this is still happening today.”

“Our apologies, Reverend,” Mom says. “We just had to have ourselves a little... impromptu family meeting, that’s all.”

He exhales, relieved. “Good. Then... we’ll be starting on time?”

My mother looks pointedly at Richard, letting him have the final say. Another quick glance at each of us and Richard stands tall again, his hand wrapping delicately around my mother’s.

“Yes,” he answers. “Yes, Reverend, we will be.”

“Good.” The Reverend stands back, his eyes averting rather than look at me and Riley. “Good.”

Well, if it won’t be a hilarious family anecdote anytime soon, it’ll certainly keep the Small Town gossip mill churning for a while.

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