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My parents let the conversation move to less fraught subjects, and we spent the rest of the afternoon just enjoying their company. Mom made dinner, and for the first time since I’d left home, I felt like part of the family again instead of an outsider. They made us promise to come back at least one more time before we flew back to Japan later this week, and I didn’t have to talk myself into agreeing.

Back at our hotel, we lay in bed for a little while. No fooling around. We didn’t take off our clothes. We just sort of chilled, letting the day and this whole trip settle over us.

“I know I’ve said this about a million times,” I said after a while. “But thank you for this. For being here for me.”

“Don’t mention it.” He paused, then chuckled. “Hard to believe we were just supposed to be faking it as a couple on this trip.”

I blinked. “We—oh, fuck. You’re right.” I laughed, shaking my head. “Would you believe I forgot about that? That it was… that it was fake?”

“Baby, you’ve had aloton your mind recently.” He touched my face and kissed me softly. “I don’t blame you at all.”

“To be fair, you have too.”

“I have. And I pretty much forgot we were faking it too.” He smiled. “Especially around the time I stopped faking it.”

“Yeah? When was that?”

He seemed to think about it. “Probably about the time I introduced you to my parents as my boyfriend.”

“Really?”

Blushing, Riley nodded. “I don’t know why—as soon as I said it, I meant it, even if I didn’t really realize it in the moment.” He studied me shyly. “What about you?”

“I…” I chewed my lip as I considered the question. I could take the easy way out and say after he came to my rescue at the bachelor party, or the first time we had sex without my past dominating my thoughts.

But I decided he deserved the truth.

I met his eyes. “I don’t think it was ever fake for me.”

His eyebrows jump. “It wasn’t?”

“No. I kept my distance from everyone, but not you. Even when I was doing that with you, I still let you in closer than anyone else.” I pulled in a breath, my heart pounding as I held his gaze. “I think, on some level, what we have now—that’s what I wished we could be from the start. I just… didn’t think I’d ever be able to do this with anyone.”

Riley’s lips parted.

I cringed inwardly, sure he was about to tell me that was the stupidest thing he’d ever heard.

To my surprise, though, he smiled. “I really have been missing out on this romantic side of you.”

I laughed and pulled him closer. “So, make up for lost time once we get back to the island?”

That smile really was the best thing in my whole world.

“Sounds perfect,” he whispered, and pressed his lips to mine.

And yeah, it did sound perfect.

I couldn’t wait.

Epilogue

Riley

Almost a year later.

“Oh, God, baby, don’t stop,” I panted, gripping the edge of the mattress with one hand and jerking myself furiously as Nolan pounded into my ass. “Fuck, yeah… Fuck, I’m gonna…”

He groaned, holding my hips even tighter. “Come, baby. Come on. I want to feel it.”

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