Page 33 of Rival Hearts

Jett smiled. “Perfect,” she said. “Plus you’ll get to see the baby.”

Riley nodded. “Oh, I’m excited.”

“Perfect,” Jett said again. “I’ll pick you up around noon.”

Riley took a sip of her drink feeling nerves building deep in her belly. “That sounds great.”

* * *

Riley was definitely nervous as she got ready Sunday. She took a shower and started getting dressed over an hour before Jett was supposed to pick her up. When she was done, she sat on her couch and tuned on the TV.

Jett had told her that she didn’t have to worry about bringing any food, which was good because Jett knew that Riley was a terrible cook and Riley had no clue what she would have made anyway.

When Jett finally got to Riley’s apartment, she knocked on the door and Riley immediately answered. Part of her was more than ready to get this over with, but she was also curious and wanted to learn more about Jett and her family. From what little she had already seen, Jett’s family seemed incredibly close. Riley didn’t know how she was going to fit into that kind of gathering, but she liked that there were so many strong women in Jett’s family and she already knew Lucinda Everett well.

“You ready?” Jett asked with a breathtaking smile.

“I think so,” Riley said.

“Nervous?” Jett asked. Of course she would clock that.

“A bit,” Riley said, although she hated to admit it.

“Don’t worry,” Jett said. “You’ll be fine. And fair warning, my family members like to tease each other a lot. I don’t think they’ll do or say anything to you, but if they do and you’re not comfortable, just say something. Though I do hope you’re okay with hugs, because you will probably get hugged around a dozen times.”

Riley gulped. She wasn’t a hugger, or generally a very affectionate person, but she could do this. She helped people survive horrific injuries; she could meet and interact with Jett’s family. After all, she had already met almost everyone who was going to be there at least once and she worked with a third of them. This wouldn’t be too difficult, she told herself, taking deep breaths.

Riley and Jett talked in the car on the way to Becky and Lucinda’s house. It wasn’t about anything important, just whatever each of them could think about, but it helped calm Riley’s nerves. And when Jett pulled into her aunt’s driveway, Riley was laughing at some lame joke Jett told.

Jett smiled at Riley and even got out to open her car door. Riley blushed slightly, but tried to hide it. She definitely wasn’t used to other people doing things for her, but there was something about Jett doing something for her that made her heart flutter.

“I made sweet tea, baked mac and cheese, and blueberry muffins,” Jett said. “They’re in the backseat and if you don’t mind helping me carry them in, I’d appreciate it.”

“Of course,” Riley said, immediately going to help.

It was a juggling act. Riley didn’t want to be the one to open the door, so she balanced the muffins on top of the casserole dish holding the macaroni and cheese, and Jett carried the sweet tea so that she could open her Aunt Becky’s front door.

Riley followed Jett into the house and saw Becky, Lucinda, Ember, and a little girl who looked exactly like Ember sitting in the living room talking. She looked outside through the sliding patio doors and saw Jett’s mom and an unfamiliar man talking in lawn chairs.

Riley set down the food where Jett showed her, and followed Jett as the other woman walked into the living room to face her extended family.

“So,” Jett said, “where are Hannah and Josephine?”

“Josephine is coming over later,” Ember said. “She just has a little bit of paperwork left, but it shouldn’t take her long.”

“And Hannah is in the bathroom breastfeeding,” Becky said.

Jett looked confused. “Why the bathroom?”

Becky shrugged her shoulders. “Beats me,” she said. “I told her she could breastfeed out here. It’s nothing any of us haven’t seen before.”

“And I offered to let her use my old bedroom,” Ember said, “but she said no.”

“I’m sure she’s fine, though,” Becky said. “New mothers are still figuring it all out.”

Lucinda smiled and laughed a little. “I don’t know how you all did it,” Lucinda looked to Becky and Ember. “I’m still figuring it all out and I think having a baby would have tipped me over the edge!”

Everyone laughed at that, and Riley found herself smiling.

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