Page 60 of Cherry Picking
One day, things were different.
Riley’s silence is unnerving, and I lean back to find him watching me with a tense, pinched expression.
“What’s wrong?”
“If I retire, how do we do this?”
“How do we do what?”
He licks his lips like he’s on a mission to rub them raw, then scrubs a hand over his eyes and drops his head back.
“Us. If you’re playing for the Hornets or the Rippers or some other team, and I’m on the sidelines. Where does that leave us?”
“Why would you be on the sidelines?”
He groans and pitches forward, anchoring a hand on my thigh. “Humor me, Griff. If I don’t get back out on the ice, what does the future look like for us?”
My throat dries in an instant, breaths feeling like sandpaper as they go down.
“Like this?” I choke out. “Like you meeting me halfway to make this shit work.”
“What if I move home? To Colorado. Spend the time with my little brother I never got to give him because I’ve been too busy chasing failure?”
“Wait, hold on. You aren’t a failure.”
Riley shakes his head, and I bite down on my tongue as my temper starts to make my skin hot.
“This isn’t a pessimistic question, Griff. It’s an honest one. I don’t expect you to quit and settle down … but what if that’s what I’m ready for? To have a home and a family.”
“I thought we were your family.”
“Griff …”
“No. Listen.” I shove his hand off my knee and clench my fists to keep my nerves steady. “You can do whatever the hell you want with your life, Riley Easton. I will always make a space for you in my world. There will always be a Riley shaped hole for you to crawl into. You don’t have to worry about losing me. Do I have to worry about losing you?”
Riley doesn’t answer. He looks down. Stares off. Doesn’t utter a word even if he looks like he has a monologue waiting to spill out.
My hands start to sweat, and my mind plays dirty tricks on me.
Tricks like Riley has just been waiting for an out.
That he never got over his ex. That I’m some long term rebound that’s lost its spark.
Tricks that I can’t convince myself won’t come to fruition unless he opens the fuck up and lets me in on?—
“Let’s tell the team.”
The words come out of the silence like a trick shot whizzing past my mitts. When my mouth opens but no record plays, Riley smiles in that adoring way of his that makes my chest feel tight.
“You’re right. We’re a family.” He grabs my hand and squeezes my fingers. “Family takes care of one another. Things are changing … and we’re going to need our family.”
I can’t kiss him fast enough. I throw my leg over his lap and press him to the bench with the rush of urgency speeding through my blood. I’m a fumbled mess that gets us a snicker from someone passing by, but Riley’s warm hands on my back and neck assure me that they don’t matter.
Only we matter.
CHAPTER 15
RILEY
