Page 67 of Reckless Rebel

“You’re insufferable.” I just know she will be shaking her head at me, “How’s the trip, are you being a good boy?” She teases and I laugh.

“I’m never a good boy and that's why you like me so much.” The grin is practically splitting my face in half as I enjoy our usual banter. I hadn’t realized until just now how much I have missed it.

Plates clang behind me and I spin to spot Riley turning away from where she dumped them in the sink. She looks at me like she wants me to drop dead on the spot before she disappears out of sight.

I frown, not sure what has changed her mood so drastically, “I got to go, beautiful,” I tell Elle. “I’ll call you later and let you know how it went.”

“You better,” she replies before I end the call.

I head back to join the Deckers, but Riley is now nowhere to be seen and I don’t get a chance to talk to her alone for the rest of the day. We have Sofia as a constant buffer, which I don’t mind, spending time with her is something I will always cherish, and given it’s Riley’s birthday, Gerry and Ava don’t leave us room to talk either. By the time we are heading out to dinner I am starting to think that my present idea might not be a good one. I asked Gerry before I arranged it and he thought it was a great idea, said she would love it, but with the way she has been acting today and after what went down last night, now I’m not so sure.

Riley looks beautiful in a black satin dress and heels, and I curse myself for getting hard at the sight of her while we are sitting at the dinner table with her family. The dinner is probably the nicest one I have ever been to, the restaurant is really upscale and I can tell it must be expensive. I excuse myself to the bathroom before I head back to the table to finish dinner.

“So, Sweetheart, how does it feel to finally be eighteen?” Ava asks Riley.

Riley shrugs, “Just the same I guess, I’m excited to make a start on my bucket list though.”

“You have a bucket list?” The question bursts out of me before I can stop it, but I am just so intrigued.

She looks at me and nods slightly as Gerry talks, “Oh my god, she has had that thing forever, I think you were eleven when you started it?” He looks to her for confirmation and she nods.

“What’s on it?” I am desperate to know the kind of things she would put on there.

I can tell she doesn’t really want to answer me but with her family here she has no choice, “Just silly things, dance on a big stage, work for a charity, get a tattoo.” She shrugs, letting her eyes fall away from me. She has been acting so distant since this morning, but I can’t help but feel smug hearing what’s on her list and knowing where we are going next.

We finish eating in only a mild amount of tension and I am thankful that Sofia is here to carry on the conversation. As dinner draws to a close, Gerry flags down the waiter.

“Can we get the bill please,” He asks, and the waiter immediately looks my way.

“The bill has already been settled, Mr Decker, thank you for dining with us this evening.” He gives him a polite smile and nod before excusing him as Gerry and Ava look at me.

I squirm a little in my seat, hoping they don’t mind that I took care of it. “You did not have to do that, Sweetheart,” Ava says, reaching over the table to clutch my hand.

I give it a light squeeze, “Respectfully, I did, you guys invited me on this amazing vacation and have truly welcomed me into your family, so it’s the least I could do, especially for the birthday girl.” I look over at Riley and she offers me a tight smile, the first one I’ve had since this morning.

“You’re a good man, Jace, I hope you know that.” Ava responds with a squeeze back on my hand and Riley scoffs.

“I’ll be outside.” She rises from the table without waiting for anyone to say anything and heads through the restaurant.

I look at Gerry and he just shrugs, “Women.”

We head outside and Gerry comes up next to me, “You got everything sorted?”

“Yeah, there’s a taxi on the way for us.” I answer him, lowering my voice so Riley doesn’t hear us.

“Awesome, she is going to love it.” He offers me his fist to bump and moves over to Riley, “You head home with Jace, Sweetheart, we’ll see you later.”

Their cab pulls up by the curb and they are walking towards it before Riley can even protest. We stand next to one another quietly and I can feel her glare without looking at her. When our cab arrives, I open her door and usher her inside, much to her dismay. Clearly she plans on giving me the silent treatment for whatever reason, but when the cab bypasses the turning to head to the cabin she speaks up.

“Oh, excuse me, you missed the turning back there.” She leans forward but I halt her with a hand to her arm.

“Actually, Riles, we aren’t going straight home.” I nod to the driver in the mirror and he continues on the route I set him.

“Where are we going?” She demands.

“It’s a surprise.” I smile but she doesn’t give me one back.

“I hate surprises,” she huffs, folding her arms.

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