After All These Years (One Pass Away #2) (18 page)

Desperately, she wanted to hold on. Loving him meant she had
to let him go.

Riley slipped from the bed. She felt around for her clothing
Shirt. Jeans. Boots. She couldn’t find her panties. Sean turned but didn’t wake
up. Afraid to wait any longer, she tiptoed from the room.

A note wasn’t the smoothest way to end it. But Riley didn’t
care. It was her way. She set the folded paper where she knew Sean would find
it. Entering the elevator, she waited for the doors to close. Then, alone,
unable to hold back any longer, she sank to the floor and cried.

A FUCKING NOTE!

Sean didn’t linger in the shower. He was pissed. Not angry.
He reserved the right to that emotion after he found Riley and received a
reasonable explanation. Not that there was one. He loved her. He knew damn well
she loved him. The rest didn’t matter.

Sean blindly gathered something to wear, his wet hair
leaving damp spots on the t-shirt as he pulled it over his head. This was about
her father. And her mother. The be all and end all examples of parental
dysfunction. With the love of her grandfather and a whole lot of strength,
Riley managed to become a woman to be admired. When he found her, he planned on
reminding her of that. After he kissed the breath out of her. And possibly
added a swat or two on her ass.

When we see each other, it will be as if it, we, never
happened.

It happened, all right. Every second. Every minute. Every
hour. Every day of the past eight years. As far as Sean was concerned, all of
it counted. From the moment they met. Through Riley’s crush. Through his wild
ways. It led to now. He wasn’t letting her throw it away.

First, he had to figure out where she was. Grabbing his
phone, Sean began dialing.

“Hello?” Claire’s greeting was slurred.

“It’s six fucking thirty. Tell Sean to stick whatever it is
up his ass and fuck off.” Logan’s words were clear as a bell.

“You said it for me, love of my life.”

Sean didn’t have time for Claire and Logan’s routine. “Where
is Riley?”

“You mean you lost her again. Bad form, Sean.”

“This isn’t a joke.”

“Okay. What did you do?”

“Nothing.”

“Right.”

“This time, I swear, it wasn’t me.”

“I’m taking your word for it. But if I find out differently…”

“You can kick my ass.”

“Last time I saw her, the two of you were leaving the bar.”

“I need to call Gaige.”

“Sean.” Claire stopped him before he could hang up. “Let me
know when you find her.”

“I will.”

Sean grabbed his jacket. If he had to, he would check every
coffee shop in the city. Riley was bound to hit one of them. Unless she left
town. Shit. Last time she ran, she told Gaige. Hoping she stayed true to form,
Sean hit the elevator button and Gaige’s number at the same time.

“Early,” Gaige growled.

“So I’ve been told.”

“Fuck off.”

“I’ve heard that one, too. I’m looking for Riley.”

“As in, I have no idea where she is? Because I don’t like
the sound of that.”

The elevator door opened. There, looking small and utterly
defeated, sat Riley.

“Sean? Is Riley okay?”

“False alarm.”

Sean tossed the phone on the table. Taking two long steps,
he bent down and picked Riley up.

“You’re cold as ice.”

“I’m an idiot.” Riley hiccuped. “I couldn’t do it, Sean. I
meant to leave. I really did.”

“But you didn’t.” Sean headed to the bedroom. Carefully, he
set Riley onto the bed, removed her shoes then his, and joined her under the
covers. “That makes you anything but an idiot.”

“I love you.”

“Again. Not an idiot.” Sean tucked Riley close, his arm
pillowing her head. “You’ve been crying.” He kissed each tearstained cheek. “Did
it make you feel better?”

“No. Maybe.” Riley snuggled closer to his warm body. “I was
filled with righteous good intentions when I got on the elevator. They lasted
about ten seconds.”

“How long were you in there?”

“I have no idea.”

“Riley?”

“Yes?”

“I love you.”

If she had a single tear left, Riley would have shed them.
Instead, she looked at Sean and asked, “Why?”

“Why not?”

“I have two very good reasons.”

“Here’s the thing. You have a crazy family.”

“To put it mildly.”

“My family is just as crazy, but in a good way.”

“How crazy? And how good?”

“I’ll give you the perfect example.” Sean reached around her
to open the end table drawer. “Last week when I was speaking with my mother, I
told her how good things were going between us.”

“Okay.”

“The next day this arrived.”

Sean held up a ring. A diamond ring.

“That’s…”

“The woman sent me my grandmother’s engagement ring. For
you. After I mentioned you two, maybe three times. Crazy, right?”

“Yes. And incredibly sweet.”

“I thought so too.” Without asking, Sean slipped it on her
finger. “Look at that. A perfect fit. It isn’t very big.”

“It’s perfect.” Riley sighed. So much for trying to get
away. Sean was stuck with her now. “I want to get married right after the
season.”

“Good. This engagement has gone on long enough.”

“What? A whole two minutes?”

“Eight years, Riley. Eight unbelievable years.”

SEAN WAS RIGHT. His family was crazy. In the best possible way.

His mother decided she couldn’t wait another day to meet
Riley.

Sean tried to talk her out of coming, but there was no
stopping Susan McBride. Her baby was engaged. And since Sean couldn’t leave
Seattle, they would come to him.

“I’m sorry. If I’d known she would do this, I would have
waited to tell them.”

Riley was at the airport, a slightly anxious greeting party
of one. The practice was running late so he couldn’t make it.

“It will be fine.” She told him, hoping Sean couldn’t hear
her nerves through the phone. “I love that your mother is excited. I’m letting
mine read about it online.”

“That works for me.”

Corrine Preston was currently wintering in Hawaii. Gerald
was still in the Caribbean. They would return to Seattle. It was inevitable.
However, Riley didn’t care. For years, the only thing they had in common was
the Knights. Without that, she couldn’t envision a single scenario that would
compel her to have anything to do with either of them. And she was fine with
that. More than fine. She was ecstatic.

She had Sean. Riley glanced at her ring finger and grinned.

Sean. Their friends. The Knights. And his big, crazy
family.After all these years. After thinking it would never happen. Riley had
it all. And she was never letting it go.

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Dreaming Of Your Love (Coming in May)

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