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I nod, now realising that I may not have a job or a place to live again. After everything, and I am back to square one. I look down at my hands in my lap, feeling Riley’s hand take mine again, his thumb rubbing the back of my hand.
“Hey.” I look at Riley, listening as he speaks, his eyes soft and caring. “I know what you’re thinking, and don’t be worried.”
I cock my head. “How can you know?”
He smiles. “Because I know you and I already sorted it out.” I wait. “Logan talked to his parents, and they agreed to let us stay at the lake house for the next month because this is their slow month. It should be enough time for the bar to be fixed, ready for us to move back in again. We could treat it as a vacation we desperately need.”
I raise my brow, feeling resistant. “A month-long vacation? Riley, I can’t just sit back until the place gets fixed.”
Danny steps forward. “Then why don’t you guys lend a hand. You could come by a few days a week and help us fix up the place. It might get done quicker with more hands, but only if you want to.”
Riley leans forward, whispering in my ear, “And I know it’s an hour drive each way, but think about the driving practice. By the time the place opens back up, you’ll be a pro driver.”
He raises his brow, my eyes meeting his, and he knows he’s got me.
We smile at each other, nodding before accepting, both of us so willing to help rebuild this place we call home, to help what has now become our family.
Later that night,after everyone has left, Riley refuses to leave, lying in the bed beside me, tucking me in his arms as I snuggle into his side. He rests his cheek on my head as we lie in the darkness, peacefully listening to each other breaths, until he whispers into my hair, “For a second there, I thought I lost you.”
I pull back to meet his eyes. “For a moment there, you almost did.”
“I don’t know what I would’ve-“
I put my hand to his lips, silencing him, not wanting to think about how close I came to losing my life and instead just wanting to enjoy it.
He nuzzles my cheek with his nose, whispering in my ear. “I love you, Mia.”
I smile, turning to him. “I love you too, Riley.”
I sink into him, knowing I may not have a plan, but something I’ve realised is that life is something you can’t always plan. You just have to live it.
EPILOGUE
MIA
Two Weeks Later
I’ve been at the bar four times this week, eager to get this place up and running, and for things to go back to normal. Not that things at the lake house haven't been great. It’s been amazing being with Riley with time spent talking to him, swimming with him, and trying all the sex positions I can think of because there is rarely anything he will say no to.
But I miss the guys and the banter, I miss how easy it was to spend time with my girlfriends, and I'm all too eager to jump into my maid of honour duties as soon as possible. Even though things have settled, I still haven’t heard from Hunter or know what is going on. I miss him and wish he would talk to me, but I also worry about what he might say if he does.
I come out to the main bar area, seeing Harper laughing with Travis about something, and make a mental note to warn her about him. He is sweet, but I know his history with women and don’t want my friend to fall victim. I approach them, dusting my hands off on my pants, and they see me and smile.
“Hey, how are things?” Travis asks, and I nod.
“Yeah, good.” I turn to Harper. “Harper, can I talk to you?”
She furrows her brows at first, looking a mix of cautious and nervous as Travis nods, backing away and leaving us.
“What’s up?”
I shuffle my feet. “Have you heard from Hunter?”
She frowns. “Why?”
I shrug. “I’m worried about him. He’s closed me off, and I don’t know why. I don’t even know what penalties he’s facing for the accident or if he’s doing better. I feel like he’s punishing me, and I don’t know what I did.”
She scoffs, looking down at her feet. “Trust me, he’s not punishing you.”
