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Going to a fall festival by myself sounded worse than sitting at home.
She smiled as if she could read my thoughts. “I meant you should come with my family.”
I shook my head slowly, the pancakes sitting heavy in my stomach. “I don’t know. I couldn’t intrude.”
She smiled softly. “You’re an old family friend.”
What she said was true, but she’d left out a salient point—I’d been inside her several times last night.
She pointed her fork at me. “You’re a family friend in town for the weekend, and you didn’t want to go to the festival by yourself.”
“That’s all true.”
She smiled wide. “Exactly. It’s perfect.”
My heart sank. “But last night, you said you wanted one night. I don’t want to—” I don’t know what I was going to say—push for more? Was that even what I wanted?
Riley shook her head. “Don’t overthink it. We ran into each other, and we’re doing what feels good.”
I liked her characterization of what was going on because it felt like I was playing a dangerous game. I dipped a piece of pancake in the maple syrup. Taking a bite, I savored it, knowing she’d tasted this sweet last night.
I knew better than to mess with a single mom. I’d given her the night she’d wanted, and I should leave it at that.
She rolled her eyes. “It’s a family festival. You’re not promising me anything.”
I wasn’t worried about her catching feelings. I was more worried about me. I didn’t do things like that. I didn’t get attached to people. Maybe because I was raised with money, a nanny, and a trust fund. I had a distant relationship with my parents.
Finally, I said, “It sounds innocent enough.”
She smiled at me, but it had a mischievous tint to it.
Before I could call her out on her thoughts, she ate her last bite and placed her fork and dish in the dishwasher. “I’m going to head home and shower. Then I’ll pick up Maddie on the way to the festival.” Then she asked, “Want to meet there?” not giving me an out.
I glanced at the clock on the microwave. “Let’s meet at Fountain Park in ninety minutes.”
“Sounds good,” she headed to the bedroom, presumably to get dressed.
When she was dressed, I walked her to the door. I had an overwhelming desire to kiss her, but I didn’t think it was a good idea. Before I could decide, she went up on tiptoe, touching her lips to mine. She tasted like chocolate and syrup. She was there and gone so quickly that I couldn’t hold onto her and pull her in for more.
With a sweet smile, she said, “Thanks for last night.”
Then she turned and walked along the gravel lane to her grandfather’s home. It felt suspiciously like she was taking a piece of me with her.
I went inside to clean up breakfast and shower. What was it about Riley that had me feeling things I’d never felt before? It had never bothered me that I was lonely before. I never needed more than a night with a woman. I didn’t go to festivals or spend weekends with their family.
Yet there was a warmth in my chest that kept expanding. I repeated Riley’s words in my head: let’s keep doing what feels good. Spending more time with Riley felt good.
* * *
The ground was damp from last night, but the sun was already heating the air. I shoved my hands in my pockets as I approached the park where I’d said I’d meet her. I hadn’t thought much about spending the day with Riley’s daughter until I saw her standing near the fountain. She was blond and wearing a jacket, jeans, and boots.
“Easton, you made it,” Riley said as I stopped in front of them. She wrapped her arms around me. Before I could squeeze her back, she’d moved away. “Logan, this is Easton. His grandfather’s home was a few houses from ours. We used to play together.”
Logan shook my hand. “Logan Gray. Nice to meet you. This is my wife, Ashley.”
I shook Ashley’s hand. “I hope you don’t mind me tagging along.”
“We’re glad you could join us,” Logan said, and I immediately felt at ease. He didn’t seem to think I was anything more than an old friend.
