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“So, Uncle Mitch, we haven’t had a chance to talk about you kissing Riley. I didn’t even know you liked each other—what happened?”
Annie entered the kitchen. “Oh, there you are… What are you two talking about? Mitch kissing Riley?” she whispered and hurried closer.
“I just asked him about it,” Vivian said.
“Mitch?”
“Okay, yes, we’ve kissed, but as Dylan has just explained, the last thing Riley wants is a husband.”
Annie’s eyes widened. “Wow, that was a quick jump from kissing to husband? I didn’t even know you liked each other.”
Vivian nodded. “That’s what I said.”
Rubbing his face, Mitch sighed. From previous experience, he knew once his sisters started with an inquisition, he didn’t stand a chance.
He had to cut this short. “Worrying about the two of you is keeping me busy enough, thank you very much. I don’t want to be responsible for someone else.”
“You do know we’re quite capable of looking after ourselves?” Vivian asked.
“I know, but I’ll probably always blame myself for not noticing when you had problems at work or that I didn’t know how to help you, Annie, when that freaking Ted Harris dumped you weeks before your wedding.”
Annie gave him a hug. “Seriously, Mitch. What has happened to us is called life—these things happen, they make you grow. Besides, if it hadn’t been for either of our misfortunes, we wouldn’t be here, and we wouldn’t have met the men we are married to now. You wouldn’t have finished your novel, which by the way, I’ll start reading tonight. You are a wonderful brother, but you have my permission to stop worrying about me.”
“About me, too.” Vivian grinned. “So, do you have a thing for Riley?”
Annie leaned forward. “Yeah, Mitch, do you?”
Mitch opened and closed his mouth a few times, not sure what to say. Fortunately, his two brothers-in-law entered the kitchen at that moment looking for their wives. He was off the hook. For the moment at least.
Maybe Riley was right—he should just forget what he’d seen on her computer. She was very adamant about not being interested in a relationship.
So, all he had to do was forget how soft her mouth was, how perfectly she fitted against his body, and how alive she made him feel, and all would be well.
Question was—how was he supposed to do that when she was stuck in his mind and on his heart?
He stilled. Heart? Where the hell did that come from?
Cussing softly, he joined the rest of the party around the dining room table. Riley was standing at the other side of the table and was talking to her cousin, studiously ignoring him.
His eyes fell on the telltale blush creeping up her neck, and he grinned. He wasn’t the only one who was going to have a bad night, it seemed.
Chapter Ten
By the timethey arrived at Vivian and Aiden’s house for lunch on Sunday, Riley was a wreck. She’d thought Mitch would want to talk to her or call her or at least text her, but since they’d left Annie’s yesterday, she hadn’t heard a word from him.
They were late, and both Mitch’s and Aiden’s cars were already parked in front of the beautifully renovated house Vivian had fallen in love with earlier this year.
“Everyone is already here.” Aunt Janice smiled. “I thought you’d never come out of your room this morning.”
“I’m sorry,” Riley mumbled as they got out of the car. “I… um… I couldn’t decide what to wear. It’s never this cold in Portland.”
“You look gorgeous.” Aunt Janice’s eyes twinkled. She obviously knew the reason why Riley had struggled to find something to wear had absolutely nothing to do with the weather and everything to do with Mitch.
Riley sighed. This whole thing with Mitch was driving her crazy. She loved clothes and had figured out long ago she felt most comfortable in informal but feminine items, a kind of boho vibe. She didn’t buy many clothes, and usually she felt good in anything in her closet, but today, she couldn’t decide what to wear. Every time she’d put something on, she’d looked at herself through Mitch’s eyes. Seriously. Eventually she’d settled for a blue polka-dot crossover top with jeans and boots and a pair of dangling blue earrings.
“Wow, it’s freezing,” Riley gasped. “How do you get used to this?”
Aunt Janice took Dylan’s hand as they walked to the front door. “It’s cold, I agree, but I’ve learned to love winter. Everything slows down, you know? You get a chance to take a breath, enjoy the comforts of your home, and just move at a slower pace. And there is always the possibility of a white Christmas. If you come this year, we may just have snow on Christmas Day.”
