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Riven nearly ran into me thanks to the abrupt stop and opened his mouth to say something until he saw my face. His green eyes narrowed in accusation.
“What are you about to do?”
The accusation was not without reason. I had a plan forming already.
“So far, this has all been all about me facing my fears. Isn’t it time for you to heal a little as well?”
“Omega, what the hell are you talking about?”
“Let me buy you a guitar.” I pointed at the music store and he let out a startled laugh but his eyes were slightly panicked.
“Why would I let you buy me one?” he demanded. “If I wanted one, I’d buy it myself.”
“You told me that it was your escape, and you hadn’t touched one since you’ve been to therapy. Years have passed, Riven. Isn’t it time you reclaim something you once loved?”
I could see him working it out in his head, his fists clenching and unclenching a few times as he did. The moment that he gave in, I could visibly see it. His shoulders relaxed, and his eyes softened, just the slightest.
“You really are hell-bent on shaking up my life, aren’t you?”
“I could say the same to you. Literally the first time you met me, I was yanked from a dead sleep.”
He grinned. “I never really apologized for that either.”
“Nope,” I said, popping the ‘p’ and giving him a sassy grin.
“Well, I’m sorry.” He eyed the store then looked at the guys waiting inside for us. “Let’s grab coffee first.”
“Sold,” I said with a squeal before hurrying inside. His soft chuckles followed me, and I loved that I was one of the few people who could make him laugh.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Walter demanded. The look on his face clearly said to drop it, but Kat was like a dog with a bone, practically jumping over the counter toward Drew, demanding details.
“Wait, what dirt bikes, Walter?” She turned to her boss. “You have to tell me now. I will never let this go—not until the day I die.”
“I’m old as fuck, I’m going to go first.”
“No, you’ll run on spite and sarcasm forever,” she teased, blowing him a kiss.
He shook his head, and his eyes locked on Riven and me walking up like we were his lifeline.
“Look, customers! They want to get a coffee, maybe you should do your job,” he snapped at Kat. She didn’t look the least bit affected by his venom. His attempts were half-hearted at best anyway.
“Sorry, Walter, but I’m with them. I kind of want to know, too. That picture was amazing.”
“Oh, so that’s how you found me,” he grumbled but fought back a smile this time. “I knew that museum was going to bite me in the ass one day. Locals never cared enough to check it out, and nobody else knows me.”
“You can’t tell me that wasn’t one of the highlights of your life,” Lake said.
“It was. That was the day I met my omega,” he said proudly. “That asshole Pete from a few towns over was competing. He did some dirty tricks and got me off track. I hit the wrong rock and flew. That impact took it out of me. I tried to shrug it off, but you know how the officials are in this town… they had to fuss over it.”
“I mean, that bike is pretty high in the air, that was quite the fall,” I mused. He rolled his eyes.
“They agreed. I was sent straight to the hospital to get checked out, and wouldn’t you know it, I met this lovely little lady who only had eyes for me. I let her fuss over me for a little bit, and when I asked if I could give her my number, she blushed beautifully and accepted. We never looked back.”
“Did she let you keep riding after that?”
“She would have,” he said as he ran a hand over his wrinkled chin. “But I quit not long after. She’d always wanted to open up a coffee shop. I loved hearing her make those plans and she hated being a nurse. It was something her family pushed her into. I would have done anything to make her smile, so I made her dream a reality.”
This time his own face turned a little sad. It was a similar sadness that I felt myself. We probably had far fewer years than they had, but it was oddly comforting to know that you could still miss someone and keep going for years after.
