22. River

22

RIVER

Tobey thrusts his arms in the air. “Called it! I was right. Like a Navy Seal. Like a badass vet.”

Nisha slaps a hand over her cousin’s mouth. “This is not about being right.”

TJ just smiles, watching the front door snap closed, like he’s proud of his friend.

Everyone else appears fascinated with their food.

I don’t move because I’ve never felt like this before. Warmth floods my body, fills all my cells. It’s like I’ve drunk a happiness potion and I’m glowing.

I’m just so damn joyful I’m not even sure I know how to speak, to move, to live.

Except, even though I feel great, Owen probably feels terrible.

He has no clue I’m floating on Cloud Nine.

No idea he said everything I’m feeling.

And just like that, I unfreeze.

I lift a finger, consider saying something clever, but all that comes out is, “Excuse me.”

I head to the front door, yank it open, walk down the steps that have been swept free of last night’s snow, and into the frigid night.

Holy igloo.

Wrapping my arms around myself, I rub my palms on my biceps, my gaze swinging left and right, hunting for the man who just professed his love for me.

Only he’s nowhere to be seen.

What the what?

I rush down the stone path to the sidewalk. It’s been shoveled, and some of the snow has melted, but there are still a few inches, and Owen clearly has polar bear blood.

I sweep my gaze to the left, and the street is empty. The night is quiet. Stars wink on and off above in the dark blanket of the sky. I turn right to the corner and there he is.

Walking back to the house.

My heart goes haywire, thumping madly in my chest. And the cold melts away as buzzy, warm tingles slide down my spine.

“Owen Hayes, do not walk away from me after that,” I call out, going full bossy mode. “Get over here now.”

Owen closes the distance, stopping a foot in front of me. His eyes are wild. He’s breathing hard, but I doubt it’s from the short walk. “I wasn’t walking away. I needed air. I needed to breathe. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I’m sorry if I ruined dinner or this trip or our friendship. I’m sorry if I fucked up the pact,” he says, giving me no space to speak because he’s back on the same roll he started at the table. “But I’m not at all sorry about how I feel. And I’m tired of being scared of telling you. I’m tired of keeping this to myself, River. I just love you, and I’m in love with you, and I want you to let me love you, and last night was absolutely incredible,” he says, his voice trembling with emotion, his eyes brimming with vulnerability. “And I don’t want to lose you as a friend, and I know we made a pact, but I don’t think I can survive another second of feeling this way for you without telling you.” He stops, takes a breath, then shrugs helplessly, holds out his hands. “I’m so in love with you. And I want you to be my friend, and my lover, and my boyfriend. You’re the one man I want to be good to, and I really hope you’ll let me.”

I’m not speechless very often.

Talking is kind of my thing.

It’s my jam. My pleasure. My defense. It guides me through nearly any situation.

Right now, though, I don’t even know where to start, or how to respond to the magnificence of his words. His big, beautiful, honest, amazing words that crack my heart even more open for him.

But I also can’t stay silent after that kind of profession. So I choose words and actions. I close the distance between us, grabbing his face, holding him tight and whispering, “Do you know what happened to me yesterday?”

“Tell me.” His voice is as desperate as my heart is for him.

“I fell in love with you last night. Is that crazy?”

“No. It’s awesome,” he says, with ten tons of relief in his voice, and another ten of joy.

“I don’t even know what to make of all these wild emotions that are just slamming into me left and right, but I know that I want to stay in love with you. And I don’t want to lose you, Owen. You are the best person I have ever known,” I say, and my heart is shouting his name, begging to get closer. “So clearly the only thing for me to do is be the greatest boyfriend anyone has ever been... so that I can keep you.”

Owen’s smile reaches into my soul. “Keep me. Please, keep me,” he says, and all I want is to cozy up with this man who lets himself be so beautifully vulnerable with me. It’s such a privilege to get to love a man like him. And I plan to treat this love like the great gift it is. I slide a palm through his lush hair, and bring him in for a kiss.

Our lips touch in the cold as the chill wraps around us, but I’m warm inside. Warm from the center of my being as I kiss Owen, and he kisses me back, and this doesn’t at all feel like any of our other kisses.

It feels like a whole new promise.

One where we’re saying we’ll look out for each other’s hearts. We’ll protect our friendship. And we’ll cherish this brand-new love.

Owen’s lips drive me crazy. His taste lights me up. The sweep of his mouth on mine, coupled with his greedy murmurs, sends sparks crackling down my body.

So the kiss doesn’t stay soft and tender long.

It turns more urgent. More hungry. Soon, we’re both moaning and gasping... and then, we’re laughing.

“I’m getting so turned on kissing you,” he rasps out.

I yank him against me so he can feel what he does to me. “Join the club, pal .”

Owen laughs again, but doesn’t let me go. His hands slide down my arms, rubbing them, warming me up.

“River, I thought I would say something later tonight, but I couldn’t take it any longer,” he says, and it’s like a dam is breaking, and my guy just can’t stop talking. I am good with that because I’m here to catch all the things he’s saying. To treat them as precious, since they are, and so is he. “I’ve had so many feelings for you for so long, and they’re all kind of spilling out tonight. You just... make me... I can’t even think straight...” He presses his forehead to mine. “I just love you. I just do.”

And my whole world is brighter, bigger, better.

Because of him, and this, and us.

I kiss the corner of Owen’s smile. “Last night took me by surprise, but I also think maybe it’s been happening all along.”

“Definitely,” he says.

I pull back, meet his gaze, and confess. “Lately, I’ve been thinking about you in all new ways.”

His smile grows impossibly sexier. “That so?”

“It is so so. Not just yesterday on the road trip. But a few days ago at my bar. Honestly, every time I’ve seen you recently, my mind has started wandering.”

“And where does it travel to?”

“Your lips. Your face. Your body. You. Just you. All of you, Owen,” I say, serving up the full truth to this man I absolutely adore.

He sighs softly, like I’ve made him so happy. “I want it to keep wandering, River.”

“Oh it will, hottie. It will. My body likes wandering with you. And my heart sure does too. We both want all of you... but I also think I’m about to become a leading candidate for a human icicle if we stay outside any longer, so what if we return to dinner?”

“Let’s get you inside.” He takes my hand, and we go back to the house.

We head through the living room to the dining room. Nisha is lifting a forkful of carrots, TJ is clinking glasses with Jillian, and Reese is laughing at something Holden said.

The noise dulls as we reach the table.

Owen stops, and I do too. He clears his throat. “So, I wanted introduce all of you to my boyfriend. This is River.”

I squeeze his hand, then smile at the Friendsgiving crew. “So great to meet all of my boyfriend’s friends. I’ve heard so much about everyone, and I can see why you adore Owen, because he is the best.”

I drop a kiss to Owen’s chilly cheek.

TJ slow claps, and in seconds, everyone joins in.

Owen and I return to our chairs and finish dinner, and it tastes fantastic.

Including the pecan pie I bought at a store.