21. Riley
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
RILEY
“ N ova asked me if I could run to the store to get some things for today.” I look at Nash, raising an eyebrow at him. “Do you know why the hell she would need any of these things?”
I show the list Nova texted me and watch Nash’s face as he reads over the message.
Nova: I need a can of water chestnuts, some red beets, boba, and cotija cheese.
“She needs all this for the baby shower?”
“I have no clue,” I tell him, feeling a touch of confusion, but Nova wouldn’t respond to any other messages I sent her. “She asked if I could come drop it all off at her house and then she’d give me a ride to the venue.”
Nash moves about the kitchen, almost acting like he’s avoiding looking at me as he pours a cup of coffee. “I don’t know what to tell you, love. My sister’s strange sometimes.”
“Yeah, but I don’t get it,” I persist, reading over the list again. What the hell does she need a can of water chestnuts for? “I don’t even know what stores I need to hit to get some of this stuff.”
“Do you want me to come with you?” Nash offers, lifting his mug to his lips as he takes a sip of the black bitter liquid. “I could see if I could get out of the team-bonding thing.”
I shake my head at him as I play over what he told me last night. They have some team-bonding activity today, so he planned on coming toward the end of the baby shower. “No, you can’t miss it. I don’t want you to get in any kind of trouble.”
“Don’t stress over the list Nova sent you,” he tells me as he sets his mug down on the counter. “Just get what you can and I’ll come get you from the shower later, okay?”
“Okay,” I say, nodding as I take a deep breath. “I’ll go to whatever stores I can, but if I can’t find something, she’s going to have to do without it.”
Nash walks over to me, his hands cupping the side of my face as he presses his lips to my forehead. “Good,” he says softly, pulling back to look at me.
“Speaking of weird things, you didn’t happen to see any packages outside yesterday, did you?”
Nash tilts his head to the side, his lips pulling downward as his eyebrows scrunch together. “No. What packages were they?”
My nostrils flare and I let out a deep sigh. “All the furniture for the baby’s room. I got an email that said it was delivered and I forgot to check yesterday evening. When I looked this morning, there was nothing there.”
Nash’s face relaxes, but he looks annoyed. “Where did you order it from? I’ll call them on my way to the arena and see if they know what’s going on.”
“I can do it,” I tell him as he takes a step away from me, collecting his keys and phone from the counter. “I hope they can send a replacement or track down the packages.”
“Give me their info, Riley. You don’t need to worry about any of that today.”
“Okay,” I agree, a smile pulling on my lips as I open my phone and go through my emails. I find the one with the delivery info, take a screenshot, and send it to Nash. “I just sent it to you.”
“Perfect,” he says with a smile of satisfaction as he looks at me once more. He goes to move and stops himself, the anticipation hanging in the air between us. It almost looks like he’s conflicted and then it abruptly washes away from his face as he steps closer to me.
His hand finds my chin, tilting my head back as his face drops down to mine. His lips swiftly meet my own, kissing me sweetly before he pulls away. “See you later, love.”
My heart is in my throat and it takes me a second to get the word out. “Bye.”
Contentment floods me as I watch Nash head out the door. Just the fact that I know I’ll see him later brings me the sense of peace I need.
He makes everything easier, while at the same time making everything complicated. My heart knows what it wants and it wants him.
***
Nova was expecting me when I got to her house and she didn’t pay any attention to the bags of random shit I brought her from the store. She simply thanked me, put it on the counter, and ushered me out the door, claiming we were going to be late if we didn’t leave immediately.
We were going to be late because of the wild-goose chase she sent me on, looking for a bunch of ingredients that aren’t needed in one recipe.
When we pull up to the old historical mansion, the breath leaves my lungs in a rush. It’s a beautiful manor built of stone with ivy sweeping up the sides of the building. I’ve heard of Greendale Estate before, but this is the first time I’m seeing it in person.
It’s tucked down a long lane, surrounded by the most beautiful gardens. Nova walks with me as we make our way to the front door. The small parking lot is already filled with cars and when we walk inside, I’m blown away by the delicate flowers and pastel colors decorating the inside.
Nonna and Posey are in the foyer area, Posey running over to me to give my stomach a kiss before her small hand slips into mine and she pulls me with her. We walk into the main room and I see the familiar faces of all our friends and family.
Bethany waves at me from where she’s fixing an arrangement on one of the tables. At the table next to her, I see Mia Landry, Nash’s coach’s daughter, Quinn, the team’s physical therapist, and a few of the other players’ wives and girlfriends.
At another table are some of Nash and Nova’s family that I’ve known for many years, and at another are a few of my cousins and my mother. I’m surprised to see her and I walk right to her as she stands up and pulls me in for a hug.
“You are glowing, baby,” my mother says as she cups the sides of my face. “How are you feeling?”
Even though she lives farther away, she’s been checking in with me periodically throughout my pregnancy. It’s not the same as having her nearby, but I got used to being separated from my family long ago. We’ve never had a close relationship and although it’s something I wish we had, it’s something I accepted years ago.
“I’m good. Everything is going pretty well now,” I tell her, a smile on my lips. “Thank you for coming.”
“You know I wouldn’t have missed it.”
The smile on my face feels a little more forced and I nod at her. It’s such a lie and she’s most likely here because of the guilt, but it’s fine. This is how my mother operates. When I told her the news of being pregnant and that I wasn’t with the father, she was less than thrilled. She came around to it and has been supportive since, but only from afar and only when it suits her.
Leaving my mother with my cousins, I turn around, spotting a table with a few faces I didn’t expect to see. The Ford brothers, Rowan, Hayes, and Lincoln are all sitting together. A confused smile pulls on my lips as I walk over to the guys. Some of their significant others aren’t here, but the guys weren’t supposed to come from what Nova told me.
They were all supposed to be at a team-bonding activity.
“What are you guys doing here?”
They all take turns pulling me in for a hug, the last being Carson as he leaves his arm wrapped around me. “It was only for some of the guys,” he tells me. “We all had different activities we were doing and we finished early. Nash should be here in a little bit.”
Disappointment washes over me and what he says seems a little strange, but I don’t question him on it. I don’t fully know everything the team does together, so, in a way, it kind of makes sense. Although, it’s a little weird that these five ended up together and Nash wasn’t with any of them.
“Come on,” Nova says, linking her arm through mine. “We need you at the front of the room.” She turns to the entire room. “Food is in the kitchen if everyone wants to help themselves.”
Nova leads me into the massive kitchen, ushering me along the line as I fill my plate with some food. After I get everything I need, she takes me back into the main room, taking me toward the fireplace where there’s a balloon arch over the small couch in the center. I take my seat and Nova leaves me to eat as she goes to find Posey.
Everyone files back into the room, taking their seats as they start to eat. I look around the room, watching everyone as they fall into their own comfortable conversations and suddenly, I feel completely alone in a room full of people. Sadness consumes me, my chest growing tighter as I set my fork down on my plate.
I don’t want to burden anyone with my feelings or my thoughts, but goddamn, this is increasingly becoming uncomfortable. Nova is with Posey. Nonna is with the boys. Everyone is at their table, talking and laughing, and then there’s me.
I swallow roughly, pushing back the emotion that threatens to consume me, no thanks to the pregnancy hormones, when I hear the front door quietly opening. Turning my head to look, I stare at the doorway, relief flooding me as he steps past the threshold. His eyes find mine in an instant, his face lighting up as soon as he sees me.
He doesn’t stop to say anything to anyone. Instead, he walks directly to me, not stopping until he’s standing directly in front of me. “Hey you,” he murmurs, his words only meant for me. “Sorry I didn’t get here sooner.”
Solace sweeps across me. “It’s okay.” I smile up at him, scooting over. Nash doesn’t hesitate to sit down next to me, his arm instinctively resting on the top of the couch along my shoulders. “You’re here now.”
He hands me a small box.
“What’s this?”
“I’m appalled that you expected me to show up empty-handed to your baby shower.” He lifts his hand to his chest. “You wound me, Riley.” Then he winks at me. “Open it.”
My gaze drops down to the small box and I pull the ribbon before tearing the paper away. Our surroundings fade away and it’s just the two of us as I lift the lid. A gasp escapes me, emotion building in my chest as I see the world’s smallest Aston Archers jersey.
“Oh my god, look at this,” I murmur, lifting it from the box as my eyes scan the front of the infant-sized jersey. I didn’t even know they made ones this small. “This is so adorable.”
“Flip it over,” he says softly, his eyes gently probing mine.
My breath catches in my throat as I flip it over. Instead of a last name, it says BABY across the back of the jersey. My vision blurs as I see the number on the back.
17.
Nash’s number.
“I wasn’t sure if you decided on a name yet, so I figured ‘baby’ was the safest bet,” he explains with a nervousness as a ghost of a smile plays across his lips.
“It’s perfect,” I tell him, my gaze burning directly into his soul as my heart swells inside my chest.
You’re perfect.
***
“Riley, we’re home.”
My eyelids slowly lift and I move to sit up straighter in my seat as I look out the window. Nash parks the car in my driveway and kills the engine as he turns to look at me. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”
“It’s okay,” he says softly with the gentlest smile. “You had a long and exhausting day, so it’s only natural to be tired. Let’s get you inside so you can get comfortable.”
“Thank you,” I tell him, letting out a yawn. “I want to help carry some of the baby’s things inside.”
Nash narrows his eyes on me. “You can carry a shirt or a book. I get to decide what is or isn’t too heavy for you.”
A soft laugh slips from my lips and I roll my eyes at him. “Yes, sir.”
“I like that.” A heated look grows in his eyes. “Maybe I need to order you around more often.”
“Yeah, because I’m not going to argue with you or anything,” I say with sarcasm heavy in my tone.
A smirk drifts across his lips. “It turns me on even more when you do that shit.”
A rush of warmth goes straight to my center and I quickly get out of the enclosed space before this ends up turning into something in the front seat of his car. I meet Nash at the back of the car and he hands me two gift bags that barely weigh anything. He instructs me to go open the door and I do as he says, unlocking the front door and holding it open for him as he carries in a few boxes.
He leaves them at the top of the stairs then heads back out to get another load. I head over to the nursery, letting myself into the baby’s room. As I step inside, I stop in my tracks, the air leaving my lungs in a rush. Somehow the same crib, changing table, and dresser I ordered are all inside the nursery perfectly constructed and arranged.
I glance around the room, tears springing to my eyes as I take it all in. There’s a rug by the crib and curtains hung by the windows. Everything I ordered and thought was missing is here.
His footsteps are light as he walks into the room, setting down a few boxes as I turn around to face him. Nash’s eyes meet mine.
“Where did you get these things?” I question him, attempting to blink away the tears. “This is everything I ordered. Everything that was missing.”
A smile lifts Nash’s lips as his eyes probe mine. “They were never missing, Ry.” A soft chuckle escapes him as he closes the distance between us. “I hid them yesterday afternoon.”
“Is this where you were earlier today?”
His grin turns sheepish as he nods. “There was no team building activity. I needed to get you out of the house to put everything together before you got home.”
All of this—he did it all for me.
Nash lifts his hands to cup the sides of my face, his thumbs sweeping across my cheeks to catch the tears as they fall from my eyes.
“You gave me my dream nursery.”
Emotion envelops his expression. “I just want you to be happy, Riley. You deserve all the good in the world.”
“I am happy,” I tell him, stepping closer to him as I lift my hands to his waist. Nash Simmons has the biggest heart. The sweetest soul. He is the kindest man. “You make me happy.”
“Riley…” he murmurs, my name like a plea on his lips as a fire burns brightly in his eyes. He’s waiting to make his play, but as I lift up onto my toes, I beat him to it.