Chapter 16
RIVER
Two weeks.
It had been two weeks since Mathew had asked River out on an official date—and she’d accepted.
Maybe she’d agreed because she was tired and not feeling like herself. Or maybe he’d gotten through to her with all his sweet gestures. Or maybe she didn’t want to fight the feelings she finally realized she was developing.
None of that mattered because tonight he’d pick her up and they’d go on a date.
River couldn’t remember the last real date she’d been on.
There had been plenty of nights when she’d hang out with guys she’d met while on her travels, but she never stayed anywhere long enough to make any true connections. This had been the first time in years she’d allowed herself to get close enough to anyone for that to happen.
River’s stomach fluttered—an unfamiliar, reckless feeling. She didn’t do fluttery.
She braced her hands on the edge of the sink and stared at her reflection like it might offer an explanation. The woman looking back at her seemed… softer. Less guarded.
And that was the part that unnerved her most.
Mathew was getting under her skin in a way that didn’t make sense, and worse, she was starting to let him.
River didn’t trust easily. If she were honest, she’d even admit that Emerson wasn’t someone she trusted enough to lean on. That was why she hadn’t told anyone how bad her flu had gotten. Mathew was the only one who knew.
Rose was aware she’d been under the weather, but that was the extent of it.
Refusing to pick apart the reasons she didn’t like to let anyone in, River turned to the mirror and studied herself.
She wasn’t usually someone who wore makeup. It took too much time. She didn’t want a routine where she had to put it on just to scrub it off a few hours later. Mascara was one thing, just enough to make her look awake and alive on the days she felt like neither.
She frowned at the little compact on the counter. Blush felt like overkill.
With a sigh, she dabbed a small amount on anyway—more out of stubbornness than enthusiasm. The powder had been in her bag since high school. Probably expired.
Do people even keep makeup this long?
A knock at the door startled her, and she sucked in a breath when she glanced at the time. She’d gotten lost in her own head again. Thankfully, she was mostly ready. All she had left was mascara and getting dressed.
“One minute,” she called. River tugged her robe tighter as she crossed the apartment and opened the door.
Mathew stood on the landing, and for a second she just… stared.
He wasn’t in a suit, thank goodness, but he’d clearly made an effort. Dark jeans, boots, a crisp button-down, and a jacket that fit him just right. Clean-shaven, hair neatly done. He looked less like a doctor dragging himself off a shift and more like a man who’d come to take her out.
Her gaze flicked to his face. “You clean up pretty well.”
His eyes swept over her, robe and all, and his mouth curved. “You look beautiful, but I was hoping you’d wear something besides a bathrobe.”
Heat rose in her cheeks, and she folded her arms like that could hide the fact she’d answered the door half dressed. “You’re early.”
He glanced at his watch. “Actually, I’m right on time.”
Goodness. The image of him standing there like that could have been captured and put on a magazine cover.
River gave him a look. “What happened to being fashionably late?”
Mathew stepped a fraction closer, close enough that she caught the clean scent of him, close enough that her pulse did something inconvenient. For a heartbeat she thought he might kiss her.
Instead, he lifted his hand and traced a light knuckle along her jaw—barely there, but it lit up her nerves anyway.
“I didn’t want to waste a single minute of our time together,” he said, with the most genuine tone she’d ever heard.
The words landed harder than they should’ve. No teasing. No charm for show. Just an honest from-the-heart statement.
River swallowed, forcing air back into her lungs. “Lucky for you, I’ll be ready in five.”
That’s when she noticed what he was holding…flowers, cradled carefully in one hand.
He followed her gaze, then looked back at her, almost cautious. “I’ll set these inside. If you don’t have a vase, I’ll find something else to put them in while you finish getting ready.”
River nodded, too quickly, and stepped back to let him in before she did something ridiculous like stare at him all night.
Then she turned and hurried to her room, her heart thudding like she was falling in love.
They pulled up in front of the country club. River knew it also housed the best restaurant in town. She’d put on her nicest outfit, but sitting here in the passenger seat, it still didn’t feel like enough.
Before Mathew could climb out, she caught his hand.
He looked down at her fingers wrapped around his, then lifted his gaze. “Something wrong?”
She swallowed. “This is… a lot.”
His brows drew together. “A lot how?”
“The dinner. The flowers. All of it.” She made a small, helpless gesture toward the building. “You don’t have to do this.”
Mathew turned toward her fully, his gaze locking with hers. Instead of arguing, he brought his hand to her cheek, which completely threw off her train of thought.
“River,” he said softly, “I know I don’t have to do this. But I want to.” His thumb brushed once along her cheekbone. “I asked you out because I wanted to spend time with you. I wanted to take you out and do something nice.”
Her throat tightened. “But it costs—”
“I can handle dinner.” His mouth curved in a boyish grin. “And after it’s over, if it still feels like too much, you tell me. We can do coffee next time. Or burgers. Or anything else you’d rather do.”
Something in her chest loosened at that, at the way he offered her an out without making her feel small for needing one.
She nodded, once. “Okay.”
Mathew slid out first, then came around to her side. When she stepped onto the pavement, he offered his arm.
River hesitated for a heartbeat before hooking her hand into the crook of his elbow.
It felt… unreal. Like someone had plucked her from reality and dropped her in the middle of a fairy tale. This wasn’t the life she’d ever pictured herself living. Mathew was practically Prince Charming, and she was the poor girl in town who didn’t have a penny or a family to her name.
It wasn’t that this whole situation made her feel uncomfortable. She was flexible. There had been plenty of times in her life when she’d had to make adjustments to the way she viewed the world. And right now, it seemed like Mathew wanted to pull her into his orbit.
If anything, it was thrilling. So maybe she should just relax and enjoy the moment.
As he guided them toward the entrance, he leaned close enough that only she could hear him. “I think we’re going to have a really good time tonight.”
Swallowing, she nodded, then let out a slow breath. “I think so, too.”
He flashed her another smile and that funny flip happened in her stomach once more.
No one had ever affected her the way he did.
It was dangerous. She’d never allowed herself to be open to someone before, and in this moment, she could feel the shift taking place.
River wanted to be something important to this man. She wanted more with him.
As terrifying as that sounded, she was willing to take the risk.
They were seated at a table with a view of the mountains that surrounded the valley. The sun was sinking behind the peaks, throwing gold and pink across the sky. It was beautiful.
But the longer they sat there, the more River realized the view wasn’t what had her attention.
It was Mathew.
And he seemed… different.
The more she observed him, the more she noticed. This wasn’t the stiff doctor who had helped her out when she’d been hurt that first time. The man seated across from her seemed more relaxed, more sure of himself.
And geez, if that wasn’t a new kind of attractive.
He caught her staring over the top of his menu. “What?”
River propped her chin in her hand, the question slipping out before she could overthink it. “What were you like as a kid?”
The question surprised even her. She wasn’t normally interested in getting to know someone on a deeper level. Adding layers to the personality of someone she was dating wasn’t wise. That led to connections and attachments—something she couldn’t afford.
Until now.
His expression shifted, surprised, then amused. “That depends.” One side of his mouth lifted. “If I tell you, you have to tell me something too.”
She smirked. And for the first time in a long while, she didn’t feel sick to her stomach at sharing parts of her past. “Deal.”
The waitress arrived, and they ordered. When she walked away, Mathew leaned back, thoughtful.
“My dad believed hard work was the measure of a good man,” he said, voice careful. “I was the oldest, so I learned early how to be responsible. How to… keep everything together.”
A flicker of something painful crossed his eyes, gone almost as soon as it appeared.
River reached across the table and took his hand, squeezing once.
He tightened his grip like he needed the contact more than he wanted to admit.
“At the time,” he continued, “it didn’t feel unusual. It just felt like… life. Baseball was the one place I got to be a kid.” His gaze softened. “That’s where I had friends. That’s where I got to breathe.”
“So you weren’t the rebellious one,” River teased, trying to keep things light.
His quiet smile returned. “There wasn’t much room for rebellion.”
River huffed. “There’s always room for a little spontaneity at least.”
Mathew’s bright eyes studied her for a moment, scanning her face before he nodded. His thumb traced the back of her hand as he whispered, “I’m beginning to understand that.”
River watched his touch with fascination. It was so simple and gentle, and yet it stirred a whirlwind in her chest.
“What about you?” he asked. “Were you the rebel?”
River let out a short breath. “Not really. I was… more tired than rebellious.” Skye came to mind.
She’d been rather quiet since she’d been bailed out of the county jail.
Text messages from River had been left as read with no response.
River could only hope that she was doing okay.
She stared at their joined hands for a moment before forcing herself to look up.
“I moved a lot. Foster homes. Different rules. Different expectations.” She lifted a shoulder.
“I got pretty good at staying out of the way.”
Mathew’s brows lifted, and she fought the instinct to shy away from him. If she truly wanted to have more of this… with him… then she needed to be willing to share the side of her she never allowed anyone to see.
She coughed to clear her throat. “Honestly, I didn’t stick around long enough to become a big problem.
I got shuffled around a lot. Moved to plenty of different houses but not for the reasons you’d think.
Sometimes people only fostered to make extra money.
Not because they really wanted to help.” Looking up at the ceiling, she fought the emotion attempting to break free.
“I tried to make things easy on people, but…” Her voice broke and she shrugged before forcing a smile.
“People can’t always stick around, especially when you aren’t their child. ”
He continued to watch her with that penetrating stare that unnerved her so much.
The tension between them was far too tumultuous.
She needed to break it before it crashed down around both of them.
Letting out a strangled laugh, she shook her head.
“That’s why I think I like working with your cousins.
Your family seems to look out for the people around them.
” She finally tugged her hand free and wiped beneath her eyes, even though there wasn’t a tear to speak of.
“Emerson sings their high praises. And he’s been around for a while. ”
Mathew was frowning, and she hated that she’d dragged the earlier smile from his face.
So she cleared her throat and tried to steer the conversation back onto safer ground. “Okay, enough about that. When I asked what you were like as a child, I meant funny stories. Like, did you ever want to play pretend and be the doctor with your siblings as your nurse and patient?”
Mathew blinked, then burst out laughing.
River laughed too, relief washing through her as the heaviness eased.
The rest of the evening only got better after that. They stayed on lighter topics, and Mathew told stories of his childhood that made her genuinely smile.
By the time he walked her up to her apartment door, she didn’t want the night to end.
River turned toward him, her fingers resting on the doorknob. “I liked tonight,” she said, quieter than she meant to. “With you.”
Mathew’s eyes held hers, warm and searching, like he could see into her soul.
“And...” She swallowed, forcing herself to finish. “I’d like to do it again... if you want to.”
His smile spread slowly, like he was trying not to look too pleased and failing anyway.
“I’d like that,” he said.
River’s breath caught, because something about the way he said it felt like a promise.
Then he stepped closer—close enough that the air shifted between them.
His hand settled at her waist, making a warmth spread throughout her body. The other lifted, his fingers brushing a loose strand of hair away from her face.
River didn’t move. Couldn’t. Not when his touch was stealing the breath right out of her lungs.
His gaze dropped to her mouth, then lifted back to her eyes, giving her one last chance to pull away.
She didn’t.
Mathew leaned in, slow but sure, and when his lips met hers, the kiss wasn’t rushed or hungry—it was gentle. Warm. The kind of kiss that made her feel like they were the only two people in the world.
Her fingers curled in the front of his shirt without permission, holding on because her knees had gone a little untrustworthy. And when he deepened the kiss—she melted into it before she could stop herself.
This… was getting dangerous.
When he pulled back, his forehead rested against hers for a few heartbeats, like he didn’t want to let the moment go.
River exhaled shakily. “Well,” she managed.
His quiet laugh brushed across her skin. “Well… looks like the chances of me being your happily ever after just got higher.”
The faintest memory of a similar conversation flooded her senses. She’d asked him if he was going to be her happily ever after when she first met him, but she’d been teasing. Judging by the sparkle in his eyes, he hadn’t forgotten.
She looked up at him with a small smile on her face, still trying to remember how breathing worked. “Looks like it did. Goodnight, Mathew.”
His eyes softened at his name on her lips. “Goodnight, River.”
She stepped inside, closing the door behind her. Heart racing, cheeks warm, and feeling far too aware that this one date… had just changed everything.