Chapter 19
River was in a panic. She had been sure that Brianna would be getting coffee with Mel, but they were nowhere in sight. She wondered if Brianna could be at Mel’s home. River sped towards Mel and Willow’s home. She could just call Willow and ask, but she was so close. And if they weren’t there, River could have Willow help her find them.
Mel’s car was still parked in the driveway, but Brianna’s car was nowhere to be found. Fuck. River parked her car on the road and walked to the front door. Willow answered her on the first knock. River watched as her friend scanned her quickly then ushered her inside. Willow would already know that something was wrong, she had a sixth sense about those things. At her feet Sushi and Mase were excitedly sniffing River, waiting for their pets. River couldn’t deny them and leaned down for kisses and to give them each a pet.
“Hey, what’s going on?” Willow asked.
River had to laugh. She knew that this was Willow’s attempt at subtlety.
“I have a long story to tell you,” River sighed.
“I’ll put on some tea,” Willow offered.
River sat on Willow’s plush couch and waited for the familiar sound of the kettle. When she heard it, the tension inside of River eased. Willow brought out two mugs of tea and handed one to River. Willow sat beside her on the couch. She crossed her legs and waited for River to talk. River took in a deep breath.
“Do you know where Mel and Brianna went?” River asked.
“They went for coffee as far as I know,” Willow offered.
River sighed again. She’d already checked their favorite coffee place, and there hadn’t been a sign of Brianna or Mel. She would have to wait a little longer to resolve things with Brianna.
“What’s going on, buddy?” Willow asked with obvious concern.
“Tiff came by today,” River started.
“Gross. What did she want?”
River loved that Willow had that reaction to the mention of Tiff’s name.
“She wanted to tell me that she missed me. She was sorry. She’s pretty sure she can do better in the future.”
“Double gross,” Willow laughed.
“It gets worse.”
“With Tiff I would be surprised if it didn’t,” Willow laughed.
“She proposed to me.”
Willow spewed her tea out of her mouth. The liquid landed all over her coffee table. River had to laugh.
“She proposed? How the hell did Tiff go from cheating on you to a proposal?”
“Your guess is as good as mine. But the worst part is that Brianna walked in mid proposal.”
“No, that’s awful.” Willow shook her head in disbelief.
“Exactly.”
“What did Brianna say?”
“Nothing, really. She basically just ran away before I had a chance to say anything,” River groaned.
“I get that,” Willow admitted.
“Well, I don’t. If she had just waited two more minutes, she could have heard me completely tell Tiff off.”
“True. But it can’t be easy to walk in on your girlfriend getting proposed to by her ex. The same ex that you picked over her not so long ago,” Willow said. She gave River her best you know I’m right look.
River threw her head back against the couch cushions. When Willow was right, she was right. River hadn’t taken the time to consider things from that point of view. She had only taken her and Brianna’s recent relationship into consideration. River nodded her head.
“You’re right. I didn’t think about it that way. But yeah, it makes sense that the whole thing got to Brianna.”
From outside they heard the sound of a car pulling into the driveway. River stood up way too fast. Her leg protested almost immediately, sending a sharp pain up through River’s body. She moved through the pain taking a slow steadying step. If Brianna left before talking to her she didn’t know what she would do. Mel came through the front door and eyed River. River found herself searching Mel’s face. What had Brianna told her about the encounter with Tiff? What might Brianna’s interpretation of events be? She didn’t find any judgment in Mel’s eyes. Instead, Mel pulled her in for a hug.
“Don’t worry, everything is going to be okay,” Mel assured her.
“Thanks,” River smiled.
“Brianna is on the porch waiting for you.”
At least there was that. Brianna hadn’t run away this time. She was waiting for River. That had to mean something. River slowly made her way through the front door. The dogs excitedly greeted Mel. Brianna was leaning against a post on the front porch. River felt her body tighten. Brianna was always a knockout, but standing in the sunlight she was the picture of casual sexiness. River closed the door behind her. She knew that their friends would give them the privacy they needed to talk. Just like she knew they’d be there for them no matter what happened during their conversation.
“Hey,” River said simply.
Brianna turned to face her. When Brianna’s eyes landed on River her smile widened.
“Hey,” Brianna answered back.
“I’m sorry about earlier.”
River already felt like she might be on the verge of tears. Brianna took her by the hand and led her to the plastic porch chairs. They sat together in silence for a moment.
“You don’t have to apologize. I should be apologizing for running away,” Brianna reassured her.
“No, I understand why you did. That had to be a hard thing to walk in on.”
“I won’t lie. It did suck.”
Brianna smiled but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“What did you end up saying to Tiff?” Brianna asked.
River watched as Brianna scrunched up her face, trying to prepare for River’s answer. River reached over and took Brianna by the hand.
“I told her that the position for my forever person had already been filled.”
River locked eyes with Brianna and smiled. She watched as a mix of happiness and relief poured over Brianna.
“Damn right,” Brianna laughed. River watched a single tear fall down Brianna’s cheek. River wiped the tear away with her thumb and stroked Brianna’s face.
“I should have settled things with Tiff sooner. When she cheated on me, I was done. And I thought that would be apparent to her. So, when she reached out saying she missed me, I didn’t respond. I should have told her then that I was in a new relationship and wasn’t interested. Maybe if I had we could have avoided this entire situation,” River admitted.
“No, she was the guilty party. You had every right to stop responding to her. You didn’t owe her an explanation. And I should have trusted you and our relationship more.”
“Probably but I understand why you questioned it.”
“You do?” Brianna asked.
“Sure. Things have been good between us. And I like to think that I’ve been a pretty great girlfriend. But it wasn’t so long ago that I picked Tiff over you. I made what I thought was the best choice with the information I had at the time. But I was wrong to pick Tiff. She had already shown me how little she cared about me. I was just too blind to open my eyes and see it.”
River squeezed Brianna’s hand, hoping that the woman could sense how true her words were. Brianna tightened her grip, reaffirming that they both felt the same way.
“Listen, I need you to know that from now on, you will always be my choice. No one has ever loved me the way that you have. No one has ever showed up for me the way you show up for me. I want to spend the rest of my life showing up for you in the same way.”
River’s voice cracked with emotion as she spoke.
“I feel the same way. You are it for me. I want to spend every day for the rest of my life with you by my side. The time we’ve spent together has been the best time of my life, I feel so lucky to have found you,” Brianna smiled.
“Me, too. Like I said, you’re my person.”
River leaned in, kissing Brianna on the cheek.
“You’re my person, too.”
Brianna’s lips found River’s. She pulled River in for a soft kiss. The front door opened, and Willow stuck her head through the doorway.
“So, how are we feeling?” Willow asked.
“We feel good about it,” River responded with a laugh.
“Very good about it,” Brianna reaffirmed.
“Great. Mel’s making pasta for dinner. She wants to know if the two of you are staying?” Willow blushed.
“If she wants to feed us, we’re definitely staying,” River laughed.
“We never turn down good food,” Brianna added.
“Great. Come on in whenever you’re ready.”
Willow stepped back inside and closed the door, leaving River and Brianna alone again.
“We have the best friends,” Brianna stated.
“We really do,” River laughed.
“Do we want to go inside?” Brianna asked.
“I think we want to stay out here for another ten minutes,” River grinned.
“That’s oddly specific. Can I ask why?”
“Because that way we can make out through sunset.”
“Who knew you were such a romantic?” Brianna teased.
“Are you going to tease me, or kiss me?” River laughed.
“I can do both,” Brianna chuckled as she leaned in to kiss River full on the mouth. River gave into the sensation fully. The love she had found with Brianna was everything she could have dreamed of. And the best part was that their story was just beginning.