Chapter 28
Everything is ready, Savannah texts me. The players are starting to arrive, so it’s about time for the birthday boy to make an appearance.
I smile and put my phone in the pocket of my dress.
Across the diner booth at Gem’s, I slide my gaze to the birthday boy in question. River is buried in his phone, sending a series of furious texts. I place one hand on his, gently pulling him from la-la-land. “Everything okay?”
He looks up, turns his phone over, and gives me a crooked smile.
“Yeah. Sorry. I got kind of distracted, but this birthday brunch has been awesome.”
I refuse to be suspicious today. After all, it is his birthday, even though I only found out about it because Sarah texted me, asking what our plans for today were.
So I just gloss over his weird behavior.
Maybe his birthday makes him angsty and pouty.
I snake his hand from across the table, squeezing it gently.
“This is unrelated to your birthday. But I wanted you to know that I’m officially ovulating again.”
River cocks his head, a little smirk on his mouth. “Oh yeah? Is that supposed to let me know that I am free to hold up my end of the baby bargain whenever I like?”
“In the next thirty-six hours.” I bite my lip playfully. “I am trying to make this sexy as opposed to scheduled sex.”
“It’s sexy. Trust me.”
“Good.” I look him up and down. “So what’s eating at you?”
He sighs. “A project at work. I accepted a construction bid from a company that has the right speed and blueprints. But unfortunately… the construction foreman is Bishop.”
“Whoa!” I protest. I feel a twist in my heart at Bishop’s name. But it’s funny I feel the hurt less than I would have few months ago, before I met River.
Maybe the key to letting go really is moving on.
I try to be pragmatic. “The company must really have its ducks in a row if you are still choosing to work with them.”
“They do.” River screws up his face. “I’m trying to get out of the deal.”
I rub my thumb against the palm of his hand. “You know, I admire that about you. Someone willing to throw down with Bishop isn’t exactly the easiest thing to find in a…” I hesitate for a second. “A fake fiancé, I guess. I’m not sure what to call you.”
He grins and stretches out his hand to emphasize his words. “I like to think I’m a partner in creating life.”
“Sure.” I laugh. “Anyway, I just thought that I would tell you that I love that about you.”
His eyes narrow on my face. “Is that right?”
My face heats. I just came very close to telling River that I love him. Which is absolutely not part of the plan.
Sure, it’s something I’ve been thinking about. Pondering. Musing. But not actually thinking of saying out loud, for god’s sake.
Releasing his hand, I give him a stoic look. “Let’s go. I have another surprise for you.”
I start scooting out of the booth. River screws up his face and pulls out his wallet. As if I would actually let him pay at my place of work on his birthday.
“Don’t,” I say, pushing his hand with the wallet back under the table. “Seriously.”
His eyes flash but he knows when to keep his mouth shut. He slides out of the booth and stands, stretching. I put a casual arm around his waist and walk him to the door. His hand rests on my shoulder.
To all the world, we probably look like a real couple in love.
We are the only ones that know the truth. We made our expectations perfectly clear.
Butterflies erupt in my stomach, nervously fluttering around. I’m pretty sure that I’m the only one who is struggling with our situation.
Gem rushes up to us as we leave. “Have a happy birthday, River!”
“Thanks, Gem.” River squeezes me and smiles.
Gem looks at me. “You can have the day off tomorrow, if you want.”
“Really? You’ve got someone in mind to cover my shift?”
She nods. “My niece Mariana has come to stay with me for a few months. She’s always looking to make a little extra dinero.”
I lean into River. “Great. I think I could use a few extra hours to celebrate this guy’s birthday.”
“You have fun. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” Gem beams.
“Thanks, Gem,” River says again. He pulls me in close and kisses my head. “I’ll use the time wisely.”
The bell chimes as we push out the door. It’s bright today, nearly blinding, and windy as hell. I put on my sunglasses and River does the same.
“Are you ready for your second surprise?”
He grins. “I guess? I’m not used to people making a fuss for my birthdays.”
“What else is a fake fiancée for?” I quip.
River shakes his head and pulls me in for a long, steamy kiss with lots of tongue. His hands grip my hips. When he finally pulls back, I’m a little bit breathless and my pulse is racing. “You know, we could always celebrate the rest of my birthday in bed…”
“Oh, we’re going to do plenty of that tonight. Don’t you worry. I have something extra special in mind for you. But first…”
He groans. “You’re going to make me do something on my birthday?”
“You’ll want to see what I have planned. Trust me.”
River peers down into my face for a second. Then he tucks a strand of my hair behind my ears as he murmurs to me. “I do trust you, Pearl. I wanted to tell you–”
Whatever River was about to say is ruined by the arrival of a black Jeep with lifted tires and loud punk rock blaring from the speakers. River’s brother Rex is driving, Lucy is riding shotgun, and Brooks is in the backseat.
“Can I give you a lift to the party?” Rex shouts to be heard over the sound of the radio.
River raises his sunglasses and gives me a stern look. “Are they part of the surprise?”
“Rex!” Lucy says. She turns and punches Rex on the upper arm. Then she turns the music down. “Sorry, Pearl. He’s a caveman. He doesn’t realize that he is ruining weeks of work.”
River’s jaw drops. “Weeks of work?”
I wave her concerns away. “I think we should accept the ride, River.”
He stares at me hard for a second, before he lifts me up to give me better access to the backseat. I scramble in, saying a quick hi to Brooks, who salutes me stiffly.
Once River clambers in, he settles me in his lap. Rex takes off and drives straight down to the beach, whipping the Jeep left. River wraps his arms around me and whispers in my ear. “I hate surprises. You are so going to pay for this later.”
I turn my hear and press my lips to his ear. “Wait till you see what I got you. If you’re still mad by the time we’re alone, I promise that you can spank me.”
He grits his teeth. “Don’t get me all revved up while I’m in Rex’s back seat. I’m begging you.”
I laugh and his arms tighten around my waist as we race down the beach. We drive maybe ten minutes before Rex pulls up near the Bennett family home. Sam and Cole are pulling two coolers up to a village of large white beach tents covering long white tables and white chairs. Fifty feet away, someone has the grill fired up under another tent and the tangy scent of cooking meat wafts over to me.
We pile out of the Jeep, and Brooks points over to where Savannah and Sarah are handing out beer and soft drinks out of an oversized cooler.
“Is that… is that Zeke Porter?” he asks, referring to the enormous man hunching his shoulders while accepting a Coke from Sarah.
River straightens, his gaze on Zeke. His muscles seem to have locked up.
“That’s Ben, Riker, and Grady.” Rex swivels his head to look at me. “Did you invite the whole Atlanta Kings roster?”
“No.” I smile at Rex. “Sam actually helped me pick out who to invite. It’s my understanding that there is bad blood between you and a couple of your teammates. So we invited a select few who you get along with.”
I turn to River, expecting excitement. But instead, he looks a little pale.
“Baby.” I touch his hand. “Oh god. Don’t tell me you hate this present?”
He shakes his head, looking at me, his deep blue gaze seeming to impale me. Shock of all shocks, I see a sheen of tears in his eyes. I open my mouth, my heart skipping a beat. “Oh my god. Do you want to leave?” I squeak.
River pulls me close and kisses me so damn hard that his lips nearly bruise mine. His hands grip my shirt, his lips move against mine, I feel the stubbled texture on his tongue.
It’s funny, because for a second, I still can’t tell if he’s upset or mad or happy. I’m knotted up with cluelessness.
The kiss goes on for a second too long before River breaks it. He cups my cheek, looking at me. “You did this for me? Just to make me happy?”
I suck my lower lip into my mouth and nod.
“I love it,” he grates out. “Seriously, Pearl. Just… wow. No one has ever done anything like this for my birthday.”
Covering his hand with mine, I beam at him. “You deserve it, baby. Happy birthday.”
He kisses me again and then releases me. It’s only then that I realize that we were being watched by River’s entire family.
Oh. Right. That’s the whole point of any of this… isn’t it?
River grabs me by the hand and starts heading into the closest tent. He hugs his mom. Then we are introduced to the baseball players, all of whom are pretty chill and nice.
A short man with a full head of silver hair, and a black suit with a black shirt pops his head into the tent. “Am I at the right place?”
“Ray!” Rex says, surprised. “Guys, this is Ray Kendrick. He’s the owner of the Atlanta Kings.”
“Rex!” Ray says, shaking Rex’s hand. “How’s everyone getting along here?”
I lean over to River, who seems to be gazing at Ray with some kind of awe.
“Is he a big deal?” I whisper.
River nods. “The biggest. I’ve wanted to be this guy since I was fifteen.” He narrows his gaze. “Wait, if you didn’t ask him to be here… who did?”
“I have no idea.”
Rex claps River on the back. “Ray, this is my brother, River.”
“Ah!” Ray turns to River, shaking his hand. “You must be the reason I’m here. Your dad Sam asked me to swing by. Rex said that you have quite a bit of property on your hands. He said that you have an idea to develop it as a resort to cater to the new training camp.”
River blanches. “Uh, I do. But I don’t really want to talk business today, if it’s all the same to you, sir. I’ve… been… drinking?”
I whip my head around and give River a questioning look. But he ignores me.
The older man smiles. “Well, I know how that can be. And y’all can call me Ray.” Ray smiles as if he has had this exact experience thousands of times. Hell, maybe he has. “Where the hell is Sam?”
Suppressing a grin, I think how awkward River is being right now. I don’t think I’ve ever heard the word sir out of his mouth before and it shows.
Sam trundles into the tent. “Ray! You made it.”
Ray puts a hand on River’s shoulder. “Just meeting your son, here. He’s got your height, that’s for sure.”
Sam smiles at Ray and River. “You’re dead right, Ray. He’s a chip off the old block.”
River grimaces. Ray looks at River, then nods to Sam. “I’m going to steal your dad for a minute. We have a group fishing trip coming up and I want to nail down the details. I’ll catch up with you before I leave, though.”
“Of course.” River bows his head. When Ray is out of earshot, he mutters, “That’s my damn stepdad, not my dad.”
I have to bite my inner cheek to keep from chuckling. “You did well, even though he got your relationship to Sam wrong several times. Well done,” I say. “But what was with the drinking thing? You’re not drunk.”
“I’ll explain it later,” River whispers. “Just remind me.”
I hug his arm and bat my eyes at him. “Fair enough.”
Once Ray is gone, Sarah declares that the food is ready to be served. We grab plates and pile them high with steaks, ribs, potatoes with butter, cheese, and bacon pieces, corn, salad, and blueberry pie.
We sit at the long table and eat, talking with River’s family.
Honestly? I’m a little sad that soon enough, these family dinners will be off-limits for me. Being a part of River’s family, even in such a temporary way, has been really eye opening. The way his family values having fun is something I will miss.
My family wants to have fun. But only after absolutely everything else has been finished and some resources have been put toward the future for good measure. The differences between a billionaire’s family and your regular old blue-collar family are more evident when seen in this light.
When we’re finished eating, River tugs on my hand and leads me away from the tents. I cuddle up to him, shivering as the day turns from mild weather to overcast.
He puts his arm around me and guides me away from the water, toward the big house that looms large in the distance.
“Are you already calling it a day?” I ask as we get closer to the house.
River’s lips twitch. “Just ducking in the house to get you a jacket.”
I grin. “That’s a smart idea.”
He laces his fingers through my own and kisses my knuckles. “I thought as much.”
When we make it inside the big, white living room, he sits me on a couch. “Wait here.”
I tug at his hand, my heart thumping a little wildly. “Come back soon.”
He is gone for less than two minutes and when he reappears, he holds up a soft pink cardigan. “Will this work?”
I pat the seat beside me. “Anything will work.”
He smirks and settles the cardigan around my shoulders, then takes a seat next to me. “Have I told you yet how amazing you are?”
I give my head a slow shake, hypnotized by his eyes. He leans back on the couch, slipping his arm around my shoulders, and tucks a piece of my hair behind my ear.
My stomach is in my throat. I can’t look away from his crooked smile.
“Can I tell you something?” River murmurs. “It’s a secret.”
“Anything.” The word comes out all breathy.
Those sapphire eyes of his, two pools of molten blue heat, spear me and draw me into their depths.
“I think I’m starting to have feelings for you.”
It’s not what I expected him to say. Like… at all. But my heart sails up into the clouds. Could he be having the same thoughts that I’ve been having?
“Oh, River.” I cup his cheek. “I’ve been trying not to have feelings for you for a while now. Trying and failing.”
He kisses me then, tender and slow, like we have all the time in the universe.