Chapter 32 #2
“I’ve known him my whole life,” Saylor said. “He’s always been a big grump, but if it’s any consolation, he was different with you.”
“I agree. It still doesn’t excuse what he did, but I think he acted out because he was jealous. And we still don’t know what the hell the sticky note thing is about, right?” Demi asked.
“No idea. It’s so him to tell me something on a sticky note and forget to give it to me. And then blame me for not knowing how he feels,” I ranted. “And…and…he accused me of fucking Dereck and lying about my relationship. He’s an even bigger asshole than I gave him credit for.”
“Sometimes people act out when they’re hurt. River doesn’t let anyone in long enough to be hurt by them, but I think he was different with you.” Saylor shrugged. “I’m not excusing what he did; I’m just trying to understand it.”
“He doesn’t get to have a meltdown and lose his shit on you and be excused. The man needs to grovel if he wants to be forgiven.” Peyton raised a brow.
“He doesn’t even know I’m here. He hasn’t texted or called, so I don’t think he cares. And frankly, neither do I,” I lied, and they all looked at me sympathetically, like they didn’t believe me.
And then Peyton took a swig of her water. “Good. Fuck River and his stupid sticky note and bullshit accusations.”
“Wow. Tell us how you really feel,” Demi said over her laughter.
“Hey, I did want to talk to you about something.” Saylor dabbed her mouth with her napkin when she finished chewing.
“I’m looking for a house because I can’t live with my brother much longer.
He’s hovering and acting like an overbearing parent.
I know you want to move out of here and find a place. Would you want to be roommates?”
I’d never had a roommate. I’d lived with my father and had lived on my own ever since.
But something had changed in me since I’d come home. I didn’t want to be alone all the time anymore.
My family no longer felt like the small circle it had always been.
“Yes. Let’s do it. My lease is up on my apartment back in the city, and I’ve scheduled movers to bring everything back here, so I’ve got plenty of furniture to furnish a place.”
“Really? Yay. This is great. I found a few cute little houses on the water, not too far from here. Two bedrooms, lots of charm.” Saylor waggled her brows.
“This is so fun that you two will be living together. It’ll be our new hangout,” Peyton said.
“I can go look at a few places with you this weekend,” I said.
“Perfect. I’ll schedule some tours for us with my realtor. Just don’t tell my brother yet. He’ll start lecturing me about saving money. But I need my own space.”
“If you need to make more money, you can have more hours at Magnolia Beans if you want. Until you get the bookstore open, we can use all the help,” Demi said. She’d hired Saylor while she came up with her business plan to open the bookstore next to the coffee shop.
We made small talk for the next hour before they headed back to work. I looked online at the photos of the rentals Saylor had sent me so we could choose which ones to see this weekend.
I made my way to my bedroom to pick out my outfit for my first day of work tomorrow, and the unsigned contract was still lying on my desk.
I stared at it, hoping I hadn’t made a huge mistake. Dean Langston hadn’t taken the news all that well, and I doubted the door would be open for me there in the future.
I picked it up to tuck it into my desk drawer when a small yellow sticky note fell out. It must have been on one of the pages at the back of the contract. I picked it up off the floor and read it.
Or you could just stay here because I love you. Wild River.
My mouth fell open. Had he seriously proclaimed his love on a sticky note? Who does that?
River Pierce.
The man who never lets his guard down.
I knew he’d never told a woman that he loved them before.
So, even though this was the equivalent of breaking up with someone via text, it was a big move for River.
He told me that he loved me on a four-inch piece of paper that he stuck to a contract?
I was a weird mix of absolutely giddy and still fuming mad about the way he’d behaved with Dereck. He’d made it clear that he didn’t trust me.
But at the same time, I knew River. And in a weird way, I believed that his little outburst was his way of baring his soul and showing me exactly how much he cared.
He wasn’t used to caring, and it made him feel vulnerable, and I truly believed that his ridiculous response was his knee-jerk reaction to feeling wounded.
But he sure as hell hadn’t gone about it the right way. And I was not going to make excuses for him, nor make it easy for him.
I opened the group chat with the girls.
I just solved the sticky note dilemma. He told me he loved me on a sticky note stuck to the back of the freaking contract.
Saylor
Swoon.
Demi
It’s kind of romantic.
Peyton
Lame. He should have manned up and told you to your face.
Demi
True. But at least you know how he feels. That’s big for River.
Well, calling me a cheating liar is low, even for him.
Saylor
You make some good points. But at least we don’t have to solve the mystery anymore. And he did admit that he loves you.
LOVED ME. Past tense.
I knew he loved me. But he’d hurt me, and I’d yet to get an apology. He hadn’t even reached out to try to make things right, regardless if he knew I was living here or not.
Demi
Hey, love by sticky note might be the new thing. Like standing outside someone’s window and telling them you love them. This is very modern, in a sweet way.
Peyton
Pull your head out of your ass, lover girl. He needs to grovel. Apologize. And not on a sticky note. Face-to-face. Man to man.
Saylor
She’s a woman.
Ummm…thank you?
Several memes and emojis followed, and I set my phone down, sat down on my bed, and stared at the sticky note.
I wanted to hate him.
But instead, I held that little piece of paper in my hand and pressed it to my chest. And I wished like hell that we could turn back time and do everything differently.
Because River Pierce loved me, and the truth was, I loved him, too.