Chapter 22
RIVER
“River, wait!”
She didn’t. She couldn’t.
Instead, she had turned right back around and headed home. River climbed out of the truck the second it stopped and stormed toward her apartment above the garage. Her palms were clammy. Her face burned.
She shouldn’t have been surprised. Penny had admitted Mathew had been married, but she hadn’t offered much else.
Victoria could’ve been awful, and Mathew could’ve been put in an impossible position—one he’d been relieved to leave behind.
But it was also possible she’d meant more to him than he’d ever let on.
Possible he hadn’t said anything because some part of that history still had him mourning her loss.
River climbed the stairs, Emerson’s voice chasing after her, but she couldn’t slow down. Not now. Not when that woman was in town.
Her chest ached with the weight of it.
This was bigger than a simple omission. She’d told herself communication mattered. That she and Mathew would sit down, talk through what Penny had said, and figure out what honesty needed to look like between them.
No, she’d never asked about his past relationships. She hadn’t thought she needed to.
Did that make any of this partly her fault?
Her steps faltered. If she’d asked outright, would he have told her?
She shook off the thought and climbed the last few stairs, fumbling for her key with trembling fingers. She’d never let herself get this deep with anyone before. Maybe that was why every nerve in her body felt like it was on fire.
“River!” Emerson snapped, breathless, when she nearly slammed the door in his face. He caught it before it shut, then stepped inside after her and closed it behind him. “Talk to me.”
She shot him a look. “Oh, so now you want to talk.”
Rubbing her fingers at her temples, she tried to get Victoria’s face out of her head. She was beautiful. Polished. Not a hair out of place. But the worst part was how normal she looked.
To survive the shock of Penny’s accidental confession, River had built a version of Mathew’s ex in her mind—sharp-edged, cruel, impossible to compete with. Someone easy to blame. Someone easier to hate.
It would have been easier to forgive if Mathew had been the clear victim.
She couldn’t have been more wrong.
The Victoria standing in front of her had looked nothing like a villain.
She was everything River wasn’t. Poised. Polished.
And, if she was being honest, painfully easy to like on first impression.
Hands wrapped around her upper arms, Emerson gave her a small shake. “Hey. Listen to me. You cannot let this send you into a spiral. I’m sure there’s an explanation.”
“Did you know?” she demanded.
Emerson frowned. “Know what?”
“That Mathew had been married before.”
“I think Rose mentioned it once.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I never met her. They were married before he moved out here. Far as I know, after the divorce, he came here to start over.”
River let out a frustrated groan. “So everyone knew but me.”
His expression hardened again. “Wait. I thought you were upset because she showed up and acted like they were still together. He never told you?”
River looked away.
Emerson muttered something under his breath.
“What?” she asked.
He blew out a breath. “Nothing helpful.”
“No, really. What?”
His jaw flexed. “Let’s just say I’m not feeling especially charitable toward him right now.”
Despite everything, a humorless laugh slipped out of her. Emerson took that as an opening and guided her toward the couch.
“For what it’s worth,” he said, easing her down onto the cushion, “I don’t think they’re still married. I guess anything’s possible if papers got delayed or whatever, but I can’t see Mathew being the kind of guy who’d date you if it wasn’t finished.”
River snorted softly. “That’s a lot of confidence in the guy for someone who was just warning me about him.”
Emerson winced. “Fair.” He crouched in front of her. “I may not be his biggest fan right now, but I don’t think he’d pull something like that. Not on purpose.”
She studied him for a long moment, then sighed. “Yeah. I don’t think he would either.”
“So…” He took both her hands in his and gave them a careful squeeze. “This is more about the fact that he never told you he’d been married—and that you don’t know how long she’s been back in the picture?”
River nodded, wincing. The familiarity between Mathew and Victoria had lodged itself under her skin. The way he’d looked at her. The way he hadn’t immediately stepped away when Victoria touched him.
“What if he’s trying to fix things with her?” The words came out sharper than she intended. “He’s been distracted all week.”
Emerson’s face softened with something like pity, which only made her feel worse.
“He hasn’t said anything about her?”
“Nothing,” she said.
Emerson rose and paced once, rubbing at his jaw. Before he could say what was on his mind, there was a hard knock at the door.
Both of them startled.
River’s eyes widened as they flew to Emerson. “If it’s him, I don’t think I—”
He held up a hand. “I’ll get it.”
He didn’t make it halfway there before the door opened and Rose stepped inside. Her gaze bounced from Emerson to River, and relief flashed across her face.
“Good. You’re here.”
River pushed to her feet. “Not for long. I think I need to put in my two weeks.”
“What?” Emerson and Rose said at once.
The truth was, River had been considering that long before she’d seen Mathew with Victoria.
She’d been getting too attached. To this place, to these people, to the idea that maybe she could build something here.
And now? The thought of running into Mathew around town—and feeling this hollow every time she saw him—made her want to crawl out of her own skin.
Rose crossed the room in quick strides and took River’s hands, just like Emerson had done. “You can’t. Mathew is being an idiot, and Victoria is a liar. They’re not married. He’s been divorced for years.”
Emerson cleared his throat. “He never told her about the marriage. Or the divorce.”
Rose went still. Her grip on River tightened, though not painfully. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” She shut her eyes briefly, then opened them again with a look that mixed anger and disappointment. “He’s my cousin, and I love him, but he handled this terribly.”
River couldn’t even laugh. Numbness had settled in hard and heavy. All she knew was that she wanted out, away from the ache of never quite being chosen first.
When was she going to stop feeling like the extra person in everyone else’s story?
“River, you’re not leaving.” Emerson stated it like the decision had already been made and she had no say.
She shot him a look. “You don’t get to make that decision for me.”
“The River I know doesn’t run because she’s scared.”
River smiled, but there wasn’t a trace of warmth in it. “Then maybe you don’t know me as well as you think.”
Rose still hadn’t let go of her hands. “He’s right about one thing—you shouldn’t have to blow up your whole life because Mathew made a selfish, thoughtless mess of this.” Her expression gentled. “And if you decide you never want to see him again, we’ll make that happen.”
River let out a disbelieving breath. “Oh yeah? How exactly are you planning to manage that? He’s your cousin. He helps out around here. This town is tiny.”
“I’ll tell him not to come here,” Rose said immediately.
The speed of the promise stunned River into silence.
Emerson shifted. “That was easier when your uncle was around,” he pointed out, earning a sharp look from Rose. He lifted a shoulder.
Rose turned back to River. “In town it’ll be harder to avoid him, for sure. But here?” She gave River’s hands another squeeze. “This place is yours too. You shouldn’t have to leave it just because he messed up.”
Emerson stepped closer. “And if he does show up, I’ll be around. I’ll run interference if you want me to. Same goes for town. Groceries, errands, whatever. You don’t have to do any of it alone.”
River looked between them.
Was this because they cared? Because she mattered to them? Or because they just needed their mechanic around…
If she was being honest, it was probably some of both.
But maybe that didn’t cheapen it.
The practical side of her knew leaving would be impulsive. The hurting side wanted to disappear before anyone could hurt her worse.
She loved her job. She loved this town. And even with all the mess, she didn’t really want to go.
The apartment fell quiet as she weighed it all.
No one would force her to stay. If she wanted to leave, she could be packed and gone fast.
Maybe that was why their offer felt so tempting.
She could keep her work. She could keep this strange, fragile sense of belonging she’d found with the Taylors and Emerson. And she would have a safe space for her battered heart to heal.
Not a bad arrangement.
At last, she let out a long breath and gave them both a small nod.
There might be more to the story. Maybe one day she’d want to hear it.
But not tonight.
Tonight, she needed solid ground.
Rose pulled her into a hug. “If space is what you need, we’ll make sure you get it. Promise.”
River caught Emerson’s eye over Rose’s shoulder. One look told her he agreed.
“Thanks, guys,” River whispered.