Chapter 27
MATHEW
Taking it slow.
Those three words were the absolute worse.
Mathew had to keep reminding himself it was for the best.
For both River and himself.
She wasn’t avoiding him anymore. And Emerson and Rose had stopped standing guard every time he came near.
Over the past three weeks, Mathew might have done a few questionable things to increase the odds of running into her around town. Lily was a romantic and entirely too willing to “accidentally” mention when River might be heading into town.
He didn’t abuse the information. Not too much. Because he was supposed to be taking it slow.
That didn’t mean he wasn’t occasionally at the coffee shop when she happened to stop in.
Or that he didn’t suddenly remember he needed something from the grocery store.
Honestly, he wouldn’t have been surprised if River knew exactly what he was doing, because she never seemed especially annoyed when their paths crossed.
He’d started texting her again too. Little things, like asking about her day. And she texted him back.
More importantly, he answered every question she asked honestly.
Was Victoria still in town?
Yes, but he wasn’t seeing her.
Why had she come?
She wanted another chance.
Was that something he wanted?
No.
Mathew stared at that last answer, wondering if he should say more. He could tell River he only had eyes for one woman. He could tell her that if she gave him the chance, he’d spend the rest of his life proving he was worth trusting again.
Instead, he set the phone down.
He was still taking it easier at work too, refusing to slide back into the version of himself who used his job to cope, to hide, to feel important. It wasn’t easy, but it was getting better—especially now that River was talking to him again.
After he sent the text, he waited for the little bubbles that would mean she was typing.
They never appeared.
Mathew frowned and slipped his phone back into his pocket.
“Girl trouble?” Aiden took a bite out of a vending machine sandwich and leaned up against the counter beside him.
“How do you trust those things from the vending machine?” Mathew asked. “If the refrigeration goes out, you’re done for.”
Aiden smirked as he continued to chew. After swallowing, he said, “Good thing I work in a hospital, then.”
He shifted so one hip rested against the counter. No one else was in the break room, but that could change any second. And the look on Aiden’s face made it clear something was weighing on him.
Mathew’s stomach dropped. “What’s wrong?”
His friend pressed his lips together. “So… I have this friend…”
Rolling his eyes, Mathew turned for the coffee pot and grabbed his mug. Everyone knew that was how people started conversations about themselves. Aiden was a fool if he thought Mathew didn’t know it.
“And he’s interested in dating his friend’s—”
Mathew arched a brow and glanced back over his shoulder. “You better not say sister. I told you. Penny is off-limits. Don’t even think about asking her out.”
Aiden winked. “I was going to say ex, but okay.”
Mathew grimaced. “Victoria is not worth the trouble.” He blew out a breath. “Steer clear. I’m serious.”
When Aiden didn’t answer right away, Mathew looked at him again. His friend seemed deep in thought.
“But if she was actually a decent person,” Aiden said carefully, “and his friend had already moved on with someone else… do you think it would ruin the friendship?”
Mathew really didn’t want to think about Aiden falling for Victoria. He wasn’t lying when he said she wasn’t worth the trouble. But then another thought occurred to him.
Was that why Victoria was still hanging around?
No. That couldn’t be it. She was still texting him. Still pushing for another chance.
“If the friend has already moved on,” Mathew said slowly, “and the woman in question is actually a good person. Someone who makes the other guy happy, then I guess that’s his call.”
Aiden finally looked up. Surprise and hope flashed across his face so quickly it might have gone unnoticed by anyone else. It hit Mathew hard, because he didn’t want to see his friend get hurt.
But before he could say any of that, Aiden covered the look with a grin.
“So I can date your ex, but not your sister?”
Mathew shot him a flat look. “I knew this wasn’t about your friend.”
Aiden tossed the last bite of his sandwich into his mouth and grinned. “Good to know you haven’t lost your ability to read people.”
He clapped Mathew on the shoulder and headed out of the room.
Mathew looked up every single time the door to the antique shop opened. It was a strange place to be, but Lily had insisted River wanted to check it out. The new store looked less like an antique shop and more like a gallery full of interesting furniture and decor.
Several people wandered the space, but Mathew lingered near a painting at the front so he could keep an eye on the door. Lily had been certain River mentioned this place specifically.
So where was she?
The bell chimed again, and the last person Mathew wanted to see walked in.
Victoria’s focus locked on him at once, and she headed straight for him.
He groaned and moved deeper into the shop. He didn’t have time to dodge her, not if River was already on her way. “I don’t want to talk to you, Victoria.”
“Please, Mathew. Give me one day. One chance to prove I’ve changed. I want to try again.”
He turned sharply, grateful the low hum of conversation around them would cover his voice. “What aren’t you understanding? I divorced you because we weren’t good for each other. I gave you everything you asked for, and I moved here to start over… without you around.”
She scoffed. “You can’t just erase feelings like that. Somewhere inside, I know you still feel something for me.”
Mathew let out a hard breath. “Whatever I felt for you once doesn’t come close to what I feel for someone else now.”
The temperature between them seemed to drop. Victoria stared at him, and for the first time he thought maybe she really had believed she could talk him into this.
“I’m in love with someone else,” he said, more firmly now. “She means everything to me, and I’m not walking away from her.”
Victoria’s lip curled. “I haven’t seen you spending time with anyone else. You’re not exactly together. If you’re talking about that woman—”
“That woman needed some space because of my mistakes,” he said. “I’m giving it to her until she’s ready to let me back in.”
“You don’t even know if she will.”
Mathew shrugged. “That has nothing to do with you. I’m not interested. You need to go home. There’s nothing for you here.”
As he said it, his mind flashed back to what Aiden had implied. Warning Victoria away from his friend wouldn’t do anyone any good—not now. He could only hope she’d finally do what was best for herself and leave.
Movement in his peripheral vision snagged his attention.
He looked up and found River standing near a rustic bookshelf lined with eclectic frames. Her eyes shone with emotion, but he couldn’t tell if she was happy or sad.
Panic hit hard when she turned and strode away.
“River, wait!”
He pushed past Victoria, shrugging her off when she caught at his arm. “Go home, Victoria.”
The bell over the door jingled as River hurried outside. Through the shop windows he caught a glimpse of her moving down the sidewalk. Ignoring the looks thrown his way, he went after her and stepped into her path.
“River, please talk to me.”
This didn’t feel anything like their accidental run-ins in town. Something in his chest told him this moment mattered more.
She brushed at a tear with the side of her hand, and his heart sank.
“Hey,” he said softly, tipping her chin up so he could see her face. “What’s wrong?”
He ran back over every word he’d said to Victoria and couldn’t come up with anything that should have hurt River. He hadn’t said the wrong thing. He hadn’t—
“Did you mean it?” she asked, voice shaky.
His brows drew together. “Mean what?”
She swallowed, then got a soft expression on her face. “What you said in there. About being in love.”
Everything in him went still.
So this was it. The moment he’d been hoping for and dreading in equal measure.
Mathew let his gaze move over her face, taking her in like he needed to remember every detail. “You’re so beautiful,” he said quietly.
She rolled her eyes, though it lacked all real heat. “Mathew.”
His mouth twitched. “I like it when you say my name.”
That earned him the faintest curve of her lips. “Will you just answer the question?”
His eyes held hers. “I meant every single word.”
Emotion surged back into her expression, but this time he didn’t let the silence stretch too long.
“I’m in love with you, River.” His voice dropped, turning rough around the edges. “So much that sometimes it scares me.”
Her nose wrinkled. “I scare you?”
He huffed a soft laugh. “Not you. What I feel for you.” His hand rose to her cheek, thumb brushing lightly over her skin. “Because losing you would wreck me. And I don’t think I could ever love anyone the way I love you.”
Her lips parted on a shaky breath. “Mathew—”
He touched a finger lightly to her lips. “You don’t have to say it back. Not now. Maybe not for a while.” His gaze searched hers. “Just know that if you give me the chance, I’ll spend every day making sure you never doubt how important you are to me.”
They stood there for a long moment, the world narrowing to the space between them.
Then her lashes fluttered, like she was only just finding her way back.
“Mathew?”
“Yes?”
“Would it be okay…” A small smile tugged at her mouth. “If we tried that date again?”