Chapter 44
The bell above the diner door jangles, slicing through the sizzle of the grill and the soft burble of conversations. I glance up, my hand halfway to pouring coffee into a chipped mug.
When I spot him, I freeze. River stands there, six feet three inches of pure trouble, wrapped in an expensive blue button down and dark slacks that probably cost more than most peoples’ weddings.
”Hey,” he says. His voice sounds as smooth as the top-shelf whiskey he prefers.
It”s been days since we last spoke. Yet his presence still sends a shockwave through me and rattles my composure.
”River, what are you doing here?” The words tumble out, sounding more bitter than I intend. This man knows how to unravel me, but I can”t afford to let him see that.
Not now. Not after everything that’s happened.
He steps forward, his gaze locked with mine, a strange vulnerability flickering in those ocean-blue eyes. “I need to talk to you.”
I look to my left, where there are restaurant patrons occupying the booths and the countertop. The restaurant isn’t slammed right now, but neither is it dead in here. River probably didn’t even think about that before he strode in here. “I’m working,” I say. “I still have bills to pay.”
I expect River to give me a petulant look. But instead, he glances around me. His gaze lands on Gem, who is just coming out of the kitchen. “Gem, do you mind if I borrow Pearl for a few minutes? It’s important.”
Gem looks between us and nods. “Of course you can.”
Putting my hand on my hip, I toss River a mulish expression. “River, I swear. You have no concern for anyone who isn’t you.”
He swallows hard, ducking his head. ”Please, Pearl. Come with me. If you don’t like what I have to say, it’ll be the last time I bother you.” His plea is almost a whisper, rough and gravelly. It makes me shiver.
I set the coffee pot down with a clatter, my heart pounding against my ribs. Every instinct screams at me to say no. I should tell him to leave me alone. But there”s this aching curiosity in my heart. This hope that maybe, just maybe, he”s got something worth hearing.
Even saying yes to this tiny demand of his prickles across my skin. It feels like I’m already giving in to him. But I can’t say no. ”Fine,” I murmur. I slip my order pad into my apron pocket. ”But this better be good.”
We weave through the tables and I catch the curious glances from regulars. They know River; everyone in town does. The wealthy bad boy who swept me off my feet only to drop me into a mess of heartache and secrets. He leaves lively gossip in his wake wherever he goes.
My hands tremble slightly as I push open the back door and step outside. The cool air is a welcome relief from the diner”s warmth and buzz. River follows, shutting the door behind us with a soft click that feels oddly final.
The last time we stood here, things were entirely different. There was a lot I didn’t know.
It was a sweeter time.
”Talk,” I demand, crossing my arms. As if such a gesture can build up a barrier against whatever River”s about to say.
He takes in a deep breath and runs a hand through his perfectly styled hair, making it stand on end in a way that would be comical if my stomach wasn”t tying itself into knots. ”All right, Pearl.” He shakes his head. “God, I think I’m nervous. That’s what you do to me.”
River pulls out a picnic table bench with a scrape against the gravel and gestures for me to sit. My fingers trace the rough edges of the wood, focusing on the table in front of me to keep myself grounded.
”First off,” he starts, still standing. His voice strained, as if the words are being dragged out of him, ”I owe you an apology, Pearl. A big one. I am so sorry. I didn’t mean for you to find out this way.”
My expression contorts and he is quick to add, “I shouldn’t have done it at all. I have more regrets about it than you know.”
“Uh huh. What way would you have preferred I find out that you were selling me out for thirty pieces of silver?”
River frowns. “When you told me about the IRS and your family’s land, I should’ve offered my help right away. Again, Pearl. I am so sorry.”
I stare at him. I study the tension in his jaw. The way his hands clench and unclench. The apology hangs between us, heavy and unexpected, but somehow it doesn”t soothe the tightness in my chest.
It doesn”t change the past. And honestly, I”m not sure it changes the future either.
He stops pacing and meets my eyes, his own filled with a turmoil that echoes the churn of emotions inside me. ”There”s more. You deserve the whole truth.” He takes a hesitant step closer. ”Part of me, a selfish part, was afraid you wouldn”t agree to let me help.”
A bitter laugh escapes me before I can stop it.
”And…” River continues, hesitating as he searches my face, ”I liked the idea of you being my fake fiancée too much. It was thrilling. Having everyone believe we were deeply in love made my life more interesting.”
”Even though we weren”t?” I can”t help the edge in my voice, or the way my hands ball into fists on my lap. Games of pretend might be fun for people like River. He has everything he could ever want already. But for people like me, these games can be dangerous. They can threaten everything.
”Especially because we weren”t in love,” he admits. There”s a raw honesty to his words that stops me cold. ”It felt like... control, I guess. I was tricking everyone into believing that I’d found love. The one thing they never stopped bugging me about. And when you said you”d do it, under one condition...” He trails off, looking at me with an intensity that makes my heart skip a beat.
”Getting pregnant,” I say softly, filling in the silence. ”That”s what I needed from you.”
”Right.” River nods, his throat working with a swallow. ”You are incredible. You make me feel so damn wanted, too. How could I refuse?” He thrusts a hand through his hair roughly. “It felt too damn good to be so fake. I didn”t even realize that I had messed up until it was all slipping through my fingers. And then I fell for you… and ruined the whole plan.”
His confession hits me like a storm deep in the heat of summer. It’s sudden and overwhelming and makes me gape. I stare at him, trying to decipher the emotions swirling behind his sapphire blue gaze. Is this just another tactic, another play in his bad boy handbook to get what he wants?
”Please, Pearl,” he pleads, pinning me in place with his eyes. ”Hear me out. I have a plan to fix this mess. For your family and for us.”
Us. The word hangs in the air, fragile and potent. For a moment, I let myself imagine that it could mean something real. I can’t let him know that I’m feeling this way, so I fold my arms across my chest.
“You have until Gem comes out to fetch me,” I say with a sigh.
River leans against the picnic table, his hands braced as if he”s holding himself steady. The late afternoon sun filters through the leaves above us, casting a mottled pattern of light and shadow across his face. I can tell this isn”t easy for him. But there”s a determination set in his jaw that tells me he”s not backing down.
Not yet. Not this time.
”Addicted,” he breathes out, the word hanging heavy between us. His gaze pierces me through and makes my breath come in shallow pants. ”I”ve been addicted to you since the first time we slept together, Pearl. I can”t stop thinking about you. And the worst part is, I don”t even want to try.”
My stomach knots at his admission. The spicy memory of our first encounter sends a wave of heat through me despite my resolve to stay angry. Anger has its place.
And right now? That place is firmly between us. It’s a dense barrier of hurt and betrayal.
”Your feelings are intense, River,” I say, keeping my voice steady. ”But intensity doesn”t erase what”s happened. My Aunt Delta will lose the property, River. That”s on you.”
He flinches at that, his expression twisting with regret.
”I know,” he says. It almost sounds like he”s choking on the words. ”I was wrong. I was so damn wrong, Pearl. I was selfish. I got caught up in having you any way I could. Even if it meant stretching out our game of pretend. I think I figured that if I had you for another month or two, I’d finally get you out of my damn system. But I think it’s actually had the opposite effect.”
I want to believe him. Falling into the familiar comfort of his arms and forget the world sounds so blissful. But the real-life consequences of his not being honest with me will affect more than just me.
”Nice words don”t pay off debts or mend trust,” I remind him. My heart twists with the urge to give in. ”You might be feeling crazy, River. But I”m the one left picking up the shattered pieces of my life.”
He steps closer, close enough that I can smell the cologne that clings to his skin. It’s a scent that”s become painfully, heart-wrenchingly familiar. ”Let me help pick them up,” he urges, his voice low and persuasive. ”I can fix this, Pearl. Just let me try.”
I consider the man before me. River seems flawed and desperate. And yet somehow, he is more honest than he”s ever been. River may be used to getting his way, but right now he looks like someone who knows he”s gambled everything and might have lost more than he ever could have bargained for.
The practical side of me wants to shut him down. My instinct is to protect the remnants of my wrecked trust.
But still…
There”s something in the way he stands before me, raw and open, that chips away at my defenses.
”Actions.”
He raises a brow. “What?”
“Not words. Actions.” I fix him with my gaze. ”If you”re serious, then prove it. Until then...” I leave the sentence unfinished, turning away from the intensity of his gaze, though every fiber of my being screams to look back.
My hand is on the diner’s back door, ready to push it open. I can already see myself escaping back to the chaos of my shift.
But River”s words stop me. ”I didn”t just come here to say sorry, Pearl.”
“No?”
I freeze, fingers curling around the cool metal handle. The hum of the diner fades into a distant murmur as I turn to face him.
His eyes are earnest, pleading. ”I came with a plan.”
”Plans don”t pay bills,” I retort, but curiosity gnaws at me. The idea that River Bennett, with all his power and wealth, might actually have something up his sleeve that could help is both infuriating and intoxicating.
He leans against the diner”s brick wall, arms folded as if he”s preparing for a siege. ”Your family”s debt?—”
”Is none of your business,” I cut in, but he”s relentless. “I never should have told you about it in the first place. Especially since I know now that you were just looking for a way into my family.”
Bitterness makes me grimace.
He takes a deep breath.
”Seventy-five thousand dollars. I know that”s the figure hanging over you all.”
I snort. “And? Like I said, it’s for us to figure out.”
“What if I want to clear your debt?”
My breath hitches. Seventy-five grand might as well be seventy-five million to us. But there”s a catch; there”s always a catch with River.
That’s how I got into this damned situation in the first place.
”Before you snap at me, just hear me out,” he continues. ”All I need is for Aunt Delta to agree to sell the land.”
Anger flares hot and bright in my chest.
”You think throwing money at the problem is going to make everything okay?” I spit the words out.
River steps forward, blocking my path with his presence alone. ”No, I don”t. But it”s a start, isn”t it? It gives your family a fighting chance.”
His proximity is disarming. His scent wraps around me and evokes so many memories. Happy memories at that. My resolve wavers as I look up into his searching eyes. He”s not just offering an apology.
He”s laying down his weapons.
”Let me do this, Pearl. Please.”
The word hangs between us, heavy with implications and unspoken promises. I want to march right past him. I need to put distance between his desperation and my aching heart. But the Pearl who would”ve walked away doesn”t seem to exist anymore. Not after everything that”s happened between us.
”Fine,” I relent. My voice is barely a whisper. ”But this changes nothing between us. Understand?”
”Understood,” he says. Relief softens the hard lines of his face.
River leans across the table, his fingers stretched out toward me but not quite touching. His gaze is intense, urging me to listen, to really hear him this time.
”I”ve been talking with Ray Kendrick.”
My eyebrows shoot up. “Ray Kendrick? The same Ray Kendrick who owns the Atlanta Kings?”
”Yeah, that one,” River confirms. ”If Aunt Delta agrees to sell the land to him, she won”t just be walking away with a check. She”ll retain a one percent ownership stake in the land. And not just the land, Pearl. Anything that gets built there.”
I”m momentarily speechless, which is a rarity for me. ”You mean...like, if they build a...”
”A resort, yes. She”ll have a stake in that too. Perpetual income. That’s a piece of the pie forever.”
“She wants it to be wild forever,” I say slowly.
“I don’t have control over that. I can lend you money to pay her debt off, but I can’t make her pay in the future. You could be back in this spot in two years. What I’m offering is so much money that you’ll never have to even think of how much anything costs for the rest of your life. For your kids’ lives. For your kids’ kids’ lives.”
He spreads his hands wide to encompass just what he”s offering.
It”s a lot to process. A part of me wants to dismiss it as another one of River”s grand gestures. Is this just his privilege talking? But the sincerity in his voice is hard to deny.
”There”s more.” He pauses, making sure he has my full attention. ”I”ve made sure that a portion of land will be set aside. For your family to build new houses on.”
”New houses?” I echo. ”River Bennett… are you telling me you”ve thought of everything?”
His brow furrows.
”Everything but how to make you believe I”m serious about this,” he admits. A half-smile that doesn”t quite reach his eyes appears on his face.
The audacity of his plan is staggering. It”s not just money. It”s security. It’s stability. It”s a future for my family that doesn”t involve renting out aged cabins or waiting tables. It”s almost enough to make me forget why I was mad at him in the first place.
”Show me the paperwork,” I demand. That’s my practicality kicking back in.
River doesn”t hesitate. He pulls folded documents from the inner pocket of his tailored jacket. He smooths them out in front of me, pointing out where Aunt Delta”s signature would need to go.
”Right there,” he says softly. ”With one signature, this whole nightmare would be over.”
I scan the pages. Each line of legalese screaming promises and potential betrayals. But as I look closer, I see River”s influence all over it. There is the clause about the 1% ownership. On the next page, there is the allotment of land for housing. It”s all there, in black and white.
”River...” My voice trails off, the weight of his offer leaving me breathless.
I lean back, trying to take it all in.
“This plan is quite generous. But what”s in it for you? Where”s your cut?”
He shakes his head. The corners of his lips turn up in a wry smile that doesn”t quite mask the pain in his eyes. ”Pearl, the only cut I want goes to Delta. There”s nothing else I”m taking away from this deal.”
”Nothing?” I ask. I’m not willing to let him off the hook that easily.
”Absolutely nothing,” he affirms, stepping closer. His presence is like a live wire that sends a jolt through the air between us. ”Except maybe a second chance with you.”
”River, you can”t be serious.” My voice barely rises above a whisper. ”After everything...”
”Look at me, darlin’.” He reaches out and squeezes my hand. His hand is warm against my cool skin, grounding me. ”I love you. I need you. You are the only thing that matters. You”re my safe harbor in any storm.”
”River...”
”Say you believe me, Pearl.” His plea is soft. But it seems to thunder loudly in the quiet of the evening.
”But River,” I start, my voice trembling with the weight of uncertainty. ”What about all those things you said? About not wanting to tie yourself down? You always talked about marrying some high-powered executive, someone who matched your ambition. I”m just... I’m just not her. Never will be.”
River shifts, leaning his hip against the weathered wood of the picnic table, and there”s a vulnerability in his eyes that I”ve never seen before. It’s like he’s pulling back a curtain, giving me a glimpse into a private room where his deepest fears are on display.
”Pearl,” he says, his voice lower now, intimate and laced with something that sounds a lot like pain. ”My whole anti-marriage spiel? It was a front, a defense mechanism. I was scared of being left behind. I was a coward because I thought that no one in their right mind would choose to be with me. It was easier to pretend I didn”t want it than to admit that maybe I’d never be loved like that.”
“Oh, River…”
”Let me get it all out,” he says. ”I was terrified that if I let myself want anything too much, I”d end up alone. So I convinced myself I didn”t need love. It was a faraway idea, always on the horizon. But that was before you. You”ve changed everything, Pearl.” His hand finds mine across the table, warm and solid. ”You make me want to be brave.”
His touch sends a shiver skittering across my skin. The River before me is a far cry from the polished, untouchable billionaire. He”s human, he’s flawed, and he is reaching out for connection.
”River…” I start, my voice softer than I intend.
He squints and winces. “I don’t like the sound of that.”
It’s hard not to crack a smile.
”You have to know how sweet you can be. When you’re not being bossy, that is.” I reach across the table, mirroring his earlier gesture. I enjoy the texture of his skin against mine. ”You are lovable. You are loved.”
His gaze is fixed on mine. “My family doesn’t count. Hell, no one else really does.” He brings my knuckles to his lips and kisses them briefly. “I want you to love me.”
“I do love you. But—” She looks torn. “I was already taken for a fool once.”
River stills my lips with a fingertip. He looks at me, a storm brewing in those deep blue eyes.
“Give me another chance, darlin’. I swear on everything I am, I will not let you down again. I will be relentlessly honest and the one you can always count on.” His voice is fervent, a solemn vow spoken from the depths of his being.
The intensity in his gaze anchors me. For a moment, all the noise of the world fades away until there”s just the two of us. I breathe out, feeling the air being sucked from my lungs.
Is that enough for me to take a chance on him? I will have to take the risk of a lifetime.
”River,” I whisper. My throat tightend as tears well up in the corners of my eyes. My vision blurs, but I see him clearly. ”To hear you say that...” I blink, tears beginning to fall. “That”s all I ever wanted.”
River shuffles back from the bench and lowers himself to one knee. The gravel crunches under his weight, a stark, grounding sound that jolts me back to reality.
”River, what are you?—”
”Shhh,” he silences me with a gentle intensity. His hand reaches out to take mine. His touch is warm and certain. His eyes don’t waver from mine. ”Pearl, I want to do this right.”
He takes a deep breath, almost as if he”s drawing strength from the earth beneath him. ”Will you marry me? This time, I want you to say yes to me for real. We can marry with just our mothers present. No fanfare. No pretense. Just us.”
My heart races, pounding against my ribcage like it”s trying to break free. This is what I’ve yearned for, isn”t it? The real deal, not a game or a strategy. But the hesitation coils in my stomach, tight and insistent.
”River, I...” I start. The words seem to stick in my throat. A million thoughts crash through my mind.
Can I trust this feeling? Can I trust him?
”Take your time,” River urges softly. He stays on one knee, his gaze never leaving mine. There’s a vulnerability there I’ve never seen before, a raw hope that makes him look more approachable, less like the unattainable bad boy and more like... well, just River.
”River, before I say yes, there’s something you need to know,” I whisper. My pulse thrums in my ears. Every beat of my heart reminds me that I could be throwing away everything by springing this on River right now.
But he needs to know.
”Anything,” he says. His thumb rubs small, comforting circles into the soft flesh on the back of my hand.
I take a shaky breath. ”I”m pregnant.”
His hand tightens around mine. But he doesn”t stand. He”s steady as he promised he”d be.
There, in that quiet space behind the diner where life seems to stand still, I see something in River that I recognize from the stories my mom told me about my dad. That charm, that intensity. But I see something else looking in River’s eyes.
Commitment. The promise of steadfastness that I”ve never known, but I’ve always needed.
”Really?” His voice is a mix of wonder and awe, like I”ve handed him the most precious gift imaginable. “You’re pregnant?”
I nod my head.
”Really.”
River”s eyes widen and he takes a deep breath. Is he trying to steady himself? Or is he already backing out of his promise?
He cups my face and gives me the biggest, most unexpected grin.
“I really hope you’re telling me so that I can get excited. Because I am so fucking excited, darlin’. Just think about it. A little kid with your eyes and my cheekbones running around here.”
He says it with such awe. I swallow, unbidden. “You mean it, River?”
”I can”t wait,” he stammers out, his voice thick with emotion. “I can”t wait to be a real dad to our baby.”
Tears well up, unbidden, and spill down my cheeks. This is everything I never knew I needed. My heart swells so much it hurts, the ache of years without this kind of pure affection bursting at the seams. The love I missed as a kid seems to flood into this single moment and it fills every hollow space left by my departed father.
”River,” I choke out. My voice cracks. ”You don”t know how much that means to me.”
He reaches up and brushes away my tears with the pad of his thumb. His touch is gentle, almost worshipful. ”I mean it, Pearl. I swear. I mean every word.”
I sniffle. I had my life planned out. But I have to laugh at myself for thinking I could”ve ever parented this kid alone. It was a crazy idea, wanting to skip the partner part of having a baby. A piece of the puzzle I thought I could just leave out.
I never let my missing father matter. So why should a father be needed in my own baby’s life? It makes sense after a fashion. But looking at River now, I see how selfish that decision would have been. It would have affected me, him, and most importantly, our child.
”God, I was being foolish,” I admit, the realization washing over me like a cold shower. “It’s a day of admitting we were wrong, I guess.”
”We’re doing this together now.” River squeezes my hand. ”You”re not alone anymore. That is, if you’ll say yes to my marriage proposal.”
I take a deep, stuttering breath. The weight of his gaze anchors me to the spot. The intensity in those sparkling blue eyes screams something that words can”t capture. It”s raw and it”s real. And it’s so much more I ever thought that handsome River Taylor would bring to my doorstep.
”River,” I start. My voice is gritty with emotions. ”I”ve tried to picture my life without you. Believe me, I’ve tried.” I pause, my heart hammering against my ribcage as if trying to meet his halfway. ”I don”t just want you in my life, babe. I need you. And not just because of the baby but...”
I falter, searching for the right words.
”Because you love me?” he finishes for me.
”Because I love you,” I confirm. “Because you’re my soulmate. And I can’t bear the thought of facing the rest of my life without you.”
River does not disappoint me.
His smile widens like he”s just won the biggest gamble of his life. But despite his work, this isn”t about contracts or properties. It”s about us, messy and imperfect and fucking beautiful. He takes my hands in his as if he”s holding something precious.
”Then marry me, Pearl. For real this time. No pretenses. No conditions. Just us. Together, building a life, and having a family. What do you say?”
My heart skips a beat. I’ll remember this moment for eternity.
”Yes,” I breathe out.
The word is a promise.
A vow.
An anchor.
”Yes, I will marry you, River Taylor.”
He kisses me, his lips claiming mine with a passion that sets my soul ablaze. Every kiss we”ve shared before pales in comparison to this one. His arms wrap around me, pulling me closer. I melt into him, surrendering to the pure energy that courses between us.