“Let’s do it,” I agreed, steeling myself for whatever the truth might be.
Good or bad, I’d handle it.
I didn’t mind having blood taken.
But the wait was excruciating.
By the time I finally left the doctor’s office, I was utterly devastated.
CHAPTER 28
SETH
“I haven’t heard from Riley for four damn days,” I told Aiden and Skye as I sat in the living room of their home. “She sent me a two-line email four days ago and said she needed some time alone. After that, I’ve called, I’ve emailed, I’ve texted. Nothing.”
“If that’s what she wants, she deserves to have that time, Seth,” Aiden said. “Maybe she’s just busy.”
“Busy, my ass. Something’s wrong,” I grumbled. “We’re together every damn day. Neither one of us was ever too busy to find time.”
“Maybe that’s the problem,” Skye contemplated from her seat next to Aiden. “She could be overwhelmed, Seth. She shared her history with me last week when we met for coffee. She might need space.”
My head turned to Skye sharply. “She actually told you?”
She nodded. “Yes. I’ve always told her I’d be there if she wanted to talk. She finally did. Honestly, it sounded like she was doing well with coming to terms with her past. So I’m a little surprised that she’s suddenly backed off.”
“What happened?” Aiden said, looking baffled.
“Never mind,” Skye said to her husband.
“It’s personal,” I told him. “She had a rough childhood. That’s about all you need to know.”
I wasn’t about to explain everything that had happened to Riley.
“She cares about you, Seth. She’ll come around in her own time,” Skye said softly.
“I’m willing to wait,” I explained. “But I can’t shake the feeling that there’s something wrong, something more than her just needing time in general.”
How could I explain that I felt Riley in that way?
I couldn’t.
So I didn’t want to even try.
There was something off about her initial email. I’d known it since I’d read the short missive.
Riley had changed. It wasn’t like her to be elusive or vague. Not anymore.
It certainly wasn’t her style to back away from things she needed to confront, either.
She knew she didn’t need time.
Not with me.
Hell, if she was mad at me for some reason, she’d have no problem telling me off to my face.
And if she wasn’t angry, she’d talk to me about whatever was bugging her.
“I’m not sure how much longer I can wait,” I confessed.
Aiden lifted a brow. “You been by her place?”
“Every. Damn. Night. I walk down the beach and check out her cottage every evening just to see if she’s in there.”
“And?” Aiden prompted.
I shrugged. “I see a shadow or two in the kitchen, so I know she’s there.”
“Look, bro,” Aiden said calmly. “When I needed you to talk me down from a ledge when I was losing it over Skye, you were there. You told me to talk to her, not to judge without knowing everything. I’m giving you the same advice.”
“You did that?” Skye looked at me, obviously shocked.
“He did,” Aiden answered for me. “He encouraged me to go after what I wanted, and not to jump to conclusions.”
“It was good advice you gave him, Seth,” Skye said gently. “Can you just be patient? Riley’s face lights up every time she talks about you. I know she has feelings for you.”
“I wanted to ask her to marry me. I’ve had the ring in my pocket for a while now,” I said gruffly.
“So she’s the one?” Aiden asked.
“She is,” I answered stiffly. “Maybe you think I’m crazy—”
“I don’t,” Aiden answered. “I think Sinclairs in this generation only love once, and they love hard. Maybe I would have blown off that theory if we didn’t have an army of Sinclair siblings and cousins. But once we fall, it’s game over.”
“I was thinking the same thing,” I confessed. “You were waiting for Skye for years. I didn’t realize it, but I think you were.”
“Subconsciously, I was,” Aiden replied. “There was never another woman like her, so I pretty much gave up looking for one.”
I watched as Skye reached for Aiden’s hand automatically with a huge smile on her face.
“I knew I was screwed from the time Riley sat down across a table from me in the Coffee Shack. It just took a while to realize how screwed I really was.”
There was silence for a moment until Aiden broke it. “So why didn’t you ask her to marry you?”
“After I’d decided to do it, she broke ties with her mother. It was a huge step for her, and I didn’t want to jump right in and ask her after that happened. I decided to wait. If she hadn’t started to ditch me, I probably would have done it by now.”
“You’re in love with her,” Aiden stated.
“Completely,” I said miserably.
“Do you think she needs time because of what happened with her mother?” Skye queried.
“No. I think she might be a little sad about the mother who never existed for her, but I doubt she’s mourning the mother she had. Honestly, I’m pretty sure it was a long time coming. Her brothers came over later that night, and she told them everything, including the fact that she needed to sever ties with their mother.”
“What did they say?” Skye questioned.
“They were justifiably furious. They barely speak to their mother themselves, so I don’t think it was a big deal for them never to talk to her again. They probably told her off first. Riley’s brothers might be filthy rich, but they’ve never operated in that circle of rich snobs unless they absolutely have to.” It was something I admired about the Montgomery brothers, actually.
“So they’ll probably never speak to her again, either,” Skye surmised.
“Never,” I verified. “I think they’ll end up blaming themselves that they weren’t there to protect Riley, though it wasn’t their fault. But they really deserved to know the truth.”
“I’m not even going to pretend that I understand what you two are talking about,” Aiden said, sounding disgruntled. “I’m assuming they didn’t know about whatever happened to her during her childhood.”
“No,” I stated simply.
“I’m glad she told them,” Skye told me. “It’s too hard to keep family secrets like that.”
“I think she’s over not talking about it. Or feeling like it was somehow her fault.”
Skye nodded. “I think so, too.”
“Since I have no idea what did happen to her, let’s get back to the problem at hand,” Aiden suggested.
“I think he should give her a little more time,” Skye suggested. “She’s had a lot of family stuff happen. Emotional things.”
“I’ll give her one more day. And it’s probably going to kill me. But if she isn’t communicating by tomorrow, I’m going to get her to talk to me somehow. We were perfectly happy, and then she bolts with no warning? It doesn’t make sense. There’s something she’s not telling me.” I raked a hand through my hair in frustration.