Riley clenched her jaw. She knew Archer and his sister were attending, had even assured Kenzie several times she was fine with it, but it wasn’t as if she was going to argue. Kenzie and Jen were friends, and it wasn’t Riley’s place to ruin her sister’s wedding plans.
“I’m sorry.” Riley forced her hand to remain steady while she inked in his name. “Except this doesn’t put them at the same table, because there’s only one spot left, and you haven’t split up any of your other guests.”
Kenzie flinched. “This is different. They’re not a couple. They should mingle.”
Riley stared back, her mouth twisted in disbelief. “You’re going to break your own rules? Willingly?”
“What?” Kenzie took the card from her but didn’t place it on top of the stack, as she had all the others. “My rules, my exceptions.”
Kenzie didn’t make exceptions. Riley pursed her lips. “Sure.”
“Fine.” Kenzie’s shoulders slumped. “What’s the deal with you and Zane?”
The deal was she’d made the same mistake she had with Archer—slept with a good friend and confused sex with love. Except it wasn’t that simple, and this wasn’t really about her. Not directly. The deal was she felt more helpless than she ever remembered feeling in her life. She dropped her pen. “I’m done.”
“Riley.”
Riley’s gut turned in on itself. “Nothing.” The single word came out harsher than she expected. “There’s nodealwith us.”
“You were holding hands half the night at dinner.”
The memory throbbed in Riley’s temple, and an ache settled in her throat. She couldn’t find a response, not that she trusted herself to speak anyway. Silence stretched between them.
“I’ll drop it.” Kenzie turned her attention to the already scripted name cards, straightening and over-straightening them.
“We’re sleeping together.” The words tumbled past Riley’s lips before she could figure out if she wanted to stop them or not. It made her ill to have that out there, but at the same time, it was a relief.
“You should have told me you guys were dating. That’s...” Kenzie trailed off, smile vanishing. “You’re not dating.”
Riley shook her head. “It wasn’t supposed to be this way. We had some fun while he was deployed. You know. Talking andstuff. When he got back, we agreed it might be even more fun to fool around in person. We promised we could stay friends. Except now I’m falling for him, and I know I wasn’t supposed to, and what if I spend the rest of my life unable to tell when I care about someone and when I’m just lonely?”
That wasn’t actually the problem. Not by a long shot. But she didn’t know how to explain the reality to her sister, and Zane’s story wasn’t her secret to share.
Kenzie covered Riley’s hand again, her tone soft. “You’re wrong.”
Riley’s insides threatened to fold in half. She couldn’t hide her hurt. “I didn’t mean to.”
“That’s not what I mean,” Kenzie said quickly. “I mean you’re wrong about not being able to tell the difference.”
“You’re sweet, but I’m not.” Riley couldn’t swallow. Her throat was too dry and raw from hidden tears.
“Why would you say that? You were the one who told me you wanted that shared look. That respect. That admiration. You have all that and more with Zane.”
Riley hated herself for clinging to the words. False hope would set her up for more heartache, but she couldn’t ignore it. “You think?”
“Would I say it if I didn’t believe it?”
Good point. Her sister was diplomatic, but she never outright made things up. “I guess not, but it doesn’t matter, if he doesn’t feel the same.”
“Sorry to interrupt, ladies.” Scott appeared behind Kenzie. He rested his hand at the small of her back. “Caterer is on the phone. Will you talk to him?”
Kenzie rolled her eyes. “You can’t handle it?”
The corner of Scott’s mouth pulled up in a smirk. “I’m about thirty seconds from telling him exactly what I think of his phony French accent and completely inauthentic food.”
“Fine.” Kenzie’s grin defied the irritation in her voice. She looked at Riley. “I’ll be right back, and we’ll figure it out.” She kissed Scott, lingering for a few seconds before pulling away.
Damn it, Rileydidwant that. And she wanted it with Zane. She didn’t hold his past against him; she only wanted to help him through it. To see him whole again. She dropped her chin into her palm, gaze locked on the countertop. This was such a mess.