Kiss by Kiss (Riggins Brothers #3) - Kaylee Ryan Page 0,23
I swallow back the fear of being ridiculed. “Tell me, please.” My voice is pleading. “I-I don’t want secrets. I can’t do secrets. I don’t know what this is, but I’ve been with a man who kept me in the dark. He kept me at arm’s length, and used me.” I swallow hard, stopping there. I’ve already said more than I ever intended to.
“Hey.” He cradles my face in the palm of his hands. “No secrets. They’ve been razzing me, telling me that when I fall, it’s going to be hard. I gave them both hell when they met my sisters-in-law, and this is payback for that. Nothing more, nothing less.”
I nod. I can’t speak over the emotions clogging my throat. Swallowing hard, I manage to push “Okay,” past my lips.
“You’re the first woman I’ve ever brought to dinner. My brothers and I, we don’t bring just anyone. She has to be special. We have to see more than just a few dates or a roll in the hay with her. They know that.”
“Just me?” I ask him.
“Yeah, baby. Just you.” He pulls me into a hug, holding me close to his chest. “No secrets,” he whispers. “Come on, let’s get in there before the vultures eat it all.” He eases back. “You good?” I nod. He studies me, searching for the truth. He must find what he’s looking for because he returns my nod and leads us into the dining room.
No one pays us any attention as he holds the chair out next to his and tells me to sit. I make eye contact with Aspen, who is sitting between Marshall and Conrad. I give her a subtle nod, and she smiles softly. It’s her way of telling me she’s here, and I have no doubt she’s going to grill me once we’re home.
Funny, I’m not dreading it. I need to talk to someone about today, about Grant, and about all of these damn butterflies.
“Spill it,” Aspen says as soon as we’re home.
“It was… a good day.”
“That smile tells me it was more than a good day. Come on now, you can do better than that.” Her phone rings, and a look that can be described as pure mischief crosses her face. “Hi, Mom.”
“No,” I whisper to her.
“Oh, we’re fine. We just got back from dinner. At Aurora’s new man’s parents’ place.”
“Aspen!” I hiss.
She throws her head back in laughter. “Technically, he’s not her new man, but he wants to be.” She laughs at something our mom says. “Hold on.” She pulls the phone from her ear and taps the screen. “You’re on speaker,” she tells Mom.
“Aurora, tell me more,” Mom says, her voice giving away her excitement. After my ex, I swore off men and dating. Mom was disappointed. She said I was letting him win, but I didn’t care. I was jaded, and I still am, but everything about Grant screams that he’s different.
“He’s a nice guy.”
“How did you meet?”
“He came into the bakery.”
“Nice. Does he have a handsome brother for your sister?”
“He does actually. He has four brothers but two of them are taken.”
“There you go, Aspen. You have two to choose from,” Mom teases her.
“Hey, I thought this was about Aurora.” Aspen pouts.
“I want both of my girls happy.”
“We are,” we say at the same time.
“Fine. I won’t press, but I’d like to see a picture of this young man.”
“I’ve got you,” Aspen tells her.
“Great, now tell me what else has been going on? Don’t leave out a single thing.”
Aspen and I spend the next half hour or so talking to our mother. Dad joins the call too, and it makes me miss them even more. I miss them, but I really am happy with where I’m at in my life right now. I think Aspen is too. We both love Nashville. It was good for both of us to get out of Memphis. We were both just kind of going through the motions. Here, it feels like we’re living.
Really living.
Chapter 9
Grant
Most would say that me coming into her bakery every morning is obsessive. I like to think of it as resourceful. It’s not just the fact that I get to lay eyes on the beautiful Aurora. Her creations are mouthwatering, out-of-this-world delicious.
“Fancy seeing you here.” Aspen smiles. “What can I get for you?”
“Is Aurora here?” I ask her.
“Yep.”
“Can I see her?”
“She’s in the back.” I move to walk around the counter. “Hey, what are you doing?”