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“Did I tell you too much?” she asked.
“No, Chad did too much. His videoing you crossed a big line. He took advantage of your vulnerable state to use against you and make himself feel better. What a sick fuck. He needs some serious help.”
“I agree, and I hope he gets it before he gets involved with another woman. Otherwise, she’s going to end up in the same position that I was in with Chad and deal with the same bullshit.”
I rubbed my jawline. “About you coming in your dream… I’m surprised you didn’t wake up when it happened.”
“I had quite a bit of wine that night and was out.”
“I’ve dreamed about having sex with you countless times, but I always woke up right before I started coming. Whether I was sober or had whiskey flooding my system didn’t matter. Afterward, I laid in bed with a sticky mess to clean up, my head spinning, and my heart still loving you.”
Riley’s eyes welled up. “I’d like to believe we really were together during all of my dreams about you and yours about me—that our souls touched for a little while. I think that’s why my dreams felt so real.”
“I think that’s why mine did too.”
We both paused and took a needed deep breath. Then, I asked Riley what she did after watching Chad’s video of her.
“I got up from the table and left his house,” she said matter-of-factly.
“Did he try to stop you?”
“No.”
“Did you go back home or what?”
“I walked around the botanical garden in Fort Worth for almost three hours. Chad started texting, calling, and leaving me voicemails while I was there, but I ignored him until I got home. I called him, and he apologized profusely for what he’d done. He admitted it was an invasion of my privacy. He also said knowing you were still in my head and heart to such a big degree was hard for him to take.”
“What did you say?”
“I was done discussing the matter. Chad and I moved on like nothing had happened. It was just easier.”
I nodded.
“Enough with the heavy stuff, okay?” Riley asked.
“That’s fine by me. What would you like to talk about now?”
“Jackson. Does he know about us?”
“No, I haven’t said a word to him or anyone.”
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to hang on to our privacy for a little longer.”
“Okay.”
“If we started openly showing affection to each other in town tomorrow, folks would question it, and then their judgments would follow. I’m not up to dealing with anyone making a snarky comment about us. I know they would, considering how recently you were engaged to Trisha, and I was engaged to Chad.”
“Riley, you’d hear nothing but words of support from ninety-nine percent of the folks around here. They know you, me, and what we’ve been through. Since you and I split up last year, I cannot tell you the number of them who’ve come up to me to see how I was doing and also to tell me they hoped God brought us back together because they believed you and I were meant to be.”
“Are you serious?”
“I am. Have you been gone so long that you’ve forgotten how much you’re loved and adored around here?”
“Even after I broke your heart?”
“Yes. You can’t be faulted for following your dream. No one can.”
“I never imagined it leading me back to you, but I’m grateful that it has.
