“What happened all those years ago? I feel like this is something I need to know,” Mom said.
No, it really wasn’t. I wasn’t about to tell her, and I didn’t think Isaac would either.
Then Dad said—and it felt good to call him that again because he was my dad just as much as Isaac was the man I loved—“If this is about the time Lane decided he was going to do something wild for the first time in his life, took the car out before he had his driver’s license, and got that dent in the bumper, you’re also telling on yourself, Isaac. I believe it was you who tried to hide it from us, paid for the other car, and took our vehicle to get it fixed, all while thinking I had no clue what was happening.”
Both our mouths dropped open. That was exactly the story. Isaac had gotten his license before me. I hadn’t been all that interested, but then he was gone all the time with his friends, and I’d been feeling rebellious and anxious without him. I’d made it around the block before I’d gotten scared, pulled over, then proceeded to back into another car.
It had been Isaac I’d called. The neighbor had agreed to let us work off the damage that summer without telling our parents. Isaac had asked to borrow the car the next day, and he’d sat at the shop, waiting for it to get fixed, using money he’d earned at his part-time job.
But that had been our secret. Dad knew, and he hadn’t said anything?
“How…?” Isaac asked.
“In some things, you boys aren’t as sneaky as you think you are,” Dad replied.
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me, Timothy!” Mom playfully swatted him. Oops. It looked like he’d told on himself too. Everyone in the house laughed. “I just don’t know who I can trust anymore,” she joked.
“I love you, Mom.” Isaac squeezed her hand. “I wanted to tell you from the start.” He always called her Mom now too, and it meant a lot to both of them. It was clear every time Isaac said it.
“Suck-up,” I told him.
We had dinner, and then Mom passed out the cookies. There was laughter and games, conversation and more teasing each other. It was perfect. I loved our family so much. I couldn’t imagine our lives without this—the people who meant so much to us, those here in the room with us, and our friends, like Hutch and Ryder.
Today was the last day of the family get-together, and tomorrow our relatives would be heading home, so just before everyone was about to settle in for the night, I said, “I have a painting I want to show you guys.”
Isaac frowned but waited with everyone else while I went to get it from where I’d hidden it in the closet. I carried the canvas down, the white cloth over it so no one would see.
“Can you grab that easel by the door for me?” I asked Isaac, who went to get it. He stood it up beside me, and I set the painting on it. I nodded toward it, and he got a curious look on his face but took the cloth off.
Mom started crying the second she saw me on the canvas, on one knee, Isaac standing in front of me.
I lowered myself to the floor, into the same position I’d painted myself.
“Lane?” Isaac turned toward me, surprise evident in his eyes when he didn’t see me until he lowered his gaze.
I held the ring out for him, my hand ridiculously shaky, even though I knew what his answer would be. “It’s always been you for me, Isaac. I’m proud to be your best friend, your life partner, and nothing would make me prouder than to call you my husband. Will you marry me?”
Isaac grabbed my wrist and tugged me to my feet. “Yes, you idiot. Of course I will.”
Everyone clapped and cheered, Mom and our grandmothers cried, and I knew that from that moment years ago when I’d looked up at him through the window, after our parents had said their vows, that every second, every step we’d taken in our lives, was designed to lead us exactly where we were. Together.
The End
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Curious about Ezra and Dae? You can read their book in my Nyrae Dawn novel, Paint the Stars, cowritten with Christina Lee.
Check out Boyfriend Goals, a standalone romance, coming in May 2022 from Riley Hart.
Thank You
Writing a book is both very solitary, but it also takes a village to help get a story ready for release.
First, I have to thank my family. While I’m lucky to work from home, that also means my computer is always right there. My books are important to me. Every word comes from my heart, and my need to tell a variety of different stories about different kinds of characters and in many different ways. Most of the time, I work off and on all day. I’m lucky to have such a supportive family by my side, who don’t fuss at me too much but also let me know when it’s time to take a break.
I would like to thank my beta readers on this novel: Mia, Jenn, and Saxon. Thank you for reading my messy first draft and not judging me for it. LOL.
My editor, Keren…I’m sorry I’m such a disaster! Thank you for helping me make my books shine.
Charity, Judy, and Dianne—thank you for your fantastic proofing skills.
A second thank-you to Charity for being an awesome PA.
To my readers. Thank you. I know I write all over the place. I know I can go from a light story to a heartbreaking one, but I’m a big believer in always following your muse. Whether you’ve read one of my books or all of them, thank you for the support and giving me a chance.
Riley
Series by Riley Hart
Secrets Kept
Briar County
Atlanta Lightning
Blackcreek
Boys In Makeup with Christina Lee
Broken Pieces
Crossroads
Fever Falls with Devon McCormack
Finding
Forbidden Love with Christina Lee
Havenwood
Jared and Kieran
Last Chance
Metropolis with Devon McCormack
Rock Solid Construction
Saint and Lucky
Stumbling Into Love
Wild side
Standalone books:
Strings Attached
Beautiful & Terrible Things
Love Always
Endless Stretch Of Blue
Looking For Trouble
His Truth
Standalone books with Devon McCormack:
No Good Mitchell
Beautiful Chaos
Weight Of The World
Up For The Challenge
Standalone books with Christina Lee:
Science & Jockstraps
Of Sunlight and Stardust
About the Author
Riley Hart is the girl who wears her heart on her sleeve. Although she primarily focuses on male/male romance, under her various pen names, she’s written a little bit of everything. Regardless of the sub-genre, there’s always one common theme and that’s…romance! No surprise seeing as she’s a hopeless romantic herself. Riley’s a lover of character-driven plots, flawed characters, and always tries to write stories and characters people can relate to. She believes everyone deserves to see themselves in the books they read. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her reading, traveling or dreaming about traveling. She has two perfectly sarcastic kids and a husband who still makes her swoon.