A moment later, he went on, “Once they saw those photos on Friday afternoon, they knew I’d been lying. It wasn’t just fine and no big deal. It was much more than that.”
I blinked my eyes in surprise.
Was he saying?
My shock had taken over, rendering me speechless once again .
Riggs seemed to have no problem with conversation, so he continued, “After dealing with all of my siblings as a group, my youngest sister talked to me privately about it. She insisted that by me not acting on what was so obvious in those photos, I’d be making a big mistake.”
I swallowed hard past the tightness in my throat. “And do you agree with her?” I rasped.
Without any hesitation, he stated, “Yes. But that’s mostly because I already felt that way when I got home from the shoot without asking you for your number.”
I lifted and lowered my head slowly in understanding. I knew I needed to say something, but I wasn’t sure what. Eventually, I shared, “Kacey had a similar reaction to your sisters. She thinks those pictures say it all.”
“Do you agree with her?” he asked.
While Riggs had been very confident with his response about agreeing with his sister, I was slow to respond. It wasn’t that I didn’t agree with Kacey; I just worried about admitting it to Riggs.
Finally, I answered, “I think Anna captured a lot in those photos. She caught things that I didn’t even know it was possible for photos to depict. And I completely understand why everyone who sees them is having a similar reaction. It would be hard to tell that we weren’t a real couple.”
“Do you think there’s another reason for that beyond Anna’s capabilities as a photographer?” he pressed.
I had a feeling I knew what he was asking, but I was too scared to admit it. Instead, I played stupid and replied, “What do you mean?”
Riggs’ eyes searched my face in silence. After he’d taken some time to do that, he returned his gaze to mine and didn’t look away when he suggested, “Maybe Anna got lucky that the individuals she selected for this romantic stranger photo shoot were two people who had an instant connection.”
I couldn’t leave him hanging out there after having admitted that, so I agreed, “That’s a very plausible explanation.”
At my admission, I saw Riggs visibly relax. I hadn’t even realized he was tense until those words came out of my mouth. Seeing that, knowing he felt even just a touch of anxiety about this right along with me was comforting. In fact, that knowledge only served to make me want to open up a bit more.
“I was awestruck by the photos the first time I saw them,” I started. “I’d be lying if I told you I hadn’t looked at them at least a hundred times since Friday.”
Now grinning at me, Riggs teased, “Sounds like you had a busy weekend.”
I mustered up my best glare and shot it his way. Unfortunately, it didn’t have the intended effect. Riggs laughed, and I realized that wasn’t exactly a bad thing either.
After picking up his cup and taking a sip of his coffee, Riggs asked, “So, what do you think about trying this out?”
I hadn’t expected that question. Truthfully, I was so caught off guard that I considered pretending not to know what he was referring to, only so I’d have a few more moments to come up with a response.
Riggs must have noticed my apprehension because he reached his hand across the table and curled his fingers around mine.
After giving me a squeeze, he assured me, “There’s no pressure, Adele. Honestly. If you’re not interested, I don’t want you to feel like you have to do this.”
Shaking my head, I promised, “It’s not that. It’s just… well, I’ve been struggling with this very thing. When Kacey told me I should try to find you and reach out to you, I decided against it.”
Riggs tipped his head to the side curiously. “Why?” he wondered.
I sighed. “My life is very hectic right now,” I started. “Not only do I teach, but I do a lot of volunteer work on the weekends. On Sunday morning, I’m heading over to help out at a soup kitchen. To top it off, I’m also working on another charitable project. It just doesn’t leave me a lot of free time on the weekends.”
As soon as the words were out of my mouth, Riggs threw his head back with laughter. I watched as he struggled to regain his composure and wondered what he found so funny about what I’d just said.
Eventually, he managed to pull himself together. When he did, he merely stared at me with a different kind of intensity in his eyes.
“Riggs?” I called.
“Yeah?”
“What’s so funny?” I asked.
His lips twitched as he gave a slight shake of his head. “I find it hysterical that the very reason I didn’t come to your school the day after the photo shoot, or any day up until now, was because I kept telling myself that I didn’t have a lot of spare time to devote to fostering a meaningful relationship. It seems we have the same thing holding us back.”
“Do you suddenly have more time?” I wondered, feeling hopeful that he was willing to spend any time at all with me.
He shook his head.
Disappointment flooded me.
He leaned forward, brought a hand to my cheek, and stroked his thumb along the skin there. “I’m not here because I have an abundance of free time right now,” he began, his voice soft and gentle. “I’m here because I’d love the chance to be able to spend the little free time I do have with you.”
“Really?”
Riggs dipped his chin to confirm he was serious.
“If we decided to explore this, you’d be okay with the possibility of us going days without seeing one another?”
Something was working behind Riggs’ eyes. I stared into the dark depths of them and waited for him to work out whatever it was. Instead of getting lost in his eyes, I should have been preparing myself. Because the words that came out of his mouth next sent my heart into a frenzy.
“I remember what I felt when I was at the photo shoot with you, and I liked that a lot. I tried and failed not to think about you every day since that day. Work on the farm kept me busy and distracted all day, but every night since that shoot, I’ve thought about you. Seeing those pictures, I know I’d be a fool not to do something about what I think we both feel. If we decide to do this, maybe we’ll go days without seeing one another. Or maybe I’ll find that I can’t go days without seeing you and I’ll do what my other sister said… I’ll find the time for the right woman. Right now, all I know is I don’t want to miss the shot to find out if that woman is you.”
My lips parted.
I wanted to be that woman.
I wanted to be that woman for Riggs.
Because just like him, I knew what I felt at that photo session. I didn’t think that feeling was the kind of thing someone experienced with just anyone. That was a feeling that you experienced with someone special. So, yeah, I definitely wanted to be that woman that Riggs found the time for.
Coming to that realization, I said, “Then you should take your shot, Riggs. Take your shot and find out if I’m that woman.”
His fingers that were still curled around my hand squeezed while the ones that had drifted down and curled around the back of my neck pressed in. Only his thumb, which was at the front of my throat, was still featherlight on my skin. At the same time his fingers tensed, a rush of air left his lungs.