I’d thrown on a thick cardigan to walk him out to the car, and I pulled it tighter around me. It was freezing out. I should have grabbed my heavy coat. The snow might’ve stopped, but the temperature continued to plummet.
“You should get in the house. It’s too cold out here with no coat on.”
I nodded. But then awkwardness set in. How was I supposed to say goodbye to this man? We’d been acting like a loving couple for the last day and a half, and he’d slept in my bed, so it felt odd to just wave goodbye and not at least give him a hug or something. “Alright. Well, I’ll see you next weekend.” I lunged forward and gave him an incredibly awkward, clumsy hug that made the situation even more uncomfortable. When I pulled back, Kennedy stared down at me in silence. He probably thought I was the biggest dork.
“Alright,” I said again. “Well…have a good week.”
I turned and took two hasty steps toward the house.
“Riley, wait.” Suddenly Kennedy grabbed my arm and tugged me back against him. “Your mom is watching at the window.”
I looked back over my shoulder, scanning the front windows. “I don’t see anyone.”
“She was just there. And we wouldn’t want her to get suspicious. So I’m afraid you’re going to have to give me a better goodbye than that.”
“But…”
Before I could finish, Kennedy cupped my face in his hands and sealed his mouth over mine. At first I was shocked and frozen, but then a surge of the desire that never seemed to be far away whenever he was around, took hold. His lips were so soft, yet his actions were borderline rough. One of his big hands snaked around to the back of my neck, and he squeezed and tilted my head how he wanted it. It felt so good, I sighed into his mouth, and he used the opportunity to find my tongue and deepen the kiss. I don’t know what came over me, but I had the strongest urge to suck on his tongue.
All hell seemed to break loose after that. Kennedy groaned, then drew my bottom lip into his mouth and bit down.
I vaguely registered being lifted. One minute I was facing the rental car, and the next my back was pushed up against it, Kennedy pressing his hard body against mine. A loud moan passed between our joined lips. I wasn’t even sure which one of us it belonged to. God, he felt so good. I dug my hands into his thick hair, yanking at the silky soft strands, desperate to bring him even closer.
I had no idea how long we stood out there, making out in my mother’s driveway like teenagers. But when we finally came up for air, I was panting and Kennedy’s cheeks were flushed as his heavy-lidded gaze lingered on my lips.
I blinked a few times and reached up to cover my swollen lips with my fingers. “Wow.”
Kennedy’s mouth curved into that slow, sexy smile that I was becoming far too attached to. “You can say that again.”
“I mean, that was…”
“Yeah. It was.”
A gust of frigid air blew, and I shivered. I’d forgotten all about the cold.
“You better go inside.”
“Yeah. Ummm. Okay. I’ll see you Friday.”
I walked up the driveway in a complete daze. When I reached the front door, I couldn’t resist looking back. Kennedy hadn’t moved from where I had left him, and his eyes were still on me. I waved, and he finally opened the car door and got in.
It didn’t matter that it was freezing outside. I was still on fire from our impromptu make-out session and needed a moment to cool off before going into the house. So I stood at the door and watched as Kennedy’s car pulled away and drove down the block.
Eventually, when the taillights were no longer in view, I opened the front door and hurried inside. My mom and sister were sitting at the dining room table, exactly where they’d been sitting when I’d left to walk Kennedy out. Mom looked over at me.
“Did Kennedy get off alright?”
“Yeah.” I thumbed back toward the front door. “Umm…weren’t you…at the window a few minutes ago?”
My mom chuckled. “No, honey. I’m nosey, but not that nosey. I’m sure you two lovebirds needed a little private time to say your goodbyes.”
Hmmm…
“Was anyone at the window? I thought I saw the blinds move.”
Mom smiled. “No, sweetheart. None of us have moved a muscle since you left to walk Kennedy out to the car.”
Riley
“So there’s been a slight change of plans.”
Kennedy called me during my drive to Rochester. I was only about twenty minutes away.
“What is it?”
“I’m stuck at this tux fitting place with the guys from the wedding party. They screwed up all of the sizes, and now they’re trying to fix it. So I won’t be able to meet you at my mom’s shop.”
Kennedy’s mother was supposed to be giving him the keys to her boutique so he could take me to select a dress for the wedding. I wasn’t exactly sure what this news meant.
“Should I wait for you somewhere?
“No. If you wait for me, we won’t have enough time before the rehearsal dinner. I just got off the phone with my mom, and she’s going to meet you there.”
Panic started to set in. “Kennedy, I can’t meet your mom without you!”
“Why not?”
“We haven’t even discussed what I’m going to say or anything.”
“Honestly, Riley? Just be yourself. That’s more than enough. There’s nothing you could say that could make you better than you already are.”
His words calmed me down just a tad. Seriously, what a sweet thing to say.
“I guess I just thought maybe you wanted me to jazz things up a bit. You know, like how we met when I was saving you from a burning building. That sort of thing.”
He let out a hearty laugh. “Riley, that was never the plan. Tell the truth. Although, maybe neglect to mention that I lied through my teeth to your mother over Christmas. My mom doesn’t need to know any of that.”
I blew out a breath. “God, now I’m nervous. I thought you’d be with me.”
“Riley. You’ll be fine. And I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
Mrs. Riley’s boutique was basically a little house, situated at the corner of a residential street. A white lace gown with a champagne-colored sash was displayed in the window and a sign read: Suzanne’s Bridals. From what Kennedy told me, his mother’s shop also featured regular dresses and shoes, as well as the bridal gowns.
One-stop shopping to meet your fake boyfriend’s family.
A bell chimed as I opened the door.
“Be right there!” I heard someone call from the back.
My palms were sweaty as I geared up to meet Mrs. Riley. My eyes trailed along a line of white dresses sandwiched together along the left side of the room. On the other side were evening gowns and shorter dresses in a rainbow of colors.
“Riley?”
I turned toward the voice.
A petite woman with short brown hair and a huge smile greeted me.
“Mrs. Riley?”
“Please, call me Suzanne. Gosh, I can’t get over the fact that your first name is our last name!”
“Yeah. It’s a pretty funny coincidence.”