The Hot New Bartender in Town (Welcome to Kiss County #3)

Chapter 12

12

TISH

O ne thing I’ve gleaned from growing up in a tourist wedding destination like Kiss County, it’s that no wedding ever goes off without a hitch.

So when my mother and I took up the task of planning her wedding in just two days we prepared to keep our expectations on the floor.

Small Town, on the other hand…

They stepped up.

By the time we’d talked to Reverend Pierce to book the chapel on the town square, the news spread. Within minutes, it reached the busybodies at the yoga studio and, by the next hour, people were stopping us on the street to congratulate my mother.

“I’m so happy for you, Tanya!”

“It’s about time!”

“I knew that Kiss County magic would touch you someday!”

“Bring him around for bingo! We’re dying to meet the lucky guy.”

Her cheeks a bright shade of pink, my mother accepted their words with smiling grace. She’s always been shy, never one to stick herself out there too far, and the sudden flood of attention was no doubt overwhelming to her.

Neither of us were prepared for just how far Small Town would go, though.

By the end of the first day, Mika had gifted them the honeymoon suite at Two Hearts Inn for the week. Lottie volunteered her baking skills to make them the perfect three-tiered cake. Bruno faked a bit of disinterest before offering to cater the reception, which would take place at Sparks Pub — with an open bar.

“Just remember where you started when you make it big someday, diva,” Jake teased. “All right?”

With rolling eyes and a grateful smile, I agreed.

In the rush to get everything prepared, I’ve barely had a moment to myself.

Barely a moment to think about Riley.

When he does drift into my thoughts, it’s like a slow crashing tidal wave threatening to knock me off balance. I push through it, not wanting to spiral too deep, not wanting to remind myself just how close I came to finding someone of my own.

I thought it was finally my turn.

Apparently not.

People talk about how easy it is to fall in love in Kiss County, but no one ever talks about how easy it is to have your heart broken, too.

On the morning of the wedding, we head toward the town square. Jewel-toned streamers line the streets, pointing the way toward the bright white chapel. People greet us excitedly as we pass, offering congratulations and well wishes for the journey ahead.

“I’m so nervous!” my mother admits as we approach the chapel doors.

“It’s all going to be fine,” I assure her. “Everything is...”

My voice fades as I hear the gentle strumming of a guitar somewhere deep within the chapel, the song painfully familiar.

It’s the song Riley and I sang together the night we met.

How could such a simple thing make my heart twist so hard?

Sitting on the front pew of the chapel, his head dipped with focus, Riley strums his guitar. The notes curl around me, threatening to sweep me off my feet as easily as he did.

“Riley!” my mother says, her voice bringing the music to a sudden stop. “Was that you? You sound great!”

He looks up, then down, his eyes only briefly touching mine as he sets the guitar aside and stands up. “Yeah,” he says. “I was just messing around, but thank you.”

I bite my cheek, the sight of him in his black suit and sapphire blue tie making me weak in the knees. I rest a hand on the back of the nearest pew to prevent myself from falling over.

“Is Richard here?” Mom asks.

“At the moment, no.” Riley points down the aisle toward the exit. “Bruno had some last questions about the catering, so he left to go deal with it.”

“Good,” she says, though her toes bounce with excitement. “Can’t have the groom seeing me before the wedding. It’s bad luck!”

“I think that’s just the dress, Mom,” I say.

“Is it? Well, in that case, I’m gonna go track him down for one last smooch. We’re getting married today!”

I smile as I get out of her way. “Yes, you are.”

With a happy squeal, my mother rushes off with her garment bag gently folded over her arm.

Allowing myself one last look, I give Riley a nod. The air between us feels thick and heavy, like the moments before a thunderstorm, and I’m not sure I want to stick around and wait for the rain.

“There are a lot of buttons on that dress,” I offer. “I should probably go so I can help her when she’s ready.”

“Wait.” Riley steps forward. “I, uh... I was actually wanting to talk to you before...”

Before the wedding.

Before we become family and therefore never allowed to be what we could have been.

I pause, but I keep my weight on my toes.

Riley takes a breath, his eyes briefly scanning the chapel before he looks at me. “You look nice,” he says.

I glance at my outfit; a simple yet elegant satin halter top dress that matches his sapphire blue tie. “Thanks,” I say. “You do, too.”

He shifts on his feet, his hands slowly sliding into his pockets. “I just wanted to say that... I’m sorry I lied to you. About my mother.”

I nod slowly. “It’s okay. I understand why you did.”

He returns the nod, grateful. “It’s easier to just say she’s gone for good than to admit she hated you so much, she walked out.”

“I’m sure that’s not true, Riley.”

“I appreciate you saying that, but...” He swallows hard. “If she loved me, she would have stayed.”

I bite my cheek, unsure how to reply. I never knew my father. I never had the chance to bond with him, so I’ve never known the pain of being abandoned by one meant to love me unconditionally. “I’m sorry,” I say, offering comfort.

“It’s all right,” Riley says with a smile that trembles my knees. “If she never left, I may never have dropped out of school and moved down here. I may never have met you.”

I snort. “Not sure us meeting the way we did was a good thing or not.”

“It was,” he says. “Tish, it was a very good thing.”

I look down, blush filling my cheeks. Before I can reply, Riley steps forward, the tips of his shiny black shoes in line with mine. His hand rises to my cheek and I inhale sharply, his touch unexpected.

“Riley,” I whisper. “What are you doing?”

His thumb glides along my jaw as his eyes lock on mine. “If you love someone, you don’t leave.”

He leans in close, his lips brushing tenderly against mine; a silent invitation. His words wash over me, filling me with hopeful longing as sinful thoughts take hold. I want so badly to kiss him now, to be kissed by him over and over again.

But our time is over, before it ever really began.

“Riley,” I whisper hesitantly, foolishly unable to step back myself.

“I know,” he says, but he doesn’t back off, either. He lingers close, his fingers teasing toward my neck. “I told myself I wouldn’t do this, but then I saw you...” He exhales, his breath warm against my cheek. “Fuck, I can’t stop myself, Tish.”

Riley crushes his mouth on mine; a kiss hard and deep. For a moment, my back stiffens. I think to push him away, to do what most would consider to be the right thing in this circumstance, but as his lips embrace mine, I give in. I give myself over to the temptation that’s boiled beneath the surface these last few days.

Just a kiss, I tell myself.

Just one last kiss.

His arms curl around my waist, drawing me even closer to him. I cling to his suit jacket, the thrill of his body against mine sparking a deep urge in me.

Just a kiss, I remind myself.

Just one last...

He grips me tighter, the strength of his embrace nearly lifting me off the floor.

“Riley,” I whisper, sounding more like a moan than the word of warning I meant it to be.

“I know,” he says, breaking the kiss to catch his breath. “But I can’t...”

“I can’t, either,” I admit, parting my lips for his tongue. “But we shouldn’t...”

“Yeah,” he agrees, but doesn’t stop. “We shouldn’t.”

Just a... no.

A kiss isn’t enough.

A kiss could never be enough.

My body churns with frustration. The need to touch his skin again. The need to feel him inside of me again.

Just one more time, I tell myself.

“Just one more time,” I hear myself say aloud, my hands helplessly tugging at his sapphire blue tie.

“Yeah,” he says, the word so soft between kisses, his hands gripping my sides. “One more time.”

Then, we’ll be done.

Then I’ll be ready to move on.

Then, we ? —

“Junior!”

Richard’s voice echoes through the chapel, quickly followed by a sharp, feminine gasp.

Riley and I break apart, but it’s far too late. His father stands at the end of the aisle. My mother, too, with a hand pressed against her mouth in shock.

And about a dozen or so wedding guests, Mika, Lottie, and Brenda among them. Eyes wide and mouths open.

Ah, crap.