Know Me Well (Wishful 3)

“I bet if he wasn’t in it, you wouldn’t be able to sleep as easily and you’ve already got sides.”

Could she sleep without him? It had been so incredibly easy to get used to having him sprawled beside her or wrapped around her. Who knew her badass Marine would be such a snuggler?

“None of that means we’re living together.”

“Okay, have you, at any point, called him to get him to pick up something from the grocery on his way home?”

“No.”

“Has he called to ask you if he can pick up something on his way home?”

“Take out doesn’t count.”

“No, you’re missing the point. Has he used the word ‘home’ in reference to your place?”

Riley opened her mouth to rebut, then remembered his parting words as he’d left for Mitch’s. I’ll try not to be home too late.

“Ah ha! I can see it on your face. He

totally has.”

Riley gave up pretending to eat the pizza. “Oh my God.”

“From my perspective over here in the cheap seats, he looks happier than I’ve ever seen him. And so did you until you hit panic mode about sixty seconds ago. What’s the matter?”

“I’m not panicking.”

“Your face is taking on the same shade as the banana peppers, babe.”

“It’s just… It’s too much too fast. Circumstances have escalated things between us and we’ve completely bypassed all the normal dating and get to know each other rituals.”

“So? You already know each other. I fail to see the problem here.”

“Relationships have a proper order for a reason. I don’t want him to start feeling like I pushed him into something.”

“You haven’t pushed Liam into a damn thing. That man is stubborn as a mule. He doesn’t do anything he doesn’t want to do.”

That was true enough, but what if he started feeling caged in? Trapped? Riley had seen that often enough in the men her mother dated, when things moved way too fast.

Autumn laid her hand over Riley’s. “He wants to be with you. Don’t start borrowing trouble where there is none.”

“I just—I don’t want to screw this up because we didn’t think things through and rushed into something more serious than either of us was ready for.”

“You’re allowed to rush when you’re in love, when it’s right. You know that in your gut or you wouldn’t be where you are with him.”

“I didn’t say I was in love with him.” She’d kept that to herself.

Autumn arched one brow. “Please. This is me. I have eyes. You’re both crazy about each other and you make each other happy. And you were completely fine with that until I opened my big fat mouth. So I’m going to shut up now, you’re going to go back to being happy and making googly eyes when his name is mentioned, and I’m going to sit over here and smile in appreciation that two of my favorite people got over themselves and found each other.”

“That easy?”

“That easy,” Autumn assured her.

“Why are you so invested in this?”

“Other than the fact that I want my friends happy?”

Riley nodded.