Touch by Touch (Riggins Brothers 4)
“Go to work.” Aurora pushes at his chest.
He doesn’t budge as he leans in and presses his lips to hers. “Love you, Rory,” he says softly before tossing some cash on the counter and grabbing one of the two boxes. Marshall takes the other.
“I know he’s your fiancé, and I respect that, but damn, I love to watch those brothers leave,” I say, admiring the view.
“Definitely a sight to behold,” Aurora agrees.
“So, on a serious note, what are you thinking? Let’s talk wedding. You know Grant’s not going to stop asking until you decide.”
“Well, I was thinking about Valentine’s Day.”
I nod. “Okay, we can work with that. It’s what, five months from now?”
“Yes.”
“And you haven’t told your fiancé this because?” I inquire.
“Is it too cheesy to be married on Valentine’s Day?”
“Depends. Do you have a reason for the date? If it’s because it’s the ‘day of love,’ then yes, I might say it’s cheesy.”
“No, nothing like that. Well. Valentine’s Day was when we became official. The day we made it clear that neither of us was seeing anyone else.”
“Aw.”
“Stop.” She shakes her head in amusement.
“What? I think it’s sweet. Do you have a location in mind?”
“Yes.”
“Are you going to tell me, or were you planning on making me guess?”
“The cabin in the Smokies.”
“Let me guess, because that’s where he asked you to marry him?”
“Yes.”
“I love it. You need to tell him, and Mom, and Lena, and Sawyer and Layla. We have planning to do and only five months to do it in.”
“I don’t want anything elaborate. Just a small ceremony at the cabin with our families.”
“He’s going to be fine with whatever it is you want. You know that, right?”
“I do. I just… this is a big decision.”
“No, dear sister. The big decision was agreeing to marry him. Everything else is just logistics. You love him. He loves you. The day is about that love, nothing more, nothing less.”
“Look at you, my little sister giving me such profound advice.”
“I may be younger, but always wiser.” I chuckle, tapping my index finger to my temple.
“When is my wise sister going to take some of her own advice and find a man to make a big decision with?”
I shrug. “Time will tell.”
“What happened to that Rick guy you went out with a couple of weeks ago?”
“He was a dud. He still lives in his parents’ basement, and his mom does his laundry.”
“Is there a reason for that? Is he in school? Building his own home? Working three jobs?”
I love that she always tries to find the good in people. Even after everything she’s been through. “Nope, nothing other than he’s a lazy ass. He bragged about not having to do anything or pay bills. I’m out on that.”
“Sounds like you dodged a bullet with that one. I’ll give you that. However, that doesn’t mean you need to stop dating.”
“I just want it to be… organic, you know? A chance meeting. I don’t want it to be some planned blind date. I know my prince charming is out there waiting for me.”
“And how are you going to know when this moment happens?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. I just know that I will.”
“Well, I want to be an aunt, so yeah, get working on that,” she teases.
“You have Riggins babies to be an aunt too,” I remind her.
“And I’ll love and spoil them, but I want to do that to your kids too.”
“You’re not asking for much,” I tell her, and she laughs.
“Get back to work.” She points at me before disappearing back into the kitchen.
I move to wipe the counters when the bell chimes over the door, and that’s how the day goes. A steady flow of customers, and I could not be prouder of what Aurora and I have created. When she presented me with the idea of opening Warm Delights, I knew I was all in. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for my big sister. We’re more than sisters. We’re best friends. At the time, I was working as an administrative assistant at a local newspaper. It was a dead-end job that I didn’t really enjoy. I jumped at the chance to move to Nashville and help her achieve her dreams. It turns out it wasn’t just her dream. While I may not be the creation wiz like my sister in the kitchen, I discovered that I enjoy baking when I have a recipe to follow. I also enjoy working the counter and seeing the smiling faces, and getting to know the regulars. As an added bonus, I’m using my associate's degree in business to help with the books, ordering, and everyday operations. We’re a great team, Aurora and me.
I love that this move has helped my sister blossom and overcome that jerk ex of hers. She’s found her prince charming, and although I know my time will come, she’s impatient. That’s just Aurora. She wants the best for everyone, especially me being her younger sister by two years. She’s always had that maternal instinct with me, even though we’re close in age. She’s going to be a great mother to children of her own one day.