And surprisingly, I don’t hate it. In fact, I haven’t laughed this much in weeks.
“So wife… I think we should have our first dance,” Riley says, swiveling our barstools so my legs are between his.
“We danced all night in Vegas,” I say. “In fact, I’m pretty sure you went to second base at the third club.”
Riley brushes his hand over his facial hair and grins. “You noticed that, did ya?”
I snort, shaking my head. “I doubt they play slow songs here.”
He arches a brow as if I just challenged him. “Wait here, my bride.” Riley flashes me a wink, then walks over to a jukebox I hadn’t realized was there.
Moments later, “A Thousand Years” by Christina Perri starts playing. An oldie but a goodie that I like a lot. He walks back over, all proper, and holds out his hand to me. “May I have this dance?”
“How could I ever deny you?” I place my hand in his, and he leads me to the center of the room.
“Where’d you learn to dance anyway?” I ask after a few moments.
“Bishops don’t learn to dance; it’s embedded into our DNA,” he says firmly.
“Really? Interesting because I’m pretty sure at the final club, you were stepping on my feet.”
He gives me a cocky grin. “I was also shit-faced. You’re really gonna use that against my dancing skills?” Riley spins me around before I can answer, and when he brings our bodies back together, I have a permanent smile on my face.
“Of course not. You’re damn good.”
“You’re way too good for my ego,” he teases. “Could you say it a little louder so the rest of the bar can hear?”
I laugh, my head falling back as he smirks at me. “So you’re a Christina Perri fan too? What other things are you going to surprise me with?”
“Well, the fourth movie was my favorite.”
I narrow my eyes at him, trying to determine if he’s being serious or not. “No way. Are you a Twilight fan?”
“What are you trying to say? I’m not cultured enough to love vampire smut?”
Now I’m rolling my eyes at his lousy attempt to feign offense. “Funny. Almost had me there.”
He laughs again, bringing his lips to me for a soft kiss. “Rowan, my little sister. She binged all the books in the series, then made me take her to the theater for an anniversary movie marathon. I really had no choice.”
“Aww…big brother duty.”
“And older cousin. All of the girls were obsessed.” He dramatically rolls his eyes.
“So then I guess the true test of our relationship lies on one question…” I say in all seriousness. He furrows his brows, waiting. “Team Jacob or Team Edward?”
“You really expect me to remember who either of them are?”
“I don’t think I can do this…” I stop moving. “I can’t be married to a man who doesn’t know Twilight.” I shrug, about to walk around him, but he swiftly grabs my waist and pulls me back to him.
“Team Edward…okay. Happy, now? You’ve officially stolen my man card.”
I wrap my arms back around him and smile. “Very.”
Chapter Nine
Riley
When I closed my eyes last night, Zoey was the only person on my mind. Being with her was magical, and having her here with me on the ranch doesn’t seem real. I keep pinching myself to make sure I’m not dreaming.
I roll out of bed before my alarm even goes off. There’s too much excitement streaming through me at seeing Zoey again. Not to mention, I have an assload of chores to do before Rowan’s surprise party today.
After lunch, the plan is to get Rowan to the bar without suspicion, and I have the perfect idea. What I didn’t prepare for was having to introduce Zoey to everyone in the family. I doubt my parents told anyone already, though it’s possible, considering the rumor mill in this small town.
I’m not trying to steal Rowan’s spotlight, but I know the questions will be never-ending. After I get dressed and make some coffee to go, I burst inside Diesel’s room being loud as fuck.
“What’s wrong with you, asshole?” He throws a pillow in my direction, groaning. “I still have an hour of sleep. And I was dreaming about your sister. She was just about to—”
“I wouldn’t fuckin’ finish that sentence,” I warn. No matter what time it is, he knows how to aggravate the piss outta me. “I’m getting started early, fuckface. Text me when you’re up and ready so I can tell you what I took care of,” I say before ripping the covers off his body.
He rolls over without a care and shoos me away. I leave with a grin on my face as I drive to the other side of the ranch and check the water troughs and feed the working horses that the ranch hands ride when they’re herding cattle from one pasture to the next. After I quickly muck out the stalls, I stop and take care of the chickens, then drive over to meet up with my dad. Without a doubt, he’s already in the office, mapping out what needs to be done for the day before Rowan’s party.