Too many people. But not enough people.
Not the right people.
Not the right person.
No matter what the test results showed, she knew what she had to do.
Chapter Twenty
Two weeks later…
Tyler was no stranger to flying. Flying alone was a little different though. More time to think. As he waited for his row to be called for boarding, he watched a little family. A mother, father, an infant, and a little girl about four years old. She wanted to take the baby out of his stroller and hold him.
Tyler smiled to himself. For all he knew, one of the parents was a shifter. There was no way for him to tell. He wondered if Riley could spot another shifter. With her heightened senses, perhaps she could tell.
He chuckled at the idea. As far as he could tell, the human Riley smelled completely female. And he’d been up close and personal with her.
Geez. All he could think about was burying his face in her bosom, grabbing her shapely ass, and driving himself deep inside her.
Now he was going to have to board the plane with a hard on. This was becoming a perpetual state, since all he thought about anymore was Riley.
She’d rejected him in no uncertain terms. Leaving without saying goodbye meant no.
And the ring in his pocket meant he was giving her a second chance to change her mind.
He smiled at the disdain that would earn him. She’d sock his ears for being so tenacious, but he’d let her go last time without a fight.
This time he wasn’t going to make it so easy on her.
If she said no, she’d be saying no to a Tiffany diamond and a lifetime with him. He didn’t care if they lived in New York or Colorado.
Hours later, he stepped off the plane and got into the back seat of a taxi. It was dark now, but the city was lit up with artificial light.
He recited the address Joel Harrison had given him. Within minutes, he’d be at Riley’s door. She might not want to see him. Or she might not even be alone. It was a Tuesday evening, his best bet to catch her alone and at home.
But not the best time to come into Manhattan traffic-wise. Just over two hours later, he paid the taxi driver and stepped out in front of Riley’s apartment building. She lived one block off Central Park. Not bad for a country girl from the middle of Nowhere, Colorado.
He went to the elevator and pressed the button for the ninth floor. Not much security though. He stood in front of her door, lifted his hand to knock, but lowered it. He could still walk away, and she would never know he was here. But he’d come too far. He took a deep breath, lifted his shoulders, and rapped on the door.
No answer. He knocked again. About two minutes later, he stuck his hands in his pockets and turned to walk away.
The door opened, and when he turned, all the doubt that had been there dropped away. Just seeing her was worth the trip.
Her hair was pulled up into a loose ponytail, and she had on jeans and his Cardinals t-shirt. He’d forgotten that she’d worn it home after their night of lovemaking. Just seeing her wearing his shirt put a wide grin on his face.
She stared at him, blinking as though she wasn’t sure she was actually seeing him. “Tyler?”
“Hi,” he said.
“What?” Alarm crossed her features. “Is everything okay?”
“Everything is good.” He hadn’t intended to alarm her. “Your father gave me your address.”
“Oh.” She stood with one hand on the doorknob. “You’re here. In New York.”
It wasn’t exactly the welcome he’d envisioned. “Yeah.” He shrugged. He was feeling a bit out of sorts.
“Come in.” She stepped back as though it suddenly occurred to her to invite him inside.
Her apartment wasn’t what he’d expected either. It looked like a tornado had come through it.
“The movers are coming tomorrow.” She closed the door and shrugged.
“You’re moving?”
“Yeah.” She stepped back. “I haven’t told anyone yet.”
“I guess I just caught you then.”
“Yeah. So… you’re in town.”
“No.”
She tilted her head and frowned.
“I mean, yeah, I’m in town, but… I came to see you.”
“You lost your cell phone?”
It took a minute, but he burst into laughter. She smiled then.
“I thought it would have more impact if I showed up in person.”
“I think you’re right.”
“Somehow I thought you might be happy to see me.”
“I am happy to see you.” Her lips curled in a smile. “I’m just a little shocked.”
“Yeah, I deserve that.”
“I didn’t mean anything by it. I just didn’t expect it. That’s all.”
“So… now that I’m here, can I help you pack?”
“Sure. But it’s almost done. The furniture stays, so there’s not much else to do.”
“Then maybe we could go out? Have a drink?”
“I have some wine here.” She turned and dug into a box on her kitchen cabinet. “I have glasses here somewhere, too.”
She unwrapped a bottle of wine and handed it to him along with a corkscrew. While he opened the wine, she pulled out two wine glasses. “Shall we sit?”
She shoved her coats aside and they sat together on one end of the sofa.
“Where are you moving to?”
She sipped her wine. Then turned to face him. “I’m going home.”
“Home?”
She shifted her gaze to her wine glass. “I actually fly out tomorrow after the movers come and get my boxes.”
“Home? As in Hunter County?”
She nodded.
“For how long?”
“I haven’t decided yet.”
“But what about your work?”
“I resigned. Today was my last day.”
“Tomorrow.” He stared at her. The timing was… interesting. “I guess I won’t be getting my tour of New York.”
She scrunched up her face. “I’m sorry. The cell phone…”
“Yeah. I should have called.” He had to do something to break the awkwardness. “I’m glad I caught you.”
“Yeah. Me too.”
“I’ve been thinking a lot about you. About us.” She looked up at him. And he saw the soft vulnerability in her expression. “Riley.”
“Tyler, I…”
He took their wine glasses and set them on the coffee table. He gathered her in his arms and put his lips on hers. “I couldn’t go through this again.”
“Through what?” She murmured against his cheek.
“I couldn’t go on without you. I tried that once, and I didn’t like it very much.”
“Me either.”
“Do you believe in fated mates?”
He felt her lips smile against hers. “I might.”
“How about soul mates?”
“Is there a difference?”
“Not really.” He kissed her cheek, her eyelids. “Riley. I don’t want to be apart from you again.”
“Okay,” She murmured.
“If you want to stay here, in New York, I’ll stay with you.”
“I don’t want to be here anymore. I want to be home. With family. With you.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Riley couldn’t believe that Tyler had shown up at her apartment on the night before she was set to leave to go back to Colorado – to be with him if he would have her.
She washed the wine glasses while he repacked them in bubble wrap. She smiled to herself. They could get a hotel room and stay a couple of nights before flying to Colorado. She’d love to show him her favorite places here.
The cyst on her ovary had been treatable and nothing to worry about, but the scare had been enough to put things into perspective for her. She’d made a successful start to her career here. Tyler had been right. People in Colorado needed counseling, too. And in all fairness, her license
was in counseling. She just happened to have additional training in genetics.
She could even open her own practice near Hunter County. She had enough money saved for a couple of year’s cushion as she decided what her fresh start would be.
Everything else, she and Tyler could decide together. As a couple.
Epilogue
Riley and Tyler had packed as much as they possibly could into the next two days. They’d been to the Statue of Liberty, seen a play, and had New York pizza.
Tonight, they had reservations at the Rainbow Room, but what Riley was looking forward to most was taking Tyler up the Empire State Building. It was a beautiful view in the daytime, but at night, it was simply breathtaking.
After they walked around a bit with Riley pointing out some common landmarks like the Macy’s building, Tyler pulled her close.
“Riley, before we go home, there’s something I’d like to ask you. Here.”
“Okay.” She looked up at him. She couldn’t have been happier. He didn’t mind that she was a white Bengal tiger shifter, and she didn’t mind that he was no longer a baseball player. They just enjoyed each other’s company. For two days now, they’d been at each other’s side and had grown even closer. She didn’t know what the future held. She only knew that she wanted it to include Tyler.
Before she could see what he was doing, he was on his knees.
“Tyler, what?”
Then he was holding a little square box in his hand. “Riley Harrison.”
Her heart raced in anticipation.
“Riley.” He took her hand and grinned at her. “Will you marry me?”
Her breath hitched, and she couldn’t speak. “Yes.” She managed to get the words out among the tears that streaked down her face as she got on her knees with him and wrapped her arms around him.
Then they heard applause. Complete strangers had gathered around to watch and were clapping for them.
She gazed at Tyler with all the happiness glowing in her eyes. Here in the city of strangers, she been reconnected with her fated mate – her soul mate.
And together, they would decide if they wanted to risk having children that could morph into little tiger cubs. Either way, tomorrow they would be going home – to family. Where they both belonged.
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Riley's Mate Page 7