“You can get over here and climb this ladder,” River says from the corner. “Scaredy cat won’t go up.”
I look over to see River and Eli grinning and goofing off as they hang twinkle lights from the ceiling, which isn’t even that high to begin with.
“I didn’t come dressed to work,” Eli argues reasonably, considering he’s wearing slacks, a button-up with a bowtie, and loafers with no socks. He’s not what I would’ve pictured for Arielle, but if he makes her happy, that’s all that matters to me. Well, and that he treats her right. She deserves only the best.
I excuse myself to help with the lights, and as I walk off, Viktor converts his cane into sitting mode and lowers himself slowly, already talking about his own senior prom.
I’m elected to climb the ladder and hang the lights as River and Eli feed the strand and pins up to me. “You ready for tonight?” River asks me after looking around to check for any eavesdropping ears.
“I am,” I tell him honestly. “I’ve never been surer of anything. Not even myself, and I’m a cocky bastard,” I joke, and River wiggles the ladder in warning.
“Yeehaw,” I whoop, holding onto the ladder like it’s a bucking bull trying to get me off even though River is barely shifting it, not wanting to actually knock me off but rather knock my ego down a peg or two. “Is everything ready?”
“Yes, everything’s set,” Eli tells me. He and Arielle, along with River and Mrs. Watson, have been great helps at getting everything set up for tonight.
For the prom, but also for Riley’s surprise.
* * *
“You look gorgeous, Sunshine,” I tell Riley a few hours later. She’s wearing her white Docs, but her yellow socks are lacy and go up over her knees. With the floaty white dress she’s wearing, there’s a tiny sliver of pale thigh peeking out that is driving me absolutely crazy.
We sway slowly on the dance floor to an old song I’ve never heard, surrounded by people. All the residents are here with the staff chaperoning as they watch for any arising health issues, but also, a lot of the patients’ family members came to celebrate ‘prom’ too. It’s sweet to see the old ladies get fussed over by their grown kids, telling them how pretty they look and seeing how the younger versions of themselves glow from inside.
“Not so bad yourself,” Riley says. A moment later, her eyes leave mine to scan the floor. “Do you think Becky’s okay?” She nibbles at her lip. “Maybe she needs a water or a cookie?”
I follow Riley’s gaze, where Becky is sitting in a chair, absently rubbing her growing belly while she watches her husband, Simon, dance with Loretta. I met the whole Crew earlier when they arrived to support Arielle and Riley with whatever was needed. “I think Simon is taking good care of her, and he will get her anything she needs or wants.”
Riley’s eyes return to me, her chin ducking sheepishly. “I know. I just worry.”
“No, you want everyone to be happy. And that’s beautiful.” I see River waving from the door, catching my attention, and then talking to the videographer who’s filming tonight’s event, pointing her to Riley and me.
Between the photographer taking pictures of everyone and the video, all the attendees should have lovely memories of this prom. I’m sure the residents’ family members will especially appreciate that.
But I know someone else who will too. Riley.
“Speaking of wanting everyone to be happy, that’s what I want . . . for you.” My voice has gone serious, no teasing light or humor. It’s a vow I’ve made to Riley over and over, both aloud and in my own heart. I’ll do anything to make her smile.
“I am happy, Noah.” She meets my eyes, her truth displayed there too.
I lean into her ear and whisper, “I’m not the only man who makes you happy, though.”
She pulls back, brows knit in confusion, and I spin her in place. It takes her a second to see him even though people have intentionally moved out of the way.
“Dad? Dad!” Riley shouts, running for the man in the doorway. He catches her in his arms, her feet swinging a good foot off the ground. Over Riley’s shoulder, Joseph Watson meets my eye, a smile on his face too. “What are you doing here?”
He sets her down, chuckling. “I heard there was a prom here tonight, and you didn’t think I was going to let your mother find a new man, did you?” He looks to Rachel, who’s come up to his side, snuggling in under his arm.
Viktor calls out, “Aw, shucks, I thought I had a good chance with that one.” He’s totally kidding, and everyone laughs.
I look over to Arielle, who’s been helping me plan this. Actually, everyone has been—The Crew, the residents, Mr. and Mrs. Watson, River, and my mom. Everyone but Riley. I give Arielle a nod, and she changes the music over to the song I selected after listening to dozens of them.
Jason Mraz’s Sunshine Song comes through the speakers, warm and happy and reminding me of Riley with every word.
Send out your ray of sunshine . . .
That’s what Riley’s done. Sent her sunshine out into the world, and so many people appreciate that. But what I love the most about her is that she shared her sunshine with me, teaching me what is truly important in life. It’s not existence in the present for some future reward. It’s living in each moment because they are all we’re promised.
“Riley,” I say. She’s across the room from me, but she hears me and turns.
I’m down on one knee, an open velvet box in my hand. Her mouth drops open an instant before her hands cover it. Shock and surprise, hope and happiness light her eyes. She talks a slow step my way, then freezes, looking around the room at everyone watching. “Noah?”
“Come here, Sunshine,” I tell her encouragingly, and then she moves again, steadier at first and then almost running to me.
“What are you . . . what’s happening?” she asks. She knows, it’s written all over her face, and those happy tears are pooling in her eyes, making them shine.
“This is a moonstone,” I tell her, indicating the ring I researched and shopped for at three different stores until I found the perfect one, one worthy of my Riley. “You call me your moon, but the only reason I can shine is because you are my sun. You’ve shown me beauty in the world that I never noticed. You’ve taught me to feel and think and appreciate the moment. You’re my everything . . . my heart, my soul, my life. I want to spend forever loving you, making you smile, and bringing you so much joy that you only cry happy tears. It would make me the happiest man in the world if you would do me the honor of becoming my wife. Riley Watson, will you marry me?”
Her mouth opens and closes in shock, and the moment stretches out even though it’s only a short second. From somewhere off to my left, Loretta calls out, “You’d best tell that boy yes before I snatch that ring and marry him myself!”
I smile, the tension broken, and Riley, coming to her senses, answers, “Yes! Yes, I’ll marry you!”
I slide the ring onto her finger, and she gasps. “It’s gorgeous. I love it.”
Standing up, I wrap my arms around her waist. “I love you.”
She tries to say it back, but I swallow her words as I take her mouth with a sweet kiss. The room fills with hoots and hollers, everybody celebrating our big moment with us.
I taste Riley’s happy tears as they overflow down her cheeks, and when I pull back, I swipe at them gently with my thumbs.
“How did you . . . did everyone . . .?” Riley is looking around us as people raise their glasses of punch to toast us.
“Everything went perfectly to plan,” I tell her, and her eyes jump to me.
“You planned all this?” she asks in surprise.
I give her a cocky smirk. “Well, I had help. When I heard about the prom, it seemed perfect. So we all had to work together to organize the event, get it all on video, and get your dad here. I picked him up from the airport this afternoon so we could meet and get to know each other.”
“Oh!” Fresh tears fall from Riley’s eyes.
“Baby, h
e might not’ve seen some of your firsts, but he saw this,” I say gently. A bit harder, I tell her, “To be clear, you’re only getting engaged once. To me. The end.”
She smiles, giggling a bit at my asshole-itis. It still comes out sometimes, but luckily, she thinks it’s endearing for the most part.
We dance the night away . . . well, the early evening. Joseph and Rachel Watson impress us all with some moves on the dance floor, showing me exactly what I’d like to have with Riley in thirty or so years. Mom dances with Viktor, which seems to be him leaning on his cane while he guides Mom in gentle spins in front of him, but she’s laughing like she’s having the time of her life. Simon feeds Becky as much cheesecake as her belly can hold. Loretta sweet talks River into dancing a bit, and as they move by us, I hear her asking about BlindDate. Apparently, she’s signed up and has met someone there too, so she’s giving River hell about not using his own app.
And Arielle is moving around like a hummingbird, checking on this patient here and that resident there, always working. But this time, she’s not alone. I watch as Eli follows her, not like a lost puppy but rather as her support system. While Arielle takes care of other people, he’s taking care of her, making sure she’s drinking water and getting some food. He even gets her out on the dance floor a time or two. “What do you think of those two?” I ask Riley, gesturing toward Arielle and Eli.
Riley raises her brows. “That depends. Are you going to go all caveman brother on Eli and punch him the way River did you?”
I shake my head. “That was different. I deserved it.” Riley hums in disagreement. “I’m not going to hurt Eli. I just want to know that Arielle’s okay . . . that she’s going to be okay.”
“You’ve taken care of her for a long time,” Riley says quietly. “But she can take care of herself, Noah. I think Eli is good for her, stands up to her sass and ball-busting, but he also gives her a safe place to fall, trusting that he’ll take care of her. And I think she’s good for Eli too, showing him that it’s worth the effort to go beyond the superficial and really get to know someone and have faith that they’ll understand you even when you don’t understand yourself.”
I nod, liking that for my sister.
“Plus, it doesn’t hurt that they’re both switch-hitters. I wonder how they decide who’s going to be the top and who’s going to be the bottom?” Riley muses thoughtfully.
“What?” I nearly shriek.
Riley shrugs, her eyes full of secret knowledge. “Arielle’s my best friend, Noah. I know things about her that you will probably never want to know. We’re like this.” She crosses her fingers, showing me how tight Arielle and she are, and I groan.
“Don’t remind me.”
She laughs and shoots Arielle a wink. Arielle looks at me questioningly, but I shake my head. Arielle meets Riley’s eyes and smirks, probably knowing Riley will tell her everything later.
“Think it’s too soon to get out of here?” I ask. “I want to take my fiancée home and fuck her wearing nothing but that ring.”
Riley whimpers quietly. “My dad just got here. I feel like we should hang out.”
I chuckle. “Baby, I already planned that out. We’re meeting your parents and my mom for lunch tomorrow.”
She smiles like that’s the greatest gift ever, despite the ring I placed on her finger tonight. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go!”
We take advantage and slip out, although I’m sure everyone notices us. I’m tempted to drive home quickly, but as I look over at Riley, I know I don’t need to.
We’ve got forever.
Instead, I cruise home, taking the full fifteen minutes to hold Riley’s hand and feel my ring on her finger. “That’s a big rock, Miss Watson. Do you like it?”
I’m nervous that she might’ve preferred a more traditional diamond solitaire, but my gut told me that Riley would appreciate something unique. For the first time ever, I went with my gut over my brain. And then I promptly went about sorting through all the possible options, along with each stone’s pros and cons. And that was before shopping for the perfect setting. That ring has a lot of Riley in it, but it has a lot of me in it too.
Riley smiles at our hands, admiring the ring. “I love it.” She looks up at me and adds, “I love you.”
We get home, and as we come through the door, Raffy looks up from his new dog bed, wags twice, and lies back down. He might be turning into the worst guard dog ever or simply adjusting to his new home. I decide to choose the latter.
“We’ll get dinner in a bit, Raffy. Be a good boy,” I tell him. He watches as I walk Riley down the hall, kissing her as I go. We must have kissed a thousand times by now, maybe more. But I’m never going to have enough. I hunger for her touch, and we shed our clothing in between tasting each other’s kisses, leaving a trail toward the bedroom.
One good thing about the prom event being so early in the evening for the residents’ schedules is that it’s barely after dark, the night sky still a mix of purple and blue. But the moon is already rising high and bright. Through the open curtains, the white light bathes Riley’s skin, making her glowy and glorious.
The woman who has my heart.
The woman who will soon be my wife.
“Come here,” I tell her, guiding her to the window and standing behind her. She looks out over Briar Rose, the evening lights shining below us and the stars twinkling above us. “Out there, you’re an inspiration to so many. You bring sunshine and positivity to their days, reminding them to enjoy every moment.”
Riley nods robotically, her pulse racing in her neck and her breathing going jagged from feeling the heat of my words along her bare skin.
“In here, you are my inspiration. And I intend to enjoy every moment with you . . .” I let my sweet words become dirtier, my voice deeper and rougher. “Sucking your nipples, licking your pussy, filling you with my cock until you come over and over again.”
“What else?” She pants eagerly.
A cocky smirk twists my lips. “Smacking your ass, shoving my cock down your throat, pulling your hair, and pounding into you so you never forget who your perfect match is.”
“Yes, Noah . . . please.” A shudder goes through her body, and other than my breath, I haven’t even touched her yet.
I nudge Riley’s legs apart, kissing the back of her neck and sliding my hand down to cup her. She’s wet, her breath turning into a gasp and her hands planting on the window as I slide a finger through her slippery folds to find the stiff pearl at the top of her cleft.
I stroke her softly, kneading her breast with my other hand and tasting her skin. Riley moans, pressing herself back against my hips as I slide two fingers inside her. “Fuck.”
My cock jumps at the word on Riley’s lips, and I have to squeeze at the base of my shaft to keep from coming all over her back. “I will,” I growl softly into her ear. “I promise. But first, I want to watch you come in the moonlight.”
Riley nods wordlessly, her eyes closing as I stroke her pussy, my thumb rubbing her clit to send electricity through her body. I cradle her in my arms, my stiff cock pressed between the soft cheeks of her ass as I focus, not on myself, but on Riley.
Forever Riley.
“I love you,” I whisper, thrusting two fingers inside her. “Open your eyes. Look at our town. Our city. Our home.”
Riley cries out, her eyes flying open as I pump my fingers in and out of her. She’s so beautiful, her skin creamy and pale in the moonlight, her golden hair swept to one side as she looks out the window. I nip at her skin, feeling the warmth of her body as she presses into me, feeling my arousal and the wetness of her pussy running over my fingers.
She’s everything.
Riley’s palms press against the glass, her body quivering on the edge. Her clit throbs against my thumb in time with my own racing heart. I want to take her, to withdraw my fingers and use my cock . . . but not this time. Not yet.
We have all night.
Instead, I stroke my thumb
over her clit again, her stomach clenching and shaking she’s so close. “Noah . . . Noah.”
“Come for me, Riley,” I whisper in her ear, nibbling the soft lobe. “I have you. Forever mine.”
Riley cries out sharply, her arms collapsing and her body pressing against the glass. I feel her climax, her hips bucking back and forth against my hand and my cock, shivering at the intensity of what’s jolting through her body.
When she sags, I catch her in my arms, holding her close and keeping her safe and protected. “That was beautiful,” I whisper, withdrawing my fingers and bringing them to my mouth to taste her cream. “And so are you.”
She smiles, recovering quickly. “Thank you.”
For the compliment? For the orgasm? I don’t know, but I can’t care when a second later, Riley spins in place and drops to her knees in front of me. “Put your hands on the glass, Noah.”
And then she takes me in her mouth.
“Damn, Sunshine. I love you,” I growl, plunging into her throat.
She hums something that sounds like ‘I love you too’, but I’m gone to the pleasure she’s giving me.
I’m glad to have met Riley on that blind date, but I’m even more thankful to have a lifetime to make each other happy and spread a little sunshine.
Epilogue
From The Social Media Feed of Riley Sunshine
-Happy June, Sunshiners! Thank you to all of the people who signed up for BlindDate and name dropped me in the signup box! I hope you all find love!
-Fearless Friday, Sunshiners! Do something bold today. Maybe something as easy as a bright lipstick or something as big as applying for a new job. Tell me you’re doing fearlessly and fabulously! What’s my bold? I’ve got wedding planning on my agenda today, and my wedding planner needs a decision. Can you help? Should Midnight Mark and I go fall traditional, winter wonderland, or an off the wall theme? Did I hear a Big Mike’s suggestion from the back row? Drop your suggestions in the comments below!
The Blind Date Page 35