Page 121 of Riot

I couldn’t get his mama off my mind.

Even with pins between my lips, fabric draped over my arms, and sketches scattered like confetti across the table, my thoughts kept tiptoeing back to that hospital room. To the way Riot’s shoulders sank like the weight of the world had finally caught up to him. To that flicker of fear in his eyes he tried to hide behind clenched teeth and that fake calm he always wore like armor.

Tessa might’ve looked at me like I tracked dirt on her damn rug every time I walked in a room, but I wouldn’t wish that kind of fear on nobody. I know what it feels like when life snatches the control right out your hands and dares you to do something about it. When someone you love is slipping and you gotta stand there and watch.

She looked frail now. Like time had drained her. Her skin? Pale. Her words? Floaty and frayed like old lace. And even though part of me was still side-eyeing her for all the slick things she said before, the deeper part of me just felt… sad. For her. ForRiot. For whatever mess they had between them that no apology or clock could clean up.

I stabbed a pin into the dress form like it owed me money and hissed when it bit back.

"You good?" a girl across the table asked, eyebrows raised as she clocked my bleeding finger.

"Yeah, I’m straight," I said, popping my finger in my mouth. "Just in my head too much."

Too much was right.

I was thinking about my parents and the whole ordeal with Boaz. I knew that was still a loose end that needed to be clipped. And I had to get down to what happened to my father and why my mother was hiding something about him from me. And then there was Riot. It was stuck on last night. On the way he held me like I was the only thing keeping him from falling apart.

My phone buzzed, and I grabbed it without thinking.

Sloane:Still good for this afternoon? Ready to find your dress for the open house?

A slow smile crept across my lips, shaking off some of the heaviness in my chest.

Me:Absolutely. I need something unforgettable.

Because this weekend?

I wasn’t pulling up like some girl in the background. I needed to look drop dead gorgeous on his arm. I had considered designing something for myself but time was running out and I was still a bit rusty.

After a class, I took an Uber Black towards Sloane. I liked her and I could tell she was a well of wisdom. There were a few things I wanted to talk to her about. I wanted a therapist’s opinion on something that’s been on my mind.

As much as I cared for Riot, I was feeling bad about not finding my own way. He was there to pick up the pieces but I’venever got to explore this life for myself. I didn’t want to lose him but I needed to be able to do something for myself.

By the time I slid into the booth at Bluestone Lane, Sloane was already there, sipping a matcha with her phone flipped face-down.

She looked radiant in that effortless kind of way. Her bone structure doing the heavy lifting, silk blouse draped just right, gold hoops catching every bit of sunlight streaming through the café window. The kind of woman who looked expensive even when she was dressed down.

“Sorry I’m late,” I said. “Class ran over and my brain’s been stuck in a blender all day.”

Sloane smiled, warm and real. “No worries. I had to make a few calls anyway.”

That settled something in my chest.

I settled into the plush leather bench across from her. Then the waiter came over and I ordered a chai latte.

“So,” she said, chin resting on her hand. “Are we shopping for seduction, sophistication, or straight-up slay?”

I laughed. “Honestly? All three. I need to look like the woman he’d burn down cities for.”

Sloane raised a brow. “Trust me, you already do.”

“Thanks. How about you?”

“I’m thinking all three too. I’ve been working so hard and planning this wedding. Creed and I haven’t had a date in a couple of months. I’m looking forward to the open house. I’m really proud about what Riot has done with the place. I remember when he first saw it. He knew that he wanted it. And I knew that I wanted Creed and I to get married there.”

“That’s beautiful. He seems to always knows what he wants…”

I paused, twisting the edge of my napkin between my fingers.

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