“But they’ve all seen you,” Caylee said, moving all three Santas closer to the mirror. “In the TV interview when you talked about how your novels are inspired by your one true love. Emphasis on one . . .”
Riley’s jaw dropped. “No,” she said, shaking her head. It was all starting to come together, and the reality was even worse than what she’d imagined.
Caylee nodded. “Yup. They all saw the interview and thought you were talking about them as your one true love, so they’ve all come here to win you back and rewrite their happily-ever-after with you!”
Riley collapsed on the bed and covered her face with a Santa pillow. “This can’t be happening,” she said into the pillow.
When Caylee sat down next to her, she took the pillow away from Riley’s face. “Okay, now it’s your turn. Spill. You have to tell me all about these guys. I’m dying to know!”
Riley sat up and gave Caylee a confused look. “Dying to know what?”
“Which one is it?” Caylee asked, excited. “Is it Colin, Brendan, or Tyler? Which one was your one true love?”
“All of them,” Riley answered honestly.
“What?” Caylee asked, confused.
“I loved them all when we dated,” Riley said.
“Then who did you love the most?” Caylee asked, clearly not giving up.
Riley thought about the question. What boyfriend did I love the most?
She knew Caylee was waiting for an answer, but she also knew she couldn’t give her the clear-cut one she wanted. She had loved Colin, Brendan, and Tyler in different ways, and they each represented a different time in her life.
Colin had been her first real true love. They had dated all through college and supported and encouraged each other. They’d made plans, and together, they’d dreamed of what they would do after graduation. She’d always felt safe dating Colin. She had known he would never hurt her and would always have her back. He was fiercely loyal and even protective of her at times, and at that time in her life, when she was basically on her own, having lost her dad and her mom moving to Florida and getting remarried. She had needed the security of Colin. He had become like her family, someone she trusted and counted on. He was reliable, the safe choice. He fit perfectly into the very specific plan she had made to create a stable future for herself.
But after graduating, when she’d landed her first reporting job and had to leave California and move to Idaho, Colin had been crushed. He, of course, had been proud of her, but he also didn’t want to lose her. Unfortunately, to follow his career path as a movie producer, he needed to stay in Los Angeles.
They tried doing the long-distance thing for a little while, but when neither of them had much time off and they were both barely making any money, the months between their visits grew.
Looking back, Riley remembered how she had thrown herself into her work. She’d also quickly learned that to succeed as a TV reporter she’d have to move ever few years, going from one small market to the next, working her way up the ladder. This meant it would likely be years before she had enough experience to work where Colin lived, in Los Angeles, one of the top TV markets in the country.
Feeling it was best for them both, she’d decided to break things off with Colin so he could go after his dreams and she could go after hers.
It still hurt her remembering how heartbroken he’d been. He’d claimed she’d given up on them. While she’d wanted to stay friends, he’d insisted it would just be too hard. So he’d been the one to cut off all contact with her, and she hadn’t heard from him since.
Breaking up with Colin and letting go of someone she loved so much had made her even more determined to make her sacrifice worth it by succeeding in her career.
More than ever, she’d volunteer to work overtime and on her days off. She had put all her heart and soul into every story she did, earning her the respect of her colleges and superiors. Over the next five years, she’d won awards and moved up to bigger TV markets. While she’d dated a few people casually along the way, she’d never had the time or desire to get too involved. Remembering what had happened with Colin, she had always wanted the freedom to move to the next TV job, wherever a promotion could take her, without feeling guilty about leaving someone behind again.
But then, about five years after dating Colin, Brendan came into her life when she was working as a reporter and anchor in Salt Lake City, Utah. She had just gotten the coveted promotion to the main anchor of the five, six, and ten o’clock news, and she was hosting a charity fundraising dance for a local ski resort when Brendan had literally swept her off her feet.
Brendan had been the opposite of Colin in many ways. He had never was the kind of guy to play anything safe. Where Colin had been solid and dependable, Brendan had been a free spirit and a risk-taker.
She smiled remembering how Brendan had boldly asked her to dance while she had been talking to two other men. He’d then grabbed a bottle of Champagne and two glasses from behind the bar, and had taken her outside where he wanted her to go with him and ride one of the ski gondolas up the mountain.
When she’d told him he was crazy, pointing out the obvious that she was wearing a cocktail dress and high heels, he’d assured her the gondola was heated and they’d just
