When Brendan spun the globe, Riley just stared at it going around and around . . .
“Go ahead,” Brendan said, pointing at the globe. “Pick a spot.”
The globe kept spinning, but instead of picking a place, Riley leaned in and kissed him.
It only took him an instant to get over his surprise and kiss her back.
Riley could hear the globe still spinning. She could taste the Champagne on Brendan’s lips, but what she couldn’t do was feel a spark.
As she gently pulled away, Brendan reached out for her hand. His eyes were full of hope. “That was a great surprise,” he said.
Riley struggled to find the words to tell him that while the adventures she’d had with him would always be something she cherished, she was ready to go on new adventures, just not with him. She could be brave now on her own. He had helped her with that. And while she was grateful, grateful wasn’t enough to build a relationship on. They’d had a great journey together, and now it was time for both of them to take a different path. Brendan deserved to have someone fall head over heels in love with him, the way she had once. If Brendan had taught her anything it was to always be courageous and to keep moving forward, and that’s what she needed to do now, even if it meant she didn’t end up with him.
The globe stopped spinning.
“Riley—” Brendan started but was interrupted by Comet barking outside the door.
When Riley went over and opened the door, Comet barked again and then trotted down the hall before stopping to look back at her, almost as if he was urging her to come with him.
Riley turned to Brendan. “Comet wants something. I need to see what’s going on.”
“I’ll come with you,” Brendan said.
When they got downstairs, the first person they ran into was Tyler. He was holding two glasses of Champagne and smiled when he saw her.
“Oh no, not again,” Riley said under her breath before she could stop herself. Luckily, it didn’t look like Tyler had heard her.
“There you are,” he said. “I’ve been looking for you.” He acknowledged Brendan with a nod. “Is it okay if I steal Riley for a few minutes?”
“Only if you bring her back,” Brendan said, and by the tone of his voice, he was only half kidding.
Tyler handed her the full Champagne glass he was holding, and Riley had to bite her lower lip to keep from laughing. By this point, she didn’t even try to argue. She’d seen how it worked on The Bachelorette. It was better to just go along with it and follow the Champagne.
“I’ll catch you later,” Brendan said as he walked off. “The globe will be waiting.”
“The globe?” Tyler asked, confused.
“Long story,” Riley said and then took a sip of her Champagne. “Have you seen the library?”
“Yes,” Tyler said.
Riley took his hand. “Come on. There’s something I want to show you.”
By the time they got to the library, Riley’s stomach had tied itself into nervous knots. What if Tyler wasn’t the one, either? The changes he was talking about making in his life aligned with hers. He had been right when he’d said that of her three exes, he knew her the best now. He’d met her after she had grown and changed from dating Colin and Brendan.
Tyler could so easily be the Prince Charming on the white horse, or in this case in the stretch limo, to sweep her off her feet.
Riley couldn’t wait any longer. Still holding her Champagne, she kissed Tyler.
He didn’t hesitate before kissing her back, and he kissed her with a confidence Riley had always been attracted to. She waited and hoped . . . but it wasn’t there.
Still no spark.
As she pulled back, she honestly wasn’t surprised, even if she was a little disappointed. A life with Tyler would have been such an easy life to slide back into. But she wanted more than just easy. She wanted to be challenged, to have success on her own, and to shine on her own, not be someone else’s star.
“Well, that was worth waiting for,” Tyler said, quickly kissing her again before holding up his Champagne. “A toast,” he said with confidence. “To the new Riley Reynolds Library Books Foundation.”
When he clinked his glass to hers, Riley just stared back at him. “What are you talking about?”
“This is your real Christmas present,” he said. “I’ve been talking with Margo, and together, we’ve found a way to start a foundation for you so you’ll not only be able to donate books to libraries in need but a percentage of each book you sell will go into a foundation fund that will continue to help libraries. The publisher has agreed to pay that percentage because it’s going to get you great publicity. Isn’t that wonderful?”
Riley was speechless and still trying to process what he was saying. “When did you talk to Margo?”
“We’ve been talking all weekend,” Tyler said. “She’s pretty amazing to work with. She totally gets it.”
Riley still had too many questions to be excited. Her first one being, would Tyler still want to do this once she told him she wasn’t getting back together with him? She also needed to know a lot more before she put her name on anything.
As if Tyler was reading her thoughts, he jumped in. “Don’t worry,” he said. “This is just a proposal. It all hinges on your approval and your feedback, but I helped with the legal work to get the ball rolling.”
Riley relaxed. “That is amazing. I’m sorry. It’s just a lot to take in. I don’t even know if my publisher is going to keep me. It all depends on if I can deliver a good outline for this next novel.”
“I have faith in you,” Tyler said. “You can do this. We make a great team, Riley, and this is just the beginning of what we can do together.”
Just as Tyler leaned down to kiss her
