She looked up at him as he straightened. “There’s no one like you, Dylan Amos.”
He chuckled. “There are a lot of people in Whiskey Creek who’d tell you they’re grateful for that.”
The sound of the doorbell interrupted them before she could respond. “Who could be stopping by at ten o’clock on Christmas morning?” she asked.
A shrug said he had no idea, but since he was dressed and she wasn’t, he went out to see. Then he called back to her. “Chey, it’s Riley.”
27
“Why aren’t you taking Eve’s calls?” Riley stood on Cheyenne’s porch, eyeing Dylan, who was in the living room behind her, with no small amount of suspicion.
“A gift from your aunt?” She held her new puppy against her chest with one arm while indicating the sweater he was wearing.
“Yeah. Noni gives me one every year,” he replied distractedly.
Cheyenne already knew this. Following Christmas, they wore their worst gifts to coffee. It was a tradition. “What did you do with that purple one from last year?”
His frown became more marked. “You haven’t answered my question.”
She nuzzled her face against her dog’s back. “Eve’s only tried to reach me a couple of times.”
“So you are aware that she’s been trying to call.”
A twinge of conscience stole much of the pleasure Cheyenne had been feeling prior to his visit. “Yes, and I’ve been planning to call her back. It’s just that…my life has been crazy the past few days. You, of all people, should know how crazy.”
“That’s why she’s so desperate to get hold of you! That’s why she called me and begged me to come over here even though I was in the middle of opening presents with Jacob.”
“I’m sorry she interrupted your Christmas. I’ll call her.”
“When?”
“Today.”
He wasn’t satisfied. It obviously bothered him that Dylan was in her house. He hadn’t even mentioned her puppy. “Why have you been avoiding her in the first place?”
How did she explain that hearing what Eve had to say about Dylan upset her? That she was already in too deep to back out? That she didn’t want her friends, who’d always meant so much to her, to ruin what she was experiencing? And that she didn’t want the fact that she couldn’t listen to their warnings to destroy their friendship? “She’s worried about things she shouldn’t be.”
“How do you know? How do you know you shouldn’t be worried, too? You’re taking a huge risk, Chey.”
“By getting romantically involved with someone?” she asked. “I think I’m entitled, don’t you?”
“Of course you’re entitled. It’s just—” he dragged one hand through his hair, causing it to stick up in front “—you’re particularly vulnerable right now. Maybe this isn’t the best time to be picking someone.”
“Did Eve say that?”
“More or less,” he admitted. “Although I could’ve come up with it on my own. You’ve seen what…keeping the wrong kind of company has done for your sister.”
Suddenly, the door was wrenched from her grasp as Dylan opened it wider. “Since you’re talking about the Amoses, maybe this is a conversation the two of us should be having.”
Contrary to Riley’s earlier comments about Dylan, when he’d joked around about being frightened of him, he didn’t act intimidated now. He seemed resolute, prepared, as if he’d known they might have a confrontation. That was probably the reason he hadn’t brought Jacob along. Unless he was in school, Jacob was always with Riley. “Fine, if it’ll make a difference.”
Dylan’s deep voice sounded from above Cheyenne’s head. “What kind of difference were you hoping for?”
Hearing Dylan’s inflexible tone, Cheyenne decided she couldn’t allow this to go any further. “Stop,” she said, trying to nudge him out of the doorway. “I don’t want this to develop into a fight.”
“That’s the problem right there,” Riley said. “You shouldn’t have to worry that an encounter like this could turn violent. Would you be saying the same thing if you were dating Joe?”
“I wouldn’t have to.”
“Exactly!”
“Because you’ve accepted Joe. You wouldn’t be challenging him.”
“She’s made her decision,” Dylan broke in. “You need to respect that.”
Riley didn’t respond to him. Instead, he locked eyes with her. “Is that true? You won’t listen?”
She hesitated. She wanted him and Eve and all the others to understand, but she knew their prejudices were too strong. Dylan’s reputation had preceded him and, even though he’d changed, they weren’t willing or able to recognize it. “Yes,” she finally said. “I care about him. A lot.”
“Shit.” His shoulders slumped as he glanced between them.
“Please try to understand,” she whispered.
“Understand?” he echoed.
“He makes me feel things no one else ever has.”
“It’s called sex, Chey. We’ve been telling you about it for years.”
The flippancy of that remark angered her. “That’s not what I’m talking about,” she snapped. “Maybe I clung to my virginity a little longer than everyone else, but I’m not naive. I was raised by a crude, foulmouthed woman who often prostituted herself. I’ve seen things I’ve never told you about, things that would curl your toes. So don’t talk to me as if I’m too innocent to have a clue about life!”
A muscle twitched in Riley’s cheek, but he didn’t reply right away. When he did, he spoke more softly, as though he was trying to reel in the emotions that were taking charge. “Is there anything we can do to convince you that you’re making a mistake?”
She shook her head. It was too late. She’d already made her choice.
“Then we can’t help you,” he said, and stalked back to his SUV.
* * *
“Merry Christmas, huh?” Dylan muttered as he watched Riley drive away.
Cheyenne turned to face him. “I’m sorry you had to hear that.”
He pretended it didn’t bother him and closed the door. “I haven’t led a perfect life. I’ll be the first to admit it.” But he’d never dreamed he’d regret his mistakes quite as much as he did, never dreamed that gaining the approval of Cheyenne’s friends would one day mean so much to him. Even if he’d known, he wasn’t sure he would’ve been able to change his behavior.