Chapter 29

Riley’s POV

I squinted against the late-afternoon glare as I stepped out of my car and into the asphalt expanse. Noah was already there, leaning casually against his truck—except his usual easygoing slump was gone. Instead, he looked like a coiled spring, every muscle tuned, his eyes following my every footfall. Cue my heart rearranging itself into Olympic divers.

My brain scrambled for something—anything—to say. Bring up the elephant in the parking lot: my apology. I’d been a stress unicorn lately, spraying horn-loads of harsh words at him, and I needed a graceful entry into “I’m sorry” territory. Maybe a compliment about his coding skills? A reference to my epic kitchen flop? Anything.

Except none of those words stuck around when he dropped the last few feet between us in three giant strides. One second I was putting positive spin on “Hi,” and the next I was pinned against his chest like a backup dancer in some dramatic movie. He crushed me to him and kiss