Page 2 of Always Right Here

I jolted to my feet, pushed my drink into his hands and bolted inside. Chrissy was just carrying her out from the bedroom as I got inside. I quickly washed my hands, settled onto the couch and Chrissy set her into my arms.

Mila was a tiny, fragile thing. Eddie and Chrissy were both tall and lean, so I knew she would be, too. But for now, she was a tiny bundle of cuteness nestled into my arms. As she smiled up at me, grasping onto my finger, I felt tears welling up in my eyes. I tried to wipe them away, but it was no use. My heart had been captured. From that moment on, I vowed to be the rich, fun auntie for the rest of my life.

“Oh, no, no.” Chrissy shook her head next to me with a smile. “I know that look. Your parents already spoil her enough, Ri.”

My mouth hung open in mock shock. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Mhmm.”

Before I could think of a snarky remark, the front door creaked open.

“Knock, knock.” A raspy, warm voice floated through the room.

I looked up and the wind was sucked from my chest. A wide, shining smile and light green eyes stared back at me. My mouth went dry as I studied her face. It was familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it.

“Hey! You made it.” Eddie’s voice thundered from the other end of the house.

The tall, fit woman closed the door behind her and shot her hand out to my approaching brother. The clasped hands and knocked their shoulders together, patting each other’s back with the other hand.

“How you been, man?” Her voice floated from perfectly dark pink, full lips. I watched them as they moved, mesmerized. The pull of familiarity tickled my brain.

“Good, just busy with the fam. New baby,” my brother responded. “But look who’s here!” He gestured over to where I sat with Mila in my arms.

The woman’s eyes lit up, the smile she already wore growing wider as she looked over at me. When our eyes met, her demeanor shifted. It was almost too subtle to notice, but it was like her whole body stood at attention. Her gaze intensified, taking in every inch of me. I didn’t move an inch. I couldn’t speak. And I still couldn’t place her.

“She’s all grown up.” Eddie slapped a hand on the woman’s shoulder. “It’s almost like it was yesterday when she would barge into my room every five minutes, begging to play video games with us. Now she’s a big adult with a degree and a fancy job.”

My eyes widened and my jaw dropped. All the memories of my brother and his best friend flooded my mind. The lanky tomboy that used to spend weeks at a time with us materialized in my mind's eye. It couldn’t really be her, could it?

“Korie?” I finally found the words to speak.

“Hey, Riah.” Her voice came out a lot softer than her stare. “Welcome home.”

Chapter 2

Riah

“What a pretty baby.”

Heat curled in my belly at the words as Korie approached me with her arms out.What the hell did she just call me? In front of all these people?

But when she leaned down and stroked Mila’s little cheek, heat flushed over my face.Of course she was talking about the actual baby, you stupid, horny fuck.I scolded myself as I let out a calming breath, ripping my eyes away from the handsome woman just inches from my face. Herscent wrapped around me, surprisingly sweet and creamy.

“Everybody come eat!” My dad’s bellowing voice came to the rescue.

I handed Mila over to my brother, carefully snaking around Korie and making my way outside. The hot, summer air was enough to distract me from the heat simmering in my belly. Korie had grown into afinewoman, but she was here for Eddie. That’s all.

To my utter dismay, after we all gathered our food, Korie sat right across from me at the picnic table. As everyone around us mingled and caught up, Korie’s gaze kept flickering to me. I tried to look away, shove food into my mouth to distract me, but I felt her gaze burning into me. Maybe she was just studying how much I’d grown. Maybe I’d changed just as muchas she had.

“So, Korie,” my aunt addressed my brother’s best friend from across the table. It wasn’t strange, she’d spent so much time around us as kids that she was basically family. “What have you been up to lately? How’s life lookin’?”

“Pretty great, actually.” She smiled, pride shining on her face. “I got my security company up and running. We’ve got some pretty great, high-profile contracts. Growing more and more every day.”

“Ooo, sounds exciting,” my aunt cooed. “Any lucky ladies in your life?”

“Pat!” Uncle Dwayne gasped beside her. “You’re so intrusive. Sorry, hon. My wife doesn’t know the meaning of personal boundaries.”

“It’s alright,” Korie laughed before gulping her lemonade.