I couldn't fuck this up. This was my last chance and I wouldn't go another goddamn second denying this pull to Riley Jo Lockwood.

So here I was, out of my godforsaken mind, sat in a coffee shop just over the street from Riley's place of work—waiting.

I'd checked into the hotel I'd booked during the flight over and then grabbed a cab with the grandiose idea I'd turn up, grovel and apologise. Hoping to Christ, that's she'd missed me at least half as much as I'd missed her and gave me... us a second chance. Or she'd take pity on me...either one I'd happily work with.

Sound plan... right? Wrong.

The spanner in the works and what I hadn't expected was to speak to a young woman on the front desk who enthusiastically informed me that Riley was out to lunch with her boyfriend. And was due back around two. I'd stood frozen for at least thirty seconds with no doubt a stupefied look on my face as boyfriend echoed inside my head.

Boyfriend.

Was I too late?

Had Riley moved on?

The young lady had watched me worriedly before, adding insult to injury and asking if I was related to Riley... if I was her father!

Her fucking father!

That was just as horrifying as her telling me Riley had a boyfriend.

But if by some miracle Riley would give me another chance, then I would need to steel myself against comments just like that. Riley was nineteen years younger than me. A generation apart.

But if it didn't worry her or the people she loved, then I would not let it stand in my way and another shot at happiness.

I looked at the time on my phone. Seven minutes and she would be back. Seven minutes and I would get my first glimpse of her in six weeks and this boyfriend.

I ran my hand over my beard, looking down at my untouched coffee.

"Are you sad?"

A small voice dragged me out of my headspace and to my surprise there was a little girl no more than five years old standing at the end of the booth watching me with curiosity in her bright blue eyes. She tilted her head, waiting for me to answer.

"Sad?" I pointed to myself and a smile filled out my lips. "Do I look sad?"

She nodded.

Perhaps Chris was right about the beard. "Yes. I think you might be right."

Her mouth formed an O as she then held out her hand to reveal a stick of gum. "This is gum." She announced, sprouting a toothy grin.

"So it is." My eyes glanced around to see if I could spot her mom. Surely she wasn't here all by herself?

She placed the gum down on the table. "Gum makes me happy. Here, have some." She pushed it toward me.

If only it were that easy.

"Tammy!" A flustered woman appeared from nowhere... must be mom. "Tammy! What have I told you about bothering strangers?"

She threw me an apologetic look.

I waved it away. "It's fine, honestly." I picked up the gum. "Thank you, Tammy. This is very kind to share your gum with me." Her smile stretched up to her ears as she waved and took her mommy's hand.

As I watched the little girl leave with her mom, my thoughts drifted to Riley losing her... our baby and how I hadn't been there to share the pain. Help her. Hold her whilst she cried.

Another epic failure on my part.

I knew Riley wanted children. I'd never considered it, but over the past few weeks, the idea didn't make me baulk. The thought of having a little girl, the image of Riley, didn't feel wrong at all.

I returned my attention out the window, and there she was.

Damn, she looked ever more beautiful than I'd remembered, and my nightly dreams of her paled. She tossed her hair over her shoulder, smiling in that way that promised untold pleasure. My body both ached and tightened to walk straight up to her and wrap myself around her.

And then I looked at the person she was smiling at.

The boyfriend.

What the... was that? My eyes narrowed; brows pinched, and it became one of those moments that played out in slow motion.

Danny? Danny was her boyfriend?

I shot up out of my seat, knocking the table and nearly spilling my drink. Every hair on my body went rigid, as an open wound tore through my chest, sure if I looked down, I'd see bloody gushing, spilling onto the table.

I replayed Danny's last conversation in my head.

He was heading to Iowa for a few days to see friends.

Friends. No mention of a girlfriend. Danny hadn't had a girlfriend for well over a year, his schedule too busy, he'd said.

Dropping back to my seat, I studied their body language. My heart was beating so fast if someone had wired me up to an ECG, no doubt it would have registered in arrhythmia territory. And despite the warmth of the day, ice trickled down my spine as they turned to face one another. Riley's hair caught in the breeze, and Danny reached out and pushed it behind her ear.

A sweet and intimate gesture.

My mouth dried and my hands clenched into fists as he pulled in her for a hug and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

He was hugging Riley. He was kissing Riley! My insides burned, twisted and snapped and I was lost in jealousy. Stuck in an agonising moment, waiting for their next move.

And then it was over. She pulled away from his embrace, exchanged a few more words and smiles and then she turned, heading inside the building with Danny watching her leave.

I snatched my phone from the table. Unsure of what I was going to do, I scrolled through my contacts. Found. I hit his number.

The call connected, and I saw him reach around to his back pocket. Fetching his phone around, he stood staring at the screen, not answering.

"Answer the fucking phone, Danny." I muttered under my breath.

And then I heard his voice. "Hey Adam, I was—"

No wavering or concern filtered through his hello as I cut in, barking. "Where are you, Danny?"

He turned away from Riley's building, looking up and down the sidewalk before walking south in my direction. "What? I can't hear you!" his voice raised, pressing a finger to his other ear to drown out the passing traffic.

"Where. Are. You!?" My voice tight, edgy.

"I told you. I'm staying with friends for a few days."

"What friends?"

"What's this about, Adam?" His steps paused.

Careful not to knock the table, I hoisted myself out the booth and headed for the door. Three sharp breaths later, I was outside with the noise of the traffic and the bustle of New York crowding me.

"Is everything okay, Adam?" his hand reached behind his neck, rubbing in an anxious swipes.

"I don't know, Danny. Why don't you tell me?" I could barely keep a grip on my rising anger.

Silence.

"I'm gonna ask again and I want the truth, Danny." He said nothing but a bus passing by blocked him from my view. "Tell me where you are Danny?"

He came back into view, puffing down the phone. "New York, Adam. I'm in New York."

My eyes closed for a second, relieved that he'd ended the pretence. "Look across the street, Danny."

Our eyes locked, ensnared by my heated stare.

"Fuck," he muttered.

Fuck indeed.

I ended the call and waited for him to cross over the busy street. I was no calmer as he came closer. In fact, my temper curled in on itself like a caged tiger pacing its confines, readying to strike at the hand that fed it.

Had I lost Riley ... to Danny?

We may not share DNA, but he was family.

Would I have to endure seeing them together, their shared smiles and touches? Knowing I'd fucked up my chance because I'd been too goddamn stubborn to see what was right in front of me?

He jogged toward me, holding his hand up in surrender. "—Before you say anything, let me explain."

I hissed through my teeth; jaw tensing so hard, I wondered if it might lock up on me.

"I'm sorry I should have told you I was coming, but I hoped I could talk Riley into coming home with me."

"What? Coming home... with you?" That made little sense.

"No, not with me. Coming back for you... talk to you." He pulled his head back, his eyebrows shot past the hairline. "Hold up, you don't think there's something going on between me and—" he stopped, his face fell into a frown.

"You hugged her... kissed her." I mumbled, wondering if I'd read more into it than just a friendly goodbye.

"Yeah, I was saying sorry for upsetting her." His tone was clipped.

The air in my lungs came out fast. "Upset? Is she okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, she's good now."

Shit. The last of my anger evaporated. "I'm sorry, Danny." My apology was sincere. "The woman on the front desk said Riley was out with her boyfriend and I jumped to conclusions when I saw the two of you." This was awkward. "I wasn't thinking straight." Christ, I was a fucking idiot. "I wasn't thinking at all."

He weighed up my apology, then sighed. "I'd have thought the same thing if the tables were turned." He shrugged it off, his eyes softened and the tension in his frame relaxed.

Typical Danny, easy going and forgiving.

"Wanna grab a coffee and talk?" he asked, looking around. "There?"

"Sure. " Still feeling ashamed of my reaction, I followed him back into the same coffee shop.

"When did you get here?" Danny poured in sugar and stirred his coffee.

"I checked into my hotel and then came straight here."

He smiled. "How did you know where to find her?" Hitching his thumb over his shoulder toward the building where she worked.

"Yesterday, I had some sense talked into me. And I camped outside Connor's, her best friend's house till he came home."

"What... And he just handed it over?"

"No. Not at first. He walked right past me and shut the door in my face. So I sat there till he eventually came back out and let me inside where I gave him at least twenty reasons he should give me a chance to make it right with Riley." I'm not ashamed to admit I begged and every time he threw another jibe in my face, always ending it with I wasn't good enough for his princess, I took it and agreed with him. But eventually I wore him down and he'd collapsed on his sofa, making me promise to bring his girl home. "He took pity on me."

In hindsight, it would have been easier to drive out to Riley's Nana's home and get the address from her.

"How did you find her?" I asked.

"Determination and a shitload of luck." He chuckled. "So what's your game-plan?"

In hindsight, turning up at her workplace probably wasn't my finest idea. "I have her address. I'm gonna head over tonight—to talk."

Danny shook his head. "You might be outta luck there, too. I think she has a date tonight."

Christ. I gripped my mugged tightly. "Date—Is that what she said?"

He shook his head. "No. Not exactly, but I just got the feeling."

Shit.

"She's agreed to meet me for dinner tomorrow night." His face lit up. "Hey, you should come with me, or better yet, just you go?"

Maybe that was a better idea. But could I wait another twenty-four hours? It was torture knowing she was a stone's throw away. I tried to refocus my thoughts, to get an idea of what to expect. And Danny talking to her first might have just worked in my favour—Had Riley talked about me?

"What did she say when you asked her to go back... back home to Lockwood," I added quietly, " me?"

Hesitating, he took a drink of coffee, his eyes downward. I readied myself for him to tell me she was over me. Moving on.

"She thinks you're not over mom." Inserting a breath. "—And never will be."

Goddammit. The answer shouldn't have surprised me. I'd given her no reason or reassurances that it wasn't the case. And I won't deny I was far from being over losing my wife, Emma. But I was done with just existing. Riley switched on parts of me that I'd thought had died with Emma, but in truth it was exactly the opposite.

"Have you thought about what you're going to say—convince her?"

Heat crept up my throat. "Yeah, I took some friendly advice."

"What? Who from, Chris?"

I pulled out my phone and swiped through the applications until I came across the one I wanted. Opening it up, I turned the screen toward Danny.

He looked confused. "Why are you showing me a picture of a half-naked dude?"

I rolled my eyes. "It's a book."

Shaking his head, brows raised in doubt. "I'm not getting it."

"Connor—her best friend said Riley lived and breathed romance books."

He pointed to my phone, smirking. "And... that's a romance book and what a manual too?"

"Romance—yes. Manual—no." Having read this book on the plane ride over her, I could safely say it opened my eyes to what women loved, which in Riley's case...Alpha males and porn in written form... perhaps it was a manual of sorts. The heat spread up to my cheeks. Perhaps this was a crazy idea too.

Danny leaned back in his chair, eyes wide. "So you're gonna turn up at her door? What, half naked?" he laughed.

I grumbled. "Ha, ha." Shaking my head. "I've read that one and scanned through another three, and the theme in them all is the same. The men in these books fuck up... a lot. And then they win the girl back. Sweep her off her feet." I hitched a shoulder. "That's my game-plan."

I could understand his doubting look. Hell, you didn't find real life in these sorts of books, but they were all written by women and very popular. So it was safe to assume this was what women wanted—Riley wanted. On some level, at least.

Danny inhaled, lifting his drink, raising it like a toast. "Go for it." He smirked. "And maybe turn up shirtless too."

"You've loving this— aren't you?" I wouldn't live it down for months. But if it worked then I didn't care how stupid or crazy I sounded. "If you could keep it to yourself..." Meaning not tell Chris.

Danny held up his hands in surrender but amusement was written all over his face. "Your secrets safe." Shrugging. "I don't think anyone would believe me anyway."

I leaned back in my chair, biting back my own grin. "How about you tell me everything she said." And I sat and listened whilst committing everything to memory.

Having dropped off Danny at his hotel, I headed to mine. We agreed to meet up tomorrow morning. Which left me very little to do as I paced around my hotel penthouse suite. It was the only room they'd had left.

I picked up my phone, flopping onto the huge pillowy sofa. I still had three more books to read—Riley's favourites Connor had assured me. But I saw no point, as they all had a common theme: Grand gestures.

And I would need to do something to make Riley believe I wanted her. That she had a place in my life...and my heart.

I looked at the time. The waiting was torture. I sat up, dropping my phone next to me, I pushed up, heading to the bathroom. A shower might relax me.

Stepping into a cool shower, I reached for the soap. And that's when something hit me. I couldn't remember the last time I'd heard Emma's voice in my head. It was now Riley's, I heard. It's her face, those stunning green eyes sparkling when I shut my eyes. That smile and her laugh. I could almost taste the scent of her sweet peach skin and how soft and warm it felt under my fingers. I came out of the shower feeling no less restless.

But I'd figured out—I was done waiting.

Dressed in record time, I was outside the hotel and the doorman hailed me a cab. Sat inside I was a bundle of nerves and excitement, barely listening to the cab drive. Staring out the window, I ran my hand over the beard.

My hand paused.

Should I have shaved it off? Would she hate it?

I'd asked that question over and over as I'd stared at the mirror arguing with myself, but in my head, I reasoned leaving it because it made me look different and I hoped Riley would see that too and if I looked different, then it might not be a stretch of the imagination for her to believe I was different—I'd changed. I wasn't the same person she'd left six weeks ago.

Prove to her she could trust me.

Stupid? Maybe. But it stayed until I saw her.

The cab slowed. "It's that building there, boss." The cabbie pointed, pulling into a free space. I pulled out cash from my wallet. Handing it over, I glanced through the windscreen to see Riley getting into a cab.

Fuck!

"Hey, your change," said the cab driver as I opened the door and called her name. But she didn't hear me as her cab drove off. I ducked back inside my cab. "Can you follow that cab?"

He looked out the windscreen. "What that one?" he pointed.

"Yes—quick." I slammed my door.

"You got it, boss."

"Please don't lose them."

We travelled behind it for a good fifteen minutes until Riley's cab pulled up outside a restaurant. I handed over more money to the driver. "Thank you."

He flicked his chin up. "Good luck, boss." I had said nothing to him, but he'd watched Riley get out of the cab and guessed she was the reason I asked him to follow the cab.

I was gonna need it.

Riley's cab pulled away, and she stood on the sidewalk, ironing out her dress with her hand. From her side profile, she looked beautiful in a blue dress that poured over her curves like liquid silk. I'd missed running my hands over those soft lines and swells of her body.

I stopped walking as she twisted around so I could see her from the back. She'd lost weight, her waist smaller...hips not as flared.

That was my doing—I'd done that.

I hesitated, but I hadn't come this far to quit now. "Riley," her name was out of my mouth, no turning back now.

I picked up my steps as she turned. Her eyes widened and painted full lips parted.

"Adam?" she lifted a hand to point a finger. "Adam?" she repeated heat suffusing her cheeks.

It hit me then. It wasn't just her voice, laugh, her body or her age. It's everything. Riley fired up every goddamn cell in my body, allowing me to breathe... vibrate with life and need. She's everything and I needed her.

I wasn't fucking this up—not this time.