A while later we were in the car headed back to his parents’ house. The night before had been pretty nerve-racking, but Riot’s parents were fantastic people. I loved that he called his mom and dad Ma and Pops. It seemed contradictory to him in nature, but somehow also fit him perfectly. It made me feel like he was close with his parents, and that, for some reason it didn’t take Freud to deduce, made me feel closer to him.
I’d been astonished by his mother’s beauty, and then completely destroyed by his sister’s. They were both stunningly gorgeous. Distractingly so. But then, after meeting them and realizing they were the most beautiful women I’d ever seen, I fell even more in love with them when they turned out to also be the nicest and sweetest. His dad was like a big teddy bear, his mom was the quintessential mother, and his sister was like, well, the sister I never had. For the most part, it had always felt right to be with Riot, but spending time with his family only made me feel like I belonged with him even more, feel as though if we were together, he’d be giving me so much more than just himself.
It had been dark the night before when we’d finally arrived at his house, and I’d been so nervous I didn’t have a chance to really take in my surroundings. But now, in the light of the late morning, I was astounded by what I saw.
The house was large and white, with maroon trim and lattice up one large panel. There were planter boxes beneath the windows that matched the trim, and each of the windows on the second floor had gables above them. The detail was incredible. He parked the car right next to the detached garage, like he had last night, but there were many more cars in the circular driveway than the night before. When I opened my door I heard something I hadn’t noticed last night: water.
“Do I hear waves?” I asked, turning toward him.
“Yeah, babe. I’ll show you in a minute.” His smile was huge and he took my hand in his, leading the way to the house. When we got close to the front door, it opened wide and we were greeted by a shorter, robust man.
“Riot! The big-time television star has decided to grace us with his presence!” The words were said with a laugh and a smile, and I knew whoever the man was, he thought highly of Riot.
“Uncle Sal, good to see you.” Riot walked up to his uncle and they hugged, slapping each other’s backs. When Riot stepped away, Uncle Sal’s eyes fell on me.
“You’re new,” he said, still smiling. “We don’t get many blondes around here.”
“For that I’m glad. I can’t compete with the beautiful brunettes.” I laughed, but Sal tilted his head at me.
“I think you can hold your own, sweetheart.”
Riot let out a nervous laugh at the man’s forward comment, but then his hand came back to me and wrapped around my waist. “Uncle Sal, this is my girlfriend, Kalli Rivers.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Kalli,” he said politely, reaching his hand out to me.
“Likewise,” I stated.
“Sal is married to my mom’s sister.”
“Ah ha,” I muttered. Sal took a few steps back, opening the door wider, allowing us in.
“I hope you guys are ready to get pounced on. Once the family sees you,” he said, looking at Riot and placing a friendly hand on his shoulder, “they’re gonna go ballistic. You’re like Hollywood royalty.”
I smiled at his uncle’s blatant admiration. Then I blushed when Riot’s hand came up and scrubbed over the stubble on the underside of his chin. That same stubble had been stinging along the sensitive skin of my neck just hours before. It was a habit of his, running his hand over his chin, but it felt more intimate than that to me. Every time he touched it, I wanted to touch it too. Wanted to feel it against my skin.
“It’s just a job,” he said, by way of brushing off his uncle’s comments.
“Oh, really? So, you don’t have to be good-looking and talented to get your job?” Riot’s uncle puffed out his chest and crossed his arms over it, looking at him with skeptical eyes.
“It’s really just about luck. Being at the right place at the right time, knowing the right people—stuff like that.”
“You’re not giving yourself enough credit,” I interjected before I could think about it.
“I knew I’d like her,” Sal said. Riot turned his head toward me and gave me his sweet smile.
“Let’s go inside and meet everyone else.” Riot took my hand and led me through the house I did not get a good enough look at the night before. It was beautiful inside, but not intimidating. It was homey. It looked as though really happy people lived there.