There were exposed beams in the ceiling, and the walls were all painted light, happy colors. We walked through the living room and all I could hear were loud voices, some speaking a language I didn’t understand, and laughter. High, trilling, infectious laughter. The room was packed full—built-in bookshelves were completely filled with books, knickknacks, beautiful vases, and a few beachy touches. The whole room reminded me of an extremely high-end beach house, one you’d rent on your honeymoon, when no expense was spared.
Riot, still holding my hand, led me past a wall of windows and my eyes, were they not connected to me, would have rolled right onto the ground when I looked at the view. Chad and Mara’s house sat atop a bluff on the Pacific coastline. I was looking at the most serene, peaceful, and breathtaking view I had ever seen. We were hundreds of feet above sea level, surrounded by trees and greenery, but there was a clear view of roaring waves crashing against jagged rocks.
“Oh, my God,” I said, stalling in the hallway, which was also lined floor to ceiling with windows. “Riot,” I whispered, unsure of what else to say. It was simply too beautiful.
“It’s incredible, isn’t it?”
I turned to look at him and felt my heart soften when I saw the happy look on his face, as if he were so happy to be back in his childhood home. “You grew up here?”
He nodded. “Yeah. I saw this view every day from the time I was seven years old until I moved out. I’ll admit, when I was younger I totally took it for granted. But the older I get, the longer I want to stand here and look at it.” He squeezed my hand gently. “I could never tire of looking at beautiful things.”
I melted a little bit more.
“Okay,” he said quietly, almost as if he didn’t want anyone else to hear. “My family will freak out when I go into the kitchen. They’re all in there, most of them from out of state, and they haven’t seen me since I started showing up on their televisions. I just want to warn you, it’s going to get loud and embarrassing.” His eyes lit up with his smile. “And they’re probably going to lay it on extra thick since you’re here, too.”
“I can’t wait,” I said with a wink. He pressed a fast and chaste kiss to my lips, then led me into the kitchen.
We were met with a loud eruption of noise. So many voices rang out with so many different greetings and exclamations. Mara was the first to embrace him, followed by the woman who was obviously her sister, as they looked nearly identical. Both could pass for women half their age, and both were drop-dead gorgeous. When more family members approached, Riot’s hold on my hand grew tighter and I was embraced right along with him. His family was congratulating him on his success in Hollywood, telling him they couldn’t believe how much he’d grown, and more than a few of them took a moment to size me up and make quite obvious and very vocal gestures of their approval. One or two of the women held up my left hand, looking for an engagement ring, then berated Riot, questioning him about why we weren’t headed toward marriage.
Halfway through the entire introduction, I caught Halah’s eye. She was standing in the back of the room watching her brother endure the third degree, and she was clearly enjoying it. Her smile was wide and she gave me a little finger wave. I smiled back and then I saw her chuckle.
After what seemed like an endless line of relatives had welcomed Riot home, we were finally released and led to the kitchen table, which was covered with food and surrounded by people talking with each other. Mara led Riot to the head of the table, forced him to sit there, then motioned for me to take the seat just to his left. Thankfully, Halah came and sat next to me.
“Isn’t this supposed to be your birthday party?” I whispered to her.
She waved her hand in the air. “I have birthdays every year. It’s not every day your brother becomes a big Hollywood star.”
It seemed like she sincerely wasn’t bothered by Riot hijacking her birthday party, and that spoke to me, showed me how she felt about her brother. “Besides,” she said, her voice lower as she leaned to whisper in my ear, “the more they are distracted by my brother, the less they will harp on me for being gone for so long.” She leaned away from me, smiling, then winked. I couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
I listened to Riot answer many questions about his life and his job, and he was patient, answering each question with sincerity and a smile. It didn’t take long for the conversation to steer toward our relationship.
“How did you and Kalli meet?” The question was asked by a woman in her fifties. I wasn’t sure how she was related to Riot, but she was warm and friendly.
“Kalli was the costume designer on one of my jobs,” he answered as he placed his hand on my knee under the table, giving it a gentle squeeze.
Mara’s eyes went wide when she heard his answer. “You work in the business too?”
“Well,” I started, smiling at her enthusiasm, “I work more behind the scenes. I just prepare costumes and manage wardrobe. That kind of thing.”
“She makes clothes too,” Riot offered, squeezing my leg again.
“Only when I can’t find exactly what I’m looking for. And I’m actually pretty terrible at it.”
“Which job did you meet on?” Halah asked, looking interested.