Lie To Me

Lie To Me-Chapter 128

(Harry's POV)

What the heck was taking Riley so long?!?

I'd been sitting here, listening to Bree for almost thirty minutes... She told me about her flight, talked about her job, and grilled me on my "celebrity" friends out here in LA.

If I was being honest though, it wasn't that bad of a conversation. She was polite for the most part, and although I had my own...issues with her and how she viewed Riley, she really seemed to be trying to play the role as a good best friend.

But...she kept looking at me funny, at one point placing her hand on my arm while she laughed at her own joke. I told myself she was just being friendly, and putting in effort to connect, but something just didn't seem right about it.

"So... You and Riley are really working out, huh? Everything's going well?"

I looked at her, my brows furrowing momentarily. "Uh... Yeah. I mean, every couple has ups and downs, but I love Riley. She makes me happy. Happier than I've ever been."

She gave me another look.

"What?"

"I just want to make sure you're being serious here. It's my job to protect Riley at all costs. No matter what it takes." Her brows rose and her head tilted in warning, and I was finally able to laugh, to really laugh.

She was just being protective! I shook my head at myself for being so obtuse. The way she'd been looking at me, watching me, I'd thought...well, I'd thought she'd been interested or something. But, thank God, that wasn't the case.

"Bree, don't worry. I love that girl more than anything, and I'm not going anywhere."

"We'll see about that..."

Before I could ask her what that comment meant, the topic of the hour came waltzing back into the room, looking brighter than the sun and more beautiful than the moon cascading over the ocean.

"Okay! I'm all ready to go!"

My God was she ever... Wearing a beaded silver tank, and a short black skirt that flowed softly around her knees, Riley looked like a perfectly wrapped present just waiting to be opened. And I was suddenly in the mood for Christmas...

"Riles, you look gorgeous!" Bree beat me to my compliment, jumping out of her seat to give Riley another hug, spinning her around like a top.

Riley giggled, pushing off said compliment, reminding Bree that she was the "gorgeous" one, and blushing all at the same time, the slight tint of her cheeks doing things to me I couldn't ignore.

I had to remind myself that we weren't alone...

"So, did you guys have a nice chat?" Her eyes were hopeful as she turned to me.

"Yea..."

"Of course we did!" Bree once again interrupted me. "Harry and I got to know each other much better... Didn't we?"

Huh? Aside from finding out what friends I had here, and checking on my relationship with Riley, Bree hadn't bothered to learn much of anything about me...

But, Riley's look of concern kept me from opening my mouth and contradicting her best friend. I knew how much this meant to her, how much she hoped the two of us would find a way to get along, and I was determined. Bree wasn't a bad person. She just had some qualities that were a little less then desirable.

"Yeah. It was...fun."

I had to laugh at myself at the thought that suddenly crossed my mind. Honestly, with her take charge attitude, self-indulgent nature, and unwavering confidence, at one point, I probably would have actually gone for someone like Bree. But, now? I found those self-centered qualities to be more irritating than anything else.

Getting up from my seat, I went to Max, scooping him up in my arms. "I'm gonna take this little guy out real quick, and then we can get going, okay?"

"Do you want me to come with you?" Riley looked adorably inquisitive, as if she was trying to read my thoughts based solely on the look on my face.

Giving her a soft smile in return, I bent down to kiss her cheek as I walked past. "We'll be fine. You two stay here and chat, and I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Okay."

I'd gotten no more than two feet away from them when I heard Riley's commanding whisper to her best friend. "Okay, Bree, spill it... What did you do? What did you say to him?"

A smile crossed my face. That would be number one hundred ninety-three on the long list of things I loved about Riley. She could read me like a book, knowing that something was bothering me even when I thought I'd been doing a bang up job of faking it...

Chuckling as I opened the back door, I bent closer to Max, making a whisper of my own. "Your mommy is amazing, isn't she? Absolutely amazing..."