Riley's Torment, A Moon's Glow Novel #2 (36 page)

This time there
were no interruptions.

Afterward, I
lay back on the bed with Nate’s head lying on my stomach. I twirled
my fingers in his soft silky hair, feeling content and happy.

“Can I ask you
something?” he asked lazily.

“Sure.”

“Will you marry
me?”

I laughed. It
seemed like years ago that he asked me the first time. “Yes,” I
answered without thought. I was meant to be here, and yes, I had
every right to be angry with him for what he did. But I had learned
that loving a person was easy—it was forgiving that was the
difficult part. And I did forgive him, with all my heart.

“Are you
ready?” Nate asked coming up behind me as I stood in front of the
bathroom mirror.

“
Almost.”
I was just hooking the last earring into my lobe. Once it was in
place, I examined my appearance. This was a special occasion, and I
wanted to look perfect. I took a deep, nervous breath and smoothed
out my outfit. I had bought it just for today from a new boutique
in town. It was a black and white sleeveless floral, lace dress
with black sheer shoulder straps and an oval cut out in the back. I
had curled my strawberry blond hair and left it loose, falling
around my shoulders. The makeup I chose set off my green
eyes.

“Do you I look
okay?” I asked Nate, gazing at him through the mirror.

He stepped
closer and placed his hands on my shoulders, leaning over to nuzzle
my neck, his scent swirled around me. “You’re stunning.”

“Are you just
saying that because you’re my fiancé?”

He looked up,
his intense blue eyes still holding mine in the mirror. “Why are
you so nervous? It’s just going to be our family and friends.”

Maybe, maybe
not. I may have invited someone extra. After we announced our
engagement to Nate’s family, Will insisted on throwing a small
engagement party. He had said we needed something to celebrate
after everything the family had been through. Carolyn and Nathan
were back, and some of the uncles and cousins were visiting so they
could make it to the party. We hadn’t settled on a wedding date,
but I wasn’t in a hurry to do that. I just wanted to enjoy my time
with Nate and be with him without holding on to the past.

Two weeks had
passed since Charlotte’s death, and we were finally getting back to
normal. I had returned to the shelter, and Nate was back to work.
Lauren had even joined Allison at school. She had survived the full
moon and was confident she could handle the whole werewolf thing on
her own. Joe had decided to move with her and was working in the
store near her school. After Adrian found the address to his
sister’s new family, he took off to Philadelphia. I hadn’t heard
from him in a week, and I was starting to get worried. His plan was
to go get her and bring her back here. He was going to take over
Joe’s house and wanted to start volunteering at the shelter with
me. He had control of his inheritance again and could live off that
for a while. He wanted to give back to the community to make up for
all that he had done. He reminded me of Nate, and I think that was
why we had hit it off so quickly. I started working out again, more
for fun than anything else, but it didn’t hurt that I could now
flip Nate over my shoulder. It was a good knowledge to have if he
ever got out of line. It wasn’t the same without Adrian and Lauren,
but they both would be back soon.

“Megan, did you
hear me?”

Nate’s question
brought me back to the room and out of my thoughts.

“Hmm?” I gazed
at him through the mirror. He looked so handsome in his dark gray
suit, and blue dress shirt. He wasn’t wearing a tie, which only
made him look rebellious and sexy. His shaggy pale blond hair,
vivid blue eyes, and dimples set off the look. I was so lucky to
have him.

“I said don’t
be nervous, it’s just our family and friends.” He brushed my
shoulders with his hands sending his warmth into me.

“I know, but
you never know who might show up.”

His forehead
crinkled. “What does that mean?”

I stepped away
from the mirror, heading for the bedroom to put on my shoes.
“Nothing,” I answered, hoping he wasn’t suspicious. I wanted to
surprise him. I bent over to strap on my black heels and stood up.
Glancing through my jewelry that was displayed on my dresser, I
gazed longingly at the gemstone necklace. I had found it on the
floor under the couch. Charlotte must have just thrown it after
ripping it off my neck. I really wanted to wear it, but when I
thought about it, a necklace was just a necklace. But Nate was
forever.

With that
thought, I picked up the delicate white gold chain that Nate had
given me on the night he told me he loved me, and held the
half-moon in my hand. He finally explained that it had belonged to
his sister Rose. It was a gift from him while he was away trying to
deal with becoming a werewolf on his own. He had also given one to
his sister Mary, but he told me he had given that to his favorite
niece. I put the necklace on and gazed down at my hand. My gorgeous
ring sparkled on my finger, making me smile. It was a symbol of his
love, and I would cherish it always.

“Are you
ready?” he asked, taking my hand, and kissing each finger. He
lingered on the one with the ring, and when he glanced up, his eyes
were shining with joy. I nodded my head, his beautifully happy face
taking my breath away and rendering me speechless. He laughed
softly and squeezed my hand before leading me out. We were happy
again, and it felt fantastic.

“Why do we
always drive to the main house?” I asked as I slid into his black
sports car. “It’s not that far.”

He shrugged. “I
don’t know. I guess I like to keep the car handy just in case I
need to go somewhere.”

I smirked. “Who
are you, a superhero?”

“Well, yes.
Yes, I am.” He smiled widely, his eyes sparkling. “And you can be
my sidekick. It feels pretty good to save someone, doesn’t it?”

I grinned at
him. “Yes, it does. But I’m no sidekick. You know I can kick your
butt any day of the week.”

Nate grinned
back as he pulled onto the road. “Remind me not to run into you in
a dark alley.”

The main
house’s driveway was filled with cars. Butterflies were doing the
mambo in my stomach at the thought of being the center of
attention. At least I’d have Nate at my side sharing the spotlight
with me. Taking a deep breath, I climbed out.

I followed him
to the front door, and we were greeted by Ursula, the Rileys’
housekeeper. She smiled at both of us and led us to the large
living room. It looked different. All the furniture had been
removed, replaced with small tables and chairs to accommodate the
extra guests.

Everyone we
loved was in the room, even my parents, and Mona and Ben. I spotted
my friends and their boyfriends in deep conversation. When Lauren
and Lilly spotted us, they approached, leaving Eddie and Joe on
their own.

“You two look
great,” Lauren said, smiling widely.

“Thank you,” I
replied with a small grin. “Is Allison here?”

Lilly grinned.
“She’s on her way, and she’s bringing a date.” That wasn’t
surprising; she went through guys like I went through tissues.

When I spotted
Julia in a conversation with Will, I smiled. Hopefully, she was
explaining our plans. I had been talking to her about Adrian. He
had a background in construction. Before his death, his father had
built houses. Adrian wanted to help with the renovation. He seemed
interested in the whole concept and wanted to assist wherever he
could. Nate had even suggested that Adrian could help expand some
of the other shelters in need of more beds.

Since Adrian
was a werewolf like us, he’d have to move on in a few years. When
it was our time to go, it was good to know I’d have something to
do. There were charities and Riley stores everywhere.

Eventually, we
moved on to mingle with our guests. My mother made a show of acting
like she knew Nate well and that we were such a close mother and
daughter duo. I used to get annoyed with her antics, but I was so
happy these days, I refused to let her get me down. I knew the
truth and that was all that mattered.

Just before
dinner was served, there was a knock at the door. I was in the
middle of a conversation, talking to Julia about another resident
who was about to leave the shelter. But at the sound, I froze and
rushed to answer it myself. I knew who it was, and I couldn’t wait
to meet her.

When I pulled
the door open, a woman with sandy blond hair pulled up in a twist,
smiled shyly at me. She was wearing a slick, black, trench coat
over a black cocktail dress with silver accents. A necklace hung
around her neck, and I smiled, seeing a half moon pendant that
matched my own. I knew she was in her forties, but she looked young
for her age. She was blessed with the Riley genes.

“Megan?” she
asked shyly.

I nodded my
head, and stepped back so she could enter. “I’m so glad you could
make it,” I said as I took her coat.

“I’m glad that
you contacted me and that Nate has found someone special to share
his life with.” She reached out and held my hand. Her skin was a
little chilled by the cold weather. “Thank you for this
chance.”

I smiled,
feeling warmth spread through me. She had kind eyes, and I knew I
did the right thing.

“Meg,” The
butterflies were back as I heard Nate’s voice get closer. “Who was
that at the door?” He froze as he rounded the corner, and came face
to face with our guest. “Emma?” he whispered hoarsely.

She nodded; the
small smile was back on her face, but now her eyes were filled with
uncertainty.

By now, a small
crowd of Rileys had gathered. I hadn’t told a soul of what I had
planned, just in case it didn’t work out. I also wanted to surprise
them as well. This group was all about family, and they had felt
her loss just as much as Nate had.

He turned to
me, his face clouded with sadness. “Did you do this?” he asked, and
I knew he was upset with me. And I knew why, he was afraid she
would reject him again.

I wanted to
explain, but before I could, Emma moved forward and wrapped Nate in
a hug. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered.

His eyes went
wide with surprise at her words, and then he closed them, his face
overwhelmed with emotion as he wrapped his arms around her waist.
“No, I’m sorry,” he gasped.

“You have
nothing to be sorry for. I overreacted, and I’ve regretted it ever
since.”

Will cleared
his throat, as he took a step closer to us. “Perhaps we should move
to my office,” he suggested softly, glancing around the room at the
curious guests watching us.

Emma and Nate
pulled apart. Nate took my hand as we all headed to the room at the
end of the hall. When the door closed, all that were present were
Will, his wife Carolyn, Richard, Lauren and of course, Emma.

Will gaped at
her, his eyes wide with shock. He looked like he was staring at a
ghost. “Why are you here?”

She glanced at
me and smiled. “I made a new friend, and she asked me to attend her
engagement party.”

I could feel
Nate’s gaze on me, but when I turned to face him, I wasn’t sure how
to interpret it.

“How have you
been? Where have you been?” Richard asked, with the same expression
on his face as Will’s.

“I’ve lived in
Renwood, a city about an hour from here, ever since I left. I
married an art dealer and have three beautiful children named
Jason, Jacob, and Mary.”

Nate smiled at
her at the sound of his sister’s name. “So, you don’t hate me?”

She shook her
head. “No, I never did.” Her voice broke as a tear trickled down
her cheek. “I was just scared. When I calmed down, I wanted to
return home, but I knew what happened to family members who reject
the secret. So I stayed away, thinking that the family hated me,
until I started getting deposits in my bank account.” She turned to
focus on Will. “I wanted to call and thank you, Will, but I was too
afraid.”

Will’s eyes
widened. “I didn’t send you money. I didn’t even know where you
were.”

Her brow
creased. “I assumed since it began when you took over for your
father that it was you. If it wasn’t you, then who was it?”

Nate stayed
silent as he shuffled his feet, gazing down at the wooden
floor.

“
It was
Nate,” I answered, knowing it was true. Only he would want to help
someone after they rejected him.

All eyes turned
to him. He smiled timidly and shrugged.

We weren’t
alone, but I couldn’t resist hugging him and planting a big kiss on
his cheek.

He blushed and
mouthed the word “thank you” to me. I knew what he meant. He might
have refused to speak about Emma all these years, but deep down, he
needed to know how she really felt.

Eventually, we
wandered out to the rest of the group, and Will introduced our new
guest.

Soon after, the
rest of Emma’s family arrived. It was a day of celebration and
forgiveness. I couldn’t keep the smile off my face as we rode home
hours later.

It was late,
after one in the morning, but the last of the visitors had just
left.

“So Allison’s
date was interesting.” Nate remarked, as he parked the car and
turned the ignition off.

I grinned. She
had finally shown up with a guy with pink hair and more piercings
on his face than me and all of my friends’ ears combined. “Did you
see my mother when she saw him? I thought her jaw was going to hit
the floor.” I laughed as I opened my car door and stepped out.

He held out his
hand for me, and I took it, stepping up the porch steps together.
“She sure does go through a lot of guys, doesn’t she?”