by Layla Hagen
“O-okay.”
“You and Avery are... you’re family. But I can’t be there for you if I don’t know what’s happening.”
I nodded, because he made perfect sense, of course.
“Move in with me. Cancel the lease.”
“Oh!”
I swallowed hard, trying to find the right words. I’d clung so much to the idea of providing a stable home to my girl in our apartment, that I hadn’t even dared to dream about what it would be like living with Ryker as a family.
“Trust me, Heather. To make you and Avery happy. Make this a home with me.”
My heart swelled; I swear I could feel it expanding in my chest. I couldn’t find any words at all, let alone the right ones, so I simply nodded.
Ryker’s smile widened even more. I calmed down just from feeling the warmth of his body, the possessive way he touched my face. I felt centered again. He was my center.
“I’ll call my whole family to help with packing... and we’ll bring your stuff to my place.”
Oh my God. I fought the silly impulse to press my palms against my chest, but I really felt as if I might just burst from so much joy.
I couldn’t believe that he wanted to intertwine our lives so deeply, that he wanted both of us to be such an integral part of his life.
“Between you and me, I think Avery’s going to be psyched. She loves my place.”
I scoffed, playfully rolling my eyes. Duh, of course Avery loved it. I was psyched too.
“Shouldn’t we go to the ballroom? Otherwise we’ll miss the moderator,” I said.
“Yes, you’re right.” He straightened up, as if he’d suddenly remembered something. Dropping his hand from my face, he took a step back. “Let’s go.”
“I don’t think I’ll ever have enough of these events,” I said once we arrived at the venue, looking around with a smile. A wedding had taken place over the weekend, and a group of men were rearranging the tables. The moderator of the next event, a woman in her forties, waved to Ryker. After he introduced me to her, they started talking about the order of speeches. I volunteered to guide the men setting things up according to the chart lying on one of the tables, since every gala had its own seating arrangement.
I felt Ryker throw me sizzling looks every now and then but kept my composure, even though I was blushing madly. But when he surprised me by appearing behind me and kissing the side of my neck, my entire body turned to goose bumps. Hot damn.
“The moderator just left. I’ll help with the table coordination,” he said just as he let me go. Something tugged at the pocket of my dress. When I touched it, I realized there was a note half-stuffed inside.
Had Ryker just put it there?
“Ryker!” I called out after him. He looked at me over his shoulder, but merely mouthed “Later.” What?
I felt giddy, and instead of finishing assisting with the table placement, I slipped behind a partition in one corner, where the audio equipment was hidden. My stomach was full of butterflies as I opened the note.
Meet me in the room upstairs, behind the red curtain, after everyone’s gone.
My pulse quickened, thumping in my ears. I remembered the last time he’d given me a note like this. I’d gone there expecting a kiss, perhaps, and I hadn’t come out the same. What should I expect this time?
What could he possibly tell me that couldn’t wait until we were home?
That question bounced in my mind for the remaining hour. I became more nervous with every passing minute, especially once everyone left.
If I didn’t know Ryker was meeting me behind the curtain, I would have thought I was completely alone.
I crossed the empty ballroom with quick strides, barely keeping myself from breaking into a run. I was smiling from ear to ear. My heartbeat was so erratic that I felt light-headed.
When I entered the changing room, Ryker was already there, leaning against a wall, smiling widely.
“Hi! What are we doing here?” Oh God, why was my voice so throaty?
“Come closer.” His tone was playful, but his gaze was so intense that I instantly felt the air between us charge.
“Tell me, first.”
He said nothing, but he walked toward me until we were close enough to touch. He brought a hand to my face, caressing my cheek.
“Remember the first time I asked you here?” he asked softly.
I nodded.
“What did you think I wanted?”
“Something you couldn’t do with everyone watching,” I teased. Ryker laughed, sounding so happy that it warmed me on the inside. “What do you think I have in mind now?”
“Better not be sexy times,” I warned. Ryker grinned.
“No, not quite.”
He skimmed his fingers down my arm, taking both my hands in his.
“I’ll be honest. When I asked you to come here last time, I didn’t have a plan. I just knew that I wanted to be near you any way I could, for as long as I could. But now... now I have a plan.”
“You do?”
He nodded, tightening his grip on my hands.
“I’ve thought about where to do this for weeks. First I thought about taking you to a restaurant, or on a trip, but then I figured... why not do it here? It’s where I first realized that I wanted to do whatever it took to win you over. This place means something to both of us.” He interlaced our fingers, squeezing them lightly before letting go of my left hand. He reached inside his jacket. I didn’t see what he took out, because he was holding it in his closed fist. What was going on?
He opened his hand slowly, and my heart all but exploded. He was holding an engagement ring! The most beautiful one I’d ever seen. It had a round diamond in the center with tiny green gemstones around it.
“Marry me, Heather Prescott. Be my wife. You, Avery, and I are already a family, but I want to make it official. I want everyone to know that both of you are mine.”
I had never felt overwhelmed by so many emotions in a matter of seconds.
I put my arms around his neck, going up on my tiptoes and kissing him. I’d intended a light smooch only, but the second I touched my lips to his, I became ravenous... and so was he.
Ryker kissed me so deliciously well that I just wanted to melt against him. I felt him put one palm at the small of my back, pressing me into him until I was flat against his chest... and still he kept pressing. I loved the possessive touch, the nearly desperate way he was claiming my mouth. I’d been on edge this past hour, but it was nothing compared to how I felt now—completely wrapped up in Ryker. When I ran a hand through his hair, lightly tugging at it, I felt him smile against my mouth.
“That counts as yes?” he asked, pulling back, smiling from ear to ear.
“What do you think?”
I looked between us when he took my left hand in his. He slid the ring on before interlacing our hands again, just holding them tight. This felt surreal. I wanted to find the right words to tell him how happy I was, but I couldn’t form any words at all. Ryker didn’t seem to share my predicament.
“I love you, Heather. I can’t wait for us to be a team. A family. Every day, when you wake up, I want you to look at our life together and smile. I’ll make sure of that.”
Oh goodness, why was he saying all these sweet things? I’d just discovered they were my kryptonite.
“And how?” I asked playfully, determined not to become misty eyed.
Ryker let go of my hands, cupping my face.
“You’ll see. You don’t have to know everything right away.”
“Ah, so one of your tactics is to always keep me guessing?” I was grinning now.
“One of my many tactics.”
“In that case, I’m promising the same in return. Not the guessing part. The smiling part.”
He kept cradling my face, and something told me he wasn’t done making me swoon.
“Whatever you want, you name it, I’ll get it for you. Do it for you. I’ll be there for everything. The busy days, late
nights. Shopping trips for which I still have to sharpen my negotiation skills. When you have a deadline, I’ll be there pushing you toward the finish line... celebrating after it. When you’re too stressed, I’ll help you relax.”
“I think I know how you plan to do that.”
He gripped my waist possessively before skimming one hand down to my hip, pressing his fingers on my skin. I licked my lower lip. His eyes flashed.
I traced my hand over his chest slowly, loving the way his grip on me tightened, as if he was barely hanging in there. The passion was always there, simmering just under the surface.
“I promise that I’ll give in every time,” I said with a wiggle of my eyebrows. “And pretend to be surprised.”
He pinched my ass. I yelped, in turn pinching his arm. When I realized he was about to retaliate, I took a huge step back.
“Okay, okay, I didn’t really mean that. You’re quite good at surprises. And promises.” On a sigh, I added, “How can I keep up? Oh, I know! I promise I’ll always be up for anything from getting down and dirty to generally just taking care of you,” I finished.
Ryker’s eyes were full of happiness. I’d had no idea that you could feel joy like a physical force inside you. Only now, I felt as if there was so much of it that it couldn’t possibly fit inside me.
“Define up for anything,” he said playfully. “Does it include naughty trips to my office or sneaking behind the red curtain during galas?”
“That’s a no on both counts,” I said seriously.
“We’ll see about that.”
I laughed, stepping closer again, touching his jaw, tracing his lips with my fingers, because apparently I couldn’t keep my hands off him for even one full minute. I just loved feeling him against me. Bringing a hand to the back of my head, he pulled me into a kiss. It was different than the one before. Hotter, even more urgent. As if in a haze, I realized we were moving through the room. I almost stumbled, and blindly reached a hand backward—there was a wall here somewhere—but Ryker was ahead of me. He’d braced one hand against the wall, pushing me against it with his hips. He needed a hard surface for leverage so he could kiss and touch me the way he wanted to. The realization sent a wave of heat through me. I rose on my toes, needing leverage of my own.
“What are you thinking about?” I asked.
“How to seduce my fiancée tonight.”
“And what are the options? Your fiancée would like to weigh in.”
“Does she now?”
“Oh, yeah.”
“Well, then. Can’t deny my fiancée’s first wish, can I?”
***
“This is an engagement ring,” I told Avery later that evening, after we picked up her and Mom from the airport. I was a little nervous but a lot excited to tell my little girl about our plans. We were at our apartment, and Mom had slipped out of the living room to give Ryker and me some privacy with Avery. I’d told her on the phone about the engagement, because I just couldn’t hold back, but asked her to keep it a secret from Avery.
“What’s an engagement?” Avery asked, wide-eyed.
“It’s like a promise,” Ryker explained. “Your mom and I are promising to each other that we’re going to always be together.”
“We’re getting married,” I said. Her mouth formed that adorable O, where her cheeks also went hollow from the effort.
“You’re going to be a bride, Mommy?”
“Yes. And we’re also going to move in with Ryker.”
“Ohh, so I can always play in my big room.” She turned to look at Ryker, speaking in a loud whisper. “Can we tell her now?”
Ryker grinned. “Yes, we can.”
“Tell me what?” These two. I’d known something was up ever since we’d left Phoenix.
Avery straightened up. “I asked Ryker to be my dad. And he said yes.”
I blinked, sure I’d misheard her, then quickly looked away so she couldn’t see that I had misty eyes.
“And you will not just be my dad, but also Mom’s hubband?”
“Yes,” Ryker said.
“Can I get a ring too? So we can also promise to always be together?” Avery asked.
Ryker smiled warmly at her. I reached for his hand behind Avery’s back, squeezing it lightly.
“Sure. We can go buy a ring whenever you want. Or a necklace if you want. Or a bracelet.”
Oh, damn. They were going to buy half the store; I was sure of that. But they both already looked so excited that I promised myself I would just let them have their fun this time.
When Avery yawned, I pointed a finger at her. “Bedtime, Avery.”
Avery’s expression was mutinous, but then she yawned again.
“Come on, off we go,” I insisted.
After taking care of Avery’s bedtime routine, Ryker and I snuck to my tiny room.
“I can’t wait to move to your apartment. It’s so big, and I love that it’s on two floors,” I said when we were almost at my bed. Ryker laughed, putting an arm around my waist, walking in tandem with me.
“You just pointed out my two favorite things about it.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Heather
The following Saturday, I woke up before Ryker and just stared at my ring for a few minutes. The past week had been a bit of a whirlwind.
I gave notice to my landlord and started packing. Mom helped until she returned to Phoenix yesterday. Moving day was in two weeks. Ryker being Ryker had decided to pay the rent for another month so I wouldn’t have to pack in a hurry.
Ryker stirred soon after, blindly putting his hand over my shoulder. I loved that his first instinct was to reach for my side of the bed, check to see if I was still here. I pulled back a little, teasing him. He stretched toward me even further, only stopping when his fingers grazed my thigh. Then he blinked both eyes open. Groggy with sleep as he was, he smiled at me.
“Morning,” he said. “Is it late?”
“Nah, I just woke up early.”
He turned on one side, watching me intently. “You’re smiling. Why?”
“You were cute, trying to fondle me even in your sleep.”
“Hey, I’m an honest man. I want what I want.”
Yawning, I got out of bed. In a fraction of a second, Ryker was up too and trapped me between his body and the door. Damn, he was fast.
“What are you doing?”
“Not letting you go until you admit that you were teasing me on purpose.”
“You just woke up two minutes ago. How are you so good at blackmailing me already?”
He kissed the side of my neck, laughing. “You inspire me.”
“Oh, I see. So I brought this upon myself?”
He pulled back, cocking a brow. “You say that like it’s a hardship.”
I wiggled my ass, parting my thighs so I could accommodate him more easily.
“It can be.”
“You did not say that.”
“I did. Whatcha gonna do about it?”
His eyes flashed, before he whirled me around, putting my palms up against the door above my head, holding them tight.
I swallowed, exhaling sharply. I was not expecting that. Where my instincts were slow and groggy in the morning, he was already quick and alert.
He kissed along the back of my neck, first only skimming his lips, then teasing me with the tip of his tongue. My whole body reacted to his attentions. Letting go of my hands, he moved his mouth lower, tracing a straight line of kisses down my back. At the same time, he skimmed his hands over the sides of my breasts, down to my hips.
Oh, wow. There had to be a rule against getting me so hot and bothered this early in the morning. How was I supposed to resist his charm for the rest of the day? Oh wait, I didn’t want to do that.
One hour later, the two of us and Avery walked into Tiffany’s.
“We’re looking for a ring for this little lady,” Ryker told the sales assistant. I was in heaven, admiring the sparkly displays... right until I saw the price
tags. Wow! Everything had one digit more than I imagined even in my wildest dreams. How much had Ryker spent on my ring? And now on another one for Avery?
“Yes, an ekagenment ring, like Mommy’s. That means we will all be together for all times. Until Mommy and Daddy are really old.”
“We can even put it on a necklace,” I said. “That way you can also wear it after you outgrow it.” I actually had a more practical reason in mind, minimizing Avery’s risk of losing the ring.
“I have a better idea,” the woman said, clearly able to read my panicked expression. She reached for a drawer under the counter, pulling out a selection that was clearly for children. The price tags were also more reasonable.
“Would you like a necklace with a pendant in the form of an infinity knot?” she asked Avery.
“It looks like a bow,” Avery said skeptically.
“Yes, exactly. You know what infinity means? For all times.”
Ryker and I were content to watch them go back and forth over several options. He put a hand on the back of my neck, keeping me so close that my breast squished against his chest. I barely kept from grinning when he moved that hand a little lower.
“Why are you smiling like that?” he asked. Ah, I’d kept my grin at bay, but not a smile.
“I was wondering how long it would take you until your hand started... wandering.” I spoke in a low voice, even though there was so much commotion in the store that there were zero chances of being overheard.
“And?”
“You lasted seven minutes since we came in,” I informed him.
“That’s five more minutes than I expected.”
“Love that you’re not even pretending.”
“Should I?”
“Nah, I quite like knowing that you can’t resist me.”
He laughed, just as Avery turned around, proudly pointing to the infinity pendant the sales assistant had hung around her neck. Her smile was so huge, it was obvious she’d fallen head over heels for it.
“We’re taking it,” Ryker said to the sales assistant. Avery squealed when he paid.
“Thanks for doing this,” I whispered as we left the store.
