by Addison Cole
Normally crowds and noise wouldn’t bother Blue, but his attention was already stretched thin, as he was worried about how Lizzie’s meeting was going with the FCN executives.
“B, your leg has been jumping up and down a mile a minute since you got here. Would you relax? She’ll do great.” Duke sipped his beer and checked out a brunette at the bar. He’d come from the office, still dressed in his suit and tie. Duke was the sharpest dresser of the Ryder men, and Blue had come to realize that it didn’t matter if Duke was working or not. He was always dressed nicely, preferring polo shirts to T-shirts and slacks to jeans.
“I’m not worried about how she’ll do,” Blue said honestly, knowing she’d do just fine. “I’m nervous because I know she’s nervous about how she’ll do.”
Cash ran a hand through his dirty-blond hair. His eyes held Blue’s with an assessing gaze. “Holy mackerel.”
“What?” Blue shot a questioning look at Duke, who shrugged.
“You’ve fallen for her.” A knowing smile spread across Cash’s face.
Blue couldn’t hide the grin pushing at his cheeks. “I’m not even going to try to deny that.”
“The first Ryder man to get tied down.” Cash slapped him on the back.
“First you buy the property we were supposed to share, and now you’re in love with the woman I was going to ask out?” The raising of Duke’s brows told Blue his oldest brother was just giving him a hard time.
“You’re too slow, too old, and not quite as handsome as me,” Blue teased as he checked his phone for at least the tenth time since they arrived.
“Please. I am in no way, shape, or form looking for love. You enjoy that monogamy nightmare.” Duke lifted his chin toward the woman he was eyeing at the bar. “Plenty of fish in the sea.”
“You’re missing out, man. There’s nothing like having that one special person to share your life with.” Blue sucked back his beer. “Speaking of which, I can’t sit around here waiting for her to text. I want to be there when she comes out of the building. I’m going to head over now. Meet you at Mom and Dad’s?” He tossed money on the table and waved to Dylan behind the bar.
“Wait up,” Cash said as he and Duke joined him, as he’d known they would. “You’re only here for a few hours. Do you really think we’re going to go our separate ways? Duke’s going to drive us over to Mom’s. Let me just text Jeremy. He and Susan wanted to meet up with us since Mom’s been helping them plan the wedding. Where’s Lizzie’s meeting?”
Blue gave him the address, and Cash texted Jeremy on the way outside. They walked the few blocks to where Lizzie’s meeting was being held, and on the way Blue stopped to pick up a Snickers bar and a bouquet of roses.
“Snickers?” Cash laughed. “What is it with girls and chocolate?”
“The Snickers is in case it didn’t go well. Roses are in case it did.” They passed a jewelry store and Blue stopped to look in the window, which took not only him by surprise, but his brothers, too. As he stared in the glass at the sparkling engagement rings, he had no doubt that a lifetime was exactly what he wanted with Lizzie. But buying one of these glitzy rings was not.
“Seriously, dude?” Duke slung an arm over Blue’s shoulder. “Look at you, all grown up. Wow. I’m impressed.”
Blue slid him a shut-up look.
“Go on in. See how you feel.” Cash nudged him toward the door.
“Nah. I just wanted to look. I’m cool.” Blue began walking again, and his brothers fell into step beside him. Boy, he’d missed being around them, seeing their smart-aleck smiles, and even just feeling their energy as they talked. It had been hard not to tell them about Lizzie’s webcast, but although Duke knew, he was professional enough to keep her business to himself, as he would any proprietary information. Blue knew Lizzie was nervous about the rest of his family finding out, and although she’d never asked him not to tell them what type of show she hosted, he respected her enough not to bring it up—even though he had complete faith in his family not to give her a hard time about it.
Just as they arrived at the building to meet Lizzie, Jeremy stepped out of a cab. He had come from the office, and looked professional in his slacks and tailored shirt as he helped Susan from the cab. She looked as gorgeous as ever in a pair of skinny jeans, high heels, and an oversized knit shirt. She was a top fashion blogger, but she was so down-to-earth and family oriented that she never flaunted it.
“Thanks, babe,” she said to Jeremy as she wrapped her arms around him and they kissed like almost newlyweds should. Then she turned her crystal-blue eyes on Blue and hugged him, too. “I’ve missed you so much! And I’m so happy you’re bringing your girlfriend to the wedding!”
“Thanks, Susan. Me too.”
Susan stepped back and hugged Duke. “You’re looking as dapper as ever.”
“And you’re quite beautiful. Sure you want to marry this guy?” Duke teased, just as Lizzie walked out of the building behind him.
Her head was down, her hair covering her face, as she dug through her purse.
“Lizzie,” Blue called to her as he closed the distance between them. She lifted sad eyes to him, and his chest tightened. He took her in his arms and whispered, “It’s okay. Whatever happened, it’s all okay.”
Chapter Thirty
LIZZIE TRIED NOT to let the fact that she’d just walked out on what was probably the most important meeting she’d ever have ruin the afternoon, despite the disappointment she felt settling into her bones.
“What happened?” Blue asked quietly.
“They said that there was no show without me, so I took Duke’s advice, thanked them, and walked out with my head held high.” She swallowed past the itch of regret crawling up her throat.
“Aw, babe. I’m so sorry, but you know what? Forget them.” Blue pulled her into another hug. “That’s right. You’re awesome on your own. You don’t need them to do a darn thing for you.”
Duke pulled her into a warm embrace. “He’s right, Lizzie. You did the right thing. You left with your dignity intact, and believe it or not, you have a leg up. They’re probably sitting up there wondering what they did wrong.”
“Hey, isn’t someone going to introduce us?” Cash asked.
From the photos in Blue’s house, Lizzie recognized the strappingly handsome dirty-blond haired man as Blue’s brother Cash, and there was no mistaking Jeremy as a Ryder with the same strong features as the others. She’d seen Susan’s blog, but heck if she wasn’t twice as beautiful in person. The entire group—the three Ryder men and Susan—were all warm smiles and open arms, making them even more attractive.
“Men.” Susan embraced Lizzie. “I’m Susan, and I’m so glad to meet you. It’s about time another Ryder man gets off the bachelor roster.”
“What is it about everyone wanting us to settle down? Just because Jeremy bit the bullet doesn’t mean the rest of us have to,” Duke said with a smile that told Lizzie he was teasing. “Why don’t you give Jeremy’s siblings a hard time?”
“Because Trey, Drew, and Isabel are so busy, they have no plans of settling down anytime soon,” Jeremy explained. “Hi, Lizzie. I’m Jeremy.” He embraced Lizzie and said, “Blue’s a great guy. I’m happy for you both.”
That took the edge off a little.
“Welcome to the chaos,” Cash said as he drew Lizzie into a warm hug. His brothers and Susan were so friendly and welcoming that she was instantly comfortable among the close-knit group. “I take it your meeting didn’t go as well as you’d hoped?”
Lizzie’s eyes shot to Blue, wondering if Cash, Jeremy, or Susan knew about her webcast. Blue shook his head, and she was thankful that they were so in tune with each other that he knew exactly what was worrying her.
“Not exactly, but it’s not a big deal.” As the words left her lips and Blue laced his fingers with hers, she felt another wave of disappointment wash over her. She hadn’t realized how badly she’d wanted this deal to go through. She’d already been dreaming of the extra time
she and Blue would have together without the stress of filming, editing, and managing the entire Naked Baker program.
Thankfully, Susan looped her arm in Lizzie’s and stuck to her like glue, asking a host of questions about her and Blue and taking the subject off the failed meeting. The drive to Blue’s parents’ house was full of laughter as the men talked about work and volleyed teasing barbs at one another, while Susan and Lizzie became fast friends, talking about Jeremy and Blue and what it was like to live in New York.
Blue’s parents lived just outside the city on several wooded acres. By the time they reached their house, Lizzie knew all about Susan and Jeremy’s families and their impending wedding. She also learned that Jeremy had lost his mother to cancer when he was a teenager, and Blue’s mom had been stepping in to help ever since, which was why she had helped plan the wedding.
“It’s kismet,” Susan said as they walked up the sidewalk toward Blue’s parents’ two-story colonial. “You and Blue are supposed to be together, and we were all supposed to meet.”
Jeremy leaned down and kissed the top of Susan’s head. “That’s my fiancée. The social connector.”
Blue draped an arm over Lizzie’s shoulder as his parents came out the front door. He whispered to Lizzie, “Are you sure you’re okay? Do you want to go somewhere to talk before hanging out with everyone?”
She loved that he was so thoughtful, but after chatting with Susan and being surrounded by such happy banter, she already felt much better. “You really do care about me, don’t you? You’re seeing your family for the first time in months and I’m still the first thing on your mind.”
“Did you ever doubt it?” He pressed his lips to hers, and the heat their kisses always brought filled her from head to toe.
“Not for one second,” she said. “Everyone has been so nice and easy to talk to. I think the distraction is helping, but thank you for offering.” Her stomach fluttered nervously at the sight of his parents, although as they stepped from the porch hand in hand, their friendly smiles had a calming effect.
His mother’s shoulder-length hair was the same dirty-blond shade as Cash’s, and behind her amber-framed glasses, Lizzie noticed that she shared his warm brown eyes, too. His father, also wearing glasses, had dark hair like Blue, peppered with gray, and surprisingly, he sported a silver soul patch, which gave him a younger, edgier look than Lizzie had expected. He was a big man, like his sons, well over six feet tall, with a broad chest, and she noticed as he made a beeline for Blue and pulled him into a hug that he also shared his sons’ confident gait and warm blue eyes.
“I’ve missed you, son.” His father’s voice was deeper than Blue’s and filled with emotion as he hugged his son longer than Lizzie had ever been hugged in her entire life by her own father.
“Baby,” Blue’s mother said. “Oh, honey, I have missed you so much.” She held his shoulders as she searched his eyes with an inquisitive gaze. “You look happy.”
Blue smiled at Lizzie. “More than happy, Mom. And it’s all thanks to Lizzie. Lizzie, this is my mom, Andrea, and my dad, Ned.”
“Hi. It’s nice to meet you,” Lizzie said.
“We greet with hugs,” Andrea said, opening her arms. Lizzie stepped in and was surprised how comfortable and natural it felt to be in his mother’s arms and how different his parents’ greeting was from that of her own parents. “Welcome to our home.”
“Step on in here, young lady,” Ned said, arms open wide. He hugged her with a firm embrace, just like Cash and Duke had.
Blue stayed close to her, keeping one hand on her lower back, as their parents hugged each of the others and then they went inside. If love and family had a scent, it enveloped her the moment she walked into their house. The house was decorated in earthy tones, and not only were family photos hung on nearly every wall they passed, but she could feel the importance of family all around her. Jackets were hung on hooks in the foyer rather than neatly tucked away. A pair of slippers was tucked on the first riser of the staircase, giving the house a lived-in feel, which she found herself wondering over. What would it be like to be part of this warm and inviting family?
There was a framed picture of Susan at a big blogger event, and she wasn’t even officially part of the family yet. Photos of Blue standing before his house at the Cape, the landscaping out front newly planted and a proud grin on his lips, were hung beside pictures of Ned and Andrea and Blue’s other siblings.
As they walked into the living room, Lizzie noticed more pictures of the boys caught midlaugh or wrestling in the yard. Pictures of Trish gazing adoringly up at Blue and Duke, or arm in arm with her father or mother. In one photo Cash had his younger brother Jake in a headlock and was grinning ear to ear. There was so much love in their eyes, and the way they touched and held each other, the laughter that was evident in so many of the pictures, made it easy to feel the positive energy of the family radiating from every single picture.
“Let’s sit in the living room and chat a bit,” his mother said.
Blue’s parents sat beside each other on the couch, and the minute they sat down Ned reached for Andrea’s hand. Lizzie loved that they were so openly affectionate, which was so different from her own parents. Even in the short while she’d been in their presence, it underscored what she already knew in her heart. She wanted to have that kind of relationship and she wanted to have the same kind of welcoming home that they did. She glanced at Blue, who was laughing about something Cash had said, and her heart felt full. She wanted those things with Blue.
Jeremy and Susan settled onto a love seat, and Susan tucked her feet up beside her, resting her head lovingly on Jeremy’s shoulder. Duke sat on the arm of the couch where his parents and Cash were sitting, and Lizzie and Blue sat together on another sofa. A thick shag throw rug covered hardwood floors, and though the room was large, with a high ceiling, built-in bookcases, and a set of French doors overlooking a gorgeous yard, it felt cozy. She knew that had nothing to do with the size of the room and everything to do with the people in it.
They talked about the flight from the Cape and her flower business, and Lizzie noticed that Jeremy and Susan were touching and whispering the whole time. Every so often Lizzie caught Blue’s mother smiling at the sight of them, and when she did, Ned squeezed her hand with a loving look in his eyes.
She couldn’t imagine her father being nearly as comfortable—if at all—if she and Blue were to be so openly affectionate. Because of that, she was keeping a little distance between them—and Blue was doing his best to keep her from doing so, drawing her closer every time she inched away.
“Lizzie, I understand that you were here for a business meeting. I hope it went well,” Andrea said as Duke took a seat beside his father. Ned reached an arm across the back of the couch, and Duke moved closer to him.
Lizzie couldn’t look away from the two men with their heads leaned toward each other as they talked quietly, Ned’s grown son tucked safely beneath his arm. She longed for the closeness Blue’s family clearly came by naturally. In this house, with love in every corner, somehow the failed meeting no longer felt very important.
She realized that Andrea was waiting for her answer and finally said, “It didn’t go as well as I’d hoped, but that’s okay. It was a pipe dream.”
Blue kissed her temple. “You didn’t need them, babe.”
“Was it a meeting for your flower business? Are you thinking of branching out?” Ned asked.
Lizzie’s stomach clenched. She really didn’t want to lie to his parents, but after coming clean to her parents and dealing with the aftermath of her father’s reaction, she didn’t want to take the chance of inciting the same type of reaction the first time she met Blue’s family, even though they seemed so accepting.
Blue came to her rescue. “It was for a baking show she has online.”
He always knew just what to say or do. His answer sounded simple enough without being a lie, but now she felt like she was making him cover for her, and that didn’t
feel good either.
“Well, I’m sorry it didn’t go well, but I’m glad you came to New York. The wedding will be so busy, I wouldn’t have time to get to know you there.” His mother stood, and Ned held on to her hand. “Would anyone like a drink? I’m going to get some lemonade from the kitchen.”
“Susan?” Jeremy asked.
“I am kind of thirsty, but I’ll get it.” Susan rose to her feet, and Jeremy pulled her down for a quick kiss. Again, Andrea’s smile warmed at the sight. “Do you want one, Jer?”
“No thanks,” he answered. “I’ll grab a beer with the guys in a little bit.”
“Babe?” Blue asked Lizzie.
“I think I’ll join your mom and get a drink.” Blue smiled as Lizzie rose to her feet. “Would you like something?”
“Just you.” He stood and nuzzled against her neck. She felt her cheeks flush, and his mother laughed softly.
“Oh, it is nice to see my son so happy.” Andrea glanced at Duke. “Now, if we could only find the right woman for our eldest bachelor.”
Duke scoffed. “You have four other children you can harass, Mom.”
“Oh, please. One day Gage will open himself up to a real relationship again.” She leaned down and kissed Duke’s forehead. “You know Trish is planning on taking some time off soon. I think she’s starting to think about settling down. Cash is so busy, I have no idea how, or if, he finds time for women, and Jake? Well, a mother can always hope, but that boy is always looking for the next adventure. I don’t know if he’s ever going to truly settle down.”
“And that’s okay, too,” his father added. “Not everyone has to get married, even if we think there’s no greater happiness than finding the one person who makes every day brighter and more meaningful.”
Lizzie could hardly believe the conversation unraveling before her. Her father zipped up at the thought of his daughters having boyfriends.
