Love Unscripted

by Reber, Tina

  “Ryan! There’s no money there!” David defended. “You’re making a huge mistake!”

  “Then that’s my problem. By next fall I’ll have over fifty million in the bank. Maybe I’ll get involved in producing the film, or I can retire and grow grapes, but it will be my decision. Please, just do what I ask.”

  “Ryan!” David tried to stop him. “You’re going to take advice from your bartender girlfriend?”

  Ryan turned and glared at him. “Just do what I ask David, or I’ll find someone else who will.”

  Chapter 28 - Holidays

  “It’s so good to be home,” Ryan sighed, dropping his duffel bag and suitcase on the floor. He flopped backward onto our bed and smiled.

  “Mmm,” he moaned, shoving his nose into his pillow. I crawled on all fours to join him, glowing in the fact that he felt my apartment was his home too. It was certainly a home with him in it.

  “I know we just got off of two planes, but what are we doing for Christmas? Do you want to fly out to Pittsburgh and see your mom and dad or not?” I wanted him to make a final decision so I could make travel arrangements. Christmas was just five days away.

  Ryan groaned loudly. “As much as I love my mom and dad, I don’t want to fly anywhere. I only have two weeks off.”

  “Well, you could always put your family on a plane and have them come out here,” I suggested.

  He wrinkled his nose. “No. We have to go or I’ll never hear the end of it. You know what I really want to do for Christmas?” He wrapped me in his arms, pulling me close. “I want to go cut down a big evergreen and have my first real Christmas tree,” he stated. “My parents put up the same fake tree every year. I’ve never had a real tree, even when I lived on my own.”

  I smiled and softly kissed his lips. Being normal sounded wonderful.

  The next morning we borrowed Pete’s pickup truck to go get a tree.

  “Here’s the directions Pete wrote down.” Ryan handed me a piece of paper. “After I get on the highway, where do I go from there?”

  I flipped the paper around, noting that we just passed a place that had cut trees for sale. But Ryan wanted the experience of cutting his own Christmas tree down.

  “Go five more traffic lights and then turn left. We need to get lights and a tree stand too. There’s a store there.”

  Ryan put the truck into park and I saw the panic attack start to well up on his face. “I can’t go in there,” he whispered.

  “Sure you can,” I softly replied. “It’s a small mom and pop hardware shop. See? They have Christmas lights and stuff.”

  He shook his head, indicating that he was staying put.

  “It will be okay. Not everyone on the planet knows who you are.” I tried to ease his worry. “Besides, you haven’t shaved in a couple of days… it’s almost like a disguise. If anything happens, we’ll run for it. I promise.” I held out my hand.

  Hardly anyone was in the store except for two older gentlemen who worked there and a nice older lady who wrapped each of the glass ornaments I picked out. The gentleman with the dark gray hair spent over ten minutes telling us which tree stand would be better for a live tree and how Ryan should brace it so the tree doesn’t fall over. The man had no idea who Ryan was; in his book we were just ordinary customers.

  Ryan was grinning from ear to ear when we walked back to the truck with our bags. He was able to go into a store like a regular person and buy lights for his Christmas tree without anyone taking his picture or asking for an autograph. I was glad; such a simple task that people take for granted every day brought such joy to him.

  He spent a few extra minutes shaking the loose pine needles off of our beautiful cut tree out in the alley before dragging it up our steps.

  “This is wonderful!” he announced, glancing up and down the alleyway. “Look Honey! No paparazzi!”

  Ryan bolted the tree in place by the front window. He stood there with a big grin on his face, marveling at his handy work. I had the stereo on in the background, playing all the traditional Christmas songs to set the mood while we decorated our first tree... together.

  On Christmas Eve, we went to Pete and Tammy’s house for dinner. It was so nice to see Ryan relaxed and happy. When we returned to the apartment later that night, I realized that both of our blood pressures were normal for once. No one chased us down the sidewalk taking our picture while asking us ridiculous questions or pestered him for his autograph.

  “Do you want to open your gifts now or wait until the morning?” Ryan asked, tossing my car keys onto the kitchen table. The glint of hopefulness was evident in his eyes.

  “You can open two presents,” I told him, knowing that he would be completely distracted by the first gift I planned to have him open. “The rest have to wait until the morning.” I picked a specific box off his pile of gifts and handed it to him.

  “Okay, then you get to open two.” He crawled around the side of the tree and picked up one of the smaller boxes he had wrapped. “You first.”

  Inside the box was an exquisite silver bracelet with a Celtic knot design woven around several brilliant garnets. Ryan had done the majority of his Christmas shopping when he was in Scotland. Everything that he bought on his trip or ordered over the Internet was shipped to Mitchell’s Pub.

  “Ryan this is beautiful! Thank you so much!” I put the bracelet on and then leaned to give him a kiss.

  He tore the paper off his package. His eyes opened wide when his fingers lifted the silk nylons from the box.

  “I hope these are intended for you to wear!” He smirked. “I don’t think this sheer item is my size.” He gingerly picked the rest of the outfit from the tissue paper and held it up. “You are definitely trying to kill me!” He laughed. “Do I dare ask when you plan on, um, wearing this?”

  “Now,” I answered nonchalantly. “That’s the second gift you get to rip open tonight.”

  I relieved him of the box and softly bit his earlobe. “I’ll meet you under the tree in a few minutes.”

  The living room was dark, all except for the soft white lights that sparkled between the branches of our Christmas tree. Ryan was lying on his side on the quilt he laid on the floor, stripped down to his black boxer briefs. I had a bottle of champagne and two glasses in my hands as I made my approach.

  He sat up immediately when I came into view. I did a slow turn to show him the full picture.

  “Oh wow, thank you Santa,” he breathed out.

  By the time he was done unwrapping me, my outfit lay in shreds.

  It was in the wee hours of morning when Ryan chuckled lightly in my ear. The sound of his laughter instantly woke me up. I was unsure if he was still sleeping or if he was waiting for me to wake up.

  The moisture in his mouth made some popping noises and then it sounded like he moaned. Not a painful moan – this sound was one of pleasure. I wondered what he was dreaming about.

  The sky outside was just starting to change with the light of the rising sun. I looked at the alarm clock; it was almost seven – way too early to be up.

  His arm jerked suddenly; his hand cupped my bare breast and he moaned again.

  Is he sleeping? As if on cue, he started to softly snore. He was dreaming and squeezing my breast in his sleep!

  I rolled in his arms to face him. Ryan woke with a start, looking at me through his cracked eyelids. He groaned and rolled over onto his back.

  “Sorry Honey,” he mumbled, pulling the sheets up on our bodies.

  I nestled my cheek on his chest, receiving a warm, welcoming arm to hold me there. In an instant, he was asleep again. I, however, was wide-awake and wondering about his dream.

  I kissed his bare chest; my mischievous tongue took the liberty to taste him. I slid my open hand down his side, stopping in the muscular dent on his hip. His eyes were still closed, but his lips turned up into a smile. A soft purr slipped from his throat.

  My hand found a new destination and with a few strokes, he and I were on the same page. I was hu
ngry, hungry with desire to pleasure him; determined to make his dreams come true. With a faint giggle, I disappeared under the bed sheet. My lips found him in the dark; satisfaction washed over me when I heard the air stutter down his throat. His long fingers tangled in my hair.

  It didn’t take long for the comforter and sheet to land on the floor after being pushed out of the way. We rolled and twisted together as one; our bodies twined into a myriad of different positions. Our lovemaking under the tree last night was full of passion, although my outfit definitely brought out a different side of him. He was more forceful, aggressive, slightly overexcited.

  This encounter in the dim light of dawn was the opposite – it was the total experience of getting to the destination rather than hurrying to the destination itself.

  His powerful hands pressed into my skin; his strong arms wrapped around my body as he made love to me. We were free to enjoy each other, silently reading subtle movements, tender kisses, and playful bites.

  My body tingled from his expert touch; the pleasure he unleashed on me rippled through my core.

  His thrusts became quicker, more powerful, as he heightened my orgasm further. I knew he was climaxing; I could feel his release inside me. His clenched fingers left impressions in my hips and he groaned from the gratification of his discharge.

  He held me in his warm embrace. “I love you – with all of my heart,” Ryan whispered passionately, gazing at me while sweeping my hair back from my face.

  I slipped my hand into his hair, pulling him in for another kiss. “I love you too, more than anything in this world,” I said softly, getting lost in the depths of his sparkling blue eyes.

  Ryan carried his cup of coffee out to the living room and sat with his legs crossed on the floor by the tree. He was so eager to open Christmas gifts, the anticipation was getting to him.

  “I hope you model those later.” He raised his eyebrows devilishly. I tore open the small box that contained a few pairs of red plaid undies.

  “Only if you promise to model these.” I tossed a wrapped package in his direction, knowing that I got him several pairs of new boxers.

  “I think that can be arranged!” He winked at me.

  He opened up the computer software I got for his laptop next. “What’s this?” he asked, reading the front of the box.

  “It’s for writing and recording your own music. Open that one.” I pointed to another package.

  “You plug the microphone into the USB port and you can play your guitar and record it. I was sort of hoping you’d finish our song that we started up at the cabin.”

  He grinned.

  “Something for you to mess with while you have a few minutes of down time?” I suggested.

  I opened the thin, flimsy package he handed to me next. Inside were brochures and worn pictures cut from magazines. I looked at him, completely puzzled.

  “I’ve been saving those pictures for a long time now,” he told me. “Those are all the places in the world that I want to see. I thought maybe you could pick one and we could take a nice vacation.”

  I flipped through pictures of the Great Wall of China, the Eiffel Tower, and several other well-known wonders of the world, only to stop at a picture where the water was a beautiful shade of teal blue and the sky was deep azure. I didn’t need to go further than that. I showed him the photo.

  “Bora Bora!” He beamed happily. “Is that where you want to go?”

  I nodded and grinned widely, imagining the two of us on the beach in the picture.

  “Done! Tahiti here we come!” he announced joyfully. “I was actually hoping you’d pick that one. We can stay in one of those huts that are out over the water.” He tore open the wrapping on a new bottle of his favorite cologne.

  I opened up the box that was shipped from California. Inside was a chocolate brown Dior leather handbag. I smirked at Ryan.

  “Kelly said you really liked it, so…” He shrugged.

  We were surrounded by shreds of Christmas wrapping paper, like two little children on Christmas morning. He had plenty of new toys, video games, and software to keep him occupied.

  “Last two.” He grinned as he trotted back to the living room from the bedroom. The two gifts he had in his hand were not under the tree. He handed me another flat package and a small box. I felt the adrenaline when it released into my bloodstream.

  “I’m really surprised you didn’t ask any questions when I took your car the other day.” His eyes narrowed on me. “Most women would have nagged until they got an acceptable answer, but then again, you’re not like most women, are you?”

  “You told me you had some business to take care of. I just assumed you were going shopping.”

  “I did have business to take care of and I guess you could consider that shopping.” He nodded at the items in my hand. “Open the flat one first.”

  I peeled the tape back on the paper, taking my time to breathe. My heart was pounding for some reason. He placed his hand on mine to stop me for a moment.

  “This is a gift for both of us,” he informed specifically, waiting for my confirmation. Once I acknowledged his message, he withdrew his hand so I could continue.

  I looked at the words printed on the paper, only to flash my eyes quickly back on him.

  “Ryan, what…?” I tried to absorb what I was looking at.

  “That’s the property deed to the twelve acres of land right next to your grandfather’s cabin. It’s officially ours.”

  “How? When?” I was so shocked I couldn’t form a complete sentence. “Twelve?”

  “I have people,” he said comically. “Besides, you’re not the only one in this house that is sneaky. I can plot behind your back too, you know!”

  I smirked at him. “What? Did you buy the whole lake?”

  “No!” He laughed. “Just most of the East side of it. I tried to buy the whole thing.” He shrugged innocently. “I’m currently in negotiations to buy the five acres after ours down by your dad’s lucky fishing spot. We’ll see if they sell or not. If they do, we’ll own half of the property that surrounds the East side of the lake.”

  “Well I guess it’s a good thing that I got you that 3-D architect software. At least I know you’ll have the motivation to use it now. No wonder you laughed when you opened it!” I nudged him.

  I still had the other little package resting in my hand. Inside the red and green Santa paper was a box… a ring box.

  My eyes shot up to look at him; he was smiling at me.

  I looked down at the box, almost petrified to open it. Hundreds of thoughts ran through my mind all at once.

  “Open it!” he encouraged.

  It was hard to swallow. Is he doing this now? Is now the moment that he’s going to ask me? Holy shit. Before I open this box, what am I going to say? Am I going to say yes to his question? Yes! Of course I’m going to say yes! Why wouldn’t I? Look at him – so adorable, smiling at me like that. So caring and thoughtful. You have no idea how much I love you, Ryan Christensen. Yes! My answer is yes!

  I carefully opened the lid to the white box. The hinge on the box was quite stiff; I had to use extra force to separate it. My eyes adjusted as I took in the sight of the ring nestled inside.

  A slight gasp of air stuttered down my throat as my thoughts readjusted to a new response.

  Inside was a beautiful silver ring with a huge oval garnet surrounded by an intricate Celtic knot on each side of the setting.

  “It’s beautiful!” I sighed. “Thank you!” It matched the Celtic bracelet he gave me last night and the earrings and necklace I unwrapped this morning.

  Ryan took the ring out of the box and held my right hand. “It’s sterling. I had it inscribed. It says ‘My heart is yours.’ ”

  After he showed me the inscription, he slid the ring onto my right hand ring finger. It fit perfectly. My hand shook slightly.

  “I said that the property is for our future, and I mean that. Even if it’s just to put a vacation home there. No decisi
ons have to be made now. And when we’re both ready, I intend to put a few rings on this hand.” Ryan raised my fingers to his mouth and softly kissed my left hand.

  In a blur, the ten days Ryan had off had dwindled down to three. We spent two days in Pittsburgh with his family and almost an entire day was spent just flying back and forth. It was slightly easier to move through the airports if people didn’t expect him to be there, but we were still stopped by a few fans that spotted him.

  All I knew was that the precious moments I had with Ryan were quickly ticking away.

  New Year’s Eve had arrived and my pub was packed. A few die-hard fans traveled to the little town of Seaport after it was published in the media that Ryan was spending the holidays in his little secret love nest in Rhode Island.

  Ryan had hired Mike to be his personal guard full-time and I felt better knowing that Mike was in the bar with Ryan for our evening celebration. Cory’s friend Trevor was tending the door and my friends were providing an extra buffer around Ryan, just in case.

  The band on stage was jamming and Marie, Cory, and I were hustling behind the bar. I looked over at Ryan and smiled. He was sitting in his spot at the bar wearing my Mitchell’s Pub cap; Mike sat on one side, Pete on the other, Gary was sitting next to Pete. The guys were drinking and talking and just having a great time.

  I was so happy to see Ryan relaxed and I grinned whenever he laughed hysterically at their conversations. I was grateful to the crowd too; for the most part his fans just admired him from afar. A few women managed to sneak in to talk to him, but he didn’t seem to mind the conversation. The minute a girl stepped up to him, the other three guys intervened. Needless to say, no woman was able to hang around Ryan for very long.

  I had just grabbed two bottles of beer out of the cooler, only to look up and see Kyle standing on the other side of the bar. I gasped, slightly startled that he was here.

  “Can I get one of those, miss?” he asked, nodding at the bottles in my hand.

  “Sure, I’ll be right with you,” I unconsciously responded with a smile, tending to my current customer. I looked over at Ryan knowing he was going to be pissed that Kyle was here. Ryan was laughing heartily until he noticed my expression. His unspoken words of concern instantly turned to anger when he eyed Kyle on the opposite end of the bar. Ryan stiffened in his chair and stared Kyle down.