“Asked?”
“If I could marry your mom.” Ryder’s words were so calm it took a minute for Annabeth to realize what he’d said.
“M-marry Mom?” Cody looked back and forth between the two of them. “You want me to say if it’s o-okay?”
Ryder nodded.
Cody stood up and faced them. He crossed his little arms over his chest, tapping his left pointer finger on his chin. Annabeth couldn’t help but smile, glancing Ryder’s way to gauge his reaction. Ryder wasn’t smiling. If anything, he looked worried.
“Will you help her?” Cody asked. “So she d-doesn’t have to w-worry ’bout money?”
She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “Cody—”
“Yes.” Ryder nodded.
“She works so hard because she has to.” Cody glanced at her, almost apologetically. “So she can take care of me and G-Grandma Flo. But you can h-help with all that.”
“I will.” Ryder nodded. “But I’ll tell you, Cody, I’ve never known your mom to do something she didn’t want to do.”
She sat back, listening to them. Apparently her son knew everything. Relying on Ryder to “fix it” didn’t sit well with her, though. She couldn’t afford to trust anyone else. It was a risk, relying on him, for her or her children’s future.
“I guess.” Cody shrugged.
“Are you two done? Not that either of you asked, but I love my job.” She sighed. “I feel important—and I like being able to provide for you.” She stood, ruffling Cody’s hair as she headed into the kitchen. “Anyone want some lemonade?”
“No, th-thank you,” Cody answered.
She glanced back, waiting for Ryder’s response. But that’s when she saw it. Ryder loved Cody. There was no denying the tenderness on his face, the look of a father. It took her breath away.
Ryder’s pale blue eyes settled on her. “I’m good.”
She nodded, hurrying into the kitchen. Her heart was pounding. Just when she thought she knew how to handle Ryder Boone, he threw her a curveball. It was one thing to be a gentleman, to step up when he should. It was another thing altogether to let another man’s child into his heart—to love unconditionally.
She took a sip of lemonade and her stomach growled. She glanced down, placing both hands over the slight swell of her belly. She should eat something.
“Ma?” Cody asked, standing in the doorway with Ryder. “You o-okay?” Her son was looking at her, but Ryder was staring at her stomach. Ryder’s hand rested on Cody’s shoulder.
“I’m good.” She smoothed her shirt. “What did you two decide?”
“Yes. Of c-course.” Cody looked up at Ryder. “I’m glad he’s g-gonna be my dad.”
Ryder nodded, squeezing his shoulder.
Her heart ached at her son’s easy declaration. She looked at Ryder, then Cody, and blew out a slow breath. Maybe her plan was a huge mistake. One that would hurt everyone. Not that there was anything she could do about it now. She nodded, forcing herself to smile. “Now that that’s decided, how about you tell me what we’re making for dinner with Grandma Flo,” she said, opening the refrigerator and looking inside. There wasn’t much to choose from. Grocery shopping hadn’t been a priority this weekend.
“Waffles?” Cody asked, staring into the fridge.
She smiled down at him. How many nights had she fed him waffles recently? For the evenings when she was too tired to cook a real meal, waffles had become a staple. Not that Cody complained. He didn’t complain about anything.
“Waffles sound good,” Ryder agreed. “You’re in luck. I can actually cook waffles.” He moved the milk jug. “And bacon. And eggs.”
“You think Grandma Flo will approve?” she asked.
“She wants to be with us, Ma.” Cody smiled. “I don’t think she cares ’bout the food.”
That was one long sentence. A long sentence without a single stutter. She glanced at Ryder, saw the smile he was wearing and knew he’d caught it, too.
“What time do we need to get her?” Ryder asked.
Annabeth glanced at the clock. It was four thirty. On a Sunday. The weekend had gone too fast. “Now.”
“Cody and I’ll go,” Ryder offered. “In case there’s something you need to do to get ready for the week.”
“Yeah, Ma, you chill,” Cody piped up.
“Chill?” She burst out laughing.
Cody nodded, grinning.
“I’ll get some laundry going and then I’ll chill.” She ruffled his hair.
Cody stood on tiptoe, kissing her cheek. Ryder leaned forward, adding his kiss to her cheek. Cody’s grin grew bigger.
She rolled her eyes, making Ryder wiggle his eyebrows at her. “We’ll be back shortly, Mrs. Boone.”
Cody giggled, all but bouncing out the front door.
* * *
RYDER WAS EXHAUSTED and it was only Tuesday. The past few weeks had been some of the best of his life. He had a family, one he was proud of. There were lots of smiles around the dinner table, easy conversation and active interest in each other.
Last night had been...different and frustrating. A lot of his frustration was his own fault. He knew he should sleep on her lumpy couch at night, but he couldn’t do it. Lying next to Annabeth, feeling her against him, was something he looked forward to all day. But last night she’d been restless. She’d whispered Greg’s name in her sleep, almost a plea. Guilt consumed him, followed by anger. Not at her, or Greg, but himself. Even now, she’d pick Greg over him. Because she could rely on Greg—something she still couldn’t do with him. As misplaced as it was, he was jealous. Of Greg. His dead best friend. What was wrong with him?
He’d stared up at the ceiling, frustration coursing through him. He’d been ready to slip out of bed and the house when she whimpered.
He’d rolled onto his side. Moonlight had spilled through her lace curtains, making it easy to see her erratic breathing, the rapid-fire shift of emotions on her face. Whatever she’d been dreaming about, it wasn’t good. He’d pulled her close—to soothe her. And, maybe, himself.
Then her hands had slid down his chest, edging toward the waist of his boxers and making him ache. When he’d tried to disentangle her, she’d kissed him. It had taken every ounce of control not to respond. He’d wanted to—he’d been about to burst. But she’d been asleep. Instead, he’d wrapped her in his arms and tucked her against his chest.
She’d sighed, turning her face into his chest.
He might have controlled his body, but his mind had had other ideas. Every time he would doze off, Annabeth would be there—wanting him as much as he wanted her. He’d wake with a start, on edge and breathing hard. Over and over, all night long. He hadn’t gotten much sleep.
He drove by the house, but there was no one there so he headed to the elementary school. Lady Blue was one of the only cars in the parking lot.
He parked and headed inside.
She didn’t see him, lost in the pile of files stacked high on her desk. Her cheek rested on one fisted hand. The other tapped a pen against whatever she was reading. She seemed just as tense and edgy as he was.
But then she dropped the pen and leaned back in her chair, covering her stomach with her hands.
“You okay?” he asked.
She almost jumped out of her chair. “You scared me to death.”
“Sorry.” He came into the office, sitting on the corner of her desk. “Wondering if you were done for the day. If not, I could take Cody home.”
She glanced at her computer screen. “Dammit.”
He laughed.
“Is it really six o’clock?” she grumbled, standing and stretching.
“Long day?” he asked, noting the circles under her eyes.
“You could say that.” She looked at him, frowning.<
br />
“What’d I do now?” he asked, longing to pull her against him for a nice long hug.
“This.” Her voice was pinched—he’d never heard her sound like that. He took the narrow coil of paper she handed him but stared at her. Something was wrong. Very wrong. “You okay?”
“Look.” She all but snapped the word at him.
So he did. The images in the small squares were black-and-white, too grainy to tell what they were of. “Am I supposed to know what this is?” He stared at the images. Her sigh was so exasperated that he forgot all about the paper he was holding. “What’s wrong, Annabeth? Talk to me.”
“That’s... Those are the babies.” Her voice was tight and high-pitched.
He inspected the paper again. “Where?”
She shook her head, leaning against him to point out a white dot. “There...and there.” Her finger tapped another dot.
He froze. “Two?”
“Yes, two.” There was that strange, squeaky voice again. “Two.”
He dropped the paper on the desk and wrapped both arms around her. He pulled her close, offering her comfort he knew she needed. “Hey now,” he spoke softly. “It’s going to be okay, Annabeth.”
She was rigid in his arms.
“Are you okay?” He kept his tone low, soothing. “What did the doctor say?” Why hadn’t he known she had a doctor’s appointment? He’d have gone with her. He wanted to be a part of this. But, from the way she was acting, now wasn’t the time to have that conversation.
“I’m fine. Too skinny, but fine.” Her words were mumbled.
She felt just right to him. “We can fix that.” His hands kept a steady rhythm, rubbing up and down her back. “Anything else?”
“Besides the fact that there’s two of them?” She wasn’t squeaking anymore, but she was a long way from relaxed.
He pulled back. “Annabeth.”
She looked at him, her hazel eyes sparkling with unshed tears.
He swallowed, fighting the need to run far away from the depths of emotion he saw there. This was Annabeth and she needed him. Right now. He wasn’t going anywhere. “Let’s go get something to eat, get Cody in bed and I’ll give you a foot rub.”
Her chin quivered. She took a deep breath and pressed her lips together.
“Everything’s going to be okay,” he repeated, for both of them. He tilted her head back, pressing a soft kiss to her lips.
She melted against him then, twining her arms around his neck and burying her face against his neck. “And a bubble bath?” she murmured softly.
“Whatever you want, Princess,” he promised.
He didn’t move, enjoying how they fit together.
“Anything?” she asked.
He swallowed, wishing the memory of his dream didn’t immediately spring to mind. He nodded.
“Even if it’s ice cream?”
He smiled. “For dinner?”
“Dessert?” She looked up at him, the first glimpse of a smile on her face.
“Definitely.” He kissed her again, unable to resist.
And she kissed him back. Soft, sweet, clinging just enough to force his pulse into a rapid beat.
“I like kissing you, Mrs. Boone,” he murmured against her lips. “Even if it’s not part of Option A.”
Her expression changed, uncertain and flustered. Her gaze traveled over his face, that small crease forming between her brows. He reached up, smoothing the crease before cupping her cheek in his palm. Her skin was satin in his rough palm.
“I like ice cream.” Her voice wavered.
He shook his head, taking her hand in his. “Let’s get out of here then go get my kids and my woman some food.”
She paled, tugging free of his hold to turn off her computer. “Give me five minutes?”
“Sure.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “Where’s Cody?”
“In the gym. Now that he’s figured out how to dribble, he can’t get enough of it.” She didn’t look at him as she tidied the stacks on her desk.
“I’ll go get him.” Women were emotional when they were expecting, or so he’d heard. If she was all over the place right now, he needed to be as calm as possible. Even though he wasn’t.
Twins. One baby was challenging. But twins? He grinned.
He headed for the gym, remembering all of the concerts and events he’d attended for Hunter’s son, Eli. It only now occurred to him that he was going to be spending a lot of time here. Between Annabeth, Cody and the babies... Well, he might as well get comfortable with the place.
Chapter Eleven
“You’re the luckiest woman on the planet.” Janet Garza pulled her copies off the copy machine. “Seriously, you have no idea how jealous Abigail, Lori and Maricella are. When he came up here to pick up Cody... The things they’re saying about what they want to do to your husband.” She fanned herself with a bundle of papers. “I guess it’s okay, as long as none of the kids overhear. We’d be corrupting minors.” She laughed.
Annabeth smiled, pulling the ink refill cartridge from the supply cabinet before locking it. “I don’t think I want to know.”
“Probably not. Not that I’d peg you as the jealous overprotective type, but I wouldn’t want you to harbor any negative thoughts about coworkers.” Janet winked.
She didn’t think she was normally very jealous or overprotective, but that’s exactly the way she was feeling. “Which is why you’re telling me this?” Annabeth shook her head. She and Janet had taught the fourth grade together for three years. Annabeth respected her as a teacher and liked her as a person, but Janet was fond of telling a good tale.
Janet shrugged. “I didn’t say anything. Not really.” She pressed some more buttons, then turned. “Oh, but I didn’t get to tell you about Winnie.”
Annabeth held up her hand. The last thing she wanted was information on Winnie Michaels—unless she was moving. “I’ll take a pass on that one, Janet.” She glanced at the clock. “The decorating committee’s in the gym to set up for the spring concert tomorrow.” She waved at Janet, dropped off the ink cartridge in her office and headed to the gym—also their cafeteria. It was lunchtime, so the noise level was a low roar. The old-fashioned street sign in the corner reminded the students to keep their chatter at yellow or below. It was yellow but, to Annabeth’s ears, it was nearing the red light.
A few moms and one father stood on the small stage, several boxes stacked in front of them. Annabeth knew them all by name—they were the go-to parents for every event throughout the year.
“Good to see you, Holly, Jim, Irene and Carol.” She shook each of their hands. “What’s the plan for tomorrow night?”
“Well, hello, Mrs. Boone.” Carol nudged her with her elbow. “How have you been? Anything exciting happen recently?”
“Oh, that’s right, I think I heard something?” Holly joined in.
Jim just shook his head, chuckling.
“I’m sure it’s just gossip,” Irene added, grinning. “Right, Mrs. Boone?”
Annabeth resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “You mean me getting married?” she asked. “Yes, it’s true.”
“Nothing wrong with marrying your best friend,” Jim mumbled. “Solid start.”
Annabeth nodded. It was a good reason for getting married. And a much better reason than Ryder getting her knocked up. With twins. Twins. She swallowed, still digesting yesterday’s news. “Thank you, Jim.”
She laughed through the chorus of congratulations and hugs, wanting to talk about anything but her marriage. Her constant state of frustration, her irritability—she didn’t know why she couldn’t shake it. All she wanted was some time to herself, to have a long cry...or to take her husband to bed and do all the things she’d been dreaming about. She couldn’t take any more surprises—s
he needed continuity and reliability. Things she knew Ryder couldn’t offer her.
Carol was talking. “...and Holly found a bunch of flower garlands and lantern lights on clearance last year—”
“Couldn’t get the box in my car but I’ll bring it up after school,” Holly offered.
“Besides the ladder, what will you need?” Annabeth asked.
“Able bodies,” Jim interjected. “Maybe you can ask that new husband of yours to come lend a hand.”
“I’ll ask him,” she agreed reluctantly. She didn’t want Ryder to become a fixture here, too. It was bad enough that he’d slipped so easily into her life. He was everywhere, a reminder of everything she wanted but was destined to lose again. The sound of his voice eased her. His scent both calmed and excited her. She couldn’t wait for bedtime so his arms would cradle her against him all night long. It was ridiculous. She was acting ridiculous.
And then there was Cody. He was crazy about Ryder and he had no problem showing it. Ryder seemed just as enamored with his stepson, holding his hand, answering the million questions Cody would ask about cars and the rodeo at the dinner table. But what would happen when Ryder left? Cody would be crushed.
And it would be her fault. Since he’d been born, she’d invested so much time and energy into making sure Cody was taken care of. Now one stupid mistake could break his little heart.
“Can we send out this reminder note?” Irene asked, holding out a paper to her.
Annabeth scanned the note, nodding. “Sure. It’ll go home this afternoon.”
“I think that’s everything.” Holly shrugged. “I’ll bring the box up after school.”
“And I’ll try to get some extra hands to help out,” Annabeth assured them, her attention wandering around the cafeteria. Kindergarten and first grade were eating now, requiring all hands on deck.
“Two big nights in one week,” Irene spoke up. “Hope you don’t have to work too late this week, or you’ll be wiped out before your party this weekend.”
This weekend. The wedding party. Right.
Renata had been as good as her word. It seemed like all of Stonewall Crossing was coming to the Lodge on the Boone Ranch Friday night for her and Ryder’s wedding party. It was Wednesday and she was already dreading it. As if her pregnancy nausea wasn’t bad enough, now her stress was getting out of control.
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