by C. A. Harms
I hadn’t seen Ryker since early that morning. He left to meet his friends at the airport, and we planned to meet up again at Jonah’s Steakhouse that evening. He told me to let my dad drive me and Tori there because he was driving us home afterward. Something told me tonight was about more than just everyone getting a chance to meet a couple of the guys Ryker had called his brothers. Things just felt too planned out for that.
“Knock-knock.” My father’s voice carried down the hall, followed by Tori’s loud squeals as she rushed off to meet him. “There’s my angel,” he said as I rounded the corner to find him holding Tori in his arms. “This sure is a pretty dress.”
“Nana May made it for me,” Tori announced proudly as she pulled at the hem of her dress. “It’s purple because that’s my favorite.”
May Berfield was always making cute dresses and matching headbands for Victoria. She complained that neither of her daughters would ever settle down and give her any grandbabies, so Tori was hers to spoil.
“Well, Nana May made a beautiful little girl even prettier. I didn’t think it was possible.”
When I was growing up, my dad always told me I was beautiful. He made sure to make me feel special and never hid his love. He did the same for Tori, and I knew just how those compliments made her feel. He truly is an amazing man.
“We need to get going or we’re gonna be late,” my dad said as he turned around and walked toward the door. “And if we get there later than six, Ryker is liable to come looking for us.”
And there was that feeling again. Something was going on.
The restaurant was about fifteen minutes from my apartment. On the way Tori entertained us with stories of Millicent and how she hated her vegetables. Her animated movements were always so fun to watch.
We pulled into the parking lot at two minutes after six, and my father’s predictions were true. My cell began to ring as Ryker’s name flashed across the screen. Smiling, I turned the screen toward my dad so he could see, and a deep chuckle fell from his lips.
“I told you,” he said as he shook his head.
I answered the call and lifted the phone to my ear. “Keep your pants on, Eager Eddie, we’re on our way in now.”
“Well hurry the hell up, woman, I’m going through withdrawal,” Ryker said with a chuckle as he ended the call.
After I climbed out of the car and rounded it to meet up with my dad and Tori, I pushed just enough to see if I could confirm my earlier suspicions.
“So, ole man, you mind telling me what tonight is really about?” I bumped my hip against his, and he tried to hide his grin. “And don’t give me the I don’t know line.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, sweetheart. Tonight is just people getting together for a nice dinner, nothing more.” But he walked a little faster into the restaurant, and that was the clue I was looking for.
“You are such a bad liar,” I hollered after him as he and Tori hurried off toward the front entrance. I took in one last, deep breath and followed, alerting myself to my surroundings in preparation for whatever was about to be thrown at me.
“So this gorgeous woman is the one I’ve spent the last four years hearing you go on and on about?” the tall guy with a goatee said with a smile. “I must say, Ryker, you didn’t really do her justice. She’s a knockout.”
“Back off, Ben,” Ryker growled, which only made Ben chuckle.
“And who is this pretty lady?” he asked as he knelt in front of Tori.
“I’m Victoria Lucille Russell,” my little girl, sounding much older than she was, announced proudly.
He took Tori’s hands in his. “Well, Victoria Lucille Russell, I’m Benjamin Matthew Keaton, but you can call me Buzz.” He ran his hand over his buzzed haircut. “It’s what all my friends call me.” He placed a kiss on the tops of her hands.
“I’m here, I’m here.” I turned to face the entryway behind me. They had placed us in a room by ourselves because we had such a large party. My best friend hurried in, her hair flipped in every direction as if she’d just gone through a wind tunnel. “Sorry I’m late, but I got hung up and I got here as quick as I cou—” Her gaze was locked on something behind me. Confused, I turned around to find out what could have possibly made my loudmouthed best friend grow mute. Ben was staring as well. He slowly stood from the floor where he was still kneeling before Tori, and on the way up his gaze scanned over Liz from her toes to the top of her head. An appraising smile spread over his lips as he locked his gaze with hers.
“Hey, Wildcat,” he said with a smirk. “You wearing something lacy and see-through underneath that skirt?”
I felt like I was interrupting some intimate moment. But I was also confused because I knew this was the first time they’d met.
“Soldier, if I do recall, you told me the lace only got in the way, so I should forgo the undergarments and save you time to get to the real prize,” Liz taunted back, and I suddenly felt a little warmer.
I looked over my shoulder, and my gaze met Ryker’s. “Why do I feel like I should cover Tori’s ears?” I fanned my face, and Ryker narrowed his eyes as he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled my body back against his.
“That right there is mild compared to what I have planned for you later tonight,” he whispered in my ear.
Chills covered my neck and shoulders. “I can’t wait,” I whispered as he kissed the base of my neck, and those chills spread out over my arms and covered my back.
Dinner turned out to be really fun. Ben and Luke shared stories of Ryker and their tours together. They talked about the good times and left out the times they clearly still had trouble coming to terms with. They made us all laugh as they taunted and teased each other. It was really great getting a glimpse of the man Ryker was during the years he was away.
But they also shared some more serious stories too, like the time Ryker helped a woman through grieving for her only son, who was killed in combat. He stood by her during the funeral of a man he barely knew because she was his only living family and he didn’t want her to face that day alone. I was in awe of the man I continued to fall in love with more and more each day. He had such a loving spirit, and the immensity of his love and compassion was enough to bring the strongest person to their knees. I placed my hand on his thigh under the table and rubbed gently. My throat burned from the emotional impact that story had on me.
What I didn’t expect was for Ryker to stand in the middle of dessert, surrounded by his family, mine, and our friends. He pulled my chair out and turned me to face him before lowering one knee to the floor.
My heart raced as the entire scene began to unfold, and my hand shook as he took it in his own and looked up at me with such love. “If I know you as well as I think I do, you already figured out that tonight was about a little more than just introducing my friends to our families.”
I let out a gentle laugh, and he beamed. I nodded, assuring him that he did in fact know me as well as he thought.
“You were right,” he continued. “Tonight was about me having everyone I care about in one room when I ask you to spend the rest of your life allowing me to love you.”
As if those words weren’t enough to make my heart melt, his next gesture left me with no hope of holding myself together.
He reached out his hand to Tori. “Come here, Princess.”
Christina, Ryker’s mother, helped Tori climb down from her chair and walk toward Ryker. When she reached him, he curled his arm around her waist and handed her a small box. “Open it up, sweetheart.”
Tori looked up at me, waiting for me to indicate it was okay to do what Ryker had said. I nodded, and she smiled as she lifted the lid off the box.
I leaned in to see what it held, and when it came into view, I covered my mouth with my hand.
Ryker smiled as he looked back up at me. “I’m not only asking you to marry me, I’m also asking Tori if she would be okay with it. Because it isn’t just you that I want to spend the rest of my life
with. I want her too, all of it.” He lifted the smaller ring from the box and took Tori’s hand, then slid it over her finger. The look of happiness that overtook her features broke the dam and my tears began to fall.
“I promise I’ll always love you,” he told her. “I promise I will always protect you, and I’ll never allow you to feel as if there isn’t someone in your corner.” He reached for the second ring in the box. “Baby, I’m not just asking you to allow me to love you forever, but I’m asking that you allow me to love Tori as well. I want all the good times and the bad. I want to laugh and cry with you both, I want the gift of your love too. Because I’ve lived five years without you, and I know I never want to go a day without it again.”
My lower lip trembled, and I bit it to keep from falling apart.
“Nicole.” Ryker’s voice vibrated as he asked the question that would change my life and Tori’s forever. “Will you marry me?”
Tears slowly trailed over my cheeks and dripped from my jaw onto our joined hands. I looked over at my little girl as she smiled brightly, staring up at Ryker like he’d hung the stars in the sky just for her.
“Yes,” I whispered as I shifted my gaze back to him. “I’ll marry you.”
Ryker’s eyes shined with unshed tears as he slid the gorgeous diamond ring over my knuckle to the base of my finger. When he looked back up at me, a single tear fell from his eye as he took my face in his hands. “I’m gonna give you the world, baby,” he assured me before he pressed his lips tightly against mine.
The clapping around us faded as I focused only on him, realizing how just four words could truly change a person’s life forever.
I stood in the entryway of the restaurant staring out into the rain. Ryker had gone to get his truck so I didn’t have to run out in the rain, and my dad left long ago with Tori in tow. He insisted on giving us a night to ourselves. Ryker was definitely pleased even though I knew he would miss her too. But a night alone to celebrate our engagement sounded pretty amazing.
“It’s real good to see him smile again.” I turned around to see Ryker’s friend Luke approaching to my left. “I mean he smiled before, but nothing genuine. He regretted leaving you every day. It was something that, um, that Ben and I heard often.” He paused as he looked out the front door just as Ryker’s truck pulled up to the front of the restaurant. “His love for you gave Ben and me something to look forward to, ya know.” He shrugged as Ryker opened the front door and rushed inside.
“You hitting on my fiancée, Thor?” I rolled my eyes, and Luke chuckled at his comment.
“Nah,” Luke replied. “I was just telling her how big of a pussy you were for the last five years.”
I watched as they tormented one another, and it was actually really great to see a piece of Ryker’s past. He had two great friends in Ben and Luke.
Speaking of Ben, I hadn’t seen him since he walked my best friend to her car over forty minutes ago. I had a strong feeling I would be hearing a not-so-G-rated version of their night from Liz tomorrow. Lord help Ben, because he seriously had no idea of the monster he’d unleashed. She would leave him feeling as if a tour to Iraq was just a warm-up.
“Are you heading back to the hotel?” Ryker asked as he threaded his fingers through mine.
“Yeah, I’m beat, and from the looks of it, I’ll be heading back alone.” Ryker looked to where Luke was pointing, and I too followed his gesture.
Ben and Liz were standing only two feet from the front exit under the awning, tangled in what appeared to be some form of a human pretzel. This was definitely not going to be something that would end in a G-rating.
The guys chuckled, but I felt a little less amused by the scene. My best friend had a habit of being emotionally unavailable when it came to men. I really just hoped they both knew what they were getting themselves into.
“You two have a great night,” Luke said, pushing open the front door as his cab pulled up. Pausing just before he exited, he looked back at us over his shoulder. “And congratulations on the engagement. I told ya to bare your heart, Ryker, and it looks like it worked for ya.”
He didn’t wait for a response before he rushed out into the rain toward the waiting cab.
“He seems like a really good guy,” I whispered.
“What, you crushing on my friend now?” Ryker asked as he tickled my sides.
I giggled and spun around, backing up to try to gain some distance. I didn’t get far before Ryker was pulling me back flush against his body. His lips covered mine in a heated kiss before he stepped back, leaving me slightly breathless.
“You ready to get out of here?” he asked, and I nodded. “I got an idea.”
“Oh yeah?” I responded, hooking my finger in his waistband. “What kind of idea?”
Ryker leaned down and kissed the tip of my nose. “That, my beautiful girl, is something you’ll have to patient for. I’ll promise you’ll love it.”
He backed me out the door, and I looked up and squealed as the rain began to bead on my face. He scooped me up in his arms and rushed off toward his truck.
“Do you remember that night in the rain? The night I told you no one would ever own my heart the way you did?” Ryker asked as he pulled me out of the cab of his truck. “We made love in the back of my truck in the pouring rain.”
“You mean after I got your truck stuck in the mud?” The rain was beginning to pick up once again, and my hair was sticking to my forehead.
“Maybe it wasn’t really stuck,” Ryker said with a smirk. “Maybe it was just my own little way of securing a night with my girl.”
“Are you admitting that you set the whole thing up?” I asked, very interested now if he was teasing.
“I guess you’ll never know. But I was hoping tonight we could relive that moment.” Ryker took my hand and led me to the back of his truck, where he lowered his tailgate. Before he could lift me, I hopped up on my own and quickly slid inside. He watched my movements with interest as I began opening my shirt one button at a time, taunting him.
“What are you waiting for?” I asked. “I thought you wanted a replay.”
“I’m just enjoying the show, gorgeous. Don’t let me stop you.” His heated gaze roamed over me as I continued to do just what he asked.
I had never felt as sexy in my life as I did right then under his intense stare. Ryker made me feel like I was the only woman in the world. Like no matter what happened, he would always cherish me.
Once I removed my shirt, I unhooked my bra and allowed it to fall onto the space beside me. “I’m getting kind of lonely up here by myself. You think you can join me now?”
I watched in awe as he hopped up on the tailgate and moved toward me. In one quick movement, he hooked my waist, pulled me onto his lap, and sat beneath me. “You are flawless,” he whispered before he placed his lips to mine. “You still make my heart race at an unbelievable speed. My head spins with so many different dreams I hope we can reach together.” Another kiss, gentler this time. “I love you so damn much it makes my chest ache.”
“I love you too,” I said as I turned to face him, straddling his waist. “And all those dreams you have will come true. As long as we have you.”
I couldn’t take my eyes off Nicole. The way she moved against me, swiveling her hips, grinding against me. The way her wet hair lay plastered against her shoulders and across her bare breasts. The small whimpers and cries that escaped her mouth as she rode me in the pouring rain. She was mesmerizing.
I slid my hands along her thighs and brought them to rest on her slim hips, feeling her movements even more as her hips shifted under my palms.
“So fucking beautiful,” I told her as I lifted my gaze to meet hers. “You’re so perfect.”
“We’re perfect,” she said in a panting whisper.
Her hips began to rock faster, and her breathing sped up. I could feel her tightening around my cock as she whispered my name.
I wanted nothing more than to spin us around and place her bene
ath me, and I took over, driving into her. I felt this animalistic urge to make her feel me for days, but my options were limited. I had nothing to place beneath her to protect her from the hard surface of the truck. My lack of options suddenly left me irritated.
“I’m so close,” she confessed. A rush of excitement ran through me, and I focused on getting her to her release.
I was teetering on the edge of my own release. Nicole rode me harder and faster, leaving me unable to hold back any longer. The moment she pulsated around me, I let go, spilling deep inside her as she continued to move over me, stretching out the pleasure as long as she could.
“I wanna adopt Victoria,” I said as I sat down at the table across from Tyler. It had only been a few days since I’d proposes to Nicole. I hadn’t planned this so soon, but now was as good a time as any.
Tyler watched me with an unreadable expression. “I’m trying to be fair here and be honest with you. I love her and I love Nicole.”
He still didn’t answer me.
“I asked Nicole to marry me, and she said yes. Which means I’m gonna be in Tori’s life every day. Like I said, I want to be honest, and I hope that maybe you’ll allow this to happen.” His silence was beginning to piss me off, but I held back from showing it. “Legally, I know I don’t need to ask for your permission, but I was hoping by me doing so we could keep this peaceful. Let go of our past issues and put Tori and her needs first.”
“You really are a piece of work, Ryker.”
And now he speaks. I could tell by his tone that he was going to make this anything but easy.
“You show back up in town after years of nothing to step in and play the hero. You’re just loving it too, aren’t ya?” He stood and leaned over the table, bracing himself on its top. “Let me just assure you, Mr. Hero Man, I have no intention of allowing you to adopt my daughter. You should know, though, that I do plan on making your life a living hell. Welcome back.”
