“Hi guys. Olivia, this is Jake and Drey. And that is Steven and Sophia. This is Olivia Sterling.”
I shake their hands as Ryan introduces us. Hopefully they can’t tell how clammy my hands are. Ryan pulls out my chair for me then pulls his chair closer to mine and puts his arm around me for support.
I can definitely tell Ryan, Steven and Jake are brothers. Steven has the dark, dark hair like Ryan, although his is long, just past his shoulders and pulled back into a low ponytail. Jake’s hair is a lighter brown, shorter like Ryan’s. All of them have the same nose. However, Steven’s and Jake’s eyes are more hazel than Ryan’s bright blue eyes.
“Hi. It’s nice to meet all of you,” I reply feeling very unsure of myself. I am so nervous that I unconsciously wring my hands. Ryan notices and puts his hand over mine. I look at him and he gives me an encouraging smile.
“Well…we finally get to meet the infamous Olivia,” Drey yes snidely.
Jake nudges her with his elbow and throws her a disapproving look.
“Sorry,” she continues quickly, backtracking a bit. “It’s just that we’ve heard so much about you. Seems like Jake is talking about Ryan’s girlfriend nonstop.” She tries to joke and lighten the dark mood she previously set.
I force a smile and study her since she refuses to look directly at me.
Drey has platinum blonde hair on top with dark brown hair underneath. She also wears lots of makeup. I would describe her as semi-gothic. There is something about Drey that I’m not sure I like, but cannot put my finger on it. Then I tell myself I am being silly and that I just need to get to know her.
“How are you liking London so far?” Steven asks.
I turn my attention away from Drey, who has yet to look at me after her comments, and give it to Steven.
“From what I’ve seen of it so far, it’s wonderful. I’ve wanted to visit here for years now but never took the time to come.”
“What have you already seen?” Sophia asks. Sophia has very pretty, strawberry blonde hair. She has the infamous freckles all over her skin, and seems to have a pleasant personality.
“Yesterday, we just strolled around and went to the Tate and the Eye and wondered around some shops. And today we went to the Palace, Abbey and St. Paul’s,” Ryan answers for me, putting his arm around me, squeezing.
“That’s it? You could have seen a lot more than that. Ryan’s being a little bit selfish, I think,” Jake says laughing. “You guys know that you have to get out of the hotel to sight see, right?”
Ryan pretended to punch Jake in the stomach.
“Be nice Jake,” Sophia scolds. “Don’t worry about anything the guys say,” she tells me. “They are constantly teasing and trying to embarrass each other.”
“Hilarious, Jake. You know that going anywhere for me takes about double the time. Getting stopped to take pictures and sign autographs. Jeremy is even here tonight. Luckily, Olivia is very patient and completely understands my obligation,” Ryan says, and kisses my temple.
“Yeah, yeah. Looks like your head’s getting a little big there. You might need some help getting it shrunken down again,” Jake laughs.
He tried to grab Ryan around the neck, but Ryan ducks out of the way.
Sophia gives me the “see” look. I laugh.
“Has Ryan taken you to meet mom and dad yet?” Steven asks.
“You know we haven’t been there yet.” Ryan answers for me, sounding a little annoyed.
“Can I be there when you do?” Jake asks.
“No. I’m thinking we’ll go see them this weekend.” Ryan leans to me so he can kiss my cheek.
“Ugh, the dreaded parents,” Drey says.
“There’s nothing wrong with their parents. They are lovely,” Sophia interrupts. “I think they are great.”
“Sure, if they like you,” Drey mumbles.
“Cut it out, Drey. You’re going to scare her. She’ll think they’re mean. They are not mean.”
“Honest, they aren’t mean at all. I was teasing. They are just a little more protective of Ryan,” Steven explains.” It’s because he’s the baby of the family and because of the business he’s in. I guess we all are protective.”
“I have to say, you are nothing like any of the other girls Ryan brought home,” Jake says with a gleam in his eyes. “Ow!” Jake exclaims as Ryan punch him in the arm.
“Uh, oh,” I reply. “Other girls? Recently?”
“No. Don’t listen to Jake. He just likes making trouble for everyone. Don’t worry about meeting mom and dad. They’re just fine. There’s nothing to worry about at all,” Ryan assures me.
We eat our dinner and enjoy an engaging evening together. I am asked tons of questions about what I do, what Kansas City is like and of course Las Vegas and how we met.
I like his brothers. Sophia wants to get together again during my visit, take me shopping and do more sightseeing. Drey eagerly says she would like to go, too. So, we make plans to go in a couple days.
Sophia is great. She is a warm, positive person and so easy to talk to. Drey is cordial but I still have a feeling that she is putting on a false front. I cannot quite figure out what bothers me so much about her, but I have a gut feeling that says not to let her get too close to me. It is a very uncomfortable feeling.
“Did you have a good time tonight?” Ryan asks as we ride the elevator up to our suite.
“I did. It was fun seeing you with your brothers tonight. Makes me wish I had siblings. So why hasn’t Steven asked Sophia to marry him yet? She’s great. I like her a lot.”
“She’s perfect for Steven. I honestly don’t know why he hasn’t asked her yet. I’ve asked him before but he just said he has plenty of time. They’re still young, he said.”
We get back to our suite. I am preoccupied thinking about the evening.
“Want something to drink?” he asks as he pours himself a scotch.
I shake my head. I have too many things on my mind and don’t want them getting mixed up because of the alcohol. I am truly worried about meeting his parents. How will Ryan and I stay together if they don’t like me? I start pacing in front of the window.
“Ryan, tell me about your parents. Be honest with me. Do I need to be worried about meeting them?”
“No. You don’t need to be worried about meeting them.” He drinks the rest of his scotch in one gulp, sits the glass down and comes over to where I am pacing. He stops me and holds onto my shoulders so he can look directly into my eyes.
“My parents are very curious about you and have bugged me about meeting you. And… my brothers think it’s funny because my parents are slightly mad at me right now because they found out about you from reporters and not by me. Then they came by the set a couple weeks ago; I wasn’t in too good of shape. So now they’re worried about how involved we are and if you are as serious as I am about us.”
He lets go of my shoulders and turns to look out the window.
I think about that and can understand why they would be anxious to meet me and see how sincere I am. See if they can trust me.
“Ok. That makes sense, especially if you were in as bad of mood as I saw you when I arrived. Are they over-protective?”
“In a sense, yes. Really, they’re just worried about the girls I meet. They think most of the girls are only after my money and to be in the spotlight, which some have proven exactly that.”
Now I completely understand why his parents are leery of anyone who could have as much effect on Ryan as I seem to have on him. Ryan looked destitute when I arrived.
“Ok, ok. I can understand that,” I say. “But that brings up another question. Tell me Ryan. What kind of girls have you dated before, Ryan?”
“Obviously, the wrong ones,” he replies drearily.
I want to lighten the mood since he’s grown too serious. “Well… I would be worried about the girls you date, too. In fact… you should be worried about me - very worried.”
He turns and gives me a confused look.
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“What? Worried? What are you talking about?” he asks, confused.
“Me? I’m only with you because I want the attention… oh, and I’m after your money,” I tease, giving him a playful grin.
“Oh really?” he smirks, catching on to my teasing. He tries to grab me, but I dance out of the way and run on the other side of the couch. “I’d better teach you a lesson then.”
“Only if you can catch me,” I reply laughing.
“Oh, don’t worry. I’ll catch you.”
He dodges around the couch and I take off into the other room, but he quickly catches up with me and tackles me onto the bed.
“Ah, ha. Now I will teach you to go out with me just for attention and my money,” Ryan says. He starts tickling me, and with me being extremely ticklish, I start laughing uncontrollably.
“Stop, stop”, I beg.
“No, I must punish you for being a smart ass,” Ryan laughs.
“You’re going to make me pee my pants,” I threaten.
This makes him laugh even more. However, he stops tickling me.
“There will be no using me for fame and fortune,” Ryan scolds. “But, you can use me as your personal love slave.”
“Is that right? Then come here, love slave,” I say and pull his mouth down to mine. “I love you.”
"And I love you, Olivia.”
And we make love over and over, all night long. I wake up during the middle of the night. Ryan is still wrapped around me, making me feel so loved, cherished. I still wonder how the hell I ended up in love with Ryan Paxton? Or rather, how did he end up in love with me? I am grateful that I almost ran him over in Vegas. I cannot be more happy.
I was never this happy with Craig. How did I not see that before I married him? Did I want to get married so badly that I settled for Craig? Maybe he did me a favor by cheating on me. I am still young enough yet to be able to start over. I wonder what Ryan’s thoughts are for our relationship? Would he want marriage? Olivia, I scolded myself, this is all still fairly new. Just go with the flow for now.
I am restless and cannot get back to sleep. I quietly slide out from Ryan’s arms and go out to the other room. I stand at the glass door overlooking London. I am so happy that I came here.
I think about Ryan’s parents. I want them to like me. I’m glad I now understand their concerns. I’m not like that, but obviously, they will not know that until I actually meet them and get to know them. Maybe I am worrying about nothing. I really like Ryan’s brothers. We all got along well, even Drey, although, I still have that weird, uneasy feeling about her. Wonder what is bringing that on?
I jump as Ryan’s touch startles me. His arms envelope me, kisses my cheek and nuzzles my ear.
“I woke up and you weren’t there. Scared me for a second. What are you doing out here?”
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t sleep. And I came out here to look out the window and think.”
“What are you thinking about?”
“You. Me. Your parents. Your brothers. Drey and Sophia.”
“You liked them, didn’t you?”
“Yes, I liked them a lot, well, at least your brothers and Sophia. I’m still not sure about Drey. Honestly, I’m just really nervous about meeting your parents because I really want them to like me.”
“I told you they will.”
“And… I was wondering about how I fit into your life.”
“Baby, you are the love of my life. You fit perfectly into my life. I am so much better with you around me. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before.” He pauses and thinks for a moment. “Remember my acceptance speech at the awards show? I was serious about you completing me.”
“You took my breath away that night. About two weeks before that, I realized I was in love with you. And that night, when you made that speech, I knew I was lost to you.”
Ryan turns me around.
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
“I was so scared. Remember that night you called and I broke down crying?”
“Yes.”
“That’s when I first realized I loved you. Just coming out of a horrible marriage, I was scared out of my mind.” I laugh to myself even though it isn’t funny. “I still am scared,” I confess. “To give myself so completely once more and risk getting hurt again. Not to mention how fast I have fallen for you. But I know you are not Craig and our relationship is so much more that what Craig and I ever had.”
Ryan hugs me to him.
“No, I’m not Craig. Thank God.”
“I’ve come to the conclusion that I must have been desperate to have married him. That doesn’t make me sound too good. But nothing else makes sense.”
Ryan pulls me away from his chest again so he can look me in my eyes.
“No, not desperate. But he fooled you really good.”
“Well, I know that I love you like I’ve never loved anyone before.” I look down at my hands. “I am so lucky to have found you. I feel so blessed. Maybe God is making up for the big mistake Craig was by giving me you.”
Ryan’s hand lifts my chin until I have to look at him.
“Olivia, Love. You take my breath away. I love you. I don’t ever want to be away from you.” He pauses, looks like he is debating with himself. “Olivia, marry me; be mine forever.”
My mind goes blank. I keep blinking - like somehow that would rouse my brain. I can’t believe what he just said. Had I not just chided myself for thinking about marriage earlier? And here he is thinking the same thing.
“Wwwhat” I stutter.
“Marry me. Olivia, I love you so much. You saw and heard what I was like when you weren’t with me. I was miserable, grouchy and couldn’t concentrate. I want you, forever. I want everyone to know that you are mine. Marry me.”
“Ryan,” I whisper as tears slide down my cheeks. Ryan wipes them away.
“I love you, Olivia. So much.”
“I love you, too Ryan. I…I….” Ohmigosh. He really wants to marry me! Do I want that? Yes…maybe? I want marriage again if it is with the right person. And I am sure Ryan is definitely the right person. I know that I am both extremely happy and terrified at the same time. It is a very strange feeling. I have to make sure this is want I want, what Ryan wants. I have sworn to myself I will never again go through all the crap I did with Craig. I am not going to rush into anything.
“Can you give me some time to think about it?” I ask.
His smile falls away. Pain flashes in his eyes.
“No! Wait! Don’t be hurt. Listen to me.” I get him to look me in the eyes. “I’ve only known you for a few months – I know that’s not really relevant, but still, I need time to think. I want to be sure that this is what we both want. And I don’t want our marriage to turn into what Craig and I had.”
I can see him processing that and understanding my point of view.
“Ok. Yes, I see your point. Please. Take time to think. Be sure. I don’t want you to feel like I pushed you into marrying me. I will give you time to think and when I ask you again, I hope you’ll be ready to give me an answer. I want to tell everyone; shout it from the rooftops,” he laughs, hugging me tightly one more time. “Let’s go back to bed now. I’ve got a long day tomorrow.”
We cuddle in bed. Sleep still will not come. I lay there thinking. Do I really want to be married again? Ryan is a wonderful man. He loves his family. Tries to stay out of the news. I am pretty damn sure that I want to marry Ryan. He is not Craig. There is no reason this marriage would turn into what Craig and I had. Ryan has never lied to me and I don’t believe he will. We fit extremely well together.
I have my answer, but I want to talk to Taylor and Sarah. I value their opinion and want their take on this. Both will be able to think with a clear head, unlike me. Finally, I am able to sleep for a couple hours before we have to get up so Ryan can be on set on time.
Chapter 13
Ryan and I arrive on the set early the next morning. I sit with him while he is in makeup
and gets dressed. I am itching to talk to Taylor and Sarah about Ryan’s proposal, but I want privacy. Finally, Ryan leaves to practice a fight scene with the choreographer and I take the opportunity to call. I am only able to get a hold of Taylor.
“Olivia! I miss you. How’s London?”
“London is wonderful. Ryan took me around a little bit already. It’s amazing. I should have come here a long time ago. I have tons of pictures to show you, other than what I already sent you. I was able to see quite a few things – Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, the London Eye. We also went to an outstanding art gallery called the Tate. And tomorrow, Ryan’s brother’s girlfriends are going to take me shopping. It should be fun.”
“Ryan’s bother’s girlfriends?”
“Yes, I met them last night. We met up with them for dinner.”
“Oh boy. How was that?” she asks.
“It was just fine. We all got along really well…well, at least with one of them. The other one’s ok, but different.”
“Different how? You get along with everyone, Olivia.”
“I know. It kind of bothers me, but like I said, she’s ok. It just seems like maybe she putting on a false front. I’m not sure. I haven’t figured her out yet. Maybe tomorrow I’ll find something out.”
“Weird. Well, it sounds like you’re making a spot for yourself in Ryan’s life.”
“That’s what I need to talk to you about.” I turn away from watching Ryan so I can concentrate on what I am going to tell Taylor and listen to what her advice will be. “First, promise me you won’t say anything about what I’m going to tell you to anyone. Not the girls.”
“Not even Sarah?” Taylor questions, shocked.
“Well, you can tell Sarah. But only Sarah.”
“Whoa. OK. I promise.”
“Swear you won’t say one word about this.”
“I swear. Ohmygosh, Olivia, tell me what’s going on.”
“Ryan asked me to marry him.”
There is just silence on the other end of the phone.
“Taylor?”
Oh, crap. Did I lose connection with Taylor? I pull the phone away from my ear to look at it.
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