Chapter Nineteen
Nineteen
Ryan wished like hell he hadn’t gotten so set off, but the mere idea of Heath Thurston talking to Morgan had not only made him jealous, Ryan wondered if he was still a threat to her family.
He didn’t like Heath’s body language as they spoke.
Ryan wanted to guard and keep Morgan safe from any more emotional upheaval.
Regardless of the encounter, Ryan didn’t like it.
He’d never been a jealous man, but seeing Heath arm in arm with Morgan walking back into the clubhouse after the photos had already put him in a bad mood.
Maybe his protective streak intertwined with the jealousy, but either way, he wanted to keep Morgan in a bubble.
When she told him that Heath still mentioned getting what belonged to his mother, that was all Ryan needed to snap and step in to make sure she knew she didn’t have to face anything alone.
“Dance with me.”
The slow ballad filled the ballroom, and Ryan turned to see Morgan standing before him.
That emerald-green strapless gown hugged her every curve and enhanced her bust in a way that made Ryan want to say to hell with what people thought.
He wanted to grab her and dance the way he craved, with her body pressed firmly against his.
He didn’t want to have to worry about hand placement or if he grazed his lips over hers.
Did he want too much? Were these feelings more than he could handle right now? He liked to think he could take on anything, but even this avenue was new to him. He’d thought he’d been in love before...but look where that got him.
The moment they hit the floor, Ryan took Morgan’s hand and pulled her into a dance. That long red hair curled down over one shoulder and those expressive blue eyes met his. She was the most striking woman he’d ever seen in his life and she was his—temporarily.
“Forget about Heath.”
Morgan’s words penetrated his thoughts and he shook his head. “I was actually thinking about how hot you looked in this dress, but he’s still on my mind. I don’t like that bastard.”
“I didn’t ask you to make friends with him, I asked you to forget about him,” she stated with a firm tone.
Ryan nodded. “I get it, but I didn’t like...”
Damn it. He sounded like a fool for admitting what he’d been thinking or how he’d felt earlier.
“You didn’t like what?” she prodded.
He spun her around and dodged other dancing couples and tried to keep his voice low.
“I didn’t like seeing you walking together, all right?”
A slow smile spread across Morgan’s face. “You’re jealous?”
“Go ahead, laugh about it.”
“Oh, I’m not laughing,” she corrected him as her hand tightened in his when he spun her once again. “I’m letting that nugget of information sink in.”
The way she kept grinning at him like she had some special secret had him both worried and turned on. Nothing lit up a space more than Morgan’s smile, but there was a little smirk there that didn’t sit well with him.
“You’ve got something on your mind,” he murmured. “What are you thinking that has you so happy?”
“I just never thought you’d love me the way I love you,” she told him, her hands coming to rest on his shoulders. “I thought I’d have to tell you first and you’d run in the other direction.”
Ryan stilled and brought them to a stop.
“What did you say?” he asked.
“I love you.” Her smile got even wider and her eyes filled with unshed tears. “I never knew how liberating that would be to say. I never knew how right those words would feel. But knowing you love me back...”
Ryan’s heart clenched as he tried to find his words and absorb the bomb she’d just dropped into his world.
“I never said I loved you,” he corrected her. “That’s not where I am, Morgan.”
That smile faltered slowly until it completely vanished. Her hands slid down his chest and dropped to her sides.
“What do you mean?” she asked. “You just said that you didn’t like seeing me walking with another man. You’re jealous and the way you’ve been going all out at the house... How can you say that’s not love?”
“Because it’s not.”
He refused to allow his mind to even go there. He’d tried that years ago and had been left standing with nothing. No family, no emotions. He’d vowed to never allow his heart to go there ever again.
“Then what is it?” she asked, her lips thinned as a lone tear slid down her cheek.
Ryan tried to reach for her, but she held her hands up and took a step back. He didn’t want to make a scene, but right now all that mattered was Morgan and her emotions.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” he added. “I just have to be honest.”
She let out a humorless laugh and swiped at the moisture on her face. “I guess you were honest all along. You told me from the beginning you only wanted to marry me for the baby.”
Ryan cringed at that last word that came out just as one slow song ended and another began. The ill-timed statement drew the attention of everyone around them.
As if Morgan just realized what she’d said, she glanced around them. Ryan spotted Vic and Aubrey, Nolan and Chelsea, Jayden and Zanai, Sylvia and a whole host of other guests.
Ryan wished like hell he could turn back time and slip out the side door to talk to Morgan. But he’d had no clue whatsoever that she would reveal her love for him. When she’d mentioned staying with him, he assumed it was for the family, nothing more.
After a moment of awkward silence and tension swirling around them, Chelsea stepped forward and touched Morgan’s elbow.
“Why don’t you two take this to one of the other rooms?” she suggested.
Morgan turned her attention to her sister. “Chels, my word, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean—”
“I know. It’s a tough time, but you need privacy.”
Morgan nodded and gathered the skirt of her dress and headed out the ballroom.
Chelsea glanced to Ryan. “If you’re not going to love her like she deserves, then let her go.”
She turned from him and went back to her new husband, who was also glaring at Ryan.
Somehow being honest had gotten him in trouble, but he didn’t have the time, nor did he care what anyone else thought. He’d hurt Morgan and that was all that mattered at this point. He would never intentionally harm her, so now he had to make sure she knew exactly where he stood.
Ryan headed out the ballroom and found her down the hall near the women’s rec center. She stood with her back to him and as he approached, he had no idea if his touch would be welcome or if she’d jerk away.
Ryan reached for her anyway and laid a hand on her shoulder.
“Look at me.”
She turned, and the soft glow from all the Christmas lights and the wall sconces illuminated the dampness on her cheeks. But there was more than just the tears. There was a pain and vulnerability in her eyes he’d never seen before.
“You don’t need to say a word,” she told him. “You never promised me anything and you said more than once that you only wanted to raise a family with me for the sake of your legacy. You made it perfectly clear that the baby was the reason for the marriage.”
“I had no idea that you had stronger feelings,” he explained. “You had told me you didn’t believe in love.”
“I didn’t. Until you.”
Guilt weighed heavy on his heart because Morgan was the last person he would ever want to break.
“Morgan—”
“No.” She held up a hand and pasted on a smile he knew had to be tearing her apart. “We both know where we stand now and I don’t want to ruin any more of my sister’s day. I need to get back inside and listen to Layla’s speech.”
Ryan blinked. “You’re going back in after everyone just found out about our baby?”
Morgan shrugged. “Why hide now? The secret is out, and just because my life is falling apart doesn’t mean my sister’s should. She’s counting on me.”
Morgan started to move around him, but he reached for her. His fingers curled just inside her arm and her gaze met his.
“We can talk back at the house.”
Morgan closed her eyes and blew out a sigh before meeting his gaze once again. “We’re done talking, Ryan. We’re just...done.”
And then she was gone, leaving Ryan standing in the hallway with a broken heart. He had no clue how the hell that had happened when he didn’t even know his heart had been involved.
From the beginning, he’d vowed to win this challenge, to have her marry him. Now he realized the most important component had been Morgan all along. Not winning or losing.
And discovering that truth after the fact was how he’d lost everything.