Chapter 23
Ryder
Thank goodness Tiago was available to pick up Claire. I didn’t mean to be gone as long as I was, but I had a list of things I wanted and no intention of buying any of them until I found exactly what I had in mind. I had to go through several small towns before I arrived somewhere large enough to have a major jeweler and several boutiques.
My girl is sexy as fuck wearing anything and nothing, but I noticed she felt particularly sexy the one time she wore a lacy bra-and-panty set. I don’t think she has many frivolous undergarments. So, I found a few places and went in to get her some things.
When I step into the kitchen at the mansion, I find Claire and Tiago sitting at the island on stools. Gretchen is leaning over a pot at the stove, cooking.
I drop my bags just inside the door and make a beeline for Claire, realizing I have not been separated from her for this long since the second day after we met.
I missed her. Her face lights up as I approach her, and she jumps down and throws herself at me. Thank fuck . She is my world. I like knowing she feels the same.
I lift Claire off the floor and kiss her senseless as she wraps her legs around my waist.
Gretchen chuckles.
Tiago groans. “Get a room.”
I ignore my brother as I kiss my girl until she’s breathing heavily. When I break from her lips, her cheeks are pink, and she’s grinning. “Missed you,” she whispers before leaning around me to look over my shoulder. “Did you buy me anything?”
I laugh as I lower her to the floor. “Maybe.”
“That’s a lot of bags. How big is the ring?”
I swat her ass as I head back toward the bags and pick them all up. She follows me when I move toward the stairs. As soon as we enter the bedroom, she tries to peek into the bags.
I hold them out of her line of sight and stuff all of them in the closet. When I turn around, she has her hands on her hips. “That’s it? You’re not going to show me?”
“Nope. Not today.” I grab her around the waist and pull her into my arms. “Patience, baby.”
She frowns dramatically. “I’m not sure I’m a patient person.”
I slide my palms down to her fantastic ass. “You will be this time. If I catch you snooping, I’ll spank your ass until you can’t sit.”
She narrows her gaze and slowly grins. “Is that supposed to be a threat?”
I tip my head back and laugh. I love her. I can’t stop thinking those words. I want to say them. We’re getting married on Friday. I should be able to say those words out loud.
I back my girl up until I flatten her to the wall, thread our fingers together, and hold our combined hands above her head. I set my forehead against hers. “I love you, Claire.”
Her breath hitches. “I love you, too,” she whispers. “Are we crazy?”
“Maybe. We can be crazy together. If people want to judge us, let them.”
“My mother thought we had a failed condom incident,” she tells me.
I chuckle. “What did you tell her?”
“The truth.” Claire’s cheeks turn red.
I lean in closer to her. “What did she say about that?”
She rolls her eyes. “Now, she loves you more. I heard her whispering to my father, too. If you don’t stop impressing them, they’re going to keep you and kick me out of the family.”
I sober and kiss her. “I got you something.”
“Looks like you got me a lot of things.”
“Yeah, but this one is small. It’s in my pocket. Wanna see?”
She slides her hands to my front pockets and pats them, finding the little box next to my right hip. When she palms it, she holds my gaze. “This will make it more real.”
“Yes.”
“People will find out.”
“Yes. Everyone in town will know by ten in the morning. I’ll make sure to hold your hand out for Arnie and Blue as soon as they come in. I bet business will be booming tomorrow. Maybe you should bake more than usual.”
She squeezes my thigh. “Stop teasing me. Are you going to show it to me?”
I reach into my pocket, pull out the box, and drop to one knee before my girl. “Claire Kennett, will you do me the honor of making me the happiest man on Earth and marry me?”
Tears spring to her eyes as if she hadn’t seen this coming. It’s precious. Even though we’ve already established we’re getting married on Friday, this moment is important to her.
I flip open the box.
She gasps and reaches forward with shaky fingers.
I pull the small box out of her reach. “You have to answer me first.”
She giggles. “Yes, Ryder. I’ll marry you.”
I lift the ring from the velvet and take her hand in mine to slide it onto her finger. It’s even more perfect on her hand than it was at the jewelry store. The main diamond is big but not so large that it’s ostentatious. It’s surrounded by a dozen smaller diamonds. The setting is white gold. It glitters on her finger.
Claire holds her breath as she brings her hand up to look closer. “Ryder…it’s so beautiful.”
“I’m glad you like it, baby.” I stand and lift her hand between us to kiss her fingers.
“You really want to marry me?”
I kiss her lips next. “Yes, baby. It’s official. You can stop doubting me. My ring is on your finger. You’re going to be mine on Friday.”
“Where are we getting married?”
“I spoke to Thomas. He can perform the ceremony. I thought we could do it here. I’ll have Gretchen hire as many people as she needs to get several rooms downstairs in better shape. If the weather is nice, we’ll do it outside. If not, we’ll do it in the music room. What do you think?”
She smiles. “I think that’s perfect.”
“We should go eat dinner. I bet you all were waiting for me.” I drag her from the room.
“Oh, be sure to harass your brother. When he picked me up earlier, he made a date with a woman who was picking up pastries.”
I chuckle. Perfect. My turn to harass Tiago.