Chapter Twenty-Four
Even though he had a key, Ryan rang the doorbell.
Aria answered and he nearly swallowed his tongue.
She was gorgeous. She wore jeans that looked like they’d been spray-painted on and a white button-down blouse with three of the top buttons undone.
Her dark hair fell in glossy waves to her shoulders and down her back.
For a change she wore makeup and she’d done something to make her brown eyes look dark and mysterious.
Her lips glistened with a soft pink color that invited him to wonder what she tasted like.
He knew, but he didn’t think he’d have a refresher course anytime soon.
“Are you going somewhere?” Shit, she was probably going on a date and leaving him to babysit. Her clothes were casual but far nicer than what she usually wore around the house.
“No, why?”
“You look … nice.” Nice didn’t even touch it. How did she make jeans and a blouse look sexy as sin?
“Thanks,” she said with a laugh. “Sophie is in the den. You can bathe her and feed her if you want. I don’t think she’ll be ready for bed for a little while, though.”
“I’ll play with her and then read to her.”
“Her new favorite book is Pat the Bunny.”
“Thanks.” Then Aria left Ryan with the baby, telling him she’d be in the kitchen. Whatever she was cooking smelled delicious. He didn’t think he’d have the willpower to turn down her invite.
His baby was growing up. She smiled and babbled and waved her tiny hands.
And he could swear she was getting ready to crawl.
After her bath he diapered her and put her down on her tummy on the rug in her room.
He got out her jammies and when he turned around, she was up on her hands and knees, rocking.
After he got her dressed he carried her into the kitchen.
“Did you know she can get up on her hands and knees? Isn’t that a precursor to crawling?”
“She just started doing that a couple of days ago.”
He’d missed it. Just as he’d miss a lot of firsts with Sophie since he wouldn’t be staying over anymore. He didn’t want to think about how depressing that was.
Ryan took Sophie back to her room, played peek-a-boo with her, read to her, gave her a bottle and put her to bed. Aria came in to kiss her good night. They both stood beside the crib, looking down at their baby. “She’s a beautiful baby.” He turned to Aria. “She looks like you.”
Aria smiled. “I think she looks like you.”
“Poor kid.”
“Ha-ha. She does. Look at the shape of her mouth.”
“Her mouth? It looks like a pretty little bow to me. Very feminine.”
Aria looked up at him. Tracing her finger over his lips, she said, “Hmm. You’re right. Your mouth isn’t at all feminine.” She removed her finger from his lips, only to trace his jaw.
“Color me confused.” If she wasn’t flirting with him then what the hell was she doing?
“I know it hasn’t been very long but I’ve missed having you here.”
“I thought that was what you wanted.”
“I thought so too until it happened. Until I’d had a chance to think and to talk to my dad. He reminded me that nothing is guaranteed and if I have a chance at being happy, I should grab it.”
She took his hand and led him into the other room to sit on the couch. “This is me grabbing it.” And she kissed him.
For a moment he took what she offered, sinking into the kiss, sliding his tongue against hers, putting his arms around her and holding her close. Instead of going with it, though, he pulled back. “I can’t do this, Aria.”
“You can’t make love to me?”
“No, because it wouldn’t be making love. If it’s just sex—”
“It’s not. Don’t you know I love you too?”
“No, I don’t know. You’ve been pushing me away because you don’t trust me. But then you pull me back in because—Hell, I don’t know why. I’m so damn confused I can’t think straight. But I know hooking up isn’t enough for me. I need more.”
He was crazy. What the hell was he doing, turning her down? Just because everything wasn’t lining up perfectly like he thought it should didn’t mean he couldn’t take what she offered. So what if it was only sex? That was better than going home alone and wishing he hadn’t left.
“What if I said I need more too? That what’s between us isn’t just sex to me. I want it to be more. I want it to be lasting.”
“How can it last if you’re waiting for me to leave? If it’s always there, in the back of your mind, that I might leave you at any moment? You told me you loved me but what good is that if you don’t trust me?”
“I do trust you, Ryan.”
He wasn’t convinced.
She stood, reached for his hand again. “Come with me.”
He let her pull him up. Followed her to her bedroom.
Watched as she unbuttoned her blouse, as it parted to show her lacy white bra.
No matter how many times he saw her, this first glimpse always made him wonder how he could have gotten so lucky.
She reached behind her to unhook her bra, then dropped it to the floor.
He sucked in a breath. Damn, she was beautiful.
Her breasts were milky white, the nipples taut, the rosy peaks begging for his touch, for his mouth.
“Your turn,” she said.
He unbuttoned his shirt and shrugged it off.
He reached for her, his hands going to her jeans, unbuttoning, unzipping them and then trying to peel her out of them.
She laughed and helped him, hanging on to him as she stepped out of them.
All she wore now was a tiny pair of pink panties.
She sat on the bed and put her hands on his jeans.
He was already hard and she struggled to unbutton and unzip them.
Finally, he brushed aside her hands and did it himself, then stripped off his jeans and boxers.
Maybe this was a mistake. But he could no longer resist holding her, having her, loving her.
If he wanted her to take the risk with him then he had to be willing to also take the risk.
He took her in his arms and down to the bed.
Kissed her, deepening the kiss until he felt like he was drowning in her.
He pulled back to look at her. She raised her hand and stroked his face.
“I’ve missed this,” she said. “Missed you and me.”
He turned his head and kissed her palm. He rolled to his back, taking her with him.
Her panties were all that separated them.
She sat up, straddling him, and rubbed against him, her breasts swaying as she did.
He palmed her breasts, then brought one to his mouth.
Covered her nipple with his lips and sucked.
She groaned and groaned again when he switched to her other breast.
“I want you inside me.”
Exactly where he wanted to be. But first he needed to make her crazy.
As wild for him as he was for her. He rolled again until he was beside her.
Slipped his hand beneath her panties and stroked her opening before plunging a finger inside her.
She was wet, tight, and ready for him but he wanted to make sure so he added another finger, feeling her muscles clamp down around his fingers.
He stroked her clit with his thumb and knew she was on the brink.
“Come for me,” he said, his voice deep and gravelly. He was surprised he could speak at all.
“I want—Oh—God—” She tightened around his fingers even more, then shattered, crying out.
Rolling her to her back, he pulled his fingers out, rose above her then drove his cock into her. Thrust inside her, then pulled out. Did it again. And again. On the next stroke he exploded. Incredibly, he felt her come again, but this time while he was buried deep inside her.
He didn’t want to move but he knew he was too heavy so he kissed her and started to move aside.
“Don’t go,” she said, tightening her legs around him.
“I’m heavy.”
“I know. I like it.”
“Here.” He rolled to his back, taking her with him. “Is this good?”
“Either way. I just like being close to you.”
“Aria?” He tugged on her hair until she raised her head to look at him. “I love you.”
Her gaze softened, became more tender. “I love you too. So much.”
*
Eventually they went to the kitchen to eat dinner, which was, of course, cold by now.
But popped the chicken Parmesan in the microwave while she heated up the bread.
They ate and then Ryan helped her clean up and put away the leftovers.
Then they went back to the den to sit on the couch.
She snuggled against him, with his arm around her.
She looked up at him, trying to decide how to broach the subject she’d been thinking about for days. Ever since Ryan had brought it up, in fact.
“Did you mean what you said the other day?” Aria asked Ryan.
“I said a lot of things. What are you referring to?”
“You said you wanted to marry me and be a family.”
“I meant it. But that’s not what you want, so—”
“Ryan, will you marry me?”
He stared at her with his mouth open. “What?”
“I asked you to marry me. If you still want to.”
“Still want to? I can’t think of anything I want more. But why? What changed your mind?”
“My father. He said he’d give anything to have had another chance with me and my mother.
It made me realize how lucky I am to have that second chance with you and Sophie.
I knew you wouldn’t ask me since you were determined to wait until I was ready and, as far as you knew, I wasn’t. So I asked you.”
He wrapped her in his arms and kissed her. “Yes, Aria, I’ll marry you. Whenever you want.”
“Is next weekend too soon?”
“It’s just right.”
“I have one more request.”
“Anything for you.”
“Can we get married at the VA hospice?”
Ryan smiled. “So your dad can be there.”
“Yes. Do you mind?”
“Of course not.”
“It will have to be small. Sophie, of course. We can ask Connor and Sierra if that’s okay with you. And your dad and his wife. Do you think they’ll come?”
“Connor and Sierra definitely. My dad and his wife? I think they’ll try but they might not be able to arrange it on such short notice. But even if they can’t we can ask them to come up when they can arrange it.”
“I broached the subject with the hospice administrator and he said they’d be happy to do it. I couldn’t make any specific arrangements until I asked you.”
“Did you really think I’d turn you down?”
“No. But I wanted to make sure before I officially planned anything.”
“Aria, I will marry you whenever and wherever you want. And now”—he kissed her again—“we have other things to do.”
*
Ryan and Aria’s wedding day dawned bright and clear. A perfect blue-sky Montana day. The hospice staff had gone all out and the small chapel had been decorated with beautiful flowers and ribbons.
As they’d discussed, the wedding party was small.
Ryan’s father and stepmother couldn’t come, so it was just the bride and groom, Connor and Sierra, Sophie, and Steven.
Ryan had worried that they might have to move the wedding to Steven’s room, but he’d been determined to be a part of it in the chapel, even though he was in a wheelchair.
All three men wore suits. Luckily Steven had been able to borrow one from a friend.
The hospice chaplain was going to perform the ceremony.
Ryan and Steven had talked earlier. “I can’t give you my blessing,” Steven said. “It’s not mine to give. But I’m really happy that Aria found a good man. I know you’ll take good care of her and Sophie.”
“Count on it. I’m glad we could have the wedding here. It means a lot to Aria that you’re here. And not just for the wedding.”
“It means so much to me. I can’t believe I’ve been lucky enough to be a part of her life again,” Steven said.
Finally, one of the staff poked her head in and told them the bride was on her way.
Sierra had given her phone to Connor so he could play “Pachelbel’s Canon” and the “Wedding March.” He turned it on and they all looked to the doorway.
Sierra came first, carrying Sophie and a bouquet of pink roses. And then Aria appeared.
Ryan sucked in a breath. He always thought Aria was beautiful, but today she was stunning.
Her dark hair was swept up in some kind of complicated twist with a few wisps of hair left out to trail onto her face.
Her white lacy dress was fitted in the bodice and the waist, then flaring out to end a couple of inches above her knees.
She carried a bouquet of white roses and she looked happier than he’d ever seen her.
He knew this was the happiest he’d ever been.
The pastor began the traditional ceremony.
Once he came to the part about the rings they played musical baby.
Sierra wound up giving Sophie to Steven to hold while she took Aria’s bouquet and Ryan and Aria exchanged rings.
Ryan gathered her in his arms and kissed her.
“Sorry,” he told the pastor, “I couldn’t wait. ”
They all laughed and then adjourned to Steven’s room where they had cake and sparkling grape juice. Since Sierra and Steven weren’t drinking and they all had to drive home, they decided to wait on champagne until they got back to Marietta.
Steven was clearly tired and Ryan was anxious to get his girls home and alone, so they left shortly after the refreshments.
By the time they got back Sophie was sound asleep. Ryan got her out of her car seat and put her in her mother’s arms. Then he swept up Aria and carried both her and the baby to the door. “You don’t need to do this,” Aria told Ryan.
“Are you kidding? It’s not official until I carry you across the threshold.”
“Well, then, by all means.”
So he did, then kissed her and set her on her feet. “I’m going to put Sophie down.”
“I’ll help.”
Aria had changed Sophie into a comfortable footed sleeper before they got in the car. After a diaper change Sophie settled back down for a nap. “Think she’ll sleep long enough that we can have a glass of champagne and celebrate the wedding properly?”
They managed the champagne but Sophie woke up before they could get to the “celebration.”
“I was afraid of that,” Aria said. “Do you mind?”
“I can wait. After all, we have the rest of our lives.”
The End