Chapter 32
THIRTY-TWO
Ridge
I ’d told Addison to dress comfortably; the flight to Edinburgh was going to be a long one. But when the driver took me to her apartment to pick her up and she walked out to the SUV, wearing yoga pants, a sports bra, and a zip-up sweatshirt that hung off her shoulders, revealing her bare stomach, I knew I was going to have a hard time keeping my hands off her. There was something about an athletic look on that woman that I just couldn’t get enough of.
Hell, I couldn’t get enough of her period.
And now that the secret was out and Jana was cool with it, I could spend much more time with Addison. Many of those occasions involved Daisy, where Addison would come over in the evenings to have dinner with us and on the weekends when we spent time at the barn. A few nights ago, she’d gotten on one of the horses, and I watched her ride with my daughter, the two of them laughing and smiling.
It’d brought me so much fucking joy.
I knew Scotland was going to be no different. An experience I was really looking forward to, especially getting Addison all to myself for this entire flight until we landed and the chaos of the long weekend started.
As soon as she climbed in, I pulled her toward the middle, holding her body against mine while we rode to the airport. My lips found the side of her head, and I breathed her in.
“I can’t wait to see you in that dress.”
She turned her head toward me. “It makes me feel like a princess when I wear it. I hope they’re getting married in a castle. That would be so fitting.”
I ran my thumb over her cheek. “They love Edinburgh so much that they bought a house there, and that’s where they’re getting married. The wedding is going to be small and intimate. Nothing like you’re imagining. Immediate family, the partners, and a handful of friends.”
“That’s exactly what I would want. A wedding that’s just for the bride and groom. That sounds absolutely perfect.”
I let out a small moan when I took in her lips. “Tell me what else you’d want.”
She playfully hit my chest. “Taking notes?”
“Maybe.”
She rested her arm over my shoulders. “You couldn’t possibly be any more perfect.” She leaned her head back and released a long exhale. “Let’s see … I’d love to get married on the beach. My bare feet digging into the sand with daisies weaved in my hair. My sister and Leah on my side—that’s it—and a dress that I’m unafraid to get wet, so I can walk through the lapping waves. Music and dancing all night long.”
“Easy requirements.”
“That’s me though.” She combed the back of my hair. “I wouldn’t want anything that’s over the top or stuffy or in a ballroom so large and filled that it would take all night to speak to everyone.” Her eyes closed. “I want to be able to see the sun as it sets and not notice a single cloud in the sky.” When her eyelids opened again, her smile was reaching them. “And after the sun sets, I want to be able to look up and see the stars. I don’t want anything covering them. I want to smell the salt and feel the breeze across my face.”
“While I’m twirling you around in the sand …”
She nodded. “Every word of that.”
I kissed her, tasting the desire on her mouth, one so thick that it matched mine, and I pulled away when I felt the SUV come to a stop. “We’re here,” I whispered.
She glanced toward the windshield. “Can’t say I’ve ever done anything like this before.” She huffed. “Normally, my seat is in the last row, hugging the wall of the restroom, and every time the toilet flushes, my seat vibrates.”
“This isn’t all that different. Just a few less rows and a bigger restroom.”
She whipped her head in my direction. “Right. The similarities are endless.” She laughed. “You’re forever trying to make me feel better about everything.”
“And I’ll never stop.” I opened the door and stepped onto the tarmac, the jet less than ten yards away, and I held out my hand for her to grab. “Come on.”
Once her feet hit the pavement, I brought her over to the stairs, where I shook hands with the pilots. And while the driver brought our luggage to the back of the plane, I escorted Addison up the steps and into the main lounge.
“Sit anywhere you want,” I instructed.
There were sections of couches and seats, and she chose the middle, taking up one side of the love seat, leaving plenty of space beside her for me to occupy.
Our flight attendant immediately approached and said, “Hello, Miss Lark”—she then glanced at me—“and Ridge, it’s nice to have you both on board. What can I get you to drink?”
“Extra-dirty martini for me.” I put my arm around Addison’s shoulders. “A rosé for my lady.”
Addison added, “Thank you so much.”
“I have all your requests in the fridge,” the flight attendant said. “I’m happy to serve you whenever you get hungry, so just please let me know. In the meantime, I’m going to bring out some snacks you can enjoy during takeoff.” She disappeared into the galley.
“Your lady?” Addison smiled.
I kissed the corner of her mouth, a few inches above her grin. “Do you have a problem with that?”
“Not at all. I thought it was cute. But I’m curious what your requests were …”
I chuckled as I pulled back. “Did you think I wasn’t going to pick out what we’re eating for dinner? You know me better than that.”
She shook her head. “If you tell me we’re having ramen, I might die a little.”
I cupped her face, positioning my lips in front of hers. “Who would serve ramen during a flight when there’s a chance we could hit turbulence? A bold move that could turn into a disaster.”
“Italian, then? Steak?” She smiled harder. “Sushi?”
I pressed my nose to hers. “You know me … I’m a fucking bold one.”
“We’re having ramen, aren’t we?”
“I told the flight attendant that she needs to consult with the pilots before she serves us dinner to ensure we’ll have a solid fifteen or so minutes of smooth air.”
She laughed. “Only you.”
“No, it’s more like, only for you.”
“God, I love you, Ridge Cole.”
“No, baby, I love you more.”
The flight attendant returned with our cocktails, and during her second trip out to the main cabin, she brought a tray of fruit and another that was full of cured meats, cheese, crackers, hummus, and guacamole. She made sure we had napkins and utensils and told us that the pilots were doing the final checks and we would be taking off within the next ten minutes.
I rolled up a piece of prosciutto, paired it with a slice of cucumber, and dipped it in some hummus before I held it in front of Addison’s mouth.
“No raspberry?” She winked and nodded toward the tray, which had no melon or cantaloupe on it, only fruit that had a tart flavor.
“That’s for the next round,” I told her. “The first one needed to go with the hummus, and raspberries don’t work with hummus.”
“Fair.” She took it in her mouth, covering her lips with the back of her hand. “Delicious.”
I held my glass in front of hers. “To our first trip together.”
She finished chewing and clinked her wine against my tumbler, taking a sip. “This moment needs to be documented.” She reached into her back pocket and pulled out her phone, holding it above us. When she finished taking the selfies, she flipped through them and showed me her favorite. “I think it’s time.”
“For what?”
She was smiling so big. “To make us social media official. Cheesy, I know. I don’t post a lot at all, just important moments in my life or places I go and things I find beautiful.” She paused. “Like right now.”
“What makes right now so special?”
A shyness started to creep through her expression. “We’re no longer in hiding. Everyone in my life, including my job, knows about us, and the same is true for you. So, I get to tell you how much I care about you, and it doesn’t matter who hears. I get to show you how wild I am for you, and it doesn’t matter who sees.”
“Are you going to feel that way in Scotland?”
I watched her think about my question, gradually nodding. “When we were leaving the barn the other day with Daisy, you held my hand and wouldn’t let me pull it away. And when we took Daisy out to dinner a few nights ago, you kissed my cheek after dessert. So, yes, I would reach for your hand at the wedding, and I’d give you a peck on the lips, and I’d dance with you, and I wouldn’t be afraid if she saw.”
An answer that not only had my dick raging hard, but they were words I felt inside my chest.
“Post the photo, Addison.”
She hit the screen several times and slipped her phone away. “I tagged you.”
My pocket vibrated, and I took out my cell, seeing the notification on the screen. After a few taps, I was looking at the picture. She hadn’t written a caption; she’d just put a red heart emoji.
I screenshot the post, cropped the pic, and uploaded it to my own account. But instead of a red heart, I used the sun emoji. “And I tagged you.”
Her eyes widened. “You posted it?”
“Sure did.”
She shook her head, her smile not fading at all. “I might have stalked your profile the other night when I couldn’t sleep. You know, going all the way back to your very first post.”
“See anything interesting?”
“Aside from how much of a badass you are.” She tapped my chest. “I loved the photos you posted of Daisy—and I love that you never show her face, just the back of her or the top of her head. Like she’s there, but not there.”
“I have such a public account, keeping her private but present is important to me.”
“And the photos of you with celebrities and athletes and business executives. Ridge, you have one fabulous life.”
“Well, you do know most of it is for show and encouraged by our in-house publicist.”
“Makes sense.” She shrugged. “So do all the shots of the different hotels you’ve visited. It makes your followers want to check them out and live a life like yours.”
I brushed the hair out of her eyes before I held the side of her face. “Most of those are just some good Photoshopping.”
She stared at me. “You’re kidding me. They’re not all real?”
“Some, but not all. We’re staying at the Edinburgh hotel while we’re there, so that’ll get posted, but Dublin will get posted, too, and that’s not on the itinerary.” I turned to my side, leaning against my shoulder. “Pre-Daisy, all the pictures are real. Post-Daisy, my priorities have changed a lot. It’s not that I’m not dedicated to the company. I give it everything I have. But since becoming a father, my role as an executive has shifted.” My hand lowered to her side. “And it’ll shift once more when I become a father again.”
Her mouth opened, and a single laugh came out. “What are you saying?”
“We’ve talked about kids.”
“And I’ve told you how many I want, but, mister”—she blocked the crotch of my jeans with both hands—“we’re not starting that project today.”
I laughed. “You’re going to be my wife before that project starts. Cool?”
“Very, very cool.”
“But I’ve been dreaming about you being pregnant. Watching our baby grow inside you. Feeling it kick. Resting my face on your belly every night so I can talk to it before we go to sleep and tell it how much I love it.” I spread my fingers to her navel, the tightness of her yoga pants allowing me to feel the flatness that was there now. “That’s what I want, Addison.”
“Dear God, I hope my ovaries aren’t listening to you right now … even though they’re exploding.”
I leaned forward so our faces were close together. “I hope they are listening.” My thumb slowly brushed over her lips. “But there’s going to be an order here—engagement, wedding, baby—and I promise I’m going to follow it.”
“You have no idea what you’re doing to me.” There was emotion in her eyes as she looked at me, as she held me, as she extended her leg over my lap as though she couldn’t get close enough.
“You’ve done the same thing to me.” I turned her face toward the window as we began to speed down the runway, aiming her toward the clouds. “I see our future, Addison. I see it every time I close my eyes. The life we’re going to build together and the family we’re going to have.” I rubbed my teeth over my top lip. “When I saw that breathtakingly gorgeous redhead on the stage, shit, I knew I had to have her. I knew she had to be mine. And there wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do to make that happen.”
Her arms went around my neck, and our bodies aligned, and she hugged me. I rubbed her back as I buried my face in a nest of her locks, her vanilla-latte scent wafting from them.
“I’ve been thinking about your dress,” I said softly.
“Yeah? Why?”
I pulled back and said, “It’s perfect, but I think there’s something missing from the outfit.” I reached into my pocket and pulled out the small box that I’d put there before I left to pick her up.
She glanced from the box to me. “Ridge … is that …” She cut herself off to take a deep breath.
“When I propose, it’s not going to happen on a plane on our way to someone else’s wedding. I’m going to be on my knee, and that moment is going to only be about us.” I placed the box in her hand. “Open it.”
Her eyes were already starting to fill with tears. “You’re spoiling me again.”
“And nothing makes me happier.” I nodded toward her hand.
She pulled at the pink ribbon that surrounded the small white box and lifted the lid. Her mouth opened the second she saw what was inside. “You didn’t …”
I reached inside and lifted the necklace from the holder, setting it in my hand. The design was dainty and so small that it got lost on my palm. “I got in touch with Brady’s jeweler, and I told him I wanted him to make me a sun. This was the third mock-up; each one I made smaller until I felt like it would sit perfectly under your throat. And the rays, we changed those too. At first, they were squiggly, but I wanted them straight with three diamonds on each one.” I opened the clasp and wrapped the chain around her neck, hooking it before I set it on her chest. “Now, when I’m not with you—and I don’t plan for that to be often—I’ll always be there. You won’t have to look at the sky. I’ll be right there, on your body, where I’m meant to be.”
She lifted it off her skin and squeezed her fingers around it. “I’ve never loved anything more.” The first tear rolled over her eyelid. “I lie. I have. And that’s you.”