Chapter 32 #2
That question bounced in my mind for the remaining hour. I became more nervous with every passing minute, especially once everyone left.
If I didn’t know Ryker was meeting me behind the curtain, I would have thought I was completely alone.
I crossed the empty ballroom with quick strides, barely keeping myself from breaking into a run. I was smiling from ear to ear. My heartbeat was so erratic that I felt light-headed.
When I entered the changing room, Ryker was already there, leaning against a wall, smiling widely.
“Hi! What are we doing here?” Oh God, why was my voice so throaty?
“Come closer.” His tone was playful, but his gaze was so intense that I instantly felt the air between us charge.
“Tell me, first.”
He said nothing, but he walked toward me until we were close enough to touch. He brought a hand to my face, caressing my cheek.
“Remember the first time I asked you here?” he asked softly.
I nodded.
“What did you think I wanted?”
“Something you couldn’t do with everyone watching,” I teased. Ryker laughed, sounding so happy that it warmed me on the inside. “What do you think I have in mind now?”
“Better not be sexy times,” I warned. Ryker grinned.
“No, not quite.”
He skimmed his fingers down my arm, taking both my hands in his.
“I’ll be honest. When I asked you to come here last time, I didn’t have a plan. I just knew that I wanted to be near you any way I could, for as long as I could. But now… now I have a plan.”
“You do?”
He nodded, tightening his grip on my hands.
“I’ve thought about where to do this for weeks.
First I thought about taking you to a restaurant, or on a trip, but then I figured…
why not do it here? It’s where I first realized that I wanted to do whatever it took to win you over.
This place means something to both of us.
” He interlaced our fingers, squeezing them lightly before letting go of my left hand.
He reached inside his jacket. I didn’t see what he took out, because he was holding it in his closed fist. What was going on?
He opened his hand slowly, and my heart all but exploded. He was holding an engagement ring! The most beautiful one I’d ever seen. It had a round diamond in the center with tiny green gemstones around it.
“Marry me, Heather Prescott. Be my wife. You, Avery, and I are already a family, but I want to make it official. I want everyone to know that both of you are mine.”
I had never felt overwhelmed by so many emotions in a matter of seconds.
I put my arms around his neck, going up on my tiptoes and kissing him. I’d intended a light smooch only, but the second I touched my lips to his, I became ravenous… and so was he.
Ryker kissed me so deliciously well that I just wanted to melt against him.
I felt him put one palm at the small of my back, pressing me into him until I was flat against his chest…
and still he kept pressing. I loved the possessive touch, the nearly desperate way he was claiming my mouth.
I’d been on edge this past hour, but it was nothing compared to how I felt now—completely wrapped up in Ryker.
When I ran a hand through his hair, lightly tugging at it, I felt him smile against my mouth.
“That counts as yes?” he asked, pulling back, smiling from ear to ear.
“What do you think?”
I looked between us when he took my left hand in his. He slid the ring on before interlacing our hands again, just holding them tight. This felt surreal. I wanted to find the right words to tell him how happy I was, but I couldn’t form any words at all. Ryker didn’t seem to share my predicament.
“I love you, Heather. I can’t wait for us to be a team. A family. Every day, when you wake up, I want you to look at our life together and smile. I’ll make sure of that.”
Oh goodness, why was he saying all these sweet things? I’d just discovered they were my kryptonite.
“And how?” I asked playfully, determined not to become misty eyed.
Ryker let go of my hands, cupping my face.
“You’ll see. You don’t have to know everything right away.”
“Ah, so one of your tactics is to always keep me guessing?” I was grinning now.
“One of my many tactics.”
“In that case, I’m promising the same in return. Not the guessing part. The smiling part.”
He kept cradling my face, and something told me he wasn’t done making me swoon.
“Whatever you want, you name it, I’ll get it for you.
Do it for you. I’ll be there for everything.
The busy days, late nights. Shopping trips for which I still have to sharpen my negotiation skills.
When you have a deadline, I’ll be there pushing you toward the finish line…
celebrating after it. When you’re too stressed, I’ll help you relax. ”
“I think I know how you plan to do that.”
He gripped my waist possessively before skimming one hand down to my hip, pressing his fingers on my skin. I licked my lower lip. His eyes flashed.
I traced my hand over his chest slowly, loving the way his grip on me tightened, as if he was barely hanging in there. The passion was always there, simmering just under the surface.
“I promise that I’ll give in every time,” I said with a wiggle of my eyebrows. “And pretend to be surprised.”
He pinched my ass. I yelped, in turn pinching his arm. When I realized he was about to retaliate, I took a huge step back.
“Okay, okay, I didn’t really mean that. You’re quite good at surprises. And promises.” On a sigh, I added, “How can I keep up? Oh, I know! I promise I’ll always be up for anything from getting down and dirty to generally just taking care of you,” I finished.
Ryker’s eyes were full of happiness. I’d had no idea that you could feel joy like a physical force inside you. Only now, I felt as if there was so much of it that it couldn’t possibly fit inside me.
“Define up for anything,” he said playfully. “Does it include naughty trips to my office or sneaking behind the red curtain during galas?”
“That’s a no on both counts,” I said seriously.
“We’ll see about that.”
I laughed, stepping closer again, touching his jaw, tracing his lips with my fingers, because apparently I couldn’t keep my hands off him for even one full minute.
I just loved feeling him against me. Bringing a hand to the back of my head, he pulled me into a kiss.
It was different than the one before. Hotter, even more urgent.
As if in a haze, I realized we were moving through the room.
I almost stumbled, and blindly reached a hand backward—there was a wall here somewhere—but Ryker was ahead of me.
He’d braced one hand against the wall, pushing me against it with his hips.
He needed a hard surface for leverage so he could kiss and touch me the way he wanted to.
The realization sent a wave of heat through me.
I rose on my toes, needing leverage of my own.
“What are you thinking about?” I asked.
“How to seduce my fiancée tonight.”
“And what are the options? Your fiancée would like to weigh in.”
“Does she now?”
“Oh, yeah.”
“Well, then. Can’t deny my fiancée’s first wish, can I?”
“This is an engagement ring,” I told Avery later that evening, after we picked up her and Mom from the airport.
I was a little nervous but a lot excited to tell my little girl about our plans.
We were at our apartment, and Mom had slipped out of the living room to give Ryker and me some privacy with Avery.
I’d told her on the phone about the engagement, because I just couldn’t hold back, but asked her to keep it a secret from Avery.
“What’s an engagement ?” Avery asked, wide-eyed.
“It’s like a promise,” Ryker explained. “Your mom and I are promising to each other that we’re going to always be together.”
“We’re getting married,” I said. Her mouth formed that adorable O, where her cheeks also went hollow from the effort.
“You’re going to be a bride, Mommy?”
“Yes. And we’re also going to move in with Ryker.”
“Ohh, so I can always play in my big room.” She turned to look at Ryker, speaking in a loud whisper. “Can we tell her now?”
Ryker grinned. “Yes, we can.”
“Tell me what?” These two. I’d known something was up ever since we’d left Phoenix.
Avery straightened up. “I asked Ryker to be my dad. And he said yes.”
I blinked, sure I’d misheard her, then quickly looked away so she couldn’t see that I had misty eyes.
“And you will not just be my dad, but also Mom’s hubband ?”
“Yes,” Ryker said.
“Can I get a ring too? So we can also promise to always be together?” Avery asked.
Ryker smiled warmly at her. I reached for his hand behind Avery’s back, squeezing it lightly.
“Sure. We can go buy a ring whenever you want. Or a necklace if you want. Or a bracelet.”
Oh, damn. They were going to buy half the store; I was sure of that. But they both already looked so excited that I promised myself I would just let them have their fun this time.
When Avery yawned, I pointed a finger at her. “Bedtime, Avery.”
Avery’s expression was mutinous, but then she yawned again.
“Come on, off we go,” I insisted.
After taking care of Avery’s bedtime routine, Ryker and I snuck to my tiny room.
“I can’t wait to move to your apartment. It’s so big, and I love that it’s on two floors,” I said when we were almost at my bed. Ryker laughed, putting an arm around my waist, walking in tandem with me.
“You just pointed out my two favorite things about it.”