Chapter Eleven
Paisley
" W hat do you mean, we're having dinner with your parents tonight?" I squeak, spinning around to look at Ridley so fast I make myself dizzy.
"Ma asked yesterday. I told her that we'd be there," he says, scrubbing a towel through his damp hair. "Thought I mentioned it to you."
"Uh, no." I plant my hands on my hips, turning to scowl at him. "You most definitely did not mention it to me."
"My bad."
Judging by the way his lips twitch when he says it, the oversight was intentional. This is an ambush entirely of his making.
I narrow my eyes at him. "You planned this, didn't you?"
"Maybe. Maybe not." He shrugs as he tosses the towel toward the hamper, already striding past me. "I'll never tell. Get your sexy ass dressed before we're late, Dimples."
I wait until he makes it to the door and then smack his naked ass.
He throws a smirk over his shoulder, one brow lifted. "You trying to get yourself in trouble, baby?"
"Maybe. Maybe not." I squeeze past him out of the door. "I'll never tell."
His arms close around me before I manage to escape. I squeal with laughter as he hauls me up against his chest, his hands prowling all over my body.
"Ridley," I moan, melting into him.
He nips my shoulder, chuckling. "Go get dressed before we're late. I'll punish you for that smack when we get home."
"No, you won't!" I call, spinning out of his arms.
He reaches for me, but I laugh, dodging out of his reach. He smirks, sauntering toward me like he's going to try to grab me again, but my phone rings before he manages to get his hands on me.
"You're lucky, Dimples," he mutters, reversing course to grab it off the nightstand for me. "If it weren't for this…"
"What?" I ask when he trails off, his eyes locked on the phone.
"It's the DA's Office."
"What?" I squeak.
"It's the DA's Office."
"Oh my gosh." I gape at him. "I can't talk to the DA right now. I'm naked!"
"Baby." His deep chuckle rolls across me as he crosses back to me. "It's a phone call, not a knock at the door. He can't see you."
"Oh. Right." I knew that. I take the phone from him with shaking hands, more nervous than I think I've ever been about a call for a job.
But…this one could be the start of everything.
Yeah, I'm nervous. I'm nervous as hell because this right here is where I belong.
On the vineyard. In Ridley's bed. Having lunch with Lucy and taking Lyra shopping.
Snuggling Lexi. I already feel like this is my home.
I felt like that three years ago. If I have to give it up again now…
is a career really worth all that? No. Maybe my dad and grandfather would disagree, but I think they're wrong.
Maybe Pierce had it right. The only footsteps that really matter are ours.
The only legacy we need to leave behind is the one we decide to make for ourselves.
And I want to create mine right here, crafting it just as carefully as Ridley and his family do their wines. I want to build it from scratch, not because I'm following my father's footsteps or my grandfather's…but because I'm forging my own path.
If the job at the DA's Office doesn't come through, I'll find something else. But I want to find it here. Not in Los Angeles. Not somewhere else in the state, but right here in Santa Maria.
"Answer the phone, Dimples," Ridley murmurs.
"Right." I take a breath, swiping to answer. "Hello?"
"Hi. Is this Paisley?"
"This is Paisley. How may I help you?"
"Hey, Paisley. It's Alexa Warner. I'm not sure if you remember me, but we've met a few times over the years."
"Of course I remember you, Alexa," I say, locking eyes with Ridley, who is barely breathing in front of me. "How are you?"
"I'm doing great. Do you happen to be in town?"
"I am."
"Great. Do you think you could swing by the office tomorrow? We have a position open here, and the DA would love to discuss it with you if you're interested."
A relieved grin stretches across my face, and Ridley sucks in a breath, the first he's taken since I answered the phone. "I'd love that. What time should I stop by?"
"Can you be here at eight? We have court most of the day tomorrow."
"Absolutely."
"Perfect. I'll let him know to expect you then." Alexa pauses. "I look forward to seeing you again, Paisley."
"You too," I say softly. "Thank you."
Alexa disconnects. I hang onto the phone for another second before tossing it onto the bed. Ridley doesn't even have his arms open for me before I plow into him, knocking him back a step.
"They want to see me tomorrow!" I cry, kissing all over my face. "Oh my god. I love you. I love you so damn much."
"Good job, baby," he breathes, his lips coming down on mine in a hard kiss. "I'm so fucking proud of you."
"I don't have the job yet. I might not get it."
"You will," he says, smiling.
"I might not."
"You will."
"I made a decision."
"Yeah?"
"Even if I don't get it, we aren't leaving."
He blinks at me.
"I mean, I'll have to leave for a little while. I'll need to pack up my apartment because, of course, I still haven't done that. But after that, I want to come back here."
"Even if you don't get the job?" he questions.
"Yes."
"Paisley…"
I slap my hand over his lips, silencing him before he can argue with me. "Just listen, please."
He grunts against my fingers and then nods reluctantly.
"This feels like home to me, Ridley. This feels like the place I'm supposed to be.
As much as I'd love to work in the DA's Office, there are other ways I can practice law, helping the good guys if that doesn't work out right now.
And I can do them from here. I don't need Crudup.
I don't need to find some other DA willing to take me on.
I can choose my own path and make a difference right here. That's what I want to do."
"It's not your dream."
"Maybe my dream changed," I whisper.
"Why?"
"Because I did," I say simply. It's the best answer I have for him.
It's simple…but it's profoundly true, too.
I've changed. I've grown. I'm a vastly different person than I was three years ago.
And I'm a different person than I was a week ago, too.
I'm not just going through the motions anymore, chasing a career because it's the only thing left.
I feel like I'm living again. I'm breathing again.
My dreams are different because I'm different.
" H oly shit," Lucy squeaks halfway through dinner, her fork clanging against her plate as she drops it. The whole table falls silent, turning to look at her.
"Shit," Lyra whispers beneath her breath like she's trying to commit the word to memory. "Shit, shit."
I bite my lip, fighting a giggle.
"What's wrong, baby girl?" Oliver asks his wife, his brows furrowed with concern.
"That's what's wrong," my best friend says, pointing at my hand. "She has a giant freaking rock on her finger!"
"Oh, pwetty," Lyra says, giving up learning how to curse to blink at my ring.
"Oh!" Gracie whispers, tugging on Trevor's sleeve. "Look, Trevor!"
I blush, fighting the urge to hide my hand behind my back as everyone blatantly stares at the ring Ridley placed there yesterday. Baby Lexi is the only one not staring. She's too busy trying to stuff macaroni noodles into her mouth by the fistfull.
It still doesn't feel real.
Honestly, everything feels like a dream right now.
When I heard him talking about leaving yesterday, it felt like the world was crumbling beneath my feet.
My heart was breaking all over again, and I was so mad—at him, at myself, at everything.
But as soon as he told me what was really going on, I just felt… peace.
He wants me to stay. He just doesn't want me to sacrifice anything to do it.
He's willing to give up everything to follow me.
No one has ever cared about me like that before.
I hate that we didn't have this three years ago.
I hate that I ran and that he ran and we missed the chance to have all of this back then.
But I think he was right yesterday. We didn't mess it up entirely.
We just took a detour. And we're finally, finally heading in the right direction again now.
I don't know if I'll get the job tomorrow. It doesn't matter. I'll still have him. I'll still have this. That isn't a sacrifice. It's a future, and there is so much damn peace in it.
"You finally asked her to marry you, huh?" Oliver asks his brother, a big grin stretching across his face.
"Yeah, I did," Ridley says, his tone smug.
A disbelieving laugh spills from my lips. "You absolutely did not ask me, Ridley Goodson."
He narrows his eyes on me. But hey, I never agreed not to rat him out. I just agreed not to take any chances. We're getting married. Who cares if he asked before he slipped a ring on my finger or not? I certainly don't.
But watching him squirm a little is not a bad thing.
"So…you're not getting married?" Lucy asks, confused.
"We're getting married," Ridley growls.
"We are," I confirm. "But he didn't ask. He just put a ring on my finger and told me that he was going to tell everyone I said yes, so you'd all feel bad for him if I didn't marry him."
"Ridley Tatum Goodson!" Gracie gasps, turning wide eyes on her oldest son. "You did not."
"What? It worked, didn't it?" he asks, smirking.
Trevor throws his head back, a loud bark of laughter ripping from his lips. "Jesus Christ, son. That's genius. Why didn't I think of that?"
Gracie groans, shaking her head, but she can't hide the happy smile fighting to break free as she looks between me and Ridley.
"Papa." Lyra tugs on Trevor's sleeve. "What's mawwied?"
"It means they love each other, sweet baby."
Lyra's eyes widen before she turns to look at Ridley. "You lobe Aunt Paiswey?"
"Yeah, Sprout," he whispers, his voice soft. "I do."
"Yay!" she cries, throwing her hands up in the air.
Trevor and Gracie both laugh quietly as Lucy turns to me, sliding an arm around my waist.
"You realize this means we're going to be sisters, right?" she asks, resting her head against mine.
"I did consider that," I say. "But I was kind of hoping you'd be my Maid of Honor first."
"Really?"
"Uh, yeah! Are you kidding me? Who else would I ask? I have like one other friend, and I don't think Oliver would look good in a dress."
"Hey, I might," he protests.
"Get your own role," Lucy grumbles at him. "I'm her Maid of Honor."
"So…I take it that's a yes, then?"
"Are you kidding me? Of course it's a yes!" she cries, flinging her arms around me in a tight hug.
I squeeze her back just as tightly, meeting Ridley's gaze over her head. He grins at me, his eyes shining with happiness, and my heart turns a flip in my chest. My eyes sting too.
This is… God, this is the dream. It's everything.
I wish like hell that Pierce could be here to see it. He'd be so damn proud of me. I know he would. But I kind of think maybe he already knows. He's probably been up there the whole time, trying to push us back together. It took a few years because we're both stubborn, but better late than never.
This was worth the wait. It was worth the tears.
It was worth every damn minute because it means more now.
We know what we're fighting for now, and what's at stake.
We know what it's like to lose what matters, and how fucking hard it is to go through the motions, pretending you're fine when you aren't. We know what we're willing to sacrifice…
and what we aren't. It takes some people a lifetime to figure that out.
"You okay, Dimples?" Ridley mouths.
"Perfect," I whisper, and for the first time in a long time, I mean it. Regardless of whether I get the job tomorrow or not, I'm perfect. I have him. I know exactly what I want and where I'm headed. And God, it feels so damn good.