Chapter 26
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
“A disgruntled pelican!” Savannah cries out as Finn looks mortified, shaking his head and moving his hands over his chest again, as though straitening the lapels of a suit coat.
“A movie star?” Walker asks with much less enthusiasm than his teammate’s avian guess.
“Time!” Olivia calls out as Finn and Savannah groan in the exact same manner—not that you can tell these people are siblings or anything.
“A pelican? Seriously, Sav? I was a butler!” Finn declares as Savannah picks up her wine glass with a shrug.
“Looked like a disgruntled pelican to me.” She pouts before taking a drink and a debate breaks out over Finn’s skills when it comes to charades.
New Year’s Eve with the Callahan family has been like everything I could have hoped for and expected, while at the same time being delightfully surprising.
Large families fascinate me, as do functionally healthy ones, but being in the thick of it like this is a novel concept.
They fight and bicker, but it’s clear they have genuine affection and love for each other. It’s so foreign—and lovely.
“Can I get you another?” Ryan stops next to the barstool I’m perched on and points to my empty cup.
I’m drinking Diet Coke tonight because I was texting with an agent in Salt Lake City that may call me later if the interrogation they’re conducting goes in a certain direction.
It also allows me to fully absorb the hilarity of the Callahan siblings taking a game of charades a smidge too serious.
It’s fantastic.
“Sure, that’d be great. Thanks.” I offer him my cup, but he wraps his hand around mine, squeezing it before heading to the bar in his dad’s dining room to pull a fresh Diet Coke out of the fridge.
When Ryan invited me, I was worried about Walker being here, but I think he’s so used to me being around with the book club friendships that he hasn’t really suspected anything between Ryan and me yet …
I don’t think. Or if he does suspect something, he is likely not saying anything and waiting for me to bring it up.
Oh.
He’s Walker.
Yeah, he totally knows what’s going on and is waiting for me to bring it up to him.
That is not on my to-do list any time soon.
When, and ultimately if, Walker and I have that conversation, I will have to be one hundred percent sure that things are very serious between me and his brother-in-law.
We are headed in that direction, but for some reason, I want to hold off on that conversation.
One conversation I thoroughly enjoyed this evening was getting to know Cami better.
Maybe we have a bond over being new to the dynamics of the inner circle, but I also can’t imagine the emotional few weeks she’s had since Jack and Liam knocked on her door.
She’s very sweet, and despite her age, has one of those old souls that I tend to gravitate toward.
Most of the Callahan family is here, except for Ryan’s oldest brother, Jack, who is in Austin, Texas for a concert his company Lux is putting on.
Savannah, Vivian, and their girls are all jealous because not only is country pop star Tinsley Sinclair performing, but it’s also a joint performance with the one and only Fiona Skye.
Okay, I might be a little envious too, but if I had to pick, I’d still choose to be here with Ryan.
Plus, despite what the tabloids say, I’ve never believed the stories that Tinsley and Fiona are rivals—rivals do not put on joint concerts like this.
I also have seen the Instagram stories of the two together, and I think it’s more believable that they are best friends, not rivals.
People tend to believe the more salacious narrative when they’re presented with information about celebrities, especially fans who have a parasocial relationship with their favorite star, but the reality is that tabloids are an entertainment source which profit when people are, in fact, entertained.
Truth is not required, but whatever gets clicks and shares are the stories that make it to the top of the page.
“Everyone! Stop! This is not a drill! Jack is FaceTiming me!” Savannah yells over everyone. Liam snatches her phone, and with a few clicks, Savannah’s screen is streaming to the large television over the fireplace in the living room.
“Hey guys, Happy New Year!” Jack yells as the noise from the concert floods the room.
“Uncle Jack! Show us! Show us!” Eloise screams at her uncle, who, despite being in a loud location himself, winces at the volume of the demand.
“Nice to see you, too,” he replies before flipping the camera view, and there they are: Tinsley Sinclair and Fiona Skye, singing one of Fiona’s biggest hits together on stage.
Jack is on the side of the stage, so we have a better view of the band than the singers, but it’s still a neat experience to see firsthand.
“You’re officially uncle of the year,” Vivian calls out as objections are raised by Ryan, Finn, and Walker in the room.
“Boys, let him have the win. There are only two hours left of his reign,” Liam says as he raises a drink to the phone Savannah is holding up so Jack can see everyone.
“Tomorrow is a new day, and year, and it is on, gentlemen!” Finn calls out and raises his fist as though he’s leading an army.
A loud laugh escapes me, and I can’t even blame alcohol as I slap my hand over my mouth. Ryan’s head snaps toward me in the midst of bickering with his brothers, and a slow smile spreads across his face as he waves them off and walks toward me.
He reaches up and tugs my hand away from my mouth before interlacing our fingers together. “Don’t do that, Lo. Don’t hide.” His voice is soft, but the words hit me like a ton of bricks.
This man sees me—and wants to see everything.
I swallow the emotions threatening to escape as he tugs me out of my chair. Ryan looks around the room at his family still talking to Jack then leads me through the kitchen without a word and out the back door to the covered deck.
There are bistro lights crisscrossing along the ceiling, illuminating the space in a soft glow.
Ryan leads me past a row of rocking chairs and around the corner to what I see is a wraparound deck.
Once we are on the side of the house, he pulls me toward him and backs me into the wall.
My hands fall to his chest, and I have to tilt my head up to meet his gaze.
I’m only five-four, and Ryan at six-three leaves a significant height difference.
My three-inch heels that I’m wearing tonight help, but it’s still quite the vertical gap.
Ryan is assessing my face with the smallest smile on his.
I take a deep breath and try not to overanalyze this moment. I don’t want to be in an analytical mindset for this. I want to be fully immersed in this moment and lock it firmly into my memories, because I have a feeling that everything is about to change—in the very best way.
He slowly lowers his head and closes the gap, resting his forehead against mine. I take a deep breath, instinctively closing my eyes. With one hand on my lower hip, he slides his other hand along my jaw as I lean into his touch.
“Eyes on me, Lo,” he softly commands, and I immediately comply, but when I look into his eyes, the emotions there steal my breath.
“Okay,” I whisper; he hums in reply.
“I don’t want you to hide your light, especially around me. I don’t want you to dim yourself. You’re brilliant.”
“So I’ve been told,” I quip.
“No, not intelligent brilliant. I mean, yes, you are, everyone knows that, and it’s great.
But when I say you’re brilliant, what I’m mean is that you are radiant.
You’re physically beautiful, but I think your inner beauty is what I find most captivating.
You are thoughtful, kind, generous, and so damn sweet. ”
He traces his thumb along the bottom of my lip, and a small, involuntary gasp escapes me. Ryan searches my eyes, and I take the opportunity to run my hands up his firm chest and slide one hand into the back of his hair.
I don’t know who this bold version of myself is tonight, maybe it’s inspiration from the last book Savannah had the book club read, but this version isn’t hesitating to be present and to seize the opportunity to be physically close to this man.
As soon as my fingers slide into his hair, Ryan’s mouth crashes into mine.
I’ve been kissed before—granted, not that many times in my life—but enough to have experience.
But the lightning bolt that shoots through my entire being as Ryan kisses me erases any standards I thought I had. A great kiss? I had no idea this kind of kiss was even possible, and that’s before the man nips my lip and pulls back, both of us breathing hard.
“You bit me,” I blurt out, my words escaping because my brain is offline.
“A little love bite. Is that okay?”
“I … yes, I think so. I just—” He peers down, waiting for me to say something, but I don’t want to discuss this.
I don’t want to analyze this.
I want to be in this moment with him.
I rise up on my tip toes, thankful for his hand keeping me upright against the wall of the house and kiss him.
I pour all my emotions and hopes and questions into this kiss. I don’t know what I’m doing here, not really, but I want more.
With him, I think I want everything.
Ryan pulls me into the butler’s pantry just as his family starts the official countdown.
“Five, four, three, two, one—Happy New Year!” everyone shouts, and Ryan pulls me into a kiss, slightly more restrained than the ones we shared outside earlier.
He wraps his arms around me and hugs me tightly. “Happy New Year, Lo.” His lowered head is close to my ear, and his quiet comment makes my smile grow even wider. We kiss quickly before slipping back into the kitchen and try to make our entrance as subtle as possible.
“Hey, Uncle Ryan, Harlow, look here!” Emily calls out to us, making me jump like a kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar. I look over, and she has her mom’s cell phone, clearly taking her role as the official party photographer seriously. “Say cheese!”
Ryan’s tall frame engulfs me, and I fit under his arm perfectly with the top of my head not even reaching the top of his shoulder. He keeps his arm around me, and I lean into him fully, wrapping my arms around his waist as we smile for the camera.
“Perfect!” Emily bounces to the next couple. Savannah asked me earlier in the evening if she could tag me in the post on Instagram, which I said was fine because both Ryan and I keep our profiles set to private, so only our friends would see them.
I’m not trying to be secretive; I’m just selective with the information I want out there about my personal life because of my job, and also because I know too damn much about the realities of what’s outside of this cozy bubble.
Although the nature of my relationship with Ryan is clearly no secret by how we were holding on to each other, but Olivia assured me it was the perfect pose. Good thing the only people that will see it are my own personal friends—and I smile as I recall how much Walker hates social media.
It’s not a very well-kept secret, and I know we will have to discuss all of it eventually. Thankfully, today is not that day.