As frustrated as he was, I couldn’t help thinking how handsome he looked in his fitted navy sweater and dark jeans that hugged his ass. He smelled particularly delicious, and the truth of the matter was that I’d much rather have spent this time alone at the big house, screwing his brains out. But he was insistent that we go out tonight.
If I thought Ryder’s mood couldn’t get any worse, I was wrong.
A man and woman approached us.
“Hey, Ryder.”
“Phil…good to see you.”
They shook hands, and the guy’s lady friend stood just behind him, smiling.
The man gestured to her. “This is my wife, Helena.”
She nodded once and glanced over at me. “Nice to meet you.”
Ryder pulled me close. “This is my girlfriend, Eden.”
Phil squinted and tilted his head as he looked me over. “Are you an actress?”
“No, I’m not.”
“Really? You look awfully familiar.”
“Nope, never been an actress.” My pulse started to race as I became a bit paranoid.
Phil was insistent. “Are you sure? I could swear I’ve seen you on camera.”
Ryder’s eyes darted toward him and lingered in a murderous stare.
Shit.
No.
Could he recognize me?
Anything was possible. I’d worked for two years as a cam girl through a popular site that got millions of hits. This guy having caught one of my shows was not out of the realm of possibility.
“Have a good night,” Ryder suddenly said, ushering me away from them.
“What are you doing?” I asked as we headed out the door.
“We’re getting the fuck out of here.”
When the cool night air hit us, I turned to him. “Do you think he recognized me from the site?”
“I have no clue. But I didn’t like the way he was looking at you.”
Gripping his sweater, I brought him into me. “It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not.” He looked at me intensely. “None of this is okay. Waiting all night for a table, the way he was fucking you with his eyes—none of it.”
He’s pissed.
“None of those things matter to me,” I soothed. “I’m just happy to be out with you, so happy to finally be in L.A. and for the life you’ve given me here. I’m so happy, Ryder, that none of these little aggravations matter. So please be happy with me tonight.”
“I am happy. I’m so freaking happy I don’t even know if I deserve it sometimes.”
He dropped to one knee and looked up at me.
My heart pitter-pattered. “What are you doing?”
“I wanted tonight to be perfect. I really did. I had this elaborate plan, and it involved the perfect dinner and the perfect evening. The perfect timing. Everything was going to be perfect. But you know, nothing has ever worked out perfectly at first when it comes to us. But that doesn’t matter, because damn it, we’re perfect together. Things don’t have to be perfect as long as I have you. You and Ollie are why I get up each morning. You’ve made me realize I could never be happy before because I was looking for happiness in all of the wrong places: my career, my social status. None of that shit matters. All that matters is having people in your world you love more than anything, who give you a reason to live. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Eden. Will you marry me?”
I covered my mouth and jumped around in excitement. “Yes! Of course! Yes! Yes!”
The sounds of the city seemed to fade as Ryder stood and placed a gorgeous round diamond ring on my finger before lifting me into his arms.
He spoke into my ear. “I feel like I totally fucked up that proposal, but I don’t even care because you said yes.”
“It could have been so much worse.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah, you could have done it logged in as AssLover or something.”
“That’s true. Very true.”***Ollie has always been afraid to fly. So when Ryder suggested we travel to New York City to get married, I was hesitant, knowing how much anxiety that would create for my brother.
But Ollie eventually agreed, because quite frankly, Ryder could convince him to do anything.
When it came time for our flight, I watched as Ryder held my brother’s hand and gave him a play by play of what was happening. As the plane ascended, Ollie looked terrified, feeling the swift motion. But by the end of the flight, he had a huge smile on his face. I was proud of him for overcoming his fear.
Lorena had accompanied us to New York, and the four of us spent an action-packed several days touring the city and eating our way through the neighborhoods with the best food.
The week culminated in a private wedding ceremony at City Hall, followed by dinner at Tavern on the Green. It was exactly the type of affair we wanted—intimate, yet full of love and laughter from the people we held closest to our hearts.