by Nikki Ash
“You talked to him?” I ask my mom, confused.
“Just a quick conversation.” Mom waves me off and stands. “Why don’t I make something to eat to help with your hangover, and once Ryan gets here, we can take off?”
“Yes,” Lexi moans. “That sounds wonderful.”
We follow my mom into the kitchen, and I grab my pile of mail. I need to do a change of address so it comes to my house. I’m sifting through the stack, and most of it is junk. There is one bill, like my dad mentioned, from when I had RJ. My insurance only covered so much, so I’ve been making payments on the balance. At the bottom of the pile, I spot a letter from the University of San Diego and open it. It’s from the admission’s office. I requested to defer for one year when I found out I was pregnant with RJ, and they agreed. Now, they’re wanting to know—
“Everything okay?” Mom asks, peeking over my shoulder.
“Yeah,” I croak out, then clear my throat. “Yeah, everything’s fine.” I stuff the letter back into the envelope to read later, when I’m ready for my protective little bubble to burst.
An hour later, we’re fed and Ryan, as my mom mentioned, comes by to pick up RJ for the day. We spend the morning shopping—where Mom buys each of us a couple cute outfits—and the afternoon getting manis and pedis.
“You should get your hair done,” Mom says, while we’re sitting at the hands and feet dryers.
“For what?” I pat the top of my head. My hair is up in a messy bun, which is the norm for me since RJ is going through a hair-pulling phase.
“Just because.” She shrugs. “My treat.” She smiles a tad too wide, and I glance at her speculatively. She’s up to something…
“There’s nothing wrong with pampering yourself once in a while,” she adds. “Just because you’re a mom doesn’t mean you can’t feel pretty.”
She has a point, and it has been a while since I got a good trim. “Fine.”
Once our nails are dry, we walk next door to the salon. I’m assuming we’re walk-ins, and the place is busy, so I’m not sure if I’ll actually get in. But then Mom gives the lady at the front desk my name, and I realize she made an appointment.
Before I can ask her about it, I’m ushered to a chair, where I spend the next couple hours getting a trim, having my balayage redone—since I haven’t gotten it done in over a year—and then having my hair straightened. When the stylist is done, Lexi, Georgia, and Mom gush how beautiful I look.
“While we’re at it, why don’t we do her makeup?” Mom suggests.
“I don’t think—” I begin, but am cut off by the stylist.
“Yes! Perfect.” She flits around, applying my makeup, and when she’s done, I look like I have somewhere to go—kind of a waste if you ask me, but it does feel nice.
“Here, put this on,” Lexi insists, thrusting a bag at me. It’s from earlier when we were shopping.
“Are we going somewhere?” I ask, confused.
“We’re not, but you are.” Lexi winks. “Now go! We only have a few minutes. The heels are in the bag too.” Before I can do as she says, she pulls me into a hug. “Have a good time tonight.”
“Yes! Text us later,” Georgia says.
“Well, tomorrow,” Lexi adds with a laugh.
“You’re leaving?” I ask, separating from Lexi.
“Yeah, we’re going to head home,” Lexi says. “We have an apartment to find.” She winks and kisses my cheek. “Love you.”
“Love you both,” I say, pulling Georgia into a hug.
After we finish saying our goodbyes, I head into the bathroom to change. The halter dress in the bag isn’t one I’ve seen before. They must’ve snuck it in while we were shopping. It’s navy blue and short, showing off my legs. I slip on the black peep-toe heels and stuff the clothes I was wearing into the bag.
When I step out of the bathroom, I look around for my mom but don’t see her anywhere.
“They’re outside,” the receptionist says with a smile.
“Thank you.”
When I step outside, my gaze lands on the most gorgeous man standing in front of a stretch limo. Our eyes connect and he smiles wide, his two dimples popping out.
“You look fucking amazing,” he says, stepping forward.
“Look at you,” I say back, drinking him in. I thought he looked sexy last night in a button-down shirt, but that look has nothing on the suit he’s sporting right now. Black jacket and dress pants that look like they were tailored just for him. He’s wearing a metallic silver shirt underneath—no tie, with a few buttons undone. His shoes are shiny and black. He looks like he’s going to a…
“We’re not getting married, are we?” I blurt out.
Ryan throws his head back with a laugh. “No, babe. We’re not getting married. But we are going on our first official date.” He shoots me a flirty wink and takes my hand in his.
“Who has RJ?”
“He’s with your parents at their house.”
I slide into the limo and Ryan edges in after me. I notice a bottle of champagne sitting on ice and lift it. “Want some?” I waggle my brows.
He shakes his head. “No, but you should have some.”
I hand him the bottle so he can open it for me. He pops the top and pours me a glass. I take a sip and the bubbles go to my nose. I’ve never had champagne before. I assumed it would be sweet, but it’s kind of… bitter. I take a few more sips, then set my glass down.
Ryan leans in and runs his tongue along the seam of my lips, sending shivers down my spine and straight to the apex of my legs. “Mmm, you taste good,” he murmurs against my lips.
“You sure you don’t want any?”
“Nope, I’m enjoying tasting it on you.”
A few minutes later, we arrive in front of a well-known restaurant that I know costs a fortune to eat at. I mentioned last night when we walked by that I’ve always wanted to eat there.
“If this is where you’re taking me to eat on our first date, you’re setting the bar high,” I joke as we get out. “I mean, how in the world will you top this place for our second date?”
Ryan chuckles. “I’m sure I’ll figure it out.”
With his hand splayed across my lower back, he guides us to the elevator and up to the top floor, where a maître d’ is waiting. Ryan gives her his name and we’re immediately shown to our table, which is outside on a terrace.
“Wow, this view is gorgeous,” I say, looking down at the Strip.
“I’d have to agree,” Ryan says.
I look over at him and he’s staring at me. “You’re such a cheeseball,” I say playfully, rolling my eyes.
“Maybe, but it’s the truth. You look beautiful tonight.” He pulls out my chair for me and I sit, taking a sip of the water the waitress dropped off.
“Thank you for bringing me here,” I tell him, setting the water down. “You didn’t have to do all this.”
“I wanted tonight to be memorable,” he says. “You only get one first date.”
The waitress returns and reads off the drink specials. Since I had enough to drink last night, I stick with water, and Ryan does the same.
We both peruse the menu, and when the waitress returns and we both order the same thing—steak and scallops—we laugh.
“Is it weird that I’m missing RJ like crazy, even though I just saw him a little while ago?” I ask, when the waitress walks away.
“Am I that bad of company?” Ryan jokes, pouting dramatically.
“No!” I reach across the table and slap his arm. “I’m enjoying your company. I always do. But I feel like I haven’t seen him in a while. He spent the night at my mom’s last night and then I spent the day out without him today.” I shrug a shoulder, hoping I don’t sound like some crazy helicopter mom. “It’s just that… he’s a part of me, and when I’m not around him, it’s as if a piece of me is missing.”
Ryan smiles softly, moving his chair closer to me and taking my hand in his. “It’s because you have the biggest damn heart,�
�� he says, bringing my knuckles up to his lips. “And you’re an amazing mom.”
“He makes it easy,” I joke. “The real test will be when he’s a hormonal teenager, fighting us tooth and nail to be his own person. Sneaking out of the house to meet with his girlfriend or to go to parties…”
Ryan chuckles. “Is that what you were doing as a teenager?”
“Well, duh… weren’t you?”
He shakes his head. “I was in JROTC and spent my weekends at drill or robotic competitions.”
“You dated, though, right?” We haven’t touched on our past. I know he was married, even met her a couple times, but I don’t know much about him before our time at the beach house, except that he was overseas more than he was on U.S. soil.
“Laura and I hung out, but we were just friends. We met in science and sort of hit it off. I wasn’t much of a talker, so I didn’t really make friends easily, and she kind of attached herself to me. She didn’t mind that I was quiet. She just liked not being so alone.” His lips tilt into a shy smile.
“You talk to me.”
“Yeah, but I wasn’t outgoing. I wasn’t looking to party or get drunk. I loved MMA, which is why your dad and I are close. I would hang out there after school, or with Laura. I got by in school, but I knew from the moment I joined JROTC, I wanted to join the military. When I was in that class, I felt a sense of belonging. I excelled at it. I joined Raiders and the drill team, and it kept me busy.”
He entwines our fingers together, and my heart pumps quicker. I love when he touches me. “What about you? Book nerd or cheerleader?”
“Why does it have to be one or the other?”
“So, what, you were both?” He quirks a single brow.
“I was a straight-A student… and a cheerleader.”
“Ahh.” He nods, smirking. “So, you were smart and sexy in high school. I bet you were named homecoming queen, weren’t you?” He chuckles, but when I divert my eyes, his laughter rises. “You were, weren’t you?”
“Ian was a football player—the quarterback—and homecoming king.” I roll my eyes, feeling kind of embarrassed. “Kind of cliché, I guess.” Ryan spent his high school years preparing to join the military, to make our country better. I spent it shaking my pom-poms and sneaking out to hang out with my football star boyfriend.
“Hey,” he says, tucking a piece of stray hair behind my ear. “It’s not cliché.” He leans forward and presses his lips to mine. “I hope our son has your brains and personality. I hope he has plenty of friends and is involved in school like you were.”
My heart stutters in my chest at his praise. “I hope he’s protective and strong like you.”
“You’re strong too,” he says. “The way you moved forward after Ian died. That takes strength.”
“Well, you’re smart too,” I volley, making him smile. “Not anyone can get a degree in mechanical engineering.”
“No matter who he is, or what he does, we’ll be there for him… supporting him… together. Because, you’re right, he’s a part of both of us.”
I nod in agreement, a lump of guilt forming in my throat. “I really am sorry I didn’t tell you right away that I was pregnant. You could’ve missed out on his birth, his first couple weeks of life, if not months, and it would’ve been my fault.”
“I’ve already forgiven you,” he says, curling his fingers in the back of my hair and bringing my face toward his. “It was a weird situation and you made the decision you felt was best at the time. In the end, it all worked out.”
The waitress steps up to our table, setting our plates in front of us. After asking if we need anything else, she disappears. We eat our meal while making light conversation, including making plans to go to the beach house soon. When the food is gone, the waitress clears our plates and asks if we would like dessert. Before I can answer, Ryan orders us a chocolate cake to share.
“While we wait, I have something I would like to ask you,” he says.
When I give him my full attention, I notice he looks kind of… nervous. I’m about to ask him what’s wrong, when he slides off his chair and gets down on one knee.
“I might’ve been drunk last night when I asked you to marry me, but I wasn’t when I bought this ring,” he says, pulling a small, black box out of his jacket pocket. “I bought it shortly after you gave birth to RJ, but I’ve been waiting for the right time to ask. Obviously, last night, after I’d been drinking wasn’t the right time.” One side of his mouth tips into a boyish grin.
I release a nervous laugh as he opens the box and a beautiful diamond engagement ring glints in the light. One large square diamond sits in the center with several smaller diamonds forming an infinity on either side. It reminds me of the ring he gave me when he was overseas.
He plucks the ring out and sets the box on the table. “The first time I married I was young and didn’t understand what it fully meant to be married. I was helping out a friend. I don’t regret it because at the time, it was what we both needed. I loved her, but it was different than the way I love you. Until you, I didn’t know there were different kinds of love.” His indigo eyes meet mine. “I know when you married Ian it was supposed to be forever…”
I clutch my hands to my chest, willing myself not to cry.
“And if I could bring him back, I would. Just so you would never spend a single day being heartbroken.”
Tears well up in my eyes as I listen to his admission.
“But I can’t,” he continues. “And while I hate what happened to him, I’ll always be thankful, that through something so heartbreaking and tragic, you came into my life. Those two weeks on the beach with you changed everything for me. My heart had never felt so damn full.”
I can feel my broken heart heal. With every word he speaks, he’s slowly healing me. Piece by piece, word by word, he’s putting it back together.
“And then you did something I wasn’t expecting,” he says. “You gave me our son, and the love in my heart spilled over. I’m in love with you, Micaela, and all I want in this world is to spend my life with you. Will you marry me?”
I don’t have to think about it. Everything he said, I was thinking—feeling. There’s nothing I want more than to spend my life with Ryan. To be loved and cherished and adored by him.
“Yes,” I choke out. “Yes, I will marry you.”
The most breathtaking grin spreads across his face, as he pushes the ring onto the third finger on my left hand. Then he stands and takes me into his arms, lifting and twirling me in a circle, kissing me hard.
The waitress returns with our cake, but Ryan asks her to box it up, so we can eat it at home. I can see the glint in his eyes—he wants to celebrate our engagement in private, and I’m totally onboard with that.
We’re barely through the door of the limo before Ryan and I are attacking each other. I pull my dress up to my hips at the same time he unbuttons, unzips, and yanks his pants halfway down his muscular thighs. His dick juts out, swollen and ready. Neither of us wastes any time, guiding me onto his hard length.
“Jesus fuck,” he groans. “I can’t believe I get to spend the rest of my life buried deep inside you.” His mouth crashes against mine, devouring me as he fucks me from the bottom. His thumb massages my clit, giving it the perfect amount of pressure to set me off. We both come at nearly the same time, hard and fast, clinging to one another like we’re each other’s life lines.
When our breathing has calmed down, Ryan lifts me so I’m back on the bench. Taking a wet napkin, he wipes up my center so I’m not dripping with his cum. After he cleans himself up, he presses the intercom and tells the driver he can take us home. It’s then I remember where we are…
“It’s a privacy window,” Ryan says, answering the question I haven’t yet voiced. “He couldn’t hear anything.”
“Can we go get RJ?” I ask, looking up at him as I snuggle against his side.
“Damn, woman, so it’s like that, huh? You have your way with me and then throw m
e to the side?” He smirks playfully, and my insides warm.
“Yeah, it’s only eight thirty,” he says, glancing at his watch. “We can go get him. Are Lexi and Georgia spending the night?”
“No, they went home. I said bye to them before you picked me up.”
After the driver drops us off at our house, we go inside and change and then head over to my parents’ place to pick up RJ. My mom had texted he’s close to falling asleep but is still awake for the moment.
When we walk inside, my mom’s gaze goes straight to my left hand. “Let me see!” she gushes, grabbing my fingers and bringing them up in front of her face. “Oh, Ryan.” She sighs. “You did good.” I figured she knew what was going to go down since she’s the reason I was pampered today.
“Congratulations, Son,” Dad says, stepping into the room with RJ in his arms.
“Have you guys thought about when you want to get married?” Mom asks, hearts shining in her eyes. She’s not the biggest girly-girl, but she, like any woman, loves a good wedding, and since Ian and I got married on the whim, she’s probably hoping this one will be more traditional.
“As soon as possible,” Ryan says, sliding his arm around my shoulders and pulling me into his side.
“I was actually thinking a beach wedding. At the beach house where it all started. Maybe later this summer.” I glance up at Ryan, who nods and smiles.
“Whatever you want is fine with me.” He presses his lips to mine.
“That sounds perfect,” Mom says. “Think about the date and then we’ll get to planning.”
I take RJ from my dad, and after saying our goodbyes, we head home. I give him a bottle, then Ryan gives him a bath, while I take a quick shower. When I come out, RJ is fast asleep in his crib. Gently, I kiss him good night, then head out to the living room to join Ryan.
“I was thinking of the first weekend in August,” I tell him. “My brother and sister won’t be back in school yet, so they’ll be able to join us for a long weekend.”
Ryan pulls out his phone and scrolls through his calendar. His hands still, and his mouth contorts into a frown.
“What’s wrong?” I ask. “I know you said as soon as possible, but we’re going to need a couple months to get—”