The first thing that Ryder’s mother said to me was, “I wish we had met at more fortunate circumstances, Astrid. But I am glad to finally meet the most important woman in my son’s life.”
They have been nothing but nice to me. And their calmer reaction towards Ryder’s accident gave me a little strength that Ryder would survive this.
A man arrived at the waiting room.
“All those bastards are in jail now.” He said to Helen. “And I will make sure they stay there.”
I knew he was talking about the drunk teenage kids who hit Ryder. They were over-speeding and they almost totaled Ryder’s Cayenne. The only things that saved him were the car’s safety features. But still, he suffered from severe head trauma and a couple of broken bones.
I was looking down and didn’t notice that Mr. Van Woodsen was looking at me.
“And who is this beautiful young woman?” He asked.
I stared up at him and thought I saw a ghost… only an older version of it. He has raven black hair and his piercing green eyes were similar to Ryder’s.
“Before you get any ideas, Richard, I have to inform you that this beautiful girl already belongs to your son.” Helen said matter-of-factly. And then she turned to me. “Sweetheart, this is Richard, Ryder’s father.” She leaned closer to me and in a lower voice she said. “Don’t worry. Ryder is nothing like him.” Then she turned to the man. “Richard, this is Astrid, your son’s fiancée.”
I stared back at Ryder’s mother. “I’m sorry, Ma’am… I’m not his fiancée.” I corrected her.
She stared at me and smiled. “I think you will be… once the doctors get him fixed.” She reached out and squeezed my hand.
I looked at Ryder’s father and extended my hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Van Woodsen.”
He shook my hand. “It’s nice to meet the woman who finally captured my son’s heart. For a while I thought he would be like his mother. Cold and incapable of falling in love.”
“I think my son is better off that way. Unlike you who falls in love with anything that wears a skirt.” Helen retorted haughtily.
Clearly, even though Ryder’s parents manage to be in the same room with each other, they both still have a lot of unresolved issues.
“Mom, Dad…” Paris interrupted. “If you keep on with the bickering, Astrid would probably turn down Ryder just so she wouldn’t be part of this family.”
As if realizing the way that they were behaving, Ryder’s mom smiled at me apologetically and Mr. Van Woodsen said, “I’m sorry, Astrid. I guess it’s too early for you to witness that.”
I forced a smile.
Paris took my arm and said, “Come, Astrid. I’m starving. You look like you need chocolate to cheer you up.”
I was quiet all the way to the cafeteria. Paris ordered coffee for both of us and devil’s chocolate cake. When I sat on the table opposite her, she was eyeing me wearily.
“I’m sorry.” I said. “I can’t help worrying.”
She smiled. How could she be so calm?
“Ryder will get through this.” She said.
“I really hope you’re right.” I stared back at her. She looked so much like Ryder but she looked every bit feminine and beautiful. Her hair is perfectly tied in a pony. Her long delicate fingers ended with perfectly trimmed short nails. Her skin was creamy and flawless. She was every bit a princess with her calm demeanor, bright eyes and haughty smile.
“My brother loves you, you know.” She said.
I nodded. “I love him too.” Then tears brimmed my eyes again. “God, I wish I could say that to him again.”
“You will.” She said encouragingly. “He’s a fighter. He won’t give you up so easily. Well… you know that by now, right?”
I nodded. I know that. Ryder spent months waiting for me to realize that he’s the right one for me. I only realized that two days ago. And two days is just too damn short for me to show him that I was worth the wait. I pray that I have more time with him. And I would make up for all the months I resisted falling in love with him.
“I was so excited to meet you.” Paris said. “I thought my brother cared for nothing but our businesses and his own. But when he gave me Oil Rig Manhattan, I knew something was up. And then I realized it was you. He was ready to settle down and spend down time with the girl of his dreams.”
“How do you know I was the girl of his dreams?”
“Because you made him fall in love.” She replied. “And he seemed so incapable of doing that. He wanted a woman who would like him even if he wasn’t who he was.”
“The fact that he is Ryder Van Woodsen made me think twice or thrice about falling for him.” I said. “I didn’t want a complicated relationship.”
“But he’s so much worth it, sweetheart.” Paris said. “Ryder is probably the sweetest guy I know. He just doesn’t show it.”
I smiled bitterly. “He showed me all the time. I was too stubborn to appreciate it. And then… two days ago, I gave in. I gave up fighting what I feel for him. I thought I’d take a risk. Because he was worth it. And now…” Tears rolled down my cheeks. “This can’t be over!”
“Ssshhh…” Paris reached out and squeezed my hand. “A love story as beautiful as yours couldn’t be over too soon, Astrid. You have so much more to go through together. You both deserve to be happy with each other.”
Just then, her phone rang. It was her mother. My heart pounded in my ribcage.
God! Please!
Paris hung up and she stared at me. She smiled slowly. “Surgery is done.” She said. “The doctors said he is stable but still unconscious.”
Relief washed through me. Tears streamed down my cheeks. I stood up and hugged Paris.
“See? I told you, your love story isn’t over yet.” She said as she hugged me back.
***
I stayed with Paris in Ryder’s apartment. In the mornings, I relentlessly stayed on Ryder’s side, waiting for him to open his eyes. His vitals are stable but we cannot be sure he is out of danger until he opens his eyes.
He has a broken wrist and a couple of broken ribs. His major injury is in his head. And that worries everybody the most.
Then finally, he opened his eyes. I hugged Janis in relief when we first heard him speak.
“Come on, guys.” He said to them. “I’m slightly tougher than you give me credit for.”
Then he whispered everybody’s name as he looked at us one by one. We were all laughing and crying at the same time. It was such a relief for us to see him get through a terrible accident.
Then finally, his eyes landed on me. I smiled at him with all the love I have in my heart.
A glitter lit in his eyes for a moment and then it died. He narrowed his eyes and continued staring at me.
Finally, he opened his mouth and asked, “Who the hell are you?”
Everybody in the room gasped, including myself.
“Ry… Ryder… you’re kidding, right?” I whispered.
He raised a brow and stared at me haughtily. Then he stared at his father. “Dad, I told you I don’t want a female secretary! We discussed this. The last thing I want is for one of our female employees to get too close to me and dream she could get her hands on me…”
“Ryder Anthony Van Woodsen!” His mother’s voice boomed in the room getting everybody’s attention, including Ryder. “I didn’t raise you to act so ungentlemanly towards a woman… especially if she is your girlfriend.”
Ryder blinked back at his mother. “Girlfriend? The last time I checked, I was very… very single.”
I lost my breath. How could this be?
“Wait…” Paris said. “You don’t remember Astrid?”
“Is that her name?” Ryder asked. He looked back at me curiously. “I’m pretty sure I would remember having a girlfriend. But I don’t. Sorry, sweetheart. Nice try, though.” And he turned away from me.
My heart felt like it just shattered to pieces. How could he act like this towards me?
; Jake came back with the doctor. We were asked to leave the room. Jake put an arm around my shoulder and escorted me outside the room.
“What’s wrong with him, Jake?” I asked.
“I have a suspicion. But we need tests to confirm this.” He said. He squeezed my shoulder. “Ryder loves you, Ash. Trust me. I’ve known him since we were kids. No matter what happens, I want you to keep remembering that, okay?”
Then he went back into Ryder’s room.
Tears streamed down my face. Paris and Janis both hugged me.
“It will be okay.” Janis said.
I took a deep breath and hugged them back. “But at least, he’s conscious now, right?”
Even if he was acting weird like he doesn’t know me, I am sincerely glad that he made it out of this accident alive.
We waited for a whole six hours. We were asked not to see Ryder while the tests are being done. Even Jake didn’t want to say anything to us. The waiting is killing me. I’m relieved that Ryder will make it. But I’m so scared of the way he acted towards me when he woke up.
It was three in the morning when finally Jake came to the waiting room. He looked tired. But I could see that he didn’t look devastated, and somehow that was comforting enough for me.
“He’s stable.” He said and everybody breathed in a sigh of relief. Then Jake took a deep breath and said, “But… he’s suffering from retrograde amnesia.”
“What?” Mr. Van Woodsen echoed.
“It’s a form of amnesia, where the patient loses some of his memories. But it could be temporary. It could heal by itself eventually.”
“When?”
Jake shrugged. “We can’t tell.”
“What could be done?” Ryder’s Mom asked.
Jake shook his head. “Nothing much. Some therapies could help. But other than that, we just wait it out.”
“How… how much of his memories did he lose?” I asked in a weak voice.
Jake had a hard expression on his face when he looked at me. I could immediately tell it was not good news for me. He didn’t answer.
“How much?” I repeated my question.
“A year, Astrid.”
I gasped. A year. No wonder he doesn’t remember me.
An arm came around me. I realized it was Paris’s. She gave me an encouraging squeeze. When I stared up at her, tears were brimming my eyes.
Paris promised that Ryder would come back for me. He did come back, alright. But not for me. He doesn’t even know me.
“Could we… see him?” Janis asked.
Jake stared at me for a while. Then he said, “It’s not a good idea for Astrid to see him yet. He’s not ready for you, honey. We have to take this slowly.”
I whimpered. When I squeezed my eyes shut, tears slid down my cheeks. But I totally understand what Jake was saying. We all have to do our parts in getting Ryder through this. And right now, my part is… to stay away.
“I… I understand.” I whispered.
“It’s already late, child. You haven’t had enough sleep. You could rest. I will ask the driver to take you back to Ryder’s apartment.”
I didn’t argue. I nodded and gave Helen a weak smile. Then I looked at Jake. “When could I see him?”
“I will see how he improves in a couple of days.” He replied.
I fought the tears and kept a calm façade in front of Ryder’s family and friends. The last thing they need is to see me devastated. They deserve to be happy that at least Ryder is out of danger now. That he will live through this.
But once I got inside the limousine that Helen sent for me, I broke down and cried my heart out.
Chapter Twenty-Five
VELLUM:
A thin, transparent or semi-transparent type of paper the effect of which resembles a frosted glass, commonly used in wedding invitations.
Ryder.
When I woke up at the hospital, my first thought was that I was late for my meeting in Malibu. I just opened Oil Rig and will soon open another bar, Rig Style.
When I opened my eyes, my family and friends were staring back at me curiously, all with tears in their eyes.
That’s when I realized that something must have happened to me. Judging from the throbbing pain I feel in my head, the fact that I could barely move my body due the tight bandages wrapped around me in the rib area, I guessed that I was in a car accident.
Damn! I wonder which of my cars I have to say goodbye to. I hope it’s not my McLaren. I just bought it a month ago and the price was not sweet at all. I would hate to say goodbye to it so soon.
When I spoke, I told a joke and everybody around me laughed in relief. I called each of them by name. Then, my eyes landed on an unfamiliar face.
Strawberry blonde hair. Exotic, mesmerizing eyes. Legs that seem to go forever. Curves that all seem to be at the right places.
Who is she? What is she doing here with my family, looking torn and relieved at the same time?
In spite of myself, my heart hammered inside my ribcage and my pulse doubled its pace. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. She was… enchanting. Beautiful. I studied her further. Her skin was flawless and creamy. Her eyelashes were long and even though she has circles around her eyes that seem to say that she hasn’t slept in days, she still looked mesmerizing.
It took me a moment to realize that I was actually dazzled by her. I, Ryder Van Woodsen, cold and proud of being fully in control of my testosterone levels to prevent a woman from having power over me, am experiencing intense waves of desire for a woman I haven’t seen before in my life.
She looked at me with hopeful, teary eyes.
What? Is she expecting me to know her name?
Is she one of Paris’s friends? Or maybe Janis’s. I thought I didn’t die. But how come I see an angel before me? I don’t know her. But damn! I’m interested. I would definitely get to know her.
Her perfect lips were quivering, as if the suspense is killing her. She was expecting something from me. What is it?
Actually, she wasn’t the only one expecting me to say something to her. Everybody in the room fell quiet, looking at me, waiting for me to say something… to this woman.
Well, right now, there’s a hundred things I would like to say to her. But I would rather say them when we’re alone… hopefully with a bed nearby. My mother would be scandalized if she knew my exact thoughts about their guest right now.
I opened my mouth, and the first thing that came out was, “Who the hell are you?”
Everybody gasped. And she looked devastated. Soon, I learned that her name was Astrid. And apparently, she introduced herself to my family as my girlfriend.
Damn! What does she think of me? Or my family? We weren’t the Van Woodsens if we were a bunch of morons.
Nice try! The little chit thought she could cheat her way into my world. Where did she come from? How did she even know me? I was certain I haven’t seen her before. I would have remembered.
I gave her one last look before they were all shoved outside the room. She was in shock, as if she didn’t know what hit her. Funny because I thought I was the one who got into an accident.
For hours they ran their tests. My mind was floating. I was barely aware of the questions they asked me, which I answered absent-mindedly. About eighty percent of my consciousness now is focused on the bombshell waiting outside with my family.
Why did she introduce herself as my girlfriend? Did she plot the whole thing, and thought I wouldn’t wake up to call on her bluff? I wouldn’t be surprised if her next trick included telling my family I got her knocked up. Gold-diggers these days are getting more and more creative. But this one… she looked so naïve, so innocent.
Ten bucks say she won’t come back to see me again. She had been discovered. She would probably slip away slowly because the minute my father realized she was lying about being my girlfriend, he would call the police on her.
Such a shame. She was so… beautiful. And just the mere thought of her had me reeling with desire.
Damn! Something must be seriously wrong with me. A potential crook or mercenary has gotten her hands into my family and all I could think about was getting under the sheets with her.
Finally, they finished the tests. The doctor was explaining to me and Jake some retrograde shit. I couldn’t care less. As long as I’m strong enough to stand up, I would be out of this place in no time.
Knight in Shining Suit: Get Up. Get Even. Get a better man. Page 35