“George probably never wants to hear from us or contact us ever again.”
When we finally arrive back in our little hometown, I see the old covered bridge in the distance and understand what Liv tried to explain to me before. We’re home where we belong. Where everyone knows us and will be thrilled to see we’re back together because they care about us. All we need is right here because we have each other.
Chapter 19
Olivia
We pull into the parking lot at Ryder’s condo to pick up Kiwi and enough of his belongings for him to move back into our home until we have time to pack everything. He’s ready to get Grady over here right now to list it for sale. I somehow convinced him to wait until tomorrow since we already have enough to do tonight.
Paula and Chris are snuggled on the couch watching television with Kiwi wedged between them when we walk in. This very scene is normal for Ryder and me on any given night, but seeing his parents treat our beloved bird as their grandchild makes me laugh. On the flight back from New York, Ryder talked about his parents moving back here with such affection, I knew he’d missed them more than even he realized. Having them here to help us throughout my pregnancy and after is a godsend.
They may have to teach my parents how to be grandparents.
“I see Kiwi has already taken control of the house and made sure she’s well-cared for while we were away. You two didn’t stand a chance, did you?” I approach them with my arms extended and hug them while they remain in their seats.
“She has bossed us around the entire time. She’s spoiled rotten.” Chris scratches her head as he speaks. The smile he’s wearing belies his gruff tone.
“No argument here.” Ryder wraps his arms around me from behind and rests his chin on my shoulder. “Kiwi definitely knows she’s loved.”
“It seems you two may have some news to share with us. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but something is different.” Paula puts her finger over her lips and playfully gives us the side-eye.
“We may have come to our senses and decided we’re better off together. Not that we’ve managed to stay apart for any length of time anyway.” When I lean my cheek against Ryder’s, Kiwi flaps her wings and lands on my shoulder.
“Look at her work her way between you two. No one gets affection if she’s not part of it.” Paula laughs and shakes her head. “Well, since you’re both home, I guess Chris and I can leave. We’re so happy to have you back, Liv. We love you.”
“I love you too, Mom, and I’ve missed you so much. Ryder said you and Dad are here to stay. Welcome home.”
We hug and kiss goodbye with promises to make up for lost time in the coming days. Ryder packs a suitcase while I collect Kiwi’s food and toys, then we continue on to our home. The awkwardness I was afraid would be between us is nowhere to be found. We easily move right back into our natural comfort zone with each other as we unpack his clothes and reset Kiwi’s bird haven to its original glory.
When we finally relax on the couch, Kiwi nestled safely between us, everything feels right in my world at last.
“Momma. Daddy. Kiwi. Home.”
“That’s right, sweet girl. We’re home—all of us, right where we belong.” Ryder nuzzles her as he links our fingers together. “We’re a family, and that’s all that matters.”
“Daddy. Treat.”
“You’re already had your treat for tonight.” Ryder shakes his head from side to side. Kiwi bobs her head up and down.
It’s a war of wills at this point. Who will win—the man or the bird?
“Daddy. Treat!” Her voice grows louder, and she spreads her wings.
“Fine. One more, but that’s all.” Ryder walks toward the kitchen as Kiwi ordered, and now we know who the boss around here is.
“You’re going to be the meanest daddy ever. I can already see it now.” He always gives in to Kiwi’s demands. He doesn’t stand a chance with our child.
“I will be a pillar of stone.” He flexes his muscles to emphasize his strength.
“Your body may be, but your heart is as soft as a down pillow. This baby will own you and we both know it.”
He pretends to be thoroughly offended for a moment before his smile breaks through. Then he shrugs his shoulders and lifts his hands with his palms up. “What can I say? There’s no use in even trying to deny that. You’ve owned me since the day we met, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
He returns with chopped vegetables for Kiwi and movie theater buttered popcorn for us. We’ve barely gotten into our movie choice for the night when our phones ping with messages. We look at each other and roll our eyes at the same time.
“The news is out. Everyone knows we’re back together now. We probably won’t even have to call George by morning. No one in town will be in the dark by then.” Ryder takes a swig of his beer and turns off his phone without bothering to look.
I’m not that strong. Not after the last big surprise that knocked the wind out of my sails.
When I raise my phone, I’m not surprised to see messages from Faith, but the texts from Mom, Dad, Jeannine, Annie, and Jasmine are all out of the ordinary. In fact, I’m pretty sure I’ve just entered into the twilight zone. Something major has hit the airwaves. As I scroll through the messages, a common theme immediately forms.
“Ry… they’re saying I’m on the national news channels again. Apparently, it’s all about the magazine gala night and the next night with the ad agencies. Entranced magazine caused a frenzy over my lingerie collection, and now celebrities are talking about my work. Mom and Dad want to invest in my business to help me scale up. I’m a little overwhelmed right now.”
“Breathe, babe, or you’re going to pass out on me. We knew this exposure would bring major changes to your business. That was the whole point, right? You’re no longer the boutique store on the corner. You’re becoming a major brand. That’s a good thing, love.” Ryder strokes my cheek with his fingertips. “You’ll go from small production orders to mass producing factories, but everything will be okay.”
“You’re way too calm about this. I feel like I need a paper bag to breathe into now.” I fan myself with my hands. “Is it hot in here? I think the heat is on.”
“The more your name is shared, the more businesses you’ll hear from because they’ll want a piece of the pie. I’m not worried about being inundated with orders. That’s a wonderful problem to have. We’ll face each step together though. But tonight, we’re celebrating something special, and the world doesn’t get to steal our time. We’ll get back to work tomorrow after we pick up your car from the airport.” He leans over to kiss me, effectively erasing all the concerns swirling in my mind.
“You’re the best man I know, Ryder. I love you.”
“I love you too, babe. Forever and ever.”
The last two weeks have been one crazy thrill ride after another. Social media influencers bought some of my products, riding on the coattails of the news clips, and gave them their own very thorough reviews of my work. This is exactly why I’ve hidden my identity behind a vague label name the entire time I’ve been in business. Most assessments were professional and supportive, but those handful who tore me apart with their harsh words were hard to take. I’m not allowed to defend myself or point out their obvious errors, so I’ve stopped reading reviews altogether.
It’s for the best because I don’t believe the glowing reviews and the negative ones hurt my creativity. I’ll continue making what I like the way I like it. If others agree, I’m thrilled. If not, it’s their prerogative to be wrong. Either way, I’ll remain blissfully unaware. The emails I’ve received from the sweet women who gush over how my work has helped them are what sustain me. Sometimes they have great suggestions for additions or improvements that I can use to modify existing products or include in future projects.
Today, Mom and I are virtually touring a larger apparel manufacturing facility and talking to the executives about existing and future demands. My current contact is t
oo overwhelmed to take on more orders. The larger scale and increase in projected volume also get us the bulk discount deals. This move may turn out to be even more lucrative than I ever anticipated. My initial panic morphed into excitement, and now that I’ve found my stride, I finally feel pride in being the woman behind the curtain.
I’m the brains and talent behind the scenes, and finally I can say that without boasting or feeling conceited. I’ve nurtured and developed my skills, watched market trends and tried to get ahead of them, and researched and contacted production companies to be successful. The final jumping off point was agreeing to the magazine article that put me on the large-scale map. This business has been my baby from day one.
Speaking of baby, Ryder made an appointment with an obstetrician in Billings for our first prenatal visit. We still haven’t told anyone here about the pregnancy. It feels so good—and sneaky—to keep this bundle of joy all to ourselves. I love the small-town atmosphere and the close ties we’ve made here, but the constant drama has always bothered me.
“Livvy, are you busy?” Ryder sticks his head in my office at home. “I wanted to run this by you, but I can come back later if I’m interrupting your creative flow.”
“No, my love, come in. You never disturb me. You’re pure inspiration for my designs.” He plants a long, luscious kiss on me before pulling up a chair beside me.
“What do you think of this place? It’s just outside of Mason Creek, heading toward Billings, but still close enough that we’d still be considered residents.” He places the printed information about the house and fifty acres on my desk.
“It’s gorgeous, Ry. I love the craftsman’s design of the house. Look at that gorgeous barn. There’s plenty of space to make it the wedding venue. Can we put an offer on it before someone else gets it?”
“I’ll call Grady and start the arrangements right now. Then I’m going to Mom and Dad’s to talk about selling the store back to them. They settled on buying a house and Mom has already found the one she wants. She thinks having the business back will ensure Dad stays put. Do you need anything before I leave?” He moves the chair back and waits in the doorway for my answer.
“No, thank you for asking though. I’m calling Miranda to get more information about her upcoming nuptials and ask if she’s interested in being our guinea pig for the full-service package. Then Mom and I have the video conference with the manufacturer. I have plenty to keep me busy today.”
“All right. I’ll bring dinner back from Wren’s Café, so don’t bother cooking.” He disappears for a second then sticks his head back in. “Oh, and I’ve already fed Kiwi and gave her some snacks today, so don’t let her fool you into feeding her again.”
“Too late. I already fed her when you were in the shower, so she made you feel sorry for her and got extra food. We need to work out a system before she gets too fat to fit through the cage door.”
He leaves on an exaggerated groan and an eye roll. Typical day, but I wouldn’t change it for anything. While I have a free minute, I locate Miranda’s number and wait the couple of rings for her to answer.
“Hi, Miranda. How’s my favorite bride-to-be?”
“Hi, Liv. I’m fine. How are you, famous lady? I’m surprised you’re calling me, a lowly worker-bee from nowhere.” Miranda’s teasing tone and light chuckle at the end lets me know she’s playing.
“You know, I almost had my assistant’s assistant call you to say I didn’t have time for you, but that felt a tad pretentious. I realized I need to stay connected to the little people, so I cleared my calendar just for you.” We laugh together before I return the focus to business. “Are you eyeball deep in wedding planning?”
“Yes, I am, Liv, and I’m so overwhelmed and out of my depth, it’s pathetic. All I wanted was to go to the courthouse and be done with it. But my fiancé won’t have that for his bride. He wants the seven-course meal and swans gliding in the swimming pool while the full symphony orchestra plays the wedding march. I suppose this is other women’s fantasy wedding, but it’s not mine. It’s causing me more stress than happiness.”
I believe her. I can hear the stress in her voice, and it makes me cringe on her behalf.
“When is the big day? Have you set the date yet?”
“That’s the other problem. We’re already at the beginning of autumn. He wants a Christmas wedding… in Montana. We’ll freeze our asses off.” She sighs heavily into the phone. “I’m sorry to put all this whining and complaining on you. I’m just stressed and frustrated.”
“Now I feel like an opportunistic asshole for saying this, but I can tell you need help. The reason I’m calling is because my husband and I are starting a new business here, and we wanted to offer you first dibs on being our guinea pig. We’re starting a full-service wedding planning business. Ryder even has plans to turn one of the existing buildings into a chapel on some property we’re looking at this week. What do you think?”
“I think hell yeah, Liv. You’d arrange the kind of ceremony I’d rather have anyway. Can I blame you when he asks why the angelic choir didn’t descend from heaven to sing our praises?”
“You can absolutely blame me. I’m very well-versed in apologizing without ever taking full responsibility for someone else’s ridiculous demands. If you want a Christmas wedding, we can push for an expedited construction to make sure everything is perfect for you. I’ll call Ryder as soon as we hang up and tell him to get busy.”
“You’re so lucky, Liv. Ryder loves you more than life itself.” Her tone turns forlorn on a dime. Is this part of her being stressed or is something else going on?
“Miranda, are you okay? You don’t sound like yourself.”
“Yeah. No. It’s nothing. Don’t listen to me. I get a little crazy when I’m this stressed. With you and Ryder taking the planning pressure off me, I’ll be able to breathe again.”
“Mir, I don’t mean to pry, but if you change your mind about getting married, you won’t hurt my feelings. I want you to be happy, so if this guy isn’t for you, I’ll support your decision to back out all the way.”
“Thanks, Liv. Your support means a lot to me. But I don’t have any doubts about him. Listen, I have to go now, but call me later so we can finish talking about your new business and what else you need from me.” She disconnects, leaving me confused regarding my next steps.
Mom walks in a few minutes later, and we spend the next hour preparing our questions before the big meeting. As we talk, brief glimpses of old memories flash in my mind. They’re of Mom and me spending time together when I was young. There was a time when I felt her love, felt important to her, and wanted to be with her.
Time stole those memories from me when we grew apart and new memories pushed them out of the way. Now that we’ve reconnected and are both actively working on improving our relationship, I can relax and enjoy spending time with her again. It feels good to have her advice and business acumen to help guide me. We settle into a comfortable groove and tackle the latest challenge together.
Ryder walks in at the end of our meeting, all smiles and cocky demeanor. “That sounded promising. I’m impressed with both of you ladies. Think you can takeover negotiations for moving into our new house now?”
“We got it? Already?”
“Our offer was accepted within hours of Grady submitting it. Now to sell our two places and move all our belongings. No big deal, right?”
After Mom leaves, Ryder and I decide to go out for a celebratory dinner. Getting the new house with enough land to expand our Mason Creek wedding services was unexpected this soon, but most everything else that’s happened to us lately has been the same unexpected whirlwind. One thing the last year has taught us both is to be flexible and adapt to the changes. Our Italian dinner hit the spot, and we opted to enjoy the crisp fall night air by dancing a little at our favorite pub.
When we walk into Pony Up, Faith, Charlee, and Justine are standing at the bar, waiting for their orders. Faith turns and takes a long, hard look
at me. Her eyes bug out and her mouth gapes open. Just as Tucker takes a break from singing and the music stops, Faith finds her voice.
And it’s uncharacteristically loud.
“Oh my God, Olivia Anderson-King. You’re pregnant and you didn’t tell me?”
Chapter 20
Ryder
Between prenatal visits, selling two properties, moving into our new house, and turning the barn into a posh five-star chapel, the last three months have flown by in a blur. Liv is approaching her fifth month of pregnancy, and every day I marvel at the growing swell of her belly.
We wanted to keep our news a secret until now that she’s showing, but her best friend took one look at her and knew instantly. With our secret suddenly out in the open, there was no point in trying to deny it. Faith said Liv had a certain glow that only happens to insanely happy pregnant women. She recognized it from when she found out she was carrying her daughter, Hope.
Immediately after Faith so eloquently announced it to everyone in Pony Up, I texted Grayson to give him the good news before he heard it from someone else. I barely made it. Had he not read my text first, I would’ve been on my best friend’s shit list for a day or two.
Over the last few months, he’s been a huge help with cleaning out and remodeling the barn with me. We’ve managed to keep its original beauty and add all the amenities that set it apart from anything else in the area. After working day and night, we’re almost ready to host our first client’s wedding day.
“Ry, I’ve gone over and over this checklist for Miranda’s wedding. What am I missing?” Liv hands me the printed list then sits on my lap as I look over it.
“Babe, I don’t see anything missing. You’ve covered all the bases. Even her very specific catering order has been reconfirmed. We are right on track and good to go for her big day. I think it’s so cool she chose a wedding dress that resembles an all-white Mrs. Claus dress.” I leave the paper on my desk and pull her closer to me.
Perfect Excuse (Mason Creek Book 11) Page 16