by Laney Smith
As Ryan approached his new driveway, his smile only widened. The gate at the end of the driveway was wrought iron, though his was designed to look like a garden gate. There was an arbor that bowed over the gateway. He could visualize climbing roses or honeysuckle – maybe wisteria. Tempting as it was to call a landscaping company to put that touch on the entry, he knew it would be more fun to see what Corlay did with that. He hurried up the driveway, trying to wipe out his familiarity with the home. He wanted to try to see it for the first time, the same way Corlay would see it.
While the flowerbeds around the house had been roughed in, there were no flowers. He imagined Corlay’s excitement at the thought of getting to fill those however she wanted. The gray cobblestone steps leading to the front door were a nice country touch. They matched the stone that wrapped around the bottom half of the home. He had been wrong about the green paint, however. He fought the builder on that color selection, several times. However, when the builder researched Mae Wilson’s home, the color was a match for the happy home from Corlay’s childhood. Looking at it now, he was happy the builder convinced him to keep things “familiar.”
While there were no exact floorplans for Mae’s old cottage, and considering the place had been torn down to accommodate a gas station, the builder had no way to duplicate the interior. Ryan was happy about that. Mae’s home was on record as being a two-bedroom home – a total of eleven hundred square feet. Ryan was willing to compromise to a degree. While he could admit that he didn’t need ten-thousand square feet, he wasn’t willing to live his life in eleven hundred square feet. So, the replica was almost four times the size of Mae’s home. There was enough similarity on the outside that Ryan hoped it would inspire happiness as soon as Corlay saw it. However, it was not his intention to duplicate the interior, since that was not possible, so why try to “get close?” The architect had done a great job of designing a home that would be a perfect compromise. There was space and room to grow, without being overwhelming, cold, or empty. Ryan sat in front of the house, staring at the warm glow coming through the windows in the double doors. He could almost visualize Nathan springing off the porch, wanting Ryan to catch him. He couldn’t help but picture Corlay in that red dress, coming out of the house to greet him. He couldn’t wait for the day he would walk through those doors and be “home” with his family.
After a few moments of visualizing, fantasizing, and dreaming, Ryan backed away from the house and followed the driveway back to the road. Time had gotten away from him. It was getting late – too late to go get Nathan riled up. Maybe that was a good thing. Ryan missed them. He wanted to be with them. His excitement was overwhelming. He knew where his mind was and he had no doubts. However, sleeping on an idea was never a bad idea.
~FORTY-THREE~
It was four o’clock in the morning and Ryan had tossed and turned to the point that his body ached, feeling battered and bruised. His parents were sleeping. Rick was sleeping. Ryan was wide awake, unable to quiet his rambling thoughts. Finally, he couldn’t stand it, anymore. Overwhelmed with excitement and happiness, Ryan had to hear the words come out of his mouth.
He got out of bed and went to Rick’s room. He pushed the door open and flipped on Rick’s light. His brother jolted out of his slumber, mid-snore.
“I’m getting married,” Ryan said.
“Now?” Rick asked, trying to blink the sleep out of his eyes, still stunned from the bright light.
“No,” Ryan chuckled. “But, I want to marry her. I have to talk to Nathan, first, obviously. But, that’s where I’m at.”
“Could this wait until normal business hours?” Rick griped. “What time is it?”
“Don’t ask. You don’t want to know. Wanna go for a walk?”
“No, Ryan. No! I don’t want to go for fucking walk. I want you to turn the fucking light off and leave me the fuck alone.” Rick glared at his brother for a moment before his facial expression softened. “A walk? Right now?”
Ryan shrugged. “I gotta talk to somebody.”
****
After the early morning stroll with his brother, Ryan only felt more confident in his decision. The sun had just started to splash a hint of light across the darkness. Rick congratulated his brother. After he was awake enough to function, Rick was thankful that Ryan had included him in such a big, happy moment and that Sasha’s efforts to put a wedge between them had failed.
There was a lot to do. Ryan had to catch up with David to do the final walk-through of the house. He was ready to have the keys to his home. He was ready for Corlay to see it. He had to talk to Nathan and ask his permission to marry Corlay. He wasn’t worried about that. He was just ready to get things moving toward the rest of his life. He had spent enough time, feeling adrift. Now, he was ready for this new evolution.
After Ryan showered and shared breakfast with his family – along with confessing his intentions, his parents practically threw him out of the house. It filled his heart with even more happiness to see that his mother was excited that Corlay and Nathan would officially be family. His mother only had one concern.
“Does she want more kids?” Frannie cautiously asked.
“I hope so,” he proudly smiled.
“I don’t!”
“Why not?” Ryan demanded, taken aback by her change of heart.
“Well, if you’re unable to give her more children, she may want to keep her options open.”
Ryan scowled, shaking his head. “What in the world are you . . . Oh,” he grinned, drawing the word out as he tugged at his earlobe. “Uh, yeah, um . . . about that . . .”
Once he set things right with his mother, he set out for Corlay’s house. Though he had blazed that trail a number of times, this trip seemed to take twice as long as normal. To help pass the time, he called David and left a voicemail to schedule a time to meet at the house.
When he finally stopped in front of Corlay’s house, she stood in the window, absently staring into space. There was a thoughtful look on her face as she cradled a coffee cup in both of her hands. As she lifted the cup to her mouth, her eyes shifted in Ryan’s direction. The smile that overpowered her otherwise blank expression touched his heart. He walked around to the passenger side of his car, leaning against the side, crossing his arms over his chest as he stared in the window at her. She pinned her lower lip between her teeth as she flipped her hand out, silently asking, “What?”
His eyes locked on hers and he subtly shook his head, enamored with her beauty. He blew her a kiss – not in a playful way – but in a “I just can’t wait,” kind of way. She stepped away from the window and a few seconds later, the front door opened and she stepped out.
“What are you doing?” she asked in a loud whisper. “Are you coming inside?”
“I love you,” he responded.
Her smile widened as she stepped off the steps, closing the gap between them.
“I love you, too. What are you doing out here?”
There was a sultry depth in his eyes when she got closer. He put his palms against her face, slowly closing his eyes as he pressed his lips to hers. He could taste the sweetness of her coffee. Somehow, that only made the kiss that much better. He smiled as his eyes slowly opened to look at her. His eyes scanned her face as though he was recording every centimeter.
“Are you OK?” she asked from beneath a soft laugh as she tried to capture his gaze.
He slowly blinked as he nodded, pressing his lips together. “I’m really, really in love with you,” he said as he swallowed the lump in his throat.
“You look tired,” she said as she lifted her hand, gently brushing her fingers over his eye.
“I can’t sleep,” he said as his head dropped, swaying from side-to-side. “Where’s my buddy?”
“He’s sleeping.”
Ryan smiled and his eyes perked up. “Did he have a good night?”
“As far as I know.”
“I miss him. I’m thinking, maybe if you don’t mind, I’d kind of li
ke to have some guy time with him, today. I think we’ll go play some baseball.”
“Oh,” Corlay said, looking disappointed.
Ryan smiled as he leaned toward her, kissing her forehead. “Don’t look at me like that,” he softly said. “Please.”
“I was hoping we could all spend time together, that’s all.”
“You have work to do, Miss Green Thumb. Don’t you have a grand opening coming up?” he teased.
“You’re right,” she sighed. “I’m excited. I’m ready for this. I’m just having a hard time focusing,” she confessed. “I like spending time with you.”
“Sorry, Sweetheart!” he said with a sexy smile. “I’ve got big plans to be a kept man. I need a successful woman to make that happen.”
“You’re making fun of me. I am going to be successful, I hope you know.”
“I know,” he confidently offered. “I really do believe in you. I just realize I need to give you the space and opportunity to do that. So, today, I’m taking Nathan and we’re going to go have some fun.”
~FORTY-FOUR~
When Ryan and Nathan left for the baseball field, Ryan glanced over at the little boy in the seat beside him. For a second, it was a kick to the chest. Nathan still strained to look out the window. However, it was obvious the child had experienced a growth spurt.
“You’re getting pretty tall,” Ryan said.
“I know.”
“I’m going to have to put bricks on your head. My little buddy is going to be a big buddy if you keep going.”
“Hey, Dad, when you get a new car, do you think you could let me have this one?”
Ryan heaved a laugh. “No, sir! This car is too much power for a young man. But, since you brought it up, I’ve been thinking it might be time to go shopping for a new car. Do you think you could help me figure out what I want?”
“Maybe you could get a mogorcycle.”
Ryan scrunched his nose and shook his head. “Nah! I need a place for you and your mom to sit. If I got a motorcycle, where would I put you?”
“Well, if my mom stayed home, it could just be you and me. I could ride on the mogorcycle with you.”
“We’ll think about that. Maybe we could do something like that, too. But, I don’t want to leave your mom at home, all the time. I like spending time with both of you, remember?”
“Yep! And, anyway, girls are too scaredy to ride a mogorcycle.”
“So, Nate, I kind of wanted to talk to you about something really important. Is this a good time?” Ryan asked, smiling as he winked at his passenger.
“Of course, silly. I’m not too, too busy.”
“Oh, good! OK!” Ryan paused, breathing a sigh as his eyes shifted from the road to Nathan and back again. “You know that your mom is my girlfriend, right?”
“Yeah,” Nathan said, dragging the word out.
“Remember how I told you that sometimes, guys have a girlfriend for a while to see if they like her. Then, if they really like her a lot, sometimes, they want to marry her?”
Nathan covered his mouth as he giggled. “Are you going to marry my mom?”
Ryan paused for a minute, pressing his lips together as he fought a smile. “Is that a bad idea?”
“Let’s say this,” the boy said as he shifted his body in his seat to get a better look at Ryan. He drove the edge of his hand against the palm of his other hand as he spoke. “You’re a baseball player who lost the World Series. Everyone was really frustinated with you because you should have got Holmes out. I would’ve got him out. But, you said it was an accident. Was it really an accident? No! Because you were giving a lot of your money to make even more money? And, for what? You can have money to the sky, if you want too.”
Ryan nodded his head, confusion on his face as he tried to follow along. “That missed catch really was an accident, Nate. I wasn’t betting on that game.”
“You promise that is the truth?”
“I promise,” Ryan replied.
Nathan nodded his head and stared at the sky, through the windshield, carefully contemplating. The boy sat in silence for a few moments. He shifted his attention to Ryan, again.
“Do you love my mom? I mean, like really, really love her?” he asked as his lower lip quivered.
Again, Ryan nodded. “I really do, Buddy. I really love you and I really love her.”
“You want to get married with my mom? You’re sure?”
Ryan confidently nodded. “I’m sure.”
Nathan breathed a heavy sigh and stared at the sky, again. He threw his hands up and with a disgusted tone, he said, “You know she’s going to ask you to be the dad when her food turns to a baby, right?”
“I’m already a dad. You asked me to be a dad.”
“If she asks you to be a dad, will I still be your kid, too?”
Ryan smiled as he looked at Nathan. “You will always be my kid. We’ve been through a lot together.”
Again, Nathan’s lip quivered as tears flooded his eyes. He stared up at Ryan. “I really, really love her a lot, too. I don’t want a divorce. You better not make any accidents because if you make her sad, I will forgive you for not catching that ball. But, I will never forgive you if you make my mom sad like my bad dad did.” Nathan busted out crying. “I really don’t want to hate you, Ryan Priest.”
Ryan felt a tear slide down his cheek as he ripped the car over to the side of the road. He leaned over, wrapping his arms around Nathan as best he could. It took a few moments before he could regain his composure. Eventually, he choked down the knot in his throat.
“I will do my best to never make her sad. But, I can promise you, I don’t want a divorce, either. I really don’t want you to hate me. You’re my best friend and I like it that way. I want to make you both happy.”
Nathan dragged the heel of his hand down his cheek, wiping his tears away. “I love you very much. You’re the best dad. But, she is the very best mom. If you’re really, really sure you really, really love her and you won’t love any other girls, then you can marry her. But, you really have to mean it if you tell her you want to get married with her.”
Ryan slowly blinked as he nodded. “I really do mean it. I promise.”
Nathan breathed a sigh, staring at the toe of his shoes. He turned his hands palm side up as he sniffled. “OK, but just don’t let her eat too much for a long time, OK? I think we just have to have one kid for now.”
Ryan chuckled as he massaged his forehead. “I’ll see what I can do.”
“So, Dad, when are you getting married with my mom?”
“I don’t know. I guess we’ll have to see what she says about that. I haven’t asked her, yet. You’re my best friend. I wanted to talk to you about this, first.”
Nathan smiled, his eyes sparkling from behind his wet eyelashes. “You always do that. You always say good stuff.”
Ryan proudly smiled. “I might need your help with one other thing,” Ryan said, narrowing his eyes. “I need help finding a ring to give her.”
“OK. Can I buy her a ring, too? Not a wedding kind of ring. Just a reg’lar kind of ring.”
Ryan nodded. “I think that would be really nice.”
“OK, then,” Nathan sighed. “I guess I can help you get married with her.”
~FORTY-FIVE~
At the end of the day, when Ryan and Nathan returned to Corlay’s house, Ryan followed the boy inside. Corlay was in the kitchen, getting ready to start making dinner. Ryan stopped, clutching his chest as he stared at her, his mouth hanging open.
“That dress,” he breathed.
She smiled, dancing her way toward him. “I wasn’t sure when you’d be back. I thought I had more time. I wanted to have dinner ready.”
“Mom, we’ve been very busy doing some special stuff,” Nathan smiled.
Ryan couldn’t take his eyes off Corlay as she sauntered closer to him. She stretched up, looping her arms around his neck. She smelled like hyacinth flowers. Her make-up was flawless. Her hair was curled.
Yet, the beauty he saw had nothing to do with her extra efforts. It was the fact that she had done this for him. As their lips met, he softly groaned. He finally moved his hand from his chest, hugging his arms around her.
“We came to ask if you wanted to come have radishes with us,” he softly said. “You’re so beautiful. I almost forgot what we were doing here.”
“Thank you. I know you said you like this dress. It’s the only one I’ve got,” she said, shyly smiling as she dipped her head.
“Mom, we have to hurry,” Nathan insisted.
As though he were waking from a trance, Ryan shook his head and drew a deep breath. “Yeah! He’s right. Um, what are we doing, again?” he chuckled.
Corlay patted his chest as she glanced over at Nathan. “What’re we doing?”
“I have a surprise for you. You’re going to love it. Dad has a surprise for you, too. Two surprises. No! Three.”
Corlay flashed Ryan a curious look. “Three?”
Ryan dipped his head to the side, directionally extending his arm. “After you.”
She narrowed her eyes as she whispered, “Are you just trying to look at my butt?”
“Yes,” Ryan shameless confessed. He arched his eyebrows as he nodded his head. “Sweetheart, you have no idea what you do to me, always.”
Corlay ushered Nathan to the front door. She purposely wiggled as she walked, tossing her hair over her shoulder as she glanced back at Ryan giving him her best “come get me” look. He stood, frozen, in the same place she had seen him last. She loved the way he was looking at her. For the first time in her life, she truly felt “sexy.”