He heard the slam of a car door and knew his mother had arrived. The smile came easily as he walked to the door, pulled it open and waited for her.
“Ryan!” she said with delight. “I had no idea you’d be here this weekend! What a wonderful surprise!”
“Hey, Mom,” he said, kissing her on the cheek. He held the door open for her and then followed her into the house and into the living room.
“Where’s Tricia?” she asked, looking around the room and smiling.
“She’s getting changed. Your call took her by surprise and she just wanted to freshen up.”
“Oh, she didn’t have to go through any trouble for me,” Steph said. “Look at how wonderful the house looks. I can’t believe how she’s kept so much of it the same. I would have thought she would want to get rid of some of this old stuff. I know I did!”
Ryan laughed. “She claims she loves it all.”
“She’s just being sweet.”
Ryan couldn’t help but agree, but he had to be careful about how he acted right now. He and Tricia hadn’t really talked about where they saw their relationship going, and Ryan had a feeling if his mother caught wind of what was going on, she’d butt in and start pushing them toward things they might not be ready for.
“Tricia!” Steph cried boisterously as Tricia entered the living room. The two women embraced as Ryan stood back and observed. “Look at you! You get prettier and prettier every time I see you!” She gave Tricia another hug and then looked over her shoulder. “Don’t you agree, Ryan?”
Rather than answer, Ryan walked toward the kitchen. “Would you like something to drink, Mom?”
“That would be lovely,” she said, taking Tricia by the hand and following him. “Everything looks wonderful, Tricia. It’s always such a good feeling when I walk through that door. I know I didn’t want to live here anymore but there is something very comforting in being able to come back every once in a while. So thank you.”
Tricia blushed. “You don’t need to thank me. I’ve told you about a hundred times how much I love this house. It’s comforting to me too.” She reached out and took the glass of wine from Ryan’s hand, giving him a curious look.
“Oh that’s good,” Steph said after taking a sip. “You have excellent taste in wine.” It was directed toward Tricia and neither she nor Ryan corrected her. Looking at her son, she relaxed against the kitchen counter. “So what brings you here, Ryan? Working in the area?”
Ryan looked at Tricia and she shrugged and gave him the go-ahead. “Actually, I’m subbing for Sean.”
Steph looked at him and then Tricia and then back again. “Excuse me?”
“Why don’t we go sit down and explain it to you?” Tricia suggested and led Steph back to the living room where they sat down on the sofa. For the next few minutes, she described to Steph the wedding season plan.
“So…you and Sean were supposed to go together as a fake couple?” she asked and Tricia nodded. “But because of the accident, Ryan’s going with you?”
Tricia nodded again.
“Interesting,” Steph said and took a sip of her wine. “So how believable are you?”
“We seem to be doing okay,” Tricia answered. “No one has doubted us for a moment. It was kind of funny watching their expressions at that first wedding when we made our announcement, but for the most part, no one’s the wiser.” Tricia paused, waiting for Ryan to add something to the conversation. When he didn’t, she continued. “Anyway, we have another wedding tomorrow and then one early in July, one at the end, and one in August. For all I know, more invitations can be on the way.”
“Wow, that’s a lot of weddings,” Steph said, smiling at her son. “Good for you for stepping in and helping out. I know how much you hate these kinds of social events.”
Ryan rolled his eyes. “I don’t hate them, Mom. I just choose not to go to them.”
“And why is that?” she prompted.
He frowned at her. “Because I don’t overly enjoy them.”
“That’s just a nicer way of saying you hate them,” she said with a knowing grin. She patted him on the knee. “Like I said, it was nice of you to step in and help out. Not that I think our girl here couldn’t handle herself on her own, but my goodness…all those weddings in one summer. You could have said no to some of them,” she said to Tricia.
“I had thought the same thing at first, but the more Sean and I talked about it, we couldn’t figure out whose we would skip.”
“I would imagine it would have been tough,” Steph said, taking another sip of her wine. “And if I know Sean, he waxed poetic about who he was friends with in high school and for how long and how it wouldn’t be right for him not to be there.”
“Exactly!” Tricia laughed. “And so far, I’ve had a great time with everyone we’ve seen and I hate that Sean’s missing it.”
“I know he is too, sweetie,” Steph sighed. “I hate not being with him and it’s even worse not knowing exactly when he’s going to come home.” She paused. “Which reminds me, has anyone talked to him about where he’s going to stay when that happens?”
Tricia ducked her head shyly and then raised her hand. “I did,” she said. “I told him he could stay here if he needed to.” She looked at Steph apologetically. “I know I probably should have talked to you first but…I don’t know. I know you travel a lot and I have all this space here so…”
Steph took one of Tricia’s hands in hers and squeezed. “Don’t be silly. It does make the most sense. I could easily rearrange my schedule so he could stay with me but my place is really just a studio. He’d have no privacy. This makes the most sense.” She looked over at Ryan. “Unless you’d like him to stay with you?”
Ryan shook his head. “I travel too much. Tricia’s right. Here he can use the guest room and with her work schedule, she could be here to help him if he needs it.”
Steph nodded and leaned over to kiss her son on the cheek. “Plus, if she really needed your help, I know you’d be here.”
He nodded.
“So what did the two of you have planned for tonight? Anything? Because I’d love to take you both out to dinner!” Steph smiled at them both. “I had planned on having some girl time with Tricia but finding Ryan here was such a wonderful surprise! I feel like we need to go out and celebrate a bit.”
“Celebrate? Celebrate what?” Ryan asked.
“Whatever we feel like!” Steph answered. “Come on. Give me five minutes to freshen up and we can go into town for something to eat.”
“You’re going to stay the night aren’t you, Steph?” Tricia asked.
“Oh, heavens no. You were actually just a bit of a pit stop for me. Sorry,” she said with a sincere smile. “I’m actually driving out to the Hamptons tonight and meeting up with some friends.”
“Tonight?” Ryan asked. “You’ll be getting there kind of late. Why don’t you just stay here and drive out in the morning?”
“Because traffic will be a beast then. Trust me. I’ve done this dozens of times before. We’ll grab some dinner, visit and catch up with one another and then I’ll be on my way.”
“I wish you’d reconsider,” Tricia added.
“That’s sweet of the both of you but I’ll be fine. Give me five minutes. In the meantime, think of where you’d like to go to eat.”
When she was out of the room, Ryan stood and looked at Tricia. “Not the evening I had planned for us.”
She stood as well. “It’s okay, we have all weekend. It will be nice to visit with her for a little while.”
He leaned in and kissed her – although kiss was too mild a word. Devoured was more like it. It left her weak and achy and needy. When he released her, she almost lost her balance. “No fair.”
He smirked. “What? What’s no fair?”
“How am I supposed to focus on dinner after that?”
“You’re not. You’re supposed to focus on what comes later on.”
As if she’d be able to think of anything
else.
***
Once at the restaurant – a local Irish pub – they ordered food, ate and talked almost non-stop. There never seemed to be a lull in the conversation and the only thing missing was Sean. Tricia had always enjoyed spending time with the Petersons. They offered her the kind of relaxed family atmosphere that had been missing in her own life.
Meeting Sean on her first day of school here had been the burst of fresh air she had needed. And now, sitting here with Ryan and Steph – and Sean in spirit – filled her heart with love.
Her gaze lingered on Ryan. He looked so relaxed as he talked about the new office complex he was designing. He was very expressive when he spoke of his work and she knew how much he loved his work. She’d always known what he did, but it wasn’t until recently she realized just how much he did and how talented he was. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Steph watching her and quickly turned her focus to her food.
When their dinner plates were cleared, Steph ordered dessert for them to share. “I know we all say we’re full, but there’s always room for dessert,” she said.
Tricia leaned back in her seat, her hand over her belly. “I don’t know about that. It’s like that at the weddings, too. Between the cocktail hour and all the food at the reception, by the time the cake comes out and all the assorted desserts, it’s almost painful.”
“Nonsense,” Steph said. “There’s nothing wrong with indulging once in a while.” She clapped her hands with glee when the plates came out – cheesecake, pecan pie and death-by-chocolate.
Any time she had ever gone out to eat with Steph, it had been with Sean. They all shared their desserts and it was all done in good fun – feeding one another and critiquing their choices. But when Steph suggested Tricia feed Ryan a piece of her chocolate cake, Tricia wasn’t so sure she’d be able to do it and have it look all that platonic.
“She doesn’t have to feed me, Mom,” Ryan said, clearly thinking the same thing. He reached across the table with his fork to get a piece but Steph smacked his hand away.
“That’s not how we do it. We have a thing we do – of course, it’s when Sean is with us – but you’ll just have to go with the flow.”
Tricia looked at him apologetically as she lifted a forkful of the decadent dessert and held it to his lips. He slowly took it into his mouth and she almost groaned, unable to look away. Ryan’s eyes held hers and she could feel the flush creeping up her body and every inch of her body tingled in anticipation – as if he was actually touching her.
Suddenly remembering Steph was sitting there watching them, she quickly pulled the fork away and cleared her throat.
“I know you’re not a huge fan of cheesecake, Trish,” Steph said, “but you really need to try Ryan’s. The pub is famous for it.”
“No, that’s okay…”
“Oh, come on!” Steph said with a grin, “You know the rules. Everyone has to taste.”
It was normally a fun tradition but right now it was beginning to feel like torture. As much as Tricia loved spending time with Stephanie Peterson, right now she wouldn’t mind if she wanted to get on the road to the Hamptons.
With another apologetic look, Tricia waited for Ryan to feed her a piece of his dessert. As much as she told herself to act natural and not focus on his face, she couldn’t. It was as if she was completely incapable of looking anyplace else. She took the forkful of the creamy dessert and when Ryan slowly pulled the fork away, she caught his heated grin.
“Both of those must be spectacular, judging by your faces!” Steph said with a chuckle and then reached over and took a taste of each on her own.
“Hey!” both Tricia and Ryan said in unison.
“What?”
“You broke the rules!” Tricia laughed. “Why did we have to feed each other and you got to just swoop in and taste on your own?”
“Because I’m the mom and therefore I get to do what I want!” They all laughed and finished their desserts. Once the check was paid, Steph stood and stretched. “I really hate to eat and run, but it is getting late. I hope you don’t mind me cutting the night short.”
Tricia had never been more thankful for anything in her life and by the look on Ryan’s face, it was mutual.
“Not a problem,” Ryan said as they made their way back out to the car.
Back at the house, they said their goodbyes out in the driveway with Steph promising to text them when she arrived at her friend’s house. Tricia stood next to Ryan as they watched his mother drive away, keenly aware of his hand resting on the small of her back.
“Well that was a nice surprise,” she said as Steph’s car disappeared down the road.
“Absolutely. But in typical mom-fashion, she’s here and gone in a flash and somehow never really manages to tell you what’s going on in her life or what she’s up to.”
“No, that’s not true,” Trish began to argue and then stopped and thought about it. “Actually…”
Ryan nodded. “You know I’m right. She had both of us talking about work and the weddings and then we talked about Sean but through it all, she said very little about her own life. She makes me crazy.”
“Maybe she doesn’t have a whole lot going on and thinks we don’t want to hear about it?”
Now he shook his head. “No, I just think she enjoys her independence and doesn’t want any of us to know what she’s up to for fear we’ll disagree with it or tell her to stop doing what she’s doing.”
“Oh, come on, Ry. What could she possibly be doing that you or Sean would tell her to stop?”
“With her? You never know. She’s getting more and more adventurous in her old age and I don’t think she realizes she’s not as young as she used to be.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Tricia countered. “I say good for her. I hope she’s having fun with it.”
“And if she gets hurt?” he said a little defensively.
Looking at him, Tricia rolled her eyes playfully. “Ryan, she’s a grown woman and really, we all have the ability of getting hurt. Are you suggesting she should just stay home and be bored for the rest of her life?”
He looked like he was going to argue and then thought better of it. He maneuvered himself so they were facing one another and then wrapped his arms around her waist. “As much as I enjoy bantering with you – even if it’s in the middle of your driveway – I would much rather take this inside.”
She smiled knowingly and nodded, taking him by the hand and leading him to the door. Once inside, she only flipped on the foyer light before walking toward the kitchen. “I forgot to thank you for the wine earlier. It really was great.”
“Thanks. I had bought it for us to share before dinner – out on the deck. But then mom called and…”
“It’s quite all right,” she said, suddenly noticing the vase on the table. “Flowers? You bought flowers too? Why didn’t you say anything?”
“In front of my mother? Could you imagine how much different the night would have gone if she had any idea I’d bought you wine and flowers? We would have gotten the third-degree all night long!” He laughed at the image. “You know how she gets, Trish. As it is I think she was kind of on to us with that whole dessert thing. Do you guys really feed each other dessert when you go out?”
She nodded. “It started out innocently enough years ago and then she made it a thing. But tonight? I think you’re right. She was looking a bit pleased with herself during it all.”
“And that’s without her really knowing anything. If we had told her we are…involved, she would have certainly started pressing to see how serious we are and what our plans are for the future and whatever else goes with that.”
Tricia wouldn’t mind finding some of that out for herself.
Unsure of what to do with herself, she leaned against the counter and looked at him. “I was about to ask if you wanted anything to eat or drink but the thought of either of those things is making me a little green.”
He chuckled. “I know
what you mean.” Then he approached – slowly – and caged her in, bracketing his arms on either side of her. “This was a little more of what I had in mind for when we came back from dinner.”
“Really?” she asked softly, looking up at him.
“Mmm-hmm,” he said, leaning down and nuzzling her neck. “My plan had been for us to have a drink out on the deck before dinner, and then I was going to take you out someplace romantic. Then we’d come back here – just like this – and go and sit out on the deck for a little while.”
“I like the sound of that.”
Stepping back, Ryan smiled at her and walked over to the French doors and opened them. He stood and waited for her to join him.
It was the perfect evening, plenty of stars in the sky and a gentle breeze blowing. Ryan led her to one of the chaise lounges before going back inside. Tricia thought of questioning him but decided to wait and see what he was doing. Two minutes later he was back with a glass of wine for each of them, but he never turned on any of the outside lights.
“I managed to make sure there was enough for us to have a little when we got home,” he said, handing her the glass.
When she sat up, Ryan swung a leg around and lowered himself behind her. She leaned back against him and sighed. “Now this is a good plan.”
His lips instantly went to her throat and she merely tilted her head to give him better access. “It’s about to get a whole lot better.”
“Oh, really?” she purred.
He nodded against her. “How private is this yard?’
“Extremely,” she said on a sigh. “I think.”
“Are you willing to find out?”
And as his hand began to roam all over her body, she would have willingly agreed to just about anything. “Out here? Really?”
“Do you trust me?”
Him? Absolutely. Herself? Not so much.
Slowly he began to unbutton the sleeveless blouse she wore and gently opened it. His hands cupped her lace-covered breasts and he let out a low growl of appreciation. She sighed his name.
Marry Me: a Wedding Romance Duet Page 25