“She’s going to be fine, Ryan,” she said softly when they hit the expressway. “You know your mom is stronger than both of us together. What did the doctor say?”
He shrugged. “They believe she had a heart attack,” he said wearily. “I can’t even process it. She’s too young for something like that.” He shook his head. “At least, in my mind she’s too young.”
“Could it be something else?”
“I have no idea and being that they hadn’t finished any tests, it’s anyone’s guess.”
Reaching over, she placed her hand on his leg, simply needing to touch him. Without taking his eyes from the road, he placed his hand on top of hers. They drove like that the remainder of the time.
Tricia had dozed off at some point and woke up as they pulled up to their hotel. It was more of a bed and breakfast, but it was the only place where she could find a room on short notice. While Ryan handled the luggage, she went inside and took care of checking them in, apologizing to the innkeeper for the late check-in.
“We have a reservation for Peterson,” she said with a smile.
“Ah, yes,” the woman at the desk said pleasantly. It was not a high-tech establishment and Tricia couldn’t help but smile when she was handed an old-fashioned key for their room. “You’re in room number four. Second floor, last door on your left.” She pointed toward the large staircase.
With a word of thanks, she turned toward the stairs. It was an old Victorian house and at any other time, she would have loved to explore it and learn about its history, but tonight wasn’t the time. She looked over her shoulder and saw Ryan walking toward her. He looked exhausted and she knew more than anything, he needed to get some rest.
At the room, Tricia opened the door, a small gasp of delight escaped when she caught a glimpse of the interior. It normally wasn’t her style, but the massive canopied four-poster bed was beautiful. The room was large and airy but the décor was definitely in theme with the house. There were fresh flowers on the dresser and a fruit basket on the small table by a bay window.
“There weren’t any normal hotels available?” Ryan asked as he put their luggage down.
“None that were close to the hospital. I thought this was better.”
He made a non-committal sound and walked around the room. “I’m going to call the hospital and see if they have any news on Mom.”
“It’s three in the morning, Ryan,” she said. “Why don’t we grab a couple of hours sleep and just plan on getting there early? I don’t want you to be disappointed if they don’t let you talk to anyone.”
She knew he wanted to argue, but exhaustion won out. “I guess,” he mumbled and kicked his shoes off.
Grabbing her bag, Tricia went into the bathroom to change. It seemed silly – it wasn’t as if he hadn’t seen her naked multiple times – but that was before. When she stepped out five minutes later, Ryan was down to his briefs and pulling the quilt down on the bed. They climbed into the massive bed on opposite sides, but when he reached for her, she went willingly.
He didn’t say a word. All he did was hold her and she felt extremely content with the feel of his strong arms around her. Snuggling deeper into his embrace, she sighed and fell asleep.
***
They were at the hospital by nine in the morning. Tricia had gone and grabbed them coffee from the cafeteria while Ryan sat and waited to talk to Steph’s doctor. She met up with them on a sofa in the lobby and silently handed Ryan his cup, careful not to interrupt the conversation.
“Basically, Mr. Peterson, your mother is very lucky. Her friends acted quickly and she received the attention she needed at the right time,” the doctor said.
Tricia saw Ryan visibly sag with relief before asking, “So was it a heart attack?”
The doctor shook his head. “Anxiety. They can present the same and I’m glad we had the opportunity to verify that. We’ll be releasing her after lunch.”
“Wait, wait, wait…anxiety? How is that even possible? My mother is the mellowest person I’ve ever met!”
The doctor stood and smiled. “You’ll have to talk to her about that.” He looked at his watch. “Visiting hours will start up in about forty-five minutes. You can see her then.” He shook both their hands before turning and walking away.
Ryan seemed in shock. “An anxiety attack? Seriously?” He looked over at Tricia. “He’s kidding, right?”
“I don’t think so. He seemed pretty serious about it. Thank God it wasn’t anything worse.”
“I just don’t understand how it’s possible. You know my mom. Nothing bothers her. She does all that yoga crap and is always on us about how we all need to go with the flow and relax. What the hell does she have anxiety over?”
She reached over and squeezed his hand. “We’re going to have to wait to find out.”
***
“Oh, the two of you came together!” Steph said with delight when they walked through the hospital room door. “I’m so pleased!”
Ryan felt instantly tense and had a sense of déjà vu. He was beginning to hate the fact that he doubted any of his family’s illnesses and had to wonder if Steph had really had an anxiety attack or if this her way of getting him and Tricia together.
Well, the joke was on her, since Tricia didn’t seem to want anything to do with him. Okay, maybe that wasn’t completely true. She had slept in his arms all night and if it wasn’t for the fact that he was completely exhausted, he might have tried to seduce her.
All in good time.
“I happened to be at Tricia’s when we got the call. The doctor called Tricia’s house looking for me rather than my cell phone. Care to tell me how that happened?” he asked with more than a hint of suspicion.
“You called and told me you were looking for her, Ryan. I didn’t need to do any great detective work. And I know Tricia’s home phone number by heart. Your cell phone number is programmed into my phone so I don’t even have to look at it.”
Tricia knew it made sense but being that they were just getting over a similar deception, she could understand Ryan’s unease. Before he could argue with her further, Tricia spoke up. “How are you feeling?”
Steph waved a hand at her. “I’m embarrassed more than anything.” She rolled her eyes. “Anxiety! I still can’t believe it. When I think about the pain and how I felt last night, I honestly would have sworn I was having a heart attack!”
“What caused it, Mom?” Before she could answer, there was a knock on the door and an older gentleman walked in. Tricia and Ryan looked at the man, then at Steph. “Mom?”
“Oh…um…Paul, this is my son Ryan and this is Tricia.” She looked at the two of them. “This is my friend Paul.”
They all shook hands and Tricia had a feeling things were only going to get worse before they got better. “So…Steph, you were about to tell us what happened when you had the anxiety attack.”
Paul looked at Steph and smiled. “I’m glad that’s all it was.” He took her hand in his and then kissed it.
Beside her, Tricia could feel the tension radiating off of Ryan. “Mom?” he prompted one more time.
Steph sighed. “Okay, fine. Paul and I have been seeing each other for quite some time. We came up here to get away for a little bit.” She looked sheepish. “I love your brother and I know I promised to take care of him but he’s exhausting! I just needed a little time away. So when Paul suggested a quick trip, I readily agreed.”
“So are you worrying about Sean?” Tricia asked.
“No,” Steph said and then looked up at Paul. “Last night, Paul asked me to marry him and…well…that’s when I had the anxiety attack.”
“Oh my…” Tricia said and nervously glanced at Ryan.
“Growing up,” he began, “you always told me and Sean that there wasn’t anything we couldn’t say to you. No secrets. No lying. And it seems to me that’s all you’ve been doing for the last couple of weeks.” There was no anger; only disappointment laced his words. “I don’t know why y
ou felt the need to keep this a secret. Sean and I knew you dated, Mom. It would have been nice if you would have found a less dramatic way to introduce us all.”
She nodded. “You’re right. I guess I had hoped that my boys would settle down and then I’d allow myself the opportunity to do the same. Your dad’s been gone for a long time and for so long, my whole focus has been on you and Sean.”
“Is that why you were so anxious to set me and Tricia up?” Ryan asked.
Shaking her head, Steph smiled. “Sweetheart, I’ve been wanting to do that for years. And it had nothing to do with me and everything to do with the fact that the two of you are perfect for each other.”
Tricia felt herself blushing from head to toe.
“So…what now?” Ryan asked. “The two of you have been dating, he’s proposed, and I know your night was interrupted, but did you give him an answer?”
Now Steph blushed. “Actually, we decided to wait a little while – for all the reasons you mentioned. I haven’t let him meet you and Sean – and Tricia – and it’s important to us that everyone get to know each other.”
Ryan smiled and walked closer to the bed and kissed his mother on the cheek. “I think that’s a great idea.” He straightened and looked at Paul. “So…tell me about yourself.”
***
They stayed at the hospital with Steph until the doctors released her. To Tricia’s surprise, Ryan didn’t argue when Steph said she was going home with Paul and that she’d be in touch. As a matter of fact, he almost seemed happy about it. She waited until they were back in their room at the inn before asking him about it.
He sighed lightly. “I’ve been waiting for the time when my mom would settle down again. She’s been on the go for years with traveling and visiting friends and even though I don’t know anything about Paul other than what he just told us back at the hospital, my mother is an excellent judge of character. If he makes her happy, then I’m happy.”
“Alrighty then,” Tricia said with a smile. “I’m glad you’re okay with the whole thing.”
“And I know she’s serious about him if his proposal gave her an anxiety attack. Nothing rattles my mom so if Paul did, then I’d say it’s even more of a good thing.” He walked over to the window and looked out at the property before turning back toward her. “I’m going to give Sean a call with the update. I didn’t want to do it while we were there.”
“Okay.”
“Unless…you want to call him?”
She knew what he was doing. By now he had to know she hadn’t spoken to Sean in over a week and he was giving her the opening she needed to take that first step. But she wasn’t ready.
“That’s okay. You can do it.” Relief swamped her when he didn’t argue. She took the time to go around and pack up her things. Now that they knew Steph was all right, they would probably get back on the road for home. Knowing Ryan, he had a ton of work waiting for him and Tricia knew he hated when his schedule got disrupted, even if it was for a good reason.
When he got off the phone and saw her bags by the door, he looked at her quizzically. “What’s going on?”
She looked at the door and back at him. “I…I just figured we’d be heading back. Steph’s okay and she’s staying with Paul for a few days, so there’s nothing left for us to do.” She shrugged. “I would think you’d be anxious to get home and back to work.”
“I took a couple of extra days off,” he said mildly, watching her carefully. “What about you? Do you have clients you’re missing today?”
“No. I actually don’t have any until Wednesday.”
“So why the rush?”
“Ryan,” she sighed. “There’s no reason to stay.”
Slowly he walked over to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. “I disagree,” he said softly. “I think it might be nice for us to stay another night.” Carefully, he pulled her in closer. “We could walk around the grounds outside, do a little sightseeing, have dinner…”
It sounded wonderful to her, but Tricia couldn’t help but be cautious. “I don’t know…”
“I’m not ready to give up on us, Tricia. I know I hurt you and I want to prove to you that I’m the right man for you. Please.”
“But…what about…”
He placed a finger over her lips. “I was wrong.” Leaning forward, he rested his forehead against hers. “I’m not perfect, Tricia, and there are going to be times when I say or do something stupid. I can’t help it.”
She gave him a weak smile. “I will too.”
“I didn’t expect this,” he said softly. “I didn’t expect you. But I’m not sorry for it. We may have known each other for years but the time wasn’t right for us until now.” His expression turned serious as he lifted his head and looked at her. “I love you.”
A soft gasp escaped her lips as her eyes went wide.
“It’s true,” he said. “This all took me completely by surprise and I didn’t want to believe it at first. I couldn’t believe we would be the ones to be together. I always looked at you like you were Sean’s girl.”
Tricia shook her head. “It was never like that for us. We were friends. He’s my best friend and I love him but there’s never been anything romantic between us.”
“I didn’t believe that for a long time. Even after we started seeing each other, I still kept thinking in the back of my mind that if it were Sean there, you would choose him.”
“It was never a competition. Sean’s my friend, but it’s you I’m in love with.”
A slow smile crossed his lips. “Is it?”
She nodded.
“Say it,” he whispered.
“I love you, Ryan Peterson. You and no one else.”
Wrapping her in his arms, he kissed her. And kept on kissing her until she agreed to stay with him not only for another night in Vermont, but for the rest of their lives.
Epilogue
Ten months later…
“You have got to be kidding me!”
Tricia chuckled as she sat back on her deck looking at Sean. He had just walked through the French doors, his hands full of what looked to be the mail. “Problem?”
“I thought we were through with all of this stuff last summer. And now…”
“Well, to be fair, you didn’t have to go through anything last summer. You were laid up with your casts and missed all the fun. We’re all just making sure you get the full experience this time around.”
All around her, everyone chucked – Ryan, Steph and Paul.
“Yeah, well…you guys suck. How am I supposed to deal with all of this?” Sean cried, taking a seat on the bench overlooking the pond.
“We were very considerate of your schedule,” Ryan began with a grin, his arm wrapped around Tricia’s shoulders. “You said you were home until the middle of August so we made sure we stayed in that time frame.”
Sean snorted with disgust. “The only reason there’s a time frame is because you’re sending me to do those job bids out in California!” Since his recovery, Sean had finally taken his brother up on his offer to go into business together.
“You said you didn’t mind the traveling,” Ryan reminded. “And I know how you hate to be still for too long. We’re merely providing some things for you to do.”
“There’s two engagement parties, two wedding showers and two weddings! We’ve got something going on practically every weekend for the entire summer. When am I supposed to have any time to myself?” Sean said with exasperation.
“If you’d like, we can find someone to help you,” Steph said, grinning too. “Like a partner to help you plan all these events.”
“Plan?! I thought I was just a guest!”
“You’re my best man,” Ryan said. “You’ll need to organize and plan my bachelor party and…”
“No strippers!” Tricia interrupted.
Ryan kissed her on the cheek. “With no strippers, of course. And being that the wedding shower is co-ed, you’ll have to help plan what the guys are doing.
”
“Oh, for the love of it…”
“And since you and Ryan are my sons, I’ll expect you to take care of some of the details for mine and Paul’s wedding,” Steph added. “You more so than Ryan since he’ll be busy with his own wedding plans.”
“Are you people for real?” Sean asked wearily. “Couldn’t you space this out any better?”
“You’re a flight risk – or you have the potential to be,” Ryan reminded him. “We wanted to make sure you were here for all of the festivities.”
“Trish, come on. Be on my side,” Sean begged. “Help me out.”
She laughed. “Sorry, buddy. I had to give up having you as my maid of honor since you’re going to be Ryan’s best man. The most I can do is hook you up with my cousin Angie to help you out with some of it.”
“Angie? I don’t even know who that is!”
“You never met her. She’s my cousin on my dad’s side. We hadn’t seen each other in years and we reconnected not too long ago. It turns out she has a real knack for party planning. She’s cute,” she teased. “You’ll like her.”
“Great,” Sean mumbled.
“Who knows,” Ryan said with a laugh. “Maybe she can be your date for this year’s wedding season!”
Sean shot to his feet with his hands in the air in frustration. “You know what? Make fun all you want but I don’t need any help or any dates. So keep your matchmaking and planning to yourselves. I can do it on my own just fine!” He walked back into Tricia’s house and slammed the door.
“Poor boy,” Steph said but didn’t sound the least bit sorry.
“Little does he know that working with Angie wasn’t a suggestion,” Tricia said with a wicked grin.
Ryan nodded, pulling her close. “It’s kind of nice knowing that this time we’ll be the ones sitting back and watching all the fun.”
They all laughed at the inside joke.
Paul joined in the laughter and then looked at the three of them. “I think I’m going to really enjoy being part of this family.”
***
If you enjoyed The Wedding Season, you can find an excerpt from Friday Night Brides, the next book in the series, on the following pages.
Marry Me: a Wedding Romance Duet Page 29