I thought about how happy Riley, not to mention my brothers and nephews, would be when I told her the news. Yeah, no doubt about it. This was where I belonged.
Extending my hand, I said, “Looks like I’ve got myself a job, my friend.”
***
Macy dragged me from one jewelry store to another, trying on dozens of rings before we finally found the one she swore was made for her sister. It had a two-carat round center stone with half-carat rounds on either side, and I had to admit even I was impressed.
“You think it’ll fit her?” I asked skeptically when Macy had a hard time getting it off.
“It’ll be perfect,” she assured me. “Her fingers are the same size as mine, and she’ll want it to be snug so it won’t slide around.”
“If you say so.” I pulled my black credit card out of my wallet and slid it across the counter to the jubilant saleslady. “I guess you can box that up for me.”
“Of course, sir. I’ll be right back,” she said, taking the ring from Macy.
My future sister-in-law turned to me, her expression wary. “Are you sure about this? You’re not having second thoughts, are you?”
“No. Why would you ask that?”
“You just seem a little off today, like you’ve got a lot on your mind.”
I released a pent-up breath. “I do have a lot on my mind. I just accepted a job offer, I’m planning to make an offer on a house, and”—I gestured toward the saleslady—“I’m buying my girlfriend a ring I’m not even sure she’ll accept.”
Macy curled her hand around my forearm. “You have a job? Get outta here. Doing what?”
“Coaching football at Cole and Zane’s school. But don’t say anything about it to your sister. I want her to hear it from me.”
“Did she know you were considering it?” Macy asked.
“Yeah, we talked about it.”
“What about the house? Have you talked any more about that?”
That was another reason I was feeling uneasy. I’d tried talking to Riley about the house last night, but she shut me down, claiming she had a work problem to deal with and couldn’t think about that right now. “No, she was tired and stressed last night, so I didn’t want to push it.”
“That’s probably smart,” Macy said, nodding. “She can get snarky when she’s stressed about work.”
I turned away from the counter where the saleslady was polishing Riley’s ring. “Uh, Mace, something else has been bothering me.”
“What’s that?” she asked, offering me a pack of gum before popping a stick in her mouth when I declined.
“This Stephan guy.”
Macy wrinkled her nose. “What about him?”
“You don’t like him?”
“I think he’s a tight-ass.”
I laughed, putting my arms around her and drawing her close so I could kiss the top of her head. “I love you for saying that, kid. It’s just what I needed to hear.” Drawing back so I could look her in the eyes, I asked, “So you don’t think he’s a better fit for your sister than I am?”
“Are you kidding?” she asked, wide-eyed. “He’d bore her to death the first year of their marriage. I told her the first time I met him it was a mistake. Going from you to him is like going from Space Mountain to the Tea Cups.”
I chuckled. “Thanks, I think.”
“I’m serious,” she said, patting my chest. “You’re thrilling, exhilarating, and scary as hell. He’s safe and boring. You know what you’re going to get with him—a quick ride with a big let-down at the end.”
I frowned, tugging on her long hair. “If that’s a sexual reference, you better watch it. Just thinking about Ri with some other guy makes me wanna lose my lunch.”
She leaned in. “If it makes you feel any better, she said sex with him could never compare to what it was like with you.”
“Macy,” I said, resting my arms on her shoulders, “you do realize I’m going to have to kill you if you don’t shut that pretty little pie hole of yours, don’t you?”
She grinned, blowing a bubble in my face and forcing me to pop it. Since we were in a posh jewelry store where the rings cost as much as most people’s cars, I assumed the manager watching us from behind a sheet of glass thought our behavior was juvenile and highly inappropriate. But I’d never cared much about what anyone thought about me.
“Something else occurred to me,” I said, following Macy to an earring display.
“Ohh, aren’t those pretty?” she asked, pointing at some blue and purple gemstone drops.
“Yeah, real nice,” I said, trying to get her attention. “I should probably talk to your old man before I ask your sister to marry me, don’t you think?”
Macy giggled. “Only if you promise to let me be there.”
“Shut up, smart ass.” Everyone knew there was no love lost between Riley’s parents and me, but I hoped time had softened their resentment toward me. Maybe since I was willing to trade my “delinquent behavior” for a respectable job, they’d be willing to meet me halfway. “I’m serious. I’ve got to talk to him first, don’t you think?”
“Yeah, you probably should. I’ll take you back to their place after we look at the house. The folks should be home from work by then.”
“Sounds good.” Just one more reason to be nervous as hell.
When the saleslady returned, presenting me with a shiny black bag filled with gold tissue paper, I pointed at the earrings Macy had been admiring in the display case. “Better add those.”
Macy’s eyes shot up to meet mine. “Brody, no. I can’t let you—”
“Yeah, you can, kid.” I grabbed the back of her head and kissed her forehead. “Call it an early Christmas present.”
***
“Oh my God, I love this place,” Macy said, bounding up the stairs to the second floor. “It’s perfect, Brody. Not like that castle you used to live in. That was so huge. Way too impersonal. I could never imagine my sister living there. But this is so her!”
Macy’s reassurance made me feel better as I followed her into one of four bedrooms.
She entered a small bedroom with an ensuite bath across from the master bedroom. “This would make a perfect nursery.”
“Nursery?” I felt my throat go dry.
“Yeah.” She frowned at me. “I know you and Riley have talked about kids. You do want a family, don’t you?”
“Well yeah,” I said, running a hand over my head. “But I’ve been so wrapped up in everything else that I didn’t even really think about that.”
Looking sympathetic, she said, “I get that. Your whole life has been turned upside down in a matter of weeks. First you see your dad, then meet your half-brothers, get back together with Riley, decide to buy a house, propose, accept a new job—”
I covered her mouth with my hand. “Please, I’m starting to feel a little nauseous just thinking about it.” Damn. Until she’d spelled it out like that, I hadn’t considered the fact every aspect of my life seemed to be changing overnight.
“It’s not too late to take a step back,” she said gently. “You haven’t made an offer on the house or given Riley the ring yet. You can take a little more time to be sure.”
I sat on the end of a twin bed decorated with a frilly pink bedspread and tried to imagine my daughter occupying this room. Bedtime stories every night. Medicine when she was sick. Looking for monsters under the bed and in the closet before she would go to sleep. But the best part of all, hearing “I love you, Daddy,” as I closed the door.
“I’m ready,” I said with a shaky laugh. “I just hope your sister is. It’ll slay me if she says no. You know that, right?”
She knelt in front of me, her hands on my knee. “If there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s that she loves you. She wants to spend her life with you. So if she says no, it’s only because she’s not sure you’re ready.”
“So you think there’s a chance she’ll say no?” I felt panic swelling in my gut.
“There�
�s always a chance,” Macy said, grabbing my hand. “But you’re missing my point.”
“Which is?” I asked, trying to make sense of what she was saying while my head spun.
“You may need to be patient with her, just like she was patient with you all those years.”
Okay, now I got the point. “You mean, just ‘cause I’m suddenly ready doesn’t mean I can expect her to be.”
“Right.” She stood, crossing her arms. “And what will you do if she says she needs more time?”
“What do you mean, what will I do? What do you think I’ll do?”
“That’s what worries me,” she said, tapping her denim ballerina flat against an off-white shaggy area rug. “You’re not going to bail on her again, are you? If you don’t get the answer you’re looking for right away?”
I’d be lying if I claimed it wouldn’t hurt like hell to hear her say no when I asked her to marry me, but I wouldn’t leave her. Not again. “No, I’m in this for the long haul. The only thing that could make me leave is if she didn’t want me around anymore.” Even though my family was here and Tampa would always feel like home, I couldn’t be here, with reminders of Riley on every corner, if we weren’t a couple anymore.
“Good,” Macy said, looking satisfied as she patted my cheek. “Then I’d say you’re in the right head-space to propose. Now let’s make your agent happy by signing the papers for this house, then I can take you home to have that talk with the folks.” I must have looked ashen as I stood because she linked her arm through mine. “Don’t worry, hon. I’ll protect you.”
“Promise?”
***
I claimed the chair in the family room while Riley’s parents peered down their noses at me from the couch. Macy was next to them, presumably to referee, should the need arise. I hadn’t seen their parents in three years, but apparently time hadn’t softened their hatred toward me. For devout Christians, they sure had a lot to learn about forgiveness.
“What are you doing here, Brody?” Dr. Myers asked, folding his arms as his dark-rimmed glasses edged down his nose.
Macy gave me a reassuring look before I took a deep breath and dove right in. “I know I’m not your favorite person, but I’m here for one reason—because I love your daughter.”
Mrs. Myers, who’d always been marginally more accepting than her husband, said, “I don’t understand. You and Riley broke up years ago.”
There was no easy way to tell the truth, so I just spit it out. “That’s not entirely true. We kept seeing each other until she and”—I couldn’t even say his name without fighting the urge to throw up—“Stephan started dating.”
Macy’s mother glanced at her. “Did you know about this?” When her daughter nodded, she asked, “Why didn’t you tell us?”
“It was Riley’s place to tell you if she wanted you to know,” Macy said, raising her chin in defiance. She’d always been the troublemaker, the one to give her parents a hard time.
Riley had always tried to play by their rules though. Except when it came to me. When they told her to stop seeing me, she told them to back the hell off or she was moving out. My girl. I remembered how she’d gone to the mat to defend me and our relationship when her parents challenged her.
“Fine,” her father said, removing his reading glasses. “So you’ve continued seeing each other. Is that what you wanted to tell us?”
I clasped my hands in front of my mouth, resting my elbows on my knees as I processed my thoughts. I hadn’t come here with a game plan or rehearsed speech, but maybe I should have. “I’ve made some decisions about my life I thought you might want to know about.”
“I don’t know why you think your plans would interest us,” Dr. Myers said, scowling.
“Because they include your daughter too.” If she’ll have me. “I know you’ve never approved of my career choice.”
He snorted. “Is that what you call what you do—a career?”
Macy shot her father a look before crossing her arms. “Give the guy a break, Dad. He’s not knocking off convenience stores, you know.”
“What are you even doing here?” her father asked her. “Do you really need to be here for this?”
“I’m here for moral support,” Macy said, smiling at me. “Because I know that’s what my sister would want.”
“Fine,” her father said, shaking his head. “Just make your point so you can leave, Steele.”
“I intend to marry your daughter.” Point made.
We stared each other down before he opened his mouth to object.
“Before you say no,” I said, raising my hand to stall him, “you need to know that Riley loves me, that she ended her relationship with him because it’s me she wants. It’s always been me.”
They shared a look before Riley’s mom said, “You said something about your career…?”
“I’ve accepted a football coaching position at a high school here. I won’t be playing poker anymore.” I’d never made that promise aloud before, and I was surprised by how easy it was to say. I’d loved poker, but not half as much as I loved Riley. I’d been too young and dumb to realize that before, but now I finally got it.
“You’re going to be coaching football,” her mother said slowly, as though she was considering the idea. “Well, that’s certainly better than what you’ve been doing.”
“And he’s buying a house,” Macy piped in. “A beautiful two-story, four-bedroom. Room for at least three kids.” She winked at me before looking at her mother. “Imagine that, Mom. Grandchildren, just like you always wanted.”
“Grandchildren,” she repeated, clutching her pearls. “Oh, that would be nice, wouldn’t it, Len? Grandchildren.”
His lips twisted before he gave me a hard look. “You’re saying you’re ready to settle down? You’re done with this self-indulgent lifestyle?”
I wanted to defend the way I’d been living for the past decade, but I wouldn’t. “Yes, sir.”
“You want to take care of my girl, to be the kind of husband she deserves?”
“Yes.”
“And you really want children?” her mother asked. “You’re not just saying that so we’ll approve of this marriage?”
I took a deep breath, then looked them in the eye. “You know I didn’t have it easy growing up. My mother basically raised us on her own before she died. If anyone knows how important it is for kids to have two parents who love each other, that they can rely on, it’s me.”
“I suppose you would know a thing or two about that,” Dr. Myers said, crossing his arms. “But being a husband and father is a big responsibility. Are you sure you’re ready for that?”
I smiled, since they seemed to be trying to meet me halfway. “I may not have had a great example of a strong marriage growing up, but my brother Ryker and his wife, Mac, have shown me how great it can be when you choose the right person to spend your life with. I know Riley’s the person for me, and I wouldn’t even consider asking her to marry me unless I was sure I could make her happy.”
Before her parents could respond, Macy said, “You’ve seen Riley with Brody and you’ve seen her without him. You know there’s no comparison. She’s happier, more content when she has him in her life. So why wouldn’t you want that for her?”
Her parents exchanged a look before her father said, “Don’t make us out to be the bad guys, Macy. We’re just looking out for your sister. We don’t want to see her marry a man who would leave her stuck at home with a couple of kids while he went traipsing around the world gambling with their future.”
“Fair enough,” I said, raising my hands to ward off Macy’s well-meaning comments. “You had every reason to be concerned. If it was my daughter, I would have been too. But I came back here for her, to build a life with her.” When they didn’t comment, I said, “Life without her has been hell. I’ve missed her every day, and when we went to Colorado for my brother’s wedding and I saw her with someone else, I realized I can’t live without her.”
“How does Riley feel about all these changes you’ve made?” her mother asked. “Is she supportive, or is she concerned that maybe you’re just doing it to appease her? Because I’m not going to lie, that thought has occurred to me.”
“She’s cautiously optimistic,” I said, with a weak smile. I didn’t expect to walk out of here with two new fans. I just wanted a chance to prove to them that I intended to do right by their daughter. “No one knows me better than she does, and of course she’s questioning this one-eighty I seem to have done, but what she doesn’t know is that it was a long time coming.”
“How so?” Dr. Myers asked.
“Every day we were apart, when I wasn’t able to talk to her, I died a little more inside.” I probably sounded ridiculous to them, but there was no other way to describe what I’d been going through. “My days, my life, were empty without her. I even started to resent poker for being one of the things standing between us. Winning didn’t matter to me anymore, not if it meant losing her.”
“Yet you kept playing, winning even,” her father said, sounding unimpressed.
I was surprised a man who had once claimed gambling was the devil’s work had followed my career. “I did it because it was the only thing I knew how to do. You have to understand, since I graduated college, I never thought about doing anything else. I didn’t even think I was capable of doing anything else.”
“People always have choices,” Mrs. Myers said reproachfully. “They certainly don’t have to turn to gambling to make a living.”
“That may be true, but it seemed like the only choice available to me at the time, so I took it.” While I still had their attention, I said, “I didn’t think coming back here to make things right with Riley was even an option. But something happened that brought me back here, because I needed her. Not only was she there for me, she made me believe she’s never stopped loving me.” I opened my hands. “So that’s why I’m here. Asking for a chance to be your son-in-law, your daughter’s husband, the father of your grandchildren.”
“Wow,” Len said, running a hand over his face. “I don’t know what to say. I never expected to hear this coming from you of all people.”
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