Brand New Sky

by Heidi Hutchinson

  Ryan's mouth was dry. So dry her tongue was stuck to the roof of her mouth. And yet her eyes were watering. What a strange contradicting reaction for a body to have. She couldn't do anything but stare at the man that had given Sway all of his more handsome features.

  “I think,” Gran started, crossing her arms lightly around her middle. “And it's taken me many years to come to this idea with any sort of peace. But I think, that family was so badly wounded when Chloe died. It wrecked them. They became rigid in their expectations of social behavior. And Ethan and Grace had lost the most important person in their lives. I have no idea if they found love with one another or if it was simply solace in each other's similar hurt. They reinforced their own fears.”

  “That's so sad,” Ryan declared, unable to stop the spill of tears down her cheeks. “How awful for them.”

  Gran nodded. “It really is. But they never stopped me from loving all over their little boy. I wonder if it was because they knew they just... couldn't. Not the way he deserved.”

  Gran turned to Ryan and smiled at the tear tracks on her cheeks. “I am so happy that boy has finally found someone with a heart as wild and beautiful as his own.”

  Ryan swallowed and a soft sob escaped. “You don't even know me,” she whispered.

  Gran clicked her tongue. “Eight-five and still no one thinks I know what I'm talking about.”

  Ryan let out a burst of laughter and Gran grasped her hand as she joined her. Once they had sobered, Gran patted Ryan's hand.

  “Love him hard, honey. He needs it.”

  ***

  Sway and Pops had been walking for a while now. The lights and the sound of the party had faded, crickets taking over as the loudest noise in the night. Pops hadn't said what this was about yet, but Sway could guess.

  “You know the story of how your parents met,” Pops began. Yep, Sway knew where this was going.

  “In college. Dad was in love with mom's sister and she died. I know the story.” It was the kind of story that could make Sway feel sorry for his dad, so he tried not to think about it. It was confusing and mostly created more questions than answers. Questions that Sway had no intention of asking his dad.

  “There's a piece to that story that you've never heard,” Pops surprised him by saying. They came to a stop at the fence line and Pops stuck a boot up on a lower rung and Sway heard him rub his whiskers with one hand like he did when he was thinking.

  “The week before Chloe died, your dad had told us that he was going to marry her. Your Gran was so pleased that she gave him this old ring she had from when she was a girl that she had gotten from her Gran. It was this beautiful emerald, set in diamonds and white gold. Her Gran had told her that it was the kind of ring that represented passionate, authentic, once in a lifetime love.”

  Sway had seen his mother's ring. It was ostentatious and yellow and matched her own mother's ring. He'd never seen an emerald on her hand.

  “Now, I know you and your dad have never seen eye to eye. But that's okay. Because you had me and at the very least he made sure of that.” Pops blew air out between pursed lips. “The night before their wedding, your dad came out here and gave your Gran that emerald ring back. He said he could only have given it to Chloe. Because a love like that...” Pops swallowed hard and then cleared his throat. “A love like that only happened once in a lifetime. And he said the ring should go to someone who would be able to give it to the other half of their heart.”

  The night air blew laughter and music over from the party and Sway's thoughts drifted. He always assumed his parents were happy. They didn't fight, they agreed on everything, had all the same interests. But...

  “They don't dance,” he said definitively.

  “No, they don't.”

  Pops took his foot down off the fence and stepped closer to Sway. “We saw you with your girl, Sway. And if there's one piece of advice you finally take from this old man, let it be this: If you enjoy dancing with her now, you're going to love it even more when she's eight-five.”

  Sway smiled, that made sense. He had started picturing Ryan in every future event in his life. No matter what happened between them, at the very least, she'd become his best friend. And his life would be weird without her being a part of it. He couldn't go back to having life without her. He just wanted more of life with her.

  “Hold out your hand,” Pops instructed.

  Sway did as he was told and wasn't surprised when a cool metal object landed softly in his palm.

  “You've already given her your heart. Give her the ring when it's time.”

  Chapter 29

  Back and Forth

  Sway examined the ring his grandfather had given him. Turning it over, warming the band with the heat of his hand, discovering every ridge of the stone. It was a unique setting. It was the kind of ring that stood out, not because it was gaudy, but because it was so very much its own thing.

  Sort of like this woman he knew.

  He closed his hand around the ring and then shoved it back in his pocket. He'd been carrying it around for more than a week and he hadn't said anything to Ryan about it yet. What was there to say? “So, my grandparents gave me this fancy piece of history. It's not for you yet, don't get attached.”

  The wind picked up, sending the hair blowing into his eyes. He didn't correct it.

  Since the weekend at his grandparents, he'd had a lot on his mind. Too many things. The things that were usually there, but he found harder to avoid without a tour or album to work on. That was something he could do—call Luke and see if studio time was scheduled yet. He didn't have anything to contribute this time around—well, that song he had written for Ryan. But that was still just a baby of a melody, hardly anything to share.

  He'd spent most of the past few days hitting appointments with a realtor. She was showing him three to four houses a day. The first couple of days she'd been a little stiff and reserved, by day three she was much more relaxed. Now that he thought about it, she had been flirting pretty heavily. He should probably ask for a different one, he didn't want to leave the wrong impression.

  “Hey.”

  Sway jumped at Ryan's voice. He looked up into concerned brown eyes and tried to smile. She tilted her head in question. His smile must not have been that convincing.

  Taking a seat beside him, she propped one elbow on her bent knees and rested her chin in her palm. “What's going on, Sway?”

  “Nothing.”

  The wind shifted her hair to blow it away from her face and he watched the movement. Liquid tendrils of sunlight, dancing around the softest face he'd ever known. He had already told her he loved her. Was that too soon? She seemed fine with it. Should she be? Shouldn't she be the rational one in all of this? Wasn't she even a little bit scared of what might happen if he screwed this all up?

  If he turned into his father?

  “Nothing?” she asked quietly, not believing him.

  He studied her patient face, wondering what he had done to garner such absolute trust from this beauty beside him. Before Sunday night, he thought he knew. He had been confident in their connection... but then she got to meet his parents.

  Sure, it was civil. But that didn't mean it was pleasant.

  “Do you think we got into this thing way too fast?” he asked.

  Her gentle smile surprised him. “Yep.”

  “Doesn't it scare you?”

  Ryan licked her lips as her smile widened. She glanced over his shoulder, then back to him and sighed. “Does how fast this is going scare me, or do you scare me?”

  His heart sped up. “What's the difference?”

  “Everything.”

  A phoebe landed on an overhanging branch in the walnut tree and let out his pure call. Ryan's eyes instantly lifted to the tiny brown bird and her smile turned wistful. She puckered her lips and whistled back, a perfect impression. The bird replied and she chuckled before giving her attention back to Sway.

  “I didn't do anything to earn you,” he
said honestly.

  Her eyebrows dipped.

  “How do I keep you without ruining you?”

  “Oh, Sway,” she said, the words coming out in a tortured plea. “You can't ruin me.”

  It wasn't the answer he was expecting. Not at all. Truth be told, he didn't have an expectation. He just started spilling his guts. Which happened to be occurring more and more frequently around her. Maybe that was okay.

  “I've spent a good deal of my life being a disappointment.”

  Ryan took those words and turned them over in her head. Her vision drifted and her breathing slowed down as she pulled her knees up, folded her arms across them and rested her head in their cradle. “This is where you've been all week?”

  Sway jerked a little. “No, I've been looking at houses—”

  “In your head.”

  He swallowed and let out a frustrated sigh.

  She sucked the corner of her bottom lip into her mouth and chewed on it. “I'm still new to this girlfriend thing. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to come over sooner or let you stew on it some more.”

  Sway chuckled. “You thought something was wrong.”

  “I knew it.”

  Her quiet declaration only further intensified his confused cognitive state. “We started this thing too fast.”

  “Why don't you tell me what's bothering you, and we'll see what can be done about it.”

  Pressure built in his chest as he tried to make his thoughts go away, tried to come up with something inappropriate to counter with and distract her. Because if he honestly told her what was going on inside and she realized how unstable he was, she'd be gone.

  “Sway,” Ryan said firmly, her eyebrow cocked. “Don't make me come in there and get it myself.”

  “Do you want to have kids?” he asked. It wasn't the most ideal place to start, but it was something.

  “Yeah,” she said softly. “I think kids sound pretty good.”

  “Do you want to have kids with me?” he clarified, his mouth dry, making it difficult to speak.

  “Are you pregnant?” she asked, her eyes teasing.

  He was just gonna say it. “What if I turn into my dad? Would you want to have kids with me then?”

  “Never gonna happen,” she dismissed.

  “How do you know?”

  “I know because I know you,” she said shrugging. “You're not that guy.”

  “We share a lot of the same traits. Did you know I once threw out all of my towels after Luke lived with me temporarily because he made them musty? You know who does that? My dad.”

  “Musty towels are the worst,” Ryan said. “The scourge of the earth.”

  Sway grimaced. “I'm being serious.”

  Her lips twitched. “So am I.”

  He rolled his eyes. “No you're not, you're making fun of me.”

  “Okay,” she acquiesced. “Maybe I'm making a little fun. But just in general, not of you.”

  “Damn you,” he said, smiling despite himself. “You have to be so frickin' cute.”

  “It's why you like me.”

  Sway's eyes widened. “Ryan Zacherson,” he said accusingly. “You're flirting with me!”

  She rolled her lips in between her teeth. “Is it working?”

  The pressure in his chest had eased considerably and he let his eyes roam over her face adoringly. “Everything about you works for me in a big way.”

  She waggled her eyebrows, catching him off guard and he laughed out loud. When he sobered, she had righted her head and was watching him seriously.

  “I know it's fast,” she said. “And yeah, the speed is scary. But it's less scary because it's you.”

  “You haven't Googled me yet, have you?” Sway was always waiting for the other shoe to drop. He was constantly waiting for Ryan to type his name into her search bar on her computer and come to a very different conclusion that she had at that moment.

  “You told me that they sensationalize most of that stuff anyway,” she replied, shrugging it off. “Besides, I know you. We've bonded. You rubbed my butt, remember?”

  “I'm trying to be serious, Ryan,” he said.

  She looked down for a second. “I know.”

  “Okay, so these are the things that are on my mind. I worry I forced you into this too fast and you're going to resent me for it in the future. I worry that the dick gene is lying dormant in my body and I'll turn into Mr. Schaeffer some day and wreck Miles' life. And I'm worried that I'm not worried enough about it.”

  Ryan nodded and then held out her hand, palm up. “Give me your hand.”

  Sway did as he was told and Ryan folded his hand over the top of her own and brought it her face, pressing her lips to his fingers. “I'm not stupid. I know exactly who you are, you haven't fooled me in the least bit. You're not going to turn out like your dad. Because no matter what happens with us, I'm not letting you out of my life. I plan on being a seriously obnoxious friend at the very least. You'll probably be the one resenting me. But if you start to turn into a dick, I'll stop you.”

  Sway was fighting a smile at this point. “You'll stop me?”

  “Yeah.”

  “How?”

  “I'll just remind you that you're not that guy.”

  “That simple?”

  “Easy as pie,” she whispered.

  “How are you so confident in this?”

  Ryan's eyebrows lifted and she sighed. “Well... It would be really hard to tell you how I've learned all the things I've learned. But it's actually one of the reasons I came over today. I have to go down south for a few days to...” Her pretty face scrunched up as she had an unpleasant thought. “Take care of a few things.”

  “You want me to watch Clive while you're gone?” Sway guessed, hoping he was wrong.

  Ryan cleared her throat. “Since you just lamented how fast this was all going, that would probably be best at this point.”

  “And if I wouldn't have?” Sway asked.

  “I was going to ask if you wanted to come with.”

  “I need to explain something,” he said hurriedly. “I'm an idiot.”

  Ryan busted out laughing. He took the opportunity to hook his elbow around her neck and pull her into his chest where he kissed the top of her head.

  “I want to go with you.” He pulled back so he could see her face. “You're right. It's scary, but it's less scary with you.”

  She didn't hide her smile. Never with him. “You're my favorite person.”

  “I'm blessed with the life of a better man.”

  Ryan brushed his hair out his eyes. “So much you don't see,” she said softly. “But I'll enjoy being the one to show you.”

  Chapter 30

  If It's Love

  Sway hadn't had time to get a haircut when he got back to town. His flight had landed only two hours ago. He barely had to time to shower and get across town. He had pulled his hair into a tight ponytail low on the back of his neck, hoping it would be enough to get him by.

  He was wearing a suit, that should count for something, right?

  He nodded at the other guests and some distant relatives he kind of recognized as he made his way to the ballroom. He couldn't, for the life of him, remember what this particular event was for or why he needed to be here. Just that it was expected and so he was there.

  Sway scanned the large room, looking for his parents. He just wanted to check in, be acknowledged, and then get out of here. His eyes found his mom easily enough. She was standing tall and perfect, violin poised at the ready. The room hushed all around him as he eased closer to the center of the room.

  Normally, when his mother played, his father was the one accompanying her at the piano. But a stranger sat in his place. Sway searched the onlookers for his father’s familiar frown and finally found him standing on the outside. Sway moved in that direction as the sweet strains of his mother's music filled the now silent room.

  Ethan's eyes flicked to Sway then back to his wife.

  Sway wanted to ask
why he wasn't the one playing with her but he knew speaking during this moment would really be frowned upon.

  The song climbed and soared, taking the onlookers with it. Sway couldn't deny that both of his parents were immensely talented. He had always loved this song, even as a child. He'd sit in his mother’s studio and listen to her practice it for hours. His heart singing with every note.

  The feeling now was only slightly altered by the absence of his father's signature style. It still sounded nice, but somehow off.

  The song ended and everyone clapped politely. Sway turned to his father who was still watching his wife.

  “Why didn't you play today?” he asked.

  Ethan's eyes flashed. “We make sacrifices for family.”

  Sway was going to ask a follow-up question, but Ethan cut him off. “I'm sorry, son. She needs me.”

  Sway watched his dad move to his mom's side and whisper something in her ear. The look on her face remained the same, but her hand was trembling as she reached up to touch the lapel of his jacket.

  Sway didn't get it. Not at all.

  ***

  “When was the last time you were back here?” Sway asked, jolting Ryan out of her state of yo.

  She took a deep breath, let it out slowly and did the math.

  “Five years, eight months, and ten days.”

  Sway was looking at her as he said, “That's... specific.”

  “Yeah.” She remembered the day she left very well. “It was my birthday.” In more ways than one.

  They hadn't spoken much on the flight down. She had been pretty reflective and not too talkative. And she took a nap.

  “Well,” she said to herself. Tightening her grip on the handle of her duffel, she started up the driveway from the street where the rental car was parked. She'd always known she'd have to come back, she just hadn't known when.

  Setting her bag down, she took out her keys, looking for the one she hadn't had to use in a very long time.