“Is that allowed?”
“He’s my baby boy. I’m nervous and he relaxes me.” Ryan smiled. “Four years into this career and I’m already playing in the Super Bowl. But nothing compares to being Riley’s dad. I just hope I can make him proud by winning.”
“He’s already proud of you.” Kennedy rose off the bed on her knees and moved to the edge of the bed, next to Ryan. “I probably smell like puke, but I would like to hug you.”
Ryan threw back his head and laughed, “I’ll take it.” He pulled Kennedy in his arms and got lost in her warmth. He felt her arms move from his shoulders to his chest, signaling him to pull back. “Feed yourself and my baby. Both of them. Bye, Ken.”
“Bye, Ry.” He was about to pull away when her grip tightened and her face grew serious. “Ryan, about last night? Thanks. I really needed to hear that.”
“I needed to say it.” Ryan leaned in for a kiss and when she didn’t retreat, he claimed her lips, morning sickness be damned. When he pulled away, the smile she gave him had his blood rushing. Finally.
• • •
Kennedy watched in a confused daze as a rack of clothes was pushed in front of her. She didn’t know what exactly went into a Super Bowl after party. But according to Matt, people got dressed up for it. She hadn’t seen Riley since the Rebels lifted the football cup in triumph. He was plastered to his father’s side enjoying his victory. She hadn’t seen much of Ryan Senior, either. But Rebecca and Elizabeth were there with her, suffering the pains of being plucked and fluffed like peacocks or supermodels about to take the runway. Ryan hadn’t told her about this party. She guessed he knew that she would have drawn the line at publicizing of their relationship to his friends. Before last night she would have been against it. Now, she was warming to the idea of being referred to as Mrs. Carville.
She stared at the red jersey thrown on her bed. Even though she was draped in a soft cotton robe, she preferred the Carville jersey. At least wearing that she’d felt like she belonged. Kennedy picked it up; the fabric smelled like hot dogs and the cola Riley had managed to pour on her when his father threw his third touchdown for the night. She smiled at the sweet memory of her son’s excitement. But she did feel a little sorry for him, having to watch all the action from the private box seats instead of out among the crowd. The only people there to share his enthusiasm were businessmen and models who had no interest in the game. She felt so bad that she’d let him go sit in the stands with his grandfather at the beginning of the second half.
Kennedy stared at the name on the back of her jersey. Carville. As a teenager she had dreamt of being Mrs. Carville. Now that she was, she didn’t find it as glamorous as she thought she would. But it meant something more to her. She belonged, to him, to his family, and in his world. By just wearing the jersey and turning up at the game she had showed her support and made a statement: She was Ryan’s wife.
“Sweetheart, what are you doing?” Rebecca stared at her suspiciously, as if expecting the confusion of emotions churning inside her about to spout out like volcanic lava.
Kennedy shook her head, then neatly folded the jersey and placed it in her bag. With all the chaos in the room, she was afraid she would lose it. “Nothing, Mama. You look pretty.” She admired the emerald-green dress Rebecca wore. The fabric shone brightly against the rich chocolate of her skin; she looked beautiful.
“Why aren’t you dressed?”
“I don’t know what to wear.” Kennedy noticed, for the first time, the lethargic woman standing next to the clothes rack. The stylist flinched, apparently not amused with Kennedy’s indecision.
“How about ivory, dear?” Elizabeth put in, as she joined them in her red floor-length gown. “Ivory is Ryan’s favorite color.”
“But beige suits you so well, sweetheart.” The chilly tone in Rebecca’s voice was enough to give everyone in the room frostbite.
Kennedy didn’t want Ryan to think she had been trying to please him. But this was his night, and she’d just caught sight of an ivory gown with gold embellishments that made her skin itch with want. She turned to the stylist and said, “I’ll wear the ivory one. I’d like my hair up to showcase the choker at the neckline.”
Kennedy turned away from her mother’s frown and sat in front of the mirror. She was going to be Ryan’s eye candy, but just for tonight. The stylist, with a much more relaxed smile, brought forward a pair of gold slippers for her to approve. Once her hair was done up, Kennedy moved to the bed. She took in the beautiful dress and, lying beside it, a gold clutch bag studded with gems that shone brilliantly. Matt had told her the importance of appearance, but he seemed to have gone all out providing these. She had the wild suspicion that the jewels were real diamonds.
“When do I return this?” Kennedy asked the stylist.
“Never. Mr. Carville asked for everything to be delivered to your house once you chose what you wanted to wear tonight.”
“What!?” Kennedy’s gaze shifted to the rack of clothes. “These gowns will not fit in a month. Did Mr. Carville tell you I’m pregnant?”
“Yes. He’s very excited about it.”
“Yeah, but he won’t be the one staring at gowns he can’t wear just because he looks like a whale,” she mumbled.
Kennedy couldn’t believe that it was her when she finally took inventory in front of the mirror. She looked beautiful. She never thought of herself that way, but today she did.
“Hurry up dear,” Elizabeth called out from the foyer. “The boys are here.”
“Speaking of, ask Ryan what we are going to do with Riley,” Kennedy yelled back over her shoulder.
“He’s coming with us, I’ll keep an eye on—Oh my God, Kennedy,” Elizabeth gasped, stepping into the room behind her.
“What?” Kennedy whipped around half expecting to see something gruesome that had Elizabeth stunned.
“You look—”
“You look like a princess, Mommy!” Riley shouted when he ran into the room in his tiny suit. He was about to leap into her arms when his grandmother caught him.
“None of that, young man. At least give your daddy and the world a chance to see her before you ruin her look.”
“You look very handsome, Riley.” Kennedy took in how Riley looked in his black tuxedo with a tiny white bow tie. She bet Ryan had one hell of a time trying to get him to hold still long enough to get him dressed.
“RJ,” Riley announced.
“What?” Kennedy asked, her smile faltering.
“You see,” Riley gulped and Kennedy braced herself, “I asked daddy if I could be Ryan just like him and grandpa. He said I have to ask you, but it was okay with him.” Riley started fiddling with his thumbs, a trademark tic whenever he was nervous and a bit frightened.
“Is this what you were whispering into Daddy’s ear this morning.”
Riley nodded.
“You really want Ryan to be your first name?”
Riley nodded, his eyes glued to his shiny dress shoes the whole time. How could she deny him that? The little boy just wanted to be like his daddy. Kennedy used her finger to raise his eyes to hers. With a smile, she said, “Of course, RJ.”
Riley looked up at her and bestowed her an enormous smile, the kind she hadn’t seen for weeks. Somehow those two letters had made his day. Riley grabbed her hand and started pulling her to the door. Kennedy barely had a chance to grab her purse. She ran as much as her four-inch heels allowed. Her heart thumped in her chest. Ryan had never seen her this decked out. She wondered what he would think too.
“Riley, don’t pull your mother around like that,” Rebecca chastised.
“It’s RJ now! Ryan Junior,” Riley announced, his chest puffed out and his tone filled with pride.
“RJ? What’s the meaning of that?”
“Not now, Mother. Shall we go?” Kennedy turned and stepped into the foyer, her eyes already searching the room for Ryan. He was over next to Matt. Both men were gaping, but Ryan was watching her with awe in his eyes. He never
said a word as people started to shuffle out of the room and into the hallway of the hotel. When it was just them left behind, she took a nervous step towards him. His porcelain skin stood out from the all-black suit he was wearing. His muscular form filled out his jacket, the seams looking ready to burst.
“Do I look okay?”
“Perfect,” he whispered. “You look perfect.”
Ryan held out his hand for her and she took it. She felt her knees weaken as he threaded his fingers with hers. He took a shaky step towards her, uncertainty in his eyes, as he lowered his head to kiss her. She wanted him to kiss her on the lips, but he gave her a peck on the cheek. “I wouldn’t want to mess up your makeup.”
Kennedy felt a pang of disappointment. She didn’t give a hoot about the Chanel gloss she wore. She would rather have Ryan’s lips on hers.
“We are going in a limo, but our cars are already at the restaurant. That way we can leave whenever you want. I know with the pregnancy you’ll get tired pretty quickly, and then there’s Riley. I don’t know how much longer that sugar high is going to keep him awake.”
“Ryan,” she cut in, “Your team won the Super Bowl. You are the most valuable player. It’s your night. I will stay as long as you want me to stay. And Riley—I mean RJ—he can sleep in tomorrow.”
“You are not upset about him wanting to be called RJ instead of Riley, are you?”
“Ryan is already his name. We’ll just make it his first name when we go change his name to Carville.”
His eyebrows rose in surprise. “Change his name… So you’re going to stay then? After the transplant?”
He sounded breathless, and Kennedy’s own breath caught. “Yes,” she whispered.
A slow smile spread over Ryan’s face. “Even when I do stuff that doesn’t make me husband of the year?”
Kennedy grinned, but just nodded in response.
Her husband leaned in and gave her the kiss she’d been waiting for. “Thank you.”
• • •
Ryan had gotten rid of the tie and jacket halfway into the victory party. Already he had received a lot of compliments on how beautiful his wife looked. His heart was still in his throat, it hadn’t come down yet from the moment Kennedy was tugged into the room by an eager Riley—no, RJ. He had to get used to calling his son that. He and Kennedy had agreed to go to the lawyer’s office first thing in the morning and start the process of changing Riley’s name. He couldn’t be more proud.
He watched as his son played with the other children, not once did he look too tired or sick. And Kennedy seemed to fit right in with the wives. He watched as she laughed, tactfully refusing the champagne on offer and drinking the ginger ale he had sent to her.
“What are you going to do during the off season?” Matt, standing next to him, asked.
“I’m going to start getting ready for the new baby. Plus, Riley’s recovery is going to have us tied up.”
“He seems fine now. I feel so bad for your mother and Rebecca. They finally gave up chasing him around the room.”
“I’ve never seen him like this. So full of energy,” Ryan choked on the emotion. When he first heard about his son, he’d been horrified. A part of him was still sure he was going to lose him. Ryan didn’t feel like he deserved a son after what he did to Kennedy. But it was for Kennedy’s sake that he prayed every day for the life of his children, and it seemed like God was listening.
“Your rugrat just toppled a waiter. Doesn’t he have a cage?” Clara’s shrill voice cut into his happy thoughts suddenly.
“Dear God, why me?” Ryan groaned as he turned to face her.
“I’ll go find your rugrat,” Matt volunteered.
Just then Riley’s voice rang into the air, “Uncle Matt, Uncle Matt, look!” He slid across the room, balancing on a serving tray, a waiter hot on his heels.
Ryan chanced a glance at Kennedy, half expecting her to be angry. But she was laughing as she side-stepped out of their son’s way.
“You should get him a leash.”
“Clara, to what do I owe the displeasure,” Ryan ground out.
Like a dial turning, Clara switched from her spiteful self to flirtatious in a second. She rubbed up against Ryan, and he took a step back in disgust. “I thought that we could take that trip to Paris, like we always talked about.”
“Why would I do that?”
“You promised me.” She pouted her red bottom lip. “You said when you win the Super Bowl we could finally take a trip.”
“I’m a married man, Clara.”
“So? We can fix that.”
“Fix what?” Ryan chuckled, distracted as Riley ran past them minus his tuxedo jacket, with Matt and the waiter behind him. “There is nothing to fix. I’m happy.”
“You couldn’t be. They are bound to embarrass you. Look, your son is causing chaos. And even if you dressed her in expensive clothing and jewelry, she will always be from the wrong side of the tracks.” Clara reached out and stroked the side of his face. “You and I are meant to be, don’t you see that?”
Ryan could barely hear her. All he saw was Kennedy’s dazzling smile as she laughed at Riley causing havoc and recruiting other children into his reign of terror. And when Kennedy turned to her side, he saw the rounded bulge of her belly where his new baby grew. Then there was Rebecca, who, for the first time since he had met her, wasn’t casting him a hateful glare, and his own mother chatting with the other players’ parents at the party while his father announced to everyone who cared to hear that his son was the MVP. All he could see was his family. They accepted him for who he was and loved him in honesty and truth. That was what he wanted, what he’d waited for his whole life.
“I’m sorry Clara. I’ve moved on. I’m choosing her, myself, and my family. I can’t be high school Ryan anymore. You’ll have to find someone else,” he said, truly meaning the words. “I’m happy.”
Chapter Thirteen
Kennedy watched as Riley and the band of misfits he had recruited tortured the waiter. She knew that she should do something to stop him, but she was having so much fun watching him. She turned to look at Ryan, and her smile froze on her lips. Clara was there, pasting herself on Ryan. But he didn’t seem to notice, because his eyes were on her. She gave him a small wave. Kennedy wasn’t going to go there and mark her territory, stake her claim. She needed Ryan to choose her, to come to the decision on his own. But then she was married to him and she was the mother of his two children, what kind of choice did he have.
Ryan started towards her, leaving a stunned Clara behind him. Clara was able to recover from her shock to send a hateful glare her way. But the closer Ryan got, the more Clara seemed to disappear. She couldn’t contain the happiness that burst in her heart. He had chosen her. Kennedy for the first time had become someone’s first choice. She had taken his words to heart but she needed to see them in action. Now he had proved it to her without a doubt. If she was still in high school she would have stuck her tongue out at Clara. But she wasn’t. Just like Ryan, she too had left high school behind and was looking forward to a future with her sexy husband.
“Ladies,” Ryan greeted them in a charming drawl. “I hope you are enjoying yourselves.”
“We are.” Her companions responded.
“This is the wives’ corner.” Kennedy whispered to him, “Apparently the girlfriends are kept away from the wives and the children. They don’t want anyone from the outer circle to get attached. Imagine that, Ryan! I’m in the inner circle.”
Ryan laughed and she was glad he realized that she meant it as a joke. It was ridiculous. Kennedy thought cliques and crews something left behind in high school, but apparently not. “I think it’s ridiculous.”
“They are just trying to keep the single ladies away from their men,” Ryan explained. “Girlfriends bring along their unattached friends who would do just about anything to catch a football player.”
“My God.” She snickered. “Would it bother you so much if I didn’t want to hang
out with this clique?”
“Only if you don’t mind hanging out with me.” He smiled, looking down at her stunning gown. “Ivory is my favorite color, by the way.”
“I know.”
Kennedy met his gaze, and the stormy desire that burnt through them sent a shiver down her spine. She couldn’t speak, so instead she took his hand and let him lead her. But they didn’t get far because suddenly the room started chanting Ryan’s name. He stopped and turned to face her, a growl rumbling from his throat. Kennedy laughed, appreciating his frustration over their interrupted alone time. She accepted the gentle kiss of his lips, and watched as he walked towards the large group of football players. Riley’s interest dropped from the waiter and he crawled between his father’s legs and into the circle that had formed around him.
“He’s going to leave you, you know that right?”
Kennedy let out a huff of frustration as she turned towards Clara, “I guess you are going to tell me why?”
“You are just not good enough for him. Once that little brat is healed, he’ll have a clear conscience and he’ll leave you for me.” The Cheshire cat was so sure of herself.
Kennedy couldn’t help but laugh. “He chose me over you, Clara. I have given him so many chances to get out of our marriage but he hasn’t. He chose me, and you will never understand how great that feels. We aren’t in high school anymore, Clara. Move on and stay away from my husband.”
As she watched Ryan address the crowd, her hand fell to her belly; it had already started taking shape. The innocent life in there didn’t know what was waiting outside the safety of her womb. But she was sure that it would be proud of the man it would call daddy. Ryan voice calling her name got her out of her head and into the moment. Without any doubt in her mind, she took a step forward and greeted the crowd as Mrs. Carville.
I love you, Ryan mouthed to her. She blew him a kiss and restrained herself from doing the jive. She was happy. She was finally happy.
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