Dating Naomi was very different than Ryan had ever imagined dating to be. She supported him when Ryan didn’t even know he needed support. “She’s definitely a keeper,” his dad added, giving Ryan a serious look. “I’m glad things worked out for the two of you. I really am,” he promised.
Ryan nodded. He knew his dad was glad. He wondered if there was a trace of envy there, or regret.
“Whether she’s my soulmate or not, I love her,” Ryan said softly. He was sure Paul understood that. Ryan had never doubted that his parents had loved each other, once. Their love just hadn’t been enough to overcome his mom’s soulmate bond with Jack.
Nor would Ryan want it to be. His mom was happy.
“You know, you still might meet someone,” Ryan offered, only half-teasing. “If it can happen to me, when I don’t even have a soulmark…” It was a lot easier to joke about now. Ryan no longer felt as though he was cursed, or less than everybody else.
He was just a person. Whether Naomi was his soulmate or not, he could find love and happiness with her. That was what mattered.
Paul glanced over at Naomi and then back to Ryan. Apart from his parents, Naomi was the first person Ryan had ever told about not having a soulmark. He knew it couldn’t have been easy on his parents to think that Ryan wouldn’t find the person who was meant for him. Then again, as two people who’d had kids with not their soulmate, they were probably more understanding than some.
“Maybe.” His dad nodded. “But I'm okay on my own, too.” Ryan nodded at that. His dad had never looked unhappy, not once a few years had passed between him and the divorce.
The cab for Naomi’s dad arrived. After a few quick goodbyes from everyone, he was off. Paul also bid both Ryan and Naomi a goodnight before heading off for his car.
Linking her arm through Ryan’s, Naomi leaned into him as he led them to where his car was parked. “I'm exhausted,” Naomi commented, a dramatic yawn following the statement. "And I didn't play a hockey game tonight! I can't imagine how you must feel,” she commented. “This was nice, though. Your dad seems lovely.”
Ryan’s buzz from winning was only beginning to die down. By the time they actually got home, he should be ready to curl up beside Naomi. Unless he could convince her there were more interesting things to do in bed.
“He’s is pretty great,” Ryan agreed, grinning. “He told me you were a keeper, which is good, because I have made plans to keep you.” Ryan wasn’t going to let Naomi go again. Not after he’d been lucky enough to get her back.
Ryan couldn’t completely regret the weeks they’d spent apart. He’d needed them, to see what he was missing. And to make steps towards figuring out how he really felt about the whole ‘unmarked’ thing.
Still, once had been enough. “I like that they get on, our dads,” Ryan said. “They can come to games together, when dad’s in town and you don’t feel up to it.”
“Yeah, my dad would definitely like that,” Naomi nodded. They reached the car and Ryan opened the door for Naomi. Once he was inside, she reached out to give his hand another squeeze. “I think I’ll let you keep me,” she told him with a grin.
The words warmed Ryan more than he could really express. Leaning forward, Ryan kissed Naomi, pouring all the emotion into the kiss instead. When she pulled back, Naomi’s lips were red.
“Maybe if we get home in a timely fashion, I’ll let you keep me repeatedly,” she told him with a smirk.
Ryan laughed, returning his hands to the wheel and gunning the engine. “I’ve never had a better reason to make it home quickly,” he teased.
He knew he didn’t really need to speed home. Even if they didn’t have the energy tonight, Ryan fully expected to fall asleep with Naomi for many, many nights to come.
Epilogue
Naomi couldn’t believe that a whole year had already gone by! As everyone gathered for the annual Sunshine Foundation’s run, she couldn’t help but think back on the previous one. The day she’d met Ryan.
A lot of things had happened in the past year. Most of them good things. Having Ryan involved with the Foundation had brought it a lot of needed publicity. That, in turn, meant that the donations were booming. Of course, that also led to an increased volume of work for Naomi. She found it hard to complain about it.
Juggling work and a relationship was easier than she had anticipated. Ryan was an understanding boyfriend, especially when Naomi didn’t make him come to too many official dinners with her. Dougie was often a perfectly fine date and he seemed extremely pleased by that fact.
As did Ryan.
It warmed Naomi’s heart, the way Ryan and Dougie got on. At some point, Naomi might have worried that introducing a boyfriend into her life might be tough for Dougie. Now, she was completely convinced of the opposite. Dougie still did his job, of course. But at home? He was as much Ryan’s dog as he was Naomi’s.
It was now coming up to about six weeks since Naomi had moved in with Ryan. He’d asked her to a couple of months after they’d gotten back together and, well, Naomi had seen no reason not to. Ryan’s house was bigger, so it had taken her a while to perfect the layout. Both Dougie and Ryan had helped a lot there.
Not having lived with anyone since she was a teenager, Naomi had worried about how things might be. To Ryan’s credit, he was exceptionally good at not accidentally moving furniture or leaving stuff lying around on the floor. Well, after the one time that Naomi had tripped over a carelessly discarded gym bag, at least.
Today, since she had to be at the event super early, Ryan had dropped her off and then gone back home. He was participating in the race, but it had seemed easier to do it this way. Naomi had spent most of the morning organizing things. Finally, the race was almost ready to start.
Dougie pulled against the harness. It was only a light tug. Naomi had learned what that meant. “What’s that, Dougie, Ryan’s fallen down the well?” she teased. The dog made a small whimpering noise, like he was unimpressed by her mocking.
“Alright, show me where he is,” Naomi told the dog, before quickly telling Irene that she’d be back shortly. It didn’t take Dougie very long to find Ryan in the crowd. He was still careful in how he led Naomi.
Naomi knew the moment they were close because Dougie sped up a tiny bit.
“There you are,” Ryan greeted, ruffling Dougie’s fur as he leaned in to press a kiss against Naomi’s cheek. Dougie sat down, content for the moment to be between his two favorite people.
“How’s everything going?” Ryan asked. “No unexpected crises or stray hockey players this year?” He chuckled. It made Naomi grin to think that he, too, was remembering how they’d met.
“No, no stray ones,” Naomi shook her head, taking Ryan’s hand so she could give it a squeeze. “Only the ones who already have an owner,” she teased. It was true in more ways than one. Ryan wasn’t the only Howlers player to run in the race this year. Naomi had already registered at least three others. She was pretty sure they just wanted to be competitive with each other.
With Dogie’s harness in one hand and Ryan’s hand in her other, Naomi led them back to the registration tent to get Ryan sorted with a number for the race. “It seems strange to think it’s already been a year since we first met,” she commented. “But also not really.” Because they now lived together.
“It’s been a great year,” Ryan said, squeezing Naomi’s hand. “Definitely not at all what I expected when Ashley signed me up to do charity work.” Naomi smiled. Ryan’s image in the press had been steadily improving. She knew how hard he’d worked to make that happen. He tended to credit Naomi with a lot of it, but she insisted that he recalled how much he had done, too.
Ryan turned Naomi’s hand over in his, fingers brushing against her palm. “I know it’s only been six weeks, but I think it’s going well,” he said. “Us living together, I mean. You don’t miss having your own place?”
“No, I definitely don’t,” Naomi promised, shaking her head. Truthfully, she loved living with Ryan. It was different, for su
re, but in a good way. Naomi liked that Ryan came home to her or that she came home to him. Sharing a bed every night felt right.
And Naomi enjoyed this, too. Being able to share events with Ryan. There was no requirement for him to do the run this year. He’d chosen to because Naomi was organizing it. And because it helped the Foundation. As much as this had originally been something Ryan did for good press, Naomi thought he genuinely cared for the Foundation now. Maybe because of her, but more likely because of Dougie.
“Are you going out with the guys after the run? I think I heard someone mention that the slowest one buys drinks?” Naomi asked with a smile.
“Are you implying that I might be the slowest?” Ryan asked, giving an exaggerated gasp of shock. Naomi knew he wasn’t really offended. He didn’t let go of her hand, stepping forward with her to claim his number. A big ‘43’, just like last year.
Once that was done, Ryan continued, “Nah. I thought I’d celebrate with you, instead. You’ll have just organized another successful fundraiser! I think that deserves a nice meal at home.” Naomi smiled. She loved that home was a place they shared now.
Ryan tugged lightly on Naomi’s hand, pulling her away from the crowds and the noise.
Naomi easily let Ryan lead them to one side of the crowd. She’d have to go back soon, to get ready for the start of the race, but Naomi could spend a bit longer with Ryan. He was right that she should feel proud about organizing another successful fundraiser. This year’s race was at least twice as big, in no small part thanks to the participation of the Madison Howlers.
“Well, I will hardly turn down the opportunity to have a nice meal at home with you,” Naomi said with a soft smile.
“Good.” Ryan brushed a soft kiss against Naomi’s cheek, squeezing her hand even tighter. She could feel a slight tremor. She was about to ask whether something was wrong, when she felt Ryan’s other hand cup her cheek.
“Naomi.” His voice shook slightly. “I’ve had the most amazing year of my life since I met you. You’ve changed so much about how I perceive the world. I’ve never been happier about my place in it than I have since I’ve discovered how it feels to be at your side.”
Ryan pulled in a deep breath. “Living with you for six weeks has just convinced me that I never want to live without you.” Ryan lifted Naomi’s free hand to his shoulder. As soon as she’d settled it there, she felt him move - going to his knees.
Going to one knee. “Naomi Stone,” he began. “I love you. I want to always be your Ryan, and to know that you’re just as much mine. Will you marry me?”
The question surprised her. Naomi could feel so many emotions tie together in her stomach. Before she had any chance to say anything, Dougie gave a small whine. He proceeded to lick Ryan’s face. It made Naomi laugh. Of course Dougie took the opportunity of Ryan being at his head height to lick his face.
“Yes,” Naomi said, tugging against Ryan’s shirt so he’d stand up. It was her turn to lick his face. Kind of. Tiptoeing, Naomi pulled Ryan in closer to kiss him, a wide smile against his lips. “Yes, I’d love to marry you,” she confirmed when she finally pulled back.
There was suddenly cheering around them. and Naomi laughed. She hadn’t even realized they were still standing in a crowd. The wolf whistles informed her that at least a few of the other Howlers players were there.
Ryan’s arms wrapped around her waist. The force of his embrace almost lifted her from her feet. “Yes!” Ryan cried. “You said ‘yes’!” He laughed, ducking his head to kiss Naomi just below her ear. His delight was infectious. Even Dougie gave a loud bark, as if he understood precisely what was happening.
“Now we have even more to celebrate,” Ryan informed her. It made Naomi wonder how long he’d been planning this. It clearly wasn’t a spur of the moment decision.
“I thought about buying you a ring,” Ryan said. “But I wanted us to do that together. Go to a shop, see which one feels right.”
The delight in Ryan’s voice, the sheer joy of it was so incredibly endearing. Naomi couldn’t imagine saying no to Ryan asking her to marry her. She wanted to make him this happy every day. Saying yes to becoming his wife was just the first step in that.
“We’ll buy a ring together,” she nodded, before leaning in to whisper against Ryan’s ear. “And once we’re home, I’ll show you just how much I want to be yours,” she promised.
Ryan’s hand brushed low over Naomi’s back as he pulled her body against his. He kissed her again, teeth catching on her lower lip before he pulled back. “Once we’re home,” he agreed. Naomi knew that he enjoyed knowing the idea of going home with her as much as she did.
“First, I have a race to not-win,” he announced, letting go of Naomi’s waist. “Are you and Dougie going to cheer me on?”
“Of course,” she nodded. “And we’ll be there for when the race is over, to hand you water and praise,” Naomi promised with a smile. Her stomach felt full of butterflies. This was just them talking like they normally would, but now they were engaged. She was going to marry Ryan and keep him forever!
Tiptoeing, Naomi pressed a kiss against Ryan’s lips. “For luck,” she told him happily. “I’ve got a lot of it, I’ll share with you.”
Ryan squeezed her hand. “You’re the best,” he told her. “I’ve already got more than enough luck to go around. I guess I’ll just have to share it right back.” There was a dramatic pause, then Ryan added, “After the race.” That made Naomi laugh. She knew how competitive Ryan was. Even if he was content not to win the whole race, she didn’t mind if he used her luck to beat the rest of his teammates.
“I really do love you,” Ryan said. It made the butterflies in Naomi’s stomach flutter even more. “I can’t wait to have a wedding with you, and a married life with you.”
Dougie barked at that, making Naomi laugh. The best thing about one day having a married life with Ryan was definitely the fact that she knew it was going to be just as good as their non-married life together.
“Go on, then, go race for charity so then I can take you home and celebrate our engagement,” Naomi instructed Ryan, giving his ass a smack. She couldn’t see him grinning back, but Naomi could sense it.
She had never needed to see it to know how much Ryan loved her.
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Also in the Madison Howlers’ Series:
Game Plan
Sometimes, knowing the name of your soulmate is more trouble than it’s worth. That’s how Connor Lewis feels when photographs of his soulmark get published.
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Blake never expected meeting his soulmate to be so complicated. Doe is sweet. She’s everything Blake thought he wanted in a girlfriend. He can’t understand why it’s Thea who makes his pulse race!
Thea and Blake aren't meant to be together, so why is it so hard to keep the chemistry between them down? The longer they spend together, the harder it becomes to remember that they need to keep their distance!
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Empty Net (Madison Howlers Book 3) Page 17