The Players (TP4)

54 - For Good

She turned to Isobel. "He shouldn't be so surprised, Kelly always talks about her gorgeous sons."

"He has a brother?" Isobel sounded surprised.

"Of course, Jack. Ryan has two nieces and a nephew, as well."

"I am here." He acted as if they were talking behind his back. "Isobel, I'll gladly show you pictures of my family if you're interested. The baby is..."

"Ryan gushing over a baby!"

"He's held Heidi's daughter."

"You've changed Ryan." Isobel sounded confused by the conversation.

"Lana takes all the credit." He truly believed she opened up his heart. Even the horrible rift because of Adam brought him closer to Jack.

"Well, you're lucky then. Perhaps I should move on so everyone can go about their business."

Ryan hadn't even noticed they were being watched. Lana whispered to him.

"Did it work? Do you think people will forget?"

Ryan put his arm around her waist and held her possessively. Her waist was small, and she felt so good by his side. "I hope so. Thank you for coming and for singing. I think it's you they'll all be talking about now."

She smiled but looked nervous as she bit her lower lip. It was a habit he noticed toward the end of the summer. She didn't respond, so he continued to speak.

"How did your test go? Did I help at all?"

"Let's not talk about it tonight. You know your mother told me about your grades. You have everyone fooled Jack's the smart one and you were the goof-off."

"I couldn't let Jack beat me."

Lana laughed. "I'm glad Will and I aren't like that."

"I miss the kid."

"It's mutual."

"Do you want to eat before..." Ryan didn't finish his question because Lana put her hand on his chest and shook her head. He felt the warmth from her touch radiate through his tuxedo. He couldn't not love her if he tried.

"I couldn't, but you should."

"I'm nervous too." It came out as a whisper.

She looked at him inquisitively, but he couldn't answer truthfully. He was nervous because he feared she didn't feel for him what he felt for her.

They milled around the room as he introduced her about a dozen times. Eventually, they made their way to the table Ryan had purchased. He introduced Lana to Allie and her fiance Sean. Allie jumped up and hugged Lana as if they were long-lost friends. Ryan could only smile. Allie may be his work wife, but Lana was so much more.

He looked at his watch. "The entertainment is due to start. Do you need to freshen up?"

She nodded nervously, and he walked her towards the ladies lounge. Waiting outside the door for her, one of his former clients was also lingering. He was the final one who caused Ryan to be banished to Maine.

He looked at Ryan. "Beautiful woman.
Looks like you're making better choices."

Lana was the only choice for him. "I hope Cam is taking good care of you."

"He is, but maybe I'll come back once you've settled down."

Lana stepped out and smiled at Ryan. "Are you ready?"

Lana didn't respond. Ryan felt guilty because he knew it was a huge deal for her. He took her hand. "I will be there for you the whole time."

She smiled and spoke under her breath. "You're not going to screw Isobel in there are you?"

"Never!" Ryan wanted to tell her she was the only one he wanted, but not yet. She had enough to think about with her performance.

They had to watch five others before it was Lana's turn. Lana loved when the acappella group sang Hallelujah. She might have cheered the loudest for them. "He's good." A fellow board member was playing the piano. They both laughed at an attempt at a magic act which went wrong. Then Lana went white when Isobel's tenor sang a song about the music and night.

"He sounds just like Michael Crawford."

Ryan didn't know who it was but knew his performance didn't help Lana's nerves. He squeezed her hand when they introduced her and he positioned himself so she could see him if she wanted to. He didn't take his eyes off of her as she sang a song he had never heard before. As he listened to the words, she sang about a friendship. She was singing about their relationship and it made his heart fall into his gut. He was afraid he would lose his best friend before the night was over. After the last note, she broke out into a smile which melted Ryan's heart. He had never planned to feel this way, but he couldn't stop it if he tried.

Lana's Song: