Ryan
She sang for him!
"I need to go back in until after the auction is over."
Ryan didn't want to be there anymore, but he had obligations. Lana didn't leave his side as he helped close out the auction and collect payment from the highest bidders. He was pleased the week at his cottage he had offered earned a decent donation. The lucky bidder was another of his former clients. He hoped the night would be a turning point for his reputation. As they tried to leave, acquaintances wanting to meet Lana waylaid them.
Someone asked how long they had been a couple. "We found each other this summer." Lana's eyes met his as she smiled.
Cam and Heidi had left, but Allie was still on the dance floor.
He tightened his grip on Lana's hand as Isobel approach. She smiled. "You were wonderful. Why Ryan had me worried when he had a talent like you?"
"The truth is Ryan never asked me. He knew I had given up performing. I volunteered because I knew it would make him happy." She turned to Ryan. "Did I make you happy?"
"Indescribably." He kissed her chastely on the lips in front of Isobel. He wanted Isobel to know he had moved on.
"So is she the reason you were hiding away all summer?"
"Absolutely, because of Lana, I had the best summer of my life."
Thankfully, Isobel walked away and Ryan smiled at Lana. "Has all this been an act for her?"
Ryan knew she didn't believe him, but he was prepared to convince her.
"No, what I'm feeling is completely real."
Lana
She sat nervous in his car. "I just want to talk to you. I'm not expecting."
"I know. I texted Heidi. I told her since it was so late, I was staying with you. She knows we're just friends."
"I don't want to be just friends!"
Ryan's words made her stomach flip, but as much as she thought she loved him, it didn't matter because they didn't want the same things. Their friendship was too important. They had almost lost it once.
"You've always been so adamant about what you didn't want."
"I know and I owe you an explanation."
They sat in silence as he drove. She was excited to see where he lived. His condo was a townhouse, and it looked fairly new. His decor was what she imagined with leather and masculine colors. She wondered what Jen would say if she saw it.
"Drink?" She shook her head. "Ice cream?" He smiled.
She thought for a moment. "What kind?"
"Chocolate."
"Maybe a little." Ryan knew she loved ice cream. He dished out a bowlful and sat down next to her with two spoons. "Are you short on bowls?"
"I want to share everything with you."
He was deadly serious. She never imagined she would hear Ryan talk this way. They ate and she waited for him to tell his story. He looked at her and reached out and wiped the ice cream off her lip with his thumb and put it in his mouth and sucked it. Her breath caught. She took another bite, and he reached up again. Instead of wiping her lip he put his hand behind her neck and pulled her to him. He sucked the ice cream off her lip and continued kissing her. She felt light-headed as she took in his chocolate taste. His lips moved gently over hers and she never wanted them to part.
Eventually, he pulled his lips away and rested his forehead against hers. Quietly he started his story. "I was in love when I was twenty. I was planning to marry her."
Lana pulled back so she could see his face. There was a shadow of sadness she hadn't seen since she was angry with him over Adam. "We were in school and weren't careful and she was pregnant. I was prepared to marry her and do what was right."
"Do you have a child?" She panicked because it was completely unexpected.
"No, something happened and my son was born too early. We were young and didn't know how to grieve. We both had guilt because we had freaked over the pregnancy. She drifted away and eventually dumped me. It hurt, and I decided I had been spared marriage and parenting and I wanted no part of either. I made that decision as a hurt twenty-year-old. As time went on, my relationship with Jack just fed into my decision. No one had ever come into my life to challenge that decision until you. My life will never be complete without you. I was lost when you hated me and we were just friends. I honestly think it was then that I began to realize my feelings ran deeper than even I knew."
"I didn't hate you. You were my friend, and you hurt me, but it wasn't hatred."
"I saw Christina, my old girlfriend, the day I drove home in August. I met her, and we talked." He stood up and walked away, but when he came back he had two photos. She studied the tiny baby and then she studied the younger Ryan. He looked like a baby himself.
"She called me the day of the baptism. She told me she felt guilty over my decision to be alone and that I should get over what happened to us when we were twenty. She was right, but she made me see what I really wanted was you. So do you want to give us a chance?"
"We live in different states."
"Not yet, but would you consider moving here? I know you have your finance class and Oliver."
She laughed. "I'd move tomorrow if it meant I could quit that class."
"Quit, you don't need to know any of that to run your business. We can live on The Point in the summer, so you can still have your business if you want it."
"You just gave your cottage away for a week."
"I know. I know. We'll figure out a way to deal with it. It was for a good cause."
"You have everyone fooled. You really are a softie." She leaned in and kissed him. The acrobats were back in her belly and she felt the heat settle in her core. She knew she only had to say the word and he would take her to his bed. She wanted to go slow. She wanted to savor his kisses.
Their lips parted. "Tell me you love me."
She smiled. "I love you, Ryan Harris. Did you name your son?"
He nodded. "Aidan, she thought it went with Ryan."
"Does your family know about Aidan?"
"I told my mother this summer. She told my father, but I asked her not to tell Jack. I wasn't ready for him to know."
"Will you ever tell him?"
"Yeah, but I'd rather tell him I am going to give you babies."
She smiled. "Babies? You really want babies?" He smiled. "How many did you have in mind?"
"As many as you want before I'm too old."
She laughed. "Two sounds good."
"Man to man coverage, I like that. Will your mother approve of me?"
"My father will so she'll have to. Will will be elated."
"I lied to you again." He was serious.
"About what this time." She sighed.
"I said I just wanted to talk, but really I want you in my bed. It nearly killed me when you told me about your drunken night with Erik."
"Did you really turn down the drunk woman that night?"
"Yes, I haven't been with anyone since Isobel. At first, I wasn't interested in anyone and then all I wanted was you, but couldn't tell you. I think everyone we know knew we loved each other but us."
"Even Maddie's friend Laura thought we were a couple. When I told her we weren't she laughed."
"Now Allie is almost done planning her wedding she hinted she will help with mine."
"What did you say?"
"Nothing, I just kept hoping she was right. I know it's too early, but I can't imagine not wanting to be with you forever."
Her heart lurched again. It would be bruised from bouncing around in her chest. "Will you pinch me?"
He laughed. "If you're dreaming then I am too."
His mouth captured hers with a hunger that she instantly met. She took in his taste and his lips expertly moved over hers. They finally separated. "You are so beautiful. When I saw you tonight in this dress." He moved his hand from her bare shoulder down her side and rested it on her hip. She felt a jolt at every nerve he brushed over. "It is incredibly sexy. Did Jen help you?"
"She thought I was lucky to have you as my date. She thought there was more between us, too."
"I think the whole Point does and now they are right."
"Rick, probably has a pool going!"
Ryan laughed. "Only on The Point, Lan have you decided where you want to sleep?"
She saw no reason to wait. She was leaving the next day and she didn't know when she'd see him again. She reached up and undid his tie. "You kept your tie on longer this time and your jacket." She slipped it off his shoulders.
"Are you undressing me for a reason? I've been wondering all night what you're wearing underneath that dress." His voice was smooth and sexy.
"If I tell you, it will ruin your surprise."
"My surprise? Did you have any idea how much I wanted you?"
"No, but I wondered if I could have one night with you and then go home and forget about you. I knew the answer was no. I could never forget about you."
"Come on, it's time for my surprise." Ryan stood and took her by the hand.