Her heart hammered hard in her chest. The last thing she wanted to do was beg him to say the words–to tell her how he felt–but she couldn’t seem to stop herself.
“What do you feel?” she whispered, her voice shaking.
One large hand reached up and gently caressed her cheek, her jaw. “Everything. I feel everything for you.”
That…was vague…
“I’ve never been in love, Peyton,” he went on quietly. “Honestly, I don’t even know what it is, but I think about you all the time and hate whenever we’re not together. All I want in this world is to make you happy and give you everything you want. I want to take you on trips and buy you things and…”
Reaching up, she placed a finger over his lips to stop the flow of words. “You don’t have to give me anything or buy me anything, Ryder. Don’t you get that? Our business relationship may have started out like that, but…everything changed. I don’t want you to feel like you have to buy me to make me happy. All I want is you. You are all I need.” And then, because she had to, she added, “You. Not the money and not the things you can offer me.” She caressed his jaw. “Just you.”
And then he kissed her. She was still a little mad and disappointed in him, but…they’d get through this situation with his family just like they’d gotten through the one with hers.
So for right now, she relished the feel of his arms around her, how good he felt and tasted, and the fact that he was hers.
Later, Ryder was back at his home and awaiting his parents’ arrival. His mother texted only minutes ago that they were on their way and he knew they had an hour before Peyton would be arriving with dinner. He groaned just thinking about how this was all going to go. Besides the fact that Peyton was offended by his mother’s behavior–and rightfully so–he wondered if his mother would even realize just how rude she’d been.
It didn’t escape him how he now realized how stressed out Peyton had been not that long ago when she was in this exact situation. The only difference was that she had a week of it to deal with while he had a handful of hours.
He imagined it was much worse for her and felt guilty about how he’d made light of it.
Talk about karma…
When the doorbell rang, Ryder took a moment to simply breathe before shaking out his body, as if getting ready to go into a boxing ring with an opponent.
And how awful was it that his parents were the ones he was preparing to do battle with?
Pulling open the door, he forced himself to smile. “Mom, Dad, it’s good to see you.” He kissed his mother on the cheek and shook his father’s hand before leading them up the stairs. “So, what brings you back to Magnolia?” He noticed their lack of luggage. “Where are you staying?”
“I thought we were going to stay here,” his father began as they climbed the stairs, “but your mother wanted to stay at some bed and breakfast.” He shuddered. “The room is small and it lacks any real privacy and amenities.”
“I think it’s charming,” his mother countered. “And I thought it would be a nice change from our usual hotel stays.”
In the kitchen, he poured them each a glass of wine and then motioned for everyone to have a seat in the living room. His butt barely hit the cushion when his father blurted out, “Your mother has breast cancer.”
“What?!” Ryder cried, staring wide-eyed at his mother.
She nodded, her expression cool. “Yes. I have breast cancer. Unfortunately, I didn’t go for my annual mammography like I should have. Maybe if I had they would have found it earlier.” She took a sip of her wine. “I’m going to have a bilateral mastectomy–which means both breasts will be removed.”
Shock held him still for several moments. When he glanced over at his father, Ryder saw him reading something on his phone and Ryder snorted with disgust before returning his attention to his mother.
“So…when did you find out about this? When is the surgery? What hospital will it be done at?”
“We knew when we were here the last time,” she told him. “But I was going for a second and then third opinion before moving forward. Unfortunately, every diagnosis was the same and all the specialists recommended the same form of treatment so…” She shrugged and took another sip of wine.
“Mom, I…I don’t even know what to say. What can I do?”
This time his father was the one to snort. “Honestly, Ryder, what a ridiculous thing to say. You’re not a doctor or a magician. There’s nothing you can do. Your mother just felt like you should know. She’s going to be fine.”
But when Ryder looked at his mother, he saw her staring down into her glass, and she didn’t look like she was fine.
Suddenly, he wished he could talk to Peyton, because she’d know what to do in this situation. She was a lot more compassionate, and he had a feeling she’d be able to keep this stilted conversation from turning morose.
“How are you feeling, Mom?” he carefully asked.
“I feel fine. Honestly, if I hadn’t gone for the test, I would have never known anything was wrong. Now I’m a little stressed and find myself fretting over every little ache and pain, wondering if something is spreading. It’s a dreadful way to live.”
Another snort came from his father. “The doctors have all been monitoring you, Helen. Nothing has spread. You’re turning into a hypochondriac.”
His mother looked ready to say something else, but didn’t. Instead, she smiled at Ryder. “I hope you don’t mind that I ordered dinner for us. I went to that café you used the last time. The owner helped me plan the menu.”
“Yeah…about that,” he began, and even though he hated dumping this on her after her big revelation, he figured it would be better to get this out now before Peyton arrived. “Peyton and I are dating.”
She blinked at him as if she didn’t quite grasp what he was saying.
“The owner of the café–Peyton Bishop? We’ve been dating now for several months,” he went on. “So…she’s going to be joining us for dinner.”
Leaning forward, Helen put her glass down on the coffee table before glaring at him. “Honestly, Ryder,” she said with a hint of annoyance. “You’re dating the owner of a small-town café? You could easily have your pick of any number of women who are better suited for you! And then you let me embarrass myself by going in there without knowing about your relationship! How could you?”
He wasn’t sure which part of that statement to address first.
“I…”
“Not that it makes any difference, of course,” she went on. “It’s not like you’re serious about this girl. You never are.” Her gaze narrowed. “Although…she’s not like any of the women you usually date.”
Now he seriously wished Peyton wasn’t coming because he had a feeling it was only going to lead to disaster.
“You’re right. She’s not like anyone I’ve ever dated before. She’s better.” Pausing, he straightened and mentally braced himself. “This is the best relationship I’ve ever had and…I’m in love with her.”