Five minutes later and with his girl in his arms, Ryder turned off the light.
And was asleep before the room went fully dark.
14
“Do you have to go into the café this morning?”
They were sitting at the kitchen island sipping their coffees, and Peyton found herself torn. She’d already been irresponsible by taking off the way she did, so what kind of example would she be setting if she took yet another day off?
“I really should,” she said with a sigh. “I stopped in last night, but…I didn’t get anything accomplished. How come?”
“Well…I did some thinking after you left the other night–about The Ashford, your restaurant, and a few other things–and I’d like to run some ideas by you.”
“Really? Did Austin finally get the permits approved?” Last night they hadn’t talked about business and she was more than okay with it. But she also loved that Ryder was sharing the things he was working and asking her opinion on them.
As long as they were discussing and he wasn’t keeping secrets about the things that directly involved her.
“No, the permits got denied again,” he told her, shaking his head.
“I’m so sorry, Ryder.” Reaching over, she placed her hand over his. Truthfully, she did feel bad about his plans not working out. She might not have agreed with what he wanted to do with the property, but she hated that the project he was so passionate about wasn’t going to happen. “So what happens now?”
“Are you sure you have time? I don’t want to keep you if you need to go. We can talk about all of this tonight over dinner if that’s better for you.”
Smiling, she leaned over and kissed him. “I’m never on the schedule unless someone’s out or on vacation. And considering the mood I was in last night when I left the café, I’m guessing no one’s expecting me in this morning.”
That made him laugh softly. “I don’t even want to think about that.”
“Anyway…”
“Give me a minute to get my laptop so I can show you what I’m working on.” He got up and left the room and Peyton couldn’t help but smile. She hated how they’d fought, but she seriously loved the way they made up.
Last night and again this morning.
Still, she realized something about herself through all of this. For years she’d lacked confidence in herself, thanks to her upbringing. Then when she finally started believing in herself, the only one still doubting her was her mother. And when Ryder came on the scene, there was just something about him that made her feel comfortable standing up for herself and her ideas.
At least…she thought she was comfortable.
The truth was, she’d reacted like such a brat because he managed to hit her trigger. Peyton knew Ryder was nothing like her parents–especially her mother–but something in the way he had spoken to her just had her reacting as if he was. From now on, she knew she would have to be aware of that and not fly off the handle. It was impossible to say it would never happen again because…well…it was Ryder. It would be foolish for her to think she could keep up with him and everything he knew about business, and she knew she was going to be reminding him again and again that she could handle more than he thought. If they were going to work together, they were going to have to learn to communicate better.
And considering his mention of forever last night…
Yeah, that one was still sinking in. He hadn’t formally proposed, but she knew that was exactly what he was talking about. It felt like maybe she was dreaming–too many things were falling into place for her that it didn’t feel real–and yet…here she was.
“Okay,” Ryder said excitedly as he came back into the kitchen, laptop in hand. When he sat back down beside her, he seemed to take a moment to collect his thoughts before looking at her. “When the permits didn’t get approved, I gave up. I threw in the towel and was convinced the universe was trying to tell me something.”
“Oh, Ryder…”
“You were gone, and I thought we were through and I told myself it was a good thing I wasn’t going to build the resort because there was no way I wanted to stay here in Magnolia without you.”
His admission made her heart both ache and soar. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and tell him she wasn’t going anywhere, but she knew he was leading up to something.
“My plan was to sell the property, leave the plans for your restaurant with Austin for you to tweak and I’d pay to build it when you were ready.”
She moaned his name again because…she couldn’t believe he would do such a thing.
“But then a little inspiration hit. I had no idea what was going to happen between you and me, but…you were the inspiration behind the inspiration,” he said with a wink.
“I’m not even sure what that means.”
Opening the laptop, he pulled something up and then turned the screen toward her.
It was a picture of a hotel–bright colors and very retro. “What am I looking at? It reminds me of the hotel we stayed at back in Missouri.”
Beside her, he nodded. “That’s what I was going for. Instead of The Ashford, I’d like to reach out to Austin to design this–a family-friendly hotel with a retro vibe. Bright bold colors, mid-century modern décor…there would be a pool, playground, an ice cream shop…I’m not sure what else, but I plan on researching a bit more and seeing what else would be desirable.”
She was reading the small proposal he had written under the picture and it sounded absolutely perfect for Magnolia. “Ryder…I can’t believe you thought of this! It’s amazing!”
“I haven’t even gotten to the best part,” he said smoothly, scrolling down the screen until he got to a picture of a diner. “This would be your retro diner you talked about. We can either incorporate it into the main building or separate it. I think we’d have to talk to Austin about it and see which version the town would be more likely to sign off on, but…”
She couldn’t let him finish. Awkwardly, Peyton launched herself into his lap, wrapping herself around him before kissing him soundly. When she raised her head, she knew she was on the verge of tears. “You remembered,” she said with awe.
“Of course I remembered,” he softly replied. “Duchess, I remember everything you say, and I want to give you everything you want. You have to know that.”
Reaching up, she cupped his jaw. “I don’t care if you never gave me another thing, Ryder Ashford. I don’t need a restaurant or a diner–although I love them and appreciate them–but I’d love you even if you couldn’t give them to me. Do you understand that? My feelings for you don’t hinge on these grand gestures. It’s you that I love, not the things you can give me.”
His smile was sweet and a little boyish and endearing. “I know that and you have no idea how much that means to me, but…you’re going to have to get used to me spoiling you.” And with a quick, chaste kiss, he put her back in her seat. “So…we’ll talk to Austin and see which version is more likely to get approved.”