“What is it you do, Ryker?” her mother asked as they walked into the house.
“I’m a business owner,” Ryker said vaguely, and Kenzie loved him for it.
“Oh, what kind of business?” her father asked as they took a seat on the couch that had been in her living room since she was sixteen.
“To be honest, I own quite a few companies. I started with a shipping company but have expanded to own or co-own companies ranging from medical research to emerging technologies,” Ryker said, falling back to his professional tone.
Her mother came back into the living room with a tray of iced tea. “You must do well for yourself then.”
Kenzie wanted to die. A woman out for his money was the biggest fear Ryker had and her mother played right into it. “I do all right, ma’am,” Ryker said, taking the glass and thanking her for it.
“I guess you’ll be wanting to spend the night here,” her mother said with a sigh. “Your room is full of my crafts right now so you’ll have to sleep in the living room.”
“We wouldn’t want to inconvenience you,” Ryker said. “I made a reservation for us at the B&B. We were just eager to see you both before we got ready for the reunion. Kenzie promised to show me around town, too.”
“Well then, I guess that’s settled,” her mother said, sounding slightly miffed that Kenzie wasn’t begging to stay at home. “How did you two meet?”
Ryker looked at her and smiled with such love he didn’t need to say the three little words. Kenzie could feel it and didn’t need to hear it. “Kenzie saved my life. There was a fire on one of my shipping docks and I had passed out from the smoke while I was trying to get my employees out safely. Kenzie pulled several of them from the fire, including me, and provided first aid until the fire department arrived. She was so heroic that the mayor of Charleston, the fire chief, and the director of the hospital gave her an award. You both must be so proud to have such a special daughter.”
Ryker turned back to her parents and smiled as if daring them to say otherwise. “Here’s the write-up in the paper,” Ryker said, handing his phone to her mother first who read the article in silence and then handed the phone to her father.
“This is incredible, Kenzie,” her father told her with pride in his eyes.
“She’s an incredible nurse and woman,” Ryker replied.
Kenzie couldn’t believe when her mother finally asked about being a nurse and the kinds of things she did. She told them about her job, about her friends, about volunteering at Christabelle’s, about the beach, and about her favorite things to do around Charleston. It was the first time they’d ever asked and Kenzie found herself rattling on with excitement as she shared her adopted town with them over lunch.
“I’m sorry to cut this great visit short,” Ryker said, glancing at his watch. “But we’d better get ready for the reunion.”
Kenzie hugged her parents and, for the first time since high school, felt at peace with her life. Her parents had told her they were proud of her and while she didn’t need to hear it, it still felt good to hear. With a lightness to her step, Kenzie took Ryker’s hand and walked to the car.
20
Ryker stood looking out the top-floor window of the bed and breakfast as he waited for Kenzie to finish getting dressed for the reunion. After leaving her parents’ house, they’d driven around town to see the sights and then checked into the B&B where the owner seemed stunned to see Kenzie.
Kenzie had told him people didn’t leave Hanover and now he was seeing that. It only made him respect Kenzie more. Her hard work and dedication to what she believed in were admirable.
“Can you get my zipper?” Kenzie asked after he heard some grunting and weird sounds coming from the bathroom.
Ryker turned around at her voice and paused. She was stunning. Where other women would primp and parade in front of him, Kenzie was just her lovable self. She turned around and Ryker stepped forward. It was hard to reach for the zipper and pull it up instead of pushing the dress down.
Kenzie turned around and looked nervous. “Do I look okay?”
“You look breathtaking. You’re the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen. Want to skip the reunion and get out of the dress?”
Kenzie smacked his arm and laughed. “Don’t tempt me like that after how long it took me to get into it. You have no idea how hard it was to get into the shapewear, even with powder. Shall we go?”
Ryker held out his arm for Kenzie to slip her hand into. Together they walked downstairs and drove the short distance to the high school. The town did know how to put on a party. Lights, balloons, and flowers lined the walkway into the gym. Ryker took a deep breath and looked down at Kenzie. She seemed relaxed even though he knew she was nervous.
“O. M. Geeee!” the perky woman in a black sequined dress behind the check-in table screamed in her Southern accent, causing people to turn to stare. “Kenzie!” Kenzie let go of his arm, and she and the woman ran toward each other before embracing in a hug. “Way to go on the hottie. Hailey-Jean is going to foam at the mouth.”
Ryker’s lips tilted up in a grin. This must be the best friend. “Hi. You must be Katie-Jane. I’m Ryker.”
“Sammie, cover the table for me,” Katie-Jane called out to the other volunteer. “I’ve got to see Bo and Hailey-Jean’s reaction. It is such a pleasure to meet you, Ryker. Kenzie, you look drop-dead gorgeous in that gown. Do you know it’s an exact copy of the one Skye Jessamine wore when she won the Oscar last year? Where did you get it?”
Kenzie blushed and Ryker loved it. His angel didn’t like to name-drop. “Skye let her borrow it. They had a huge girls’ day and Kenzie tried on half of Skye’s closet. That’s saying a lot since it’s enormous. My cousin complained for weeks about converting an entire bedroom into her closet,” Ryker answered for her.
Katie-Jane froze and Ryker had to stop walking since he was escorting her on his left and Kenzie on the right.
“Shut. The. Front. Door.” Katie-Jane stammered. “Your cousin was Skye Jessamine’s contractor and she let Kenzie borrow her dress? Are you drunk?”
“Not yet,” Ryker teased. “I guess you could call my cousin Skye’s contractor, but he’s also her husband and they’re my neighbors.”
Katie-Jean smacked his arm with each word. “Shut. The. Front. Door. Your cousin is Trent Faulkner?”
Kenzie nodded when Katie-Jane looked at her for confirmation. “But it’s not a big deal, okay?”
Katie-Jean wasn’t listening. She was on her phone and suddenly she shrieked again. “O. M. Geeee! You’re on Skye’s social media!”
Ryker caught a glance of a picture of Skye with Kenzie wearing the dress. His cousin Sydney was tagged on it and had already commented that Kenzie looked amazing. That must have been why Katie-Jane was hyperventilating.
“Look who decided to show up.”
Ryker turned at the deep voice to find an athletic man who had gone just a little soft around his waist with an overdone bottle-blonde on his arm. The blonde wore way too much makeup and her tits were practically falling out of her dress. She also wore a large diamond on her hand that fluttered over her cleavage. Ah, the former fiancé and the high school rival.