“Congratulations, Savannah,” Ryker said as he came over to place a kiss on her cheek. “Daddy Ridge,” Ryker said with a huge grin for his cousin, who was clearly over the moon with excitement.
“A toast!” Ryker called out. “To our growing Shadows Landing family.”
The crowd cheered and the sound of glass beer mugs toasting with each other filled the bar. Ryker stepped back and took his seat in the back. He watched his family and town celebrate. Normally he would slip out at this point in the dinner, but then Kenzie sat down next to him.
“You might want to set up a branch of your babysitting service here in town if your family keeps expanding. Or maybe you want the role of head babysitter?”
Ryker laughed and he swore Tinsley wiped a tear from her eye as she smiled at him. “That’s our little secret,” he said before kissing Kenzie and pulling her so she rested against his shoulder. Once again, his angel was pulling him from the shadows and bringing him out into the light. She didn’t let him hide. Instead, she brought him into the conversations with friends and family so he no longer felt apart from them.
Ryker was grinning and laughing as he talked to his family when he saw Kenzie yawn. “Are you ready to go home?”
“It’s only midnight, but I guess life and death shootouts can wear you down.”
“We leave tomorrow at ten. Let’s go home and get a good night’s sleep for your reunion tomorrow.” Ryker stood up and held out his hand for her to take. “Goodnight, everyone,” Ryker called out.
A chorus of “goodnights” rang out as they headed out the bar door. Edie’s car pulled to a stop and she rolled down the window. “I was just heading home, too. Let me give you a lift.”
“Thanks, Edie,” Ryker said as he opened the door for Kenzie. “How’s your brother, Walker?”
“He and Layne are doing great. Little Carolina is adorable. They’re going on a trip with Dylan and Abby to Europe in the spring and asked if I would go,” Edie said with a smile before turning to Kenzie and explaining that Walker and she grew up in Shadows Landing, but he ended up marrying one of Ryker’s cousins from Kentucky.
“Are you going to go?” Ryker asked. If anyone deserved a trip to just relax, it was Edie. Her Navy Seal husband was killed in action several years ago. Ryker recognized the same shadows of grief in her eyes that he had, too. Although, since Kenzie entered his life, those shadows were fading.
“I think so. I thought I could have some fun and then I could also help with my niece and let Walker and Layne have some alone time. Well, here we go. Have a good night, y’all.”
Edie stopped at the gate to his house. Ryker got out and opened the gate and then walked hand in hand with Kenzie to the house.
“I’ll see you in the morning,” Kenzie said, rising to her toes and kissing his cheek before heading to the guestroom.
Ryker felt his whole body sink as she walked away. He got ready for bed, sent some emails to his contacts to find out about the people hired to kill him, and then crawled into bed. A bed that suddenly felt very big and very lonely.
Ryker looked down the hall as if he could see through walls. His whole body yearned to be near Kenzie. She had told him she loved him and he’d been spiraling so much with his nightmare and confessing his secret to her that he hadn’t told her how he felt. Mainly because he refused to contemplate his feelings. Since Christabelle, he’d shoved his feelings deep down so he wouldn’t have to feel anything ever again.
He didn’t have to dig too deep to find what he felt for Kenzie. He loved her with a different kind of love than he’d felt for Christabelle. That had been all about lust and teenagers’ mixed-up ideas of what love was. This was so much deeper. It was about Kenzie, not about him, for one thing. He wanted her to be happy above all else. He had purposefully held off sex to not confuse his feelings, and while it had nearly killed him, he knew what he felt was true.
A part of him was also afraid to admit his feelings because of who he was. Not that he thought Kenzie cared about the money but because of the times when he pushed all feelings aside so he could be ruthless. She was about to get a full demonstration of that when he sent a message to the Porzio family. Would she still want him when she saw that side of him?
Instead of rushing to tell her he loved her, Ryker shoved aside the covers and padded down the hall. He tapped on her door, and when no one answered he slowly turned the handle.
Kenzie was fast asleep in the middle of the bed. The tiny sliver of moonlight that came through the blinds highlighted her face as he slid into bed next to her. Ryker rolled onto his side and wrapped his arm around Kenzie. She sighed in her sleep and snuggled up against him. All was right in his world with her by his side. For the first time since high school, Ryker closed his eyes and fell into a peaceful night’s sleep.
19
Kenzie woke with her head on Ryker’s shoulder and his arm around her waist. She’d slept all night and now she knew why. The feeling of being in Ryker’s arms was amazing. She felt warm, safe, and loved.
Kenzie gulped at that word. She’d told Ryker she loved him yesterday, but he hadn’t said it back. Now she was worried she’d rushed things. However, waking to have him holding her made her think it would be okay.
“Good morning,” his graveled voice said as he brushed her hair from her face.
“When did you come to bed?” Kenzie asked as she snuggled into him.
“Around two in the morning. I hope I didn’t wake you.”
Kenzie shook her head. “You’re welcome in my bed anytime you want.”
She gave a little wiggle and smiled when he sucked in his breath.
“I’ll make breakfast and then we can head out. I rented a room at some bed and breakfast where we can get ready,” Ryker told her as he continued to hold her.
“You got a room at Hanover B&B? That’s the nicest place in Hanover,” Kenzie said, worried about how she was going to explain that. And explain what she would have to do. Everyone was going to know they were there the second they parked her car in the B&B’s small parking lot.
“Sorry, angel, but we’re ditching the whole dockworker thing. We’re going with the truth. After all, you said I’m worth your love.”
“Oh, low blow, Faulkner. Low blow.” Kenzie had to laugh when Ryker gave her a wink. “Don’t worry. No one will know who you are anyway and they wouldn’t believe me if I told them. If it’s not too much trouble, do you think we can leave a little early so I can say hi to my parents? It’s about a six hour drive so we need to get moving to have time to do that and then get ready.”
“We’ll have plenty of time to visit with your parents. How are things with them now?” Ryker asked as they walked down to the kitchen together.
Kenzie instantly went to make the coffee as Ryker got to work on the eggs. They moved around the kitchen as if they worked together in it every day. “Better. I’m still the big disappointment for not being married and staying in Hanover, but they’ve gotten over the fact that I have left town. This whole Bo and Hailey-Jean marriage thing might stir up trouble. But, they’re my parents and I still want them in my life.”