Page 56 of Finding Love

“I think it’s better this way,” he said with a shrug. “My father wasn’t the kind of man to show affection. Hell, being shuffled off to boarding schools and then to college, I hardly ever saw him. But he never once raised his voice or a hand to me. When I was around, he tried to teach me everything he could. Looking back at it, I was very unruly. I was spoiled. Yes, he set the bar high. From a young age I learned that when he said jump, I had to do as I was told.” He looked out over the water. They had finally hit the open waters of Lake Washington. Since they only had a few hours, he’d instructed the captain to circle the lake, with a stop for lunch at one of his favorite waterfront restaurants at Leschi Marina.

“But didn’t he force your engagement with Edith?” she asked.

Ryder shrugged. “Force? Not so much. Suggested?” He shrugged again. “He had his people book the romantic resort stay and arranged for us to fly to Colorado. He even packed my grandmother’s ring in my bags. When I saw the ring was out of the safe, I got the hint well enough. It was time for me to settle down.”

“So you fell in line?” Brook asked.

“I did.”

“What changed?” Her eyes scanned his face.

“He died. I was in California, doing a movie shoot. Edith was…” He took a deep breath and tried to remember the details. “Somewhere.” He shook his head. “When I returned, Edith demanded we move up the wedding date. From there, nothing seemed right. I felt as if I needed time to grieve. I was thrust into running the family business, and there were times I didn’t even get a full hour of sleep before heading back into the office. Days went by, weeks, months.” He shook his head. “All the while, Edith planned and arranged our wedding. I was drained. Exhausted. We had a fight over…” He closed his eyes, trying to remember what it had been that day. “Flowers, I think. I picked the wrong color or something, and she went off. I pulled back even farther. Then she started demanding that she move into the house with me. She figured it would make us closer. Instead, I called the whole thing off. I went back to work she returned my grandmother’s ring. The odd thing was, I felt stronger about my father dying than I did about breaking things off with her.” He turned and looked down at Brook.

Her long hair was tied back, her face turned towards his. Just seeing her hazel eyes watching him made him smile and relax.

Cupping her face, he realized the reason she meant so much to him. For the first time in his life, he’d found what he had wanted, what he’d been searching for. Love. Pure. Simple. Real. He loved her and it was so obvious that she felt the same way about him.

Edith had never felt anything for him. He was just a means to gain more wealth, popularity, and power.

He ran his lips over Brook’s and felt her melt into his arms.

“What happens now?” she asked with a sigh as she leaned against his chest.

“Now?” He glanced out over the water. “We enjoy each and every day we have together. Then, sometime before Christmas, I’ll pull my grandmother’s ring out of the safe and get down on one knee and ask you to marry me.”

She jerked back quickly, but when he looked down at her, she was smiling up at him.

“Then we move into our home on the hill, your castle. I will either commute to Seattle or just work from Pride. We have at least two children and a few more French bulldogs.” Brook laughed. “Then, we live happily ever after.” He kissed her nose.

“I like that plan,” she said softly as she wrapped her arms around him again.