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Ryan managed to stand and help me up, but he still hadn’t said anything.
“Yep. The sooner the better. Nothing fancy—just us, our families, a few friends, and this,” I said as I threw out my arms and spun around.
“Wait. Morgan, you really don’t want a big wedding?” Ryan asked.
I shook my head. “Nope. I want it to only be us and our loved ones. I want to be married to you as quickly as possible.”
A wide grin broke out on Ryan’s face. “I’m game if you are.”
I jumped and clapped and then threw myself back into his arms. Putting my mouth to his ear, I whispered, “And by ‘us,’ I mean you, me, and the baby.”
Ryan froze, and I had to bury my face into his neck to keep from giggling. He walked us farther away from our families, who were already busy making plans for an impromptu wedding.
He stopped several yards away and held both of my hands as he lowered his voice. “We’re going to be parents?”
Nodding, I smiled so hard my cheeks hurt. “I know we didn’t talk about it or plan it, but we’re not always in control of certain things.”
“Holy shit! I want to grab you and spin you around and yell out to the mountains and cry like a goddamn baby—but I’m guessing you don’t want anyone to know yet?”
“Not yet. I’m barely over five weeks. I found out yesterday, when I went to the doctor to be tested. I didn’t want to take a home test for…silly reasons.”
He placed his hand on the side of my face. “They’re not silly. And I love you so damn much.”
“I love you too. Now, can you go back over there and pretend I didn’t just drop a bomb on you?”
After kissing me quickly on the lips, Ryan nodded. “I can.”
Holding hands, we walked back toward our families, both of us wearing smiles that probably gave away the bomb I had, in fact, just dropped. If they noticed, no one said anything.
Except for Georgiana, who looked at me and tilted her head slightly, wearing a smile that mirrored my own. My eyes went wide, and before I could say a word, she winked.
“Oh, this is going to be so much fun!” I whispered as I let out a happy laugh.
Epilogue
HUNTER
My father and mother stared at me as they let what I’d told them sink in.
When I couldn’t take the silence any longer, I asked, “Are you both in shock, or should I be worried or something?”
“A reality dating show?” my father asked.
Mom scrunched her nose. “Called…Swipe Right?”
I nodded. “The challenges of dating in the real world…that’s the tagline.”
“But…it’s reality TV…how is that the real world?” Dad asked.
Running my fingers through my hair, I sighed. “It’s not, really…but Dad, they’re offering to donate a crazy amount of money to your foundation. It could build a new outdoor arena and the toddler water park we talked about.”
“Is this something you want to do, Hunter?” Dad asked.
My mind drifted back to that image of Kipton Howse, but I quickly shoved it away. “I wasn’t on board at first, but if we get something good out of it, then what harm could it do? They want to film a lot of it on the ranch, though, and I won’t agree to do it if you say no. Plus, they mentioned filming during my winter break, but their filming schedule is for two months. I’d have to take the spring semester off or work it out with the school to do remote classes in January. It’s only a few weeks, so I’m sure they’d be on board. That way I can still compete in the circuit this spring.”
My father looked at my mom, then turned back to me and smiled. It wasn’t the kind of smile that gave me a feel-good vibe. No, it was the kind of smile that made me shudder.
Then I looked over at my mother. And she had an evil glint in her eye.
“I don’t like the way you’re looking at me,” I said, glancing between them.
“I say do it!” Dad announced. “This should be one hell of a ride.”
Mom covered her mouth with her hand in a sad attempt to hide the tiny burst of laughter that slipped free.
