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I smoothed down the front of my white blouse, making sure it was tucked in the back. My pants were perfectly ironed, and my shoes were brand new, something I had picked up earlier on a whim. I had curled my hair and tied it back in a low, loose ponytail with a black ribbon tied around it like my father liked. I knew he was suspicious of my sudden relationship. Still, I wanted him to see me that night as his little girl, not the future CEO of his company.
After spritzing a little bit of perfume on, I walked out into the living room, finding Ryder standing, looking out the windows toward the ocean. As he turned, I had to swallow back a gasp. He looked so…hot…I mean professional. He was wearing a charcoal grey suit, perfectly tailored to his fit body, a black shirt, and a dark teal tie. His dress shoes were shiny black. His face was freshly shaven, and he had used a product to smooth his hair back.
"Wow," I said without control. "You look nice. I expected…"
"A biker, dude?" he asked. "You forget. I do own a huge business. I didn't get where I am today without being able to blend in."
I walked toward him as he sashayed over to me, one arm behind his back. He put his other out, offering it to me. "Shall we?"
I narrowed my eyes at him. "Are you just playing with me?"
He shrugged with a grin. "I guess we'll find out."
My father had sent a car for us, and the entire ride to their house, I stared at Ryder. He didn't look at me once, just happily staring out the window as we rode along. Then, finally, my eyes shifted down to a gift bag on the seat next to him. "What's that?"
He glanced down and then back at me. "I had my secretary run over some See's Candy for your mom. And a bottle of Hilander Reserve for your father. So that's what you had in your notes, right?"
I opened my mouth and then shut it, nodding my head. That bottle of brandy was over six thousand dollars. I made a lot of money, but not randomly picking up a bottle of $6,000 brandy kind of money. He seemed to be precisely the kind of man my father would be pleased to have to marry his little girl. He played the part so well that I wondered which one was the real Ryder. The whole reason I wasn't married to a man like that was that I never wanted to marry a man like my father.
It wasn't a real marriage, though. It would be legal, but it wouldn't be real. So it really didn't matter if he was the biker guy with a sarcastic sense of humor or the rich, stuck-up, cold guy who cared about appearances. All that mattered over the next few hours was that my father believed he was really my fiancé.
My nerves were so high, especially once we arrived. To my surprise, though, Ryder took the lead. He introduced himself, gave a sturdy handshake, and presented gifts to my parents. My mother looked utterly charmed by him, though a pretty face didn't hurt his chances with her. She was very much about appearances. My father kissed me on the cheek and led us into the dining area, where dinner was served. I cringed as we entered, finding my little brother sitting at the table. He introduced himself and gave me a shit-eating grin like he knew I was pulling something sly.
"Tell me, Ryder, how is business going over on the technology side of the world?" my father asked.
Ryder sat perfectly straight in his chair, smiling kindly as he talked about the tech industry. I was almost positive that my father didn't know what half the terms he used were, but Ryder never made him feel dumb. Instead, he continued as if he believed my father was more than capable of understanding the lingo. Dad, of course, played along, nodding as he talked.
"Tell me about your family," he asked.
"My father and mother own a manufacturing company about two hours away from here," he said. "In fact, Dad reminds me of you a bit. They started the company with just a storefront and worked hard over the years, growing it to what it is now. They decided to not expand due to the realistic effects of supply chains and the difficulty that their line of business has on a larger scale. Still, they were successful in what they did. My brothers and my sister work for the business. I did go my own way, but my father was delighted to see the success my partners and I grew our company to."
I had to do everything in my power to keep my mouth shut. I watched my father's reaction as he nodded. "Very good. I like that. You know what it means to work hard and how much work it takes to keep it going. Our family may be where we are now, but we know what it is to put in a hard day's work. To make sacrifices."
For a while there, I thought for sure they had forgotten I was even at the table. Ryder even showed affection for me, reaching over and taking my hand several times throughout the evening. Finally, when dinner was over, my father invited Ryder in for some Brandy. I was nervous about leaving them alone, but I had to have faith that Ryder wouldn't screw me over. So, while they talked in the closed room, I sat in the living room, nervously tapping my foot.
My brother came in and sat down next to me, putting his arm around my shoulder. "So, you did it. You really did it."
I shrugged his arm off. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"I wondered how you were going to pull off the whole marriage requirement, but I never thought you'd get Ryder Rhodes to play along."
My head snapped toward him angrily. "We love each other."
My brother lifted an eyebrow, patting me on the knee. "Sure. Sure. Me too. Ryder and I are in love as well. So don't worry, your secrets are safe with me."
He chuckled and walked off. Just then, the door to the room opened, and I quickly stood, watching my father walk out. His face was straight, and my heart leaped into my throat. He walked straight up to me, looking down at me. "Amber, I never thought you'd do it."
"Dad…I…"
He smiled and hugged me. "I never thought you'd find the right guy for you, but you did."
I glanced over at my brother, who rolled his eyes, smirking. Ryder walked out of the room with his jacket over his shoulder. "Sweetheart, we've got a bit of a trip tomorrow. Are you ready to get out of their hair?"
All I could do was nod. Ryder shook my father's hand, hugged my mother, which wasn't like my mother at all, and walked me out to the car. The entire ride home, I was speechless. I had no idea what to say to him. Every time I thought of something, I kept it to myself. I couldn't imagine anyone being a bigger hit with Dad.
When we arrived at the house, he opened my door and walked me inside. I took off my shoes and stood at the window, looking out at the water.
"I'm going to get some sleep," Ryder said behind me.
