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Jessie laughed. “Well, not everywhere, I hope. Otherwise, I will have to reassess my opinion of Ryker.”
“Uh, no. Not everywhere,” clarified Oakley.
She could feel another blush coming on. These women. She had never had a posse, and with these women, that was more than possible; it was likely mandatory. It just cemented her need to be part of this life with Ryker. This group of professional, madly skilled men and women was who Ryker called friends and family. Ryker had a family, but it was a small tight group consisting of his mother, father, aunt, uncle, and two first cousins who were spread across the country. His parents and his aunt and uncle lived in Arizona. Not close in proximity, but Ryker called his parents every Sunday. She had started calling hers at the same time. They alternated who finished first. That made being with Ryker even easier. The man was made for her.
Evidently, Bella was comfortable too. She had stumbled to the door because she had had one too many cocktail concoctions of Callie’s. Levi picked her up before one of the other guys could. He grinned.
“I can’t get in trouble for carrying a single, unattached woman to the car.”
But, if Oakley was right, there was one unattached woman in the room who didn’t seem happy with the chosen method of transport. She had narrowed her eyes, and then they shuttered. Finley quickly said goodnight and went upstairs, assuring Sharlee she would check on her little charge. No, if Oakley wasn’t mistaken, Finley was definitely upset. Bella needed to tread carefully, but if she stayed true to form, she would think that was a challenge. Oakley would try to stay out of it.
The next morning, after dropping Bella off, Oakley and Ryker bought groceries together like an old married couple, which made her heart settle. Yes, he was a high-powered, international lawyer, but he was down to earth. He was a little cocky, but she liked that because she was a little sassy, and that didn’t seem to bother him.
“Ryker, I can’t believe how lucky I am to have found you,” Oakley whispered into Ryker’s ear as they transferred the food from the cart to the trunk, her voice full of emotion.
“I’m the lucky one, sweets. I never expected to find someone like you,” he replied. Oakley could hear and see how true that was for him. Happiness swelled her heart to almost bursting.
“Okay, let’s get this loot home so we can start moving some of your things over for the weekends. Then I have a beautiful drive I want to take you on tomorrow, and tonight we will cook those gorgeous steaks we bought.”
“I love you, Ryker Bennett.”
“I love you too, sweetling. More than I ever thought possible.”
***
THE FOLLOWING WEEKwas going to be hectic, but on Sunday, knowing they would have a heavy week, he took her to his parent’s summer home, even as autumn’s hold was giving over to winter’s frosty fingers. Climbing to the roof, the clear night lay before them, and it revealed an enormous sky, the perfect canvas overflowing with clear, bright stars.
“My dad used to take us up here to see these stars every chance he got. He even built this little landing with rails so my mother wouldn’t worry. We would go camping, and he would tell us what we were seeing. That’s when I decided Orion was my favorite constellation.”
“This is so magical. Thank you for sharing it with me.”
“I’ll share everything with you. I’ve been waiting so long for just the right woman. Thank God I’ve found you.”
Oakley sighed and snuggled in to watch the glitter show.
***
RYKER STAYED AT HIShouse Thursday night, but he expected to see Oakley at five tonight. When she didn’t arrive or answer her phone, he got an uneasy feeling. He sent her a flurry of texts but received no response. Doing what he wouldn’t have recommended to anyone else, he took a drive, arriving at her office before it closed at its typical six p.m.
It was Friday, so the traffic was a bit heavier. Still, when Ryker pulled into Oakley’s workplace parking lot, his anticipation mounted as he looked forward to spending another weekend together. But when he arrived, things seemed off. His mind raced with worst-case scenarios as he rushed to her office, finding the door locked and the lights off.
As he returned to the parking garage, he swept a glance over the area for her car. His brow furrowed when he spotted the car parked in its usual spot, seemingly undisturbed. All of his previous reasoning, why she wasn’t where he expected, flew out the window. She wasn’t just running late or forgot to charge her phone, or left it on silent. She didn’t lose track of time. The possibilities were many, but almost none applied now. He moved his car next to hers. The garage was two-thirds empty.
He called the office and got the answering machine. “Strange,” he muttered, feeling a sudden unease settle over him. “She should be ready to go by now, or at least someone should answer the office phone.” His unease ratcheted up, and he had to sternly call his apprehension under control.
He stepped out of his car and approached Oakley’s vehicle, noticing that it was locked and appeared undisturbed. His concern grew, and he pulled out his phone to call her again, and this time he was met with her voicemail. Maybe that meant it was on.
“Hey, Oakley, it’s me. I’m at your workplace, but I don’t see you. Give me a call back as soon as you can. I’m getting worried.” Then he called his friend.
“Kaden, hey man, are you near your computer?”
“Always. What do ya need?”
“Can you track where Oakley is? You got her number?” He heard some clicking on Kaden’s keyboard.
“Found her. She’s driving. Why?”
“She isn’t, not in her car, anyway. I’m at her office, she isn’t answering, and her car is right next to me.”
