From Nanny To Wife (20 page)

Just then, a waiter appeared with their food. Ryan had ordered the almond crusted French toast: Hope the cheese and mushroom omelet. She placed their food before them, told them if they needed anything to let her know, and left.

"That looks delicious," Hope said, eyeing the French toast on Ryan's plate.

Ryan cut a small piece and held the fork out to Hope "How is it?" he asked as she chewed.

"I was right," Hope said once she swallowed. "It is delicious. I'm going to have Gordon make it for me. He is-"

"Ryan, darling," a woman said, approaching the table. In her sixties, she had bleached blonde hair and moss green eyes. She wore a black silk pantsuit; diamonds glittered at her throat and ears. There was an air of wealth about her.

Ryan swore beneath his breath. Reluctantly, he pushed back his chair and stood. "Hello, Miranda."

"It has been a while," she said, kissing the air near his cheek. "How have you been, darling?"

"I've been well."

Miranda turned toward Hope. "Are you the new girlfriend? You know, Ryan goes through women like-"

"She is my wife," Ryan stated.

Miranda spun to face Ryan. "Laura did not tell me you remarried."

"That is because she does not know," Ryan said.

"Ah, I see," Miranda said. "Are you ashamed of-" She looked down her nose at Hope. "And your name is?"

"Hope."

"Are you ashamed of Hope, darling?" she asked Ryan. "Is that why you did not tell our Laura?"

Ryan gripped the back of his chair until his knuckles turned white. "She is not our Laura any more, she is yours and for your information. I do not inform Laura of what goes on in my life. It is none of her damn business, nor is it yours. Now if you will excuse me, I would like to have breakfast with my wife."

Miranda glared at Ryan. "I see some things never change. You are still the same cold hearted bastard you were the day I met you." Pivoting on her heels, she walked away.

Ryan sat back down. "I'm sorry about that."

Hope smiled. "We're even now. You had to deal with that loser at the bar and I had to put up with Miranda. How do you know her?"

"She's Laura's aunt," Ryan answered.

Hope nodded. "I'm not surprised. She's a bitch just like her niece. Tell me something. How many girlfriends have you had?"

"Since the divorce?" Ryan said. "Three. How many boyfriends have you had since your divorce?"

"None," Hope said. "I couldn't bring myself to commit to someone."

"Because of your infertility," Ryan guessed.

"Yes," Hope said softly.

"You're committed to me," Ryan said.

"It's different with you," Hope told him. "You have Zoe. She is all you need and want. You're not looking for more. I don't feel pressured to give you children." She cleared her throat. "She's wrong. You're not a cold hearted bastard."

"There are quite a few people that would disagree with you," Ryan said.

"I'm sure there are, Ryan, darling."

After breakfast, Ryan and Hope found the concierge, a nice elderly man by the name of Fred. He handed them several brochures and gave them his recommendations for places to visit. Ryan and Hope's first stop was the
Shark Reef Aquarium
at the
Mandalay Bay
hotel. They saw fourteen breathtaking exhibits: touched rays, horseshoe crabs and sharks. The latter Hope was timid about touching. When the tour was over they dropped by the gift shop where Hope bought Zoe a stuffed turtle. They stopped for a quick bite around noon and then headed to the other destinations on their list.

That evening, Ryan had room service delivered to Hope's room and they ate at the table in the small dining area. It had been a long day filled with activity and noisy crowds. He had a headache and Hope's feet were throbbing. An evening of relaxation and quiet was what they both needed.

"How's the head?" Hope asked.

"It still hurts," Ryan said, rubbing his forehead. "How are the feet?"

"They still hurt," Hope said. "Face it, Ryan. We're too old for all this running around. What's on the schedule for tomorrow?"

Ryan reached for his glass of water and took a sip. "Tomorrow is a do whatever you want kind of day. I have some things to take care of, so until noon you're on your own. Stay away from the slot machines."

"If I have to," Hope said her eyes twinkling.

"Why don't you go take a long bath?" Ryan suggested. "I'll clean up here, leave the food cart in the hallway, and lock up behind me."

"Are you sure you don't mind?" Hope asked.

"If I did I wouldn't have suggested it," Ryan said.

Hope got up from the table and bent down to kiss Ryan. "Thank you for a lovely day."

"You're welcome," Ryan whispered.

Hope went into the bathroom and closed the door.

Trying not to picture her undressing, Ryan went about loading the food card with the dishes. When he was done, he wheeled it out into the hallway and locked the door behind him.

Chapter 22

After a leisurely breakfast, the next morning Ryan called the airline and booked a flight home for him and Hope for the following morning. Once he hung up, he called the office and checked his messages. There were a few. Making a mental note to return the calls tomorrow afternoon, he closed his cell phone and placed it on the bedside table. Ryan put the dirty dishes on the food cart and wheeled it to the door. He left it in the hallway and walked back into the room. His cell phone started ringing and he moved toward the bedside table. He picked up the phone and glanced at the screen. Not recognizing the number, he flipped open the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Ryan."

"You have a lot of nerve calling me after everything you have done," Ryan said coldly. "What do you want, Laura?"

"I want to know why you married her."

Ryan sat down on the side of the bed. "I see you talked to dear old aunt Miranda."

"Answer the fucking question," Laura snarled.

Ryan smirked. "You can't play the two parent home is better than the one parent home card anymore. Does that scare you, Laura?"

"You married her so you could keep Zoe," Laura said.

"I didn't say that," Ryan said.

"Nevertheless, it's true."

"You don't know what you are talking about," Ryan growled. He heard her laugh.

"I struck a nerve, didn't I?" Laura asked. "I knew you didn't marry her for love. You are incapable of such an emotion. You are going to lose, Ryan. Zoe will be mine and then I will make sure you never see her again. You have a nice honeymoon."

The line went dead and a buzzing sound filled Ryan's ear. Anger rose within him. The need to throw something came over him and he fought to keep a tight rein on his emotions. He closed his phone, dropped it on the table, bowed his head and took several deep breaths. Feeling the bed move, he raised his head and found Hope sitting beside him.

"Have you heard of knocking?" he asked coolly.

"I did knock," Hope said. "Is something wrong?"

Ryan sighed. "I don't want to talk about it."

Hope laid her hand on Ryan's arm. "I won't pressure you to confide in me. Just know that I'm here if you ever want to talk." She started to stand.

Ryan grabbed her arm. "Stay, please."

"All right."

Ryan slid his hand down Hope's arm and grasped her hand. "I seem to recall that one of your conditions for our marriage is that I open up more. Laura called me." Briefly, he filled her in on the conversation he had with his ex wife.

"That heartless bitch," Hope said once Ryan was done. "She doesn't give a damn that Zoe would be heartbroken without you in her life. You are all she knows. Laura is a stranger to her."

"Laura doesn't care," Ryan said. "Do you think the police would look to me as a suspect if something were to happen to her?"

"You would be number one on their list," Hope said. "So any evil thoughts you might be having, put them from your mind."

"Was there a reason you came in here?" Ryan asked, changing the subject.

"I came in here to have my way with you," Hope said.

Ryan arched a brow. "Really?"

Hope grinned. "No. Zoe called me. She tried you first, but she couldn't get a hold of you. I told her I would have you call her back."

"I was making plane reservations," Ryan said. "Is she all right?"

"She's fine," Hope assured him. "She just wanted to talk to her daddy. She's anxious for us to come home. Maggie said it's because she wants to put up the Christmas tree. I promised her we would do it tomorrow night."

"Decorating the tree is Zoe's favorite part of Christmas," Ryan said. "Well after the presents, of course."

"Of course," Hope said with a smile. She kissed him and rose from the bed. "Call your little girl. I will see you later. If you need me call my phone."

"I will do that." Ryan waited until Hope left the room before he called home. Maggie answered after the fourth ring.

"Kendall residence."

"Hello, Maggie. How are things?" Ryan was met with silence. "Are you still there?"

"Yes, sir," Maggie said. "A man delivered a package for Zoe last night."

"Laura sent it, didn't she?" Ryan asked, knowing the answer before he heard it.

"Yes, sir," Maggie answered. "I don't know what it is. I put it in your office."

"I will deal with it when I get home," Ryan said. "It's probably a Christmas present."

"That is what I thought," Maggie told him. "Shall I put Zoe on the phone, sir?"

"Yes, please."

"She's in the kitchen helping Gordon plan a surprise birthday dinner for Hope tomorrow."

"Tomorrow is Hope's birthday?" Ryan said.

"No. Today is, but since she's not here we are celebrating tomorrow."

"I will help her celebrate today," Ryan vowed. "Do you have any suggestions?"