Knight in Shining Suit (12 page)

But Ryder squeezed my hand
calmly.

“
It’s okay, love,” he said
to me, and then he turned to Uncle Reynolds. “Sure, Sir. Anytime.
Give me a call whenever you’re in the city.”

“
Perfect,” Uncle Reynolds
said happily.

“
How about you, Astrid?
What do you do nowadays?” Aunt Lilie asked.

“
Um… I… ah…” I stammered.
I felt Ryder squeeze my hand gently again, giving me the courage
to…
lie
. Or dream
out loud. “I’m thinking about starting up my own
business.”

“
Really?” my mother asked,
quite ecstatically. I could tell that she was worried about my
answer.

I nodded nervously. “Well,
it’ll still be something like what I used to do before. Weddings.
But this time… I’d like to do it on my own.”

“
That’s great! Where are
you going to get the capital? You know that’s a great risk. A lot
of money is involved,” Aunt Lilie said.

“
Yes, I realize that.
But…”

“
But I believe in her,”
Ryder interrupted. “I’m willing to bet my money on her. I know
she’ll be great.”

“
Oh, how wonderful!” my
mother said beaming at Ryder.

“
You mean, you’re
investing in her business venture?” my father asked, looking at
Ryder.

Ryder nodded. “Yes, Sir.
Your daughter is brilliant. It only took one look at this perfect
setting to convince me that she’s a genius.”

“
Oh, yes. I remember.
Geena said she approached your old company to set this all up. You
mean this was your concept?” Aunt Lilie asked, quite
surprised.

Ryder answered for me.
“Yes, Ma’am. Every single bit of it.”

“
Wow, you’re good,” Aunt
Betty, Uncle Reynolds’s wife said.

“
Thanks,” I said
shyly.

I looked up at Ryder and
found him staring at me with sincere admiration in his eyes and my
eyes blurred with tears, because I realized who I am… who I was
before Geena and Bryan destroyed me.

I stared across the table
and found Uncle Jack looking at me, his eyes shining with tears. I
wanted to cry more because I knew that he was genuinely happy for
me. I realized that he felt guilty about what Bryan and Geena did.
Now he seemed so relieved to see me evidently happier with a much
better man.

“
Your Dad and I might go
to New York next month. Maybe you and Ryder can come with us. Ryder
can take us on a tour in the city,” my mother said
excitedly.

Ryder looked at me and
asked, “Would you like that, love?”

His voice sounded so
sincere, I couldn’t say no or think of anything to say, so I nodded
slightly.

“
Very well. It would be an
honor to have you in my city, Ma’am,” Ryder said to my
mother.

We chatted for a while and
I felt more relaxed as the following conversations dealt with
topics other than Ryder’s personal background.

Ryder put an arm around my
shoulder and gave me a gentle squeeze. “Would you like to dance,
love?”

I simply nodded, and
smiled as graciously as I could. We excused ourselves from our
company and Ryder led me to the dance floor.

A slow song played from
the center stage as I stepped into Ryder’s welcoming arms. I was so
relieved that we were finally alone… well, almost alone and close
enough to whisper to each other. I leaned my head on his chest and
closed my eyes.

I felt a surge of
excitement shoot through me again and then a sense of comfort… just
when I needed it most. Like this is where I wanted to be… in
Ryder’s comforting, protective and passionate embrace. A tear
rolled down my cheek.

“
Why are you crying?” he
whispered against my ear.

I didn’t open my eyes.
Instead, I snuggled closer and buried my cheek deeper into his
chest.

“
I’m just thinking that I
feel … so safe here.”

“
Must you always be crying
when you’re in my arms?” he asked teasingly, but I could detect a
note of concern beneath his light-hearted tone.

I pulled away to look up
at him. “This is the first time I cried in your arms,” I said, a
slight frown wrinkling my brow.

He smiled and shook his
head. He slowly leaned forward and gave me a light kiss, a simple
brush of lips against lips. “This is the second time,
love.”

I was confused. I
distinctly remember not crying in the lobby when he was hugging me,
mainly because I was fighting the urge.

“
When was the first?” I
asked.

“
That day in front of the
jewelry store, you collided straight into me and instead of pulling
away, you buried your face in my chest and I knew you were crying,”
he said gently.

I remembered that day. It
was the day when I thought Bryan had already done enough to destroy
my life. Ryder had already been there for me… and I didn’t even
know him. He gave me comfort at the exact moment I needed it the
most.

“
Oh my God!” I breathed.
“I knew you looked familiar!”

He chuckled. “I knew you
were crying for a good reason that day.”

“
When did you realize it
was me?”

He pushed back a lock of
hair behind my ear. “From the moment I took your order at the bar.
I knew you looked familiar. Those eyes are… not easy to forget. I
remembered you from that day. After all, who forgets a beautiful
stranger who suddenly comes rushing into your arms, sobbing like a
baby?”

I had to giggle at
that.

“
What were you doing in
that jewelry shop?” I asked him.

He poked at his left ear,
which had a pierce in it, but no stud.

“
Oh.”

I felt him pull me closer
to him.

“
Ryder?”

“
Hmmm?”

“
I think my Uncle Reynolds
got you confused with some famous people in New York. You didn’t
correct him.”

“
But isn’t that the point
of all this?” he whispered against my ear.

“
They believed
you.”

“
That’s the point too,” he
said.

“
What are you going to do
when my uncle makes good on your promise to get him into one of
those restaurant chains that you don’t own?”

He chuckled. “I’m a
bartender, remember? I’ve been in the business long enough to know
people. I’m sure I can make good on that promise.”

“
And my parents going with
us to New York? This is a one-day event. I can’t afford to write
you a check the next time around.”

He laughed. “You don’t
have to. You have my number. You can call me anytime you need me
again. Consider the next one a favor.”

I leaned closer to him and
I felt him tighten his arms around me.

“
I’m so glad you’re with
me, Ryder,” I said to him. “I wouldn’t be able to do this
alone.”

He kissed my forehead.
“And I’m really glad you’re mine tonight, Astrid.”

After our dance, we went
back to our seats, hand in hand, where we enjoyed
dinner.

“
Did you choose the food
too?” he asked. I stared at the salmon fillet on my
plate.

“
In my head, I pictured a
buffet for the guests,” I replied.

“
I know you weren’t the
cheapskate in your relationship,” he teased.

I had to laugh at that
because I knew it was at Bryan’s expense.

After dinner, Ryder and I
danced once again. He would give me occasional kisses that I didn’t
mind anymore. For the first time in months I felt that I was
actually having fun with another man. A man who made me feel that I
matter more than anyone. That I was the only woman in the room.
That I was the only woman in the world for him.

I had a chat with former
acquaintances I met through Geena and Bryan. I introduced Ryder to
them. Some seemed genuinely happy for me and yet, there were some
girls who looked at me like they couldn’t believe I had caught a
guy like this.

There were some girls
hanging around us making goo goo eyes at Ryder already, hoping to
catch his eye so they could send him some signal. I guess Geena’s
friends weren’t very much different from her. Ryder didn’t give
them a chance. He showed everybody that he would only look at
me.

When we were on the dance
floor, I felt people staring at me more than they should. I’m sure
I was the topic of most conversations at the tables. ‘Operation:
Revenge’ was going exactly as planned.

It seemed I was the last
person people thought would come to this wedding. They couldn’t
believe I was actually having fun.

In the middle of our
dance, my Uncle Jack asked to cut in.

Ryder nodded graciously at
him and stood by the side of the dance floor while we
danced.

“
I am so happy, Ash,”
Uncle Jack said to me.

“
You should be. Your
little girl got married today,” I said.

“
Not only that. You’re
here. I’m glad to see you’re happy, and taken care of.” He
smiled.

I smiled back at him,
trying to hold back tears. I was just a basket case today, it
seemed.

“
Ryder is quite a catch,”
he said. “He seems like a decent man, well-bred and he looks
besotted with you.”

He looks besotted with me,
because he’s a great actor,
I thought
guiltily.

My eyes drifted off to
where Ryder was standing, but suddenly I couldn’t find him. My eyes
searched the ballroom until finally, I spotted him, holding his
hand out to my mom and asking her to dance. My heart warmed at the
sight and I could see my father laughing as my mother headed to the
dance floor hand in hand with Ryder.

“
He’s a charming man. He’s
a hundred times better than Bryan, Ash.”

“
Uncle!” I couldn’t
believe what I just heard. “He’s your son-in-law!”

“
I know, sweetheart. I
accepted him for my daughter’s sake. However, I still can’t forgive
him for what he did to you and Geena. You two… are like sisters.
Bryan drove a wedge between the two of you, and despite what your
mother hopes, I know your relationship will never be the
same.”

I leaned forward and gave
my uncle a hug. “Don’t think about that, Uncle. Geena and I have a
long… history together. Time heals all wounds.”

“
That’s why I’m happy to
see you here. It’s a good start. And I’m so… so happy to see you
with someone who… can heal you. Then hopefully, someday, you may
forgive what Geena did to you, so you two can start all over
again.”

This time, I couldn’t help
tears from rolling down my cheeks. Uncle Jack had to wipe them away
with his thumb.

“
Now, now dear. You don’t
want to ruin your makeup.”

We had a fat laugh as we
headed off the dance floor. I danced with my father next. He too
expressed his glee at seeing me on my feet.

“
You’re all radiant and
happy. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this happy! That man makes
you giddier than Bryan ever did.”

“
Dad!” I laughed. “Let’s
not throw stones.”

He laughed too. “I’m
really glad you found him.”

“
I’m glad I found him too,
Dad.” Out of all the lies I told that night, I know that one had
truth in it. I was so glad I found Ryder… but not for the same
reasons my father thought.

I danced with almost all
my uncles and Ryder danced with almost all my aunts. There were a
couple of cousins and bridesmaids hoping to get a dance from him,
but Ryder danced only with the elder women in the room, all of whom
were relatives of mine. They were all quite infatuated with him by
the end of each dance.

After my dance with Uncle
Reynolds, Adam surprised me by cutting in.

I had a laugh as soon as I
looked into his mischievous eyes. He chuckled too.

“
Is it worth your tens?” I
asked him teasingly.

“
So much worth it,” he
whispered against my ear. “You’re a star, Ash.”

“
Thank you, but I can’t
take all the credit for it. I couldn’t have done it without
Ryder.”

He nodded. “So, what
do
you
think of
him?”

“
Hot!” I answered
truthfully.

Adam raised a brow. “Well,
he is a fine piece of art, but you have to remember why he’s here
with you, Ash. I don’t want you to get your heart broken twice in
the space of three months.”

“
I know you’re worried
about me, Adam. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. A little flirtation with
Ryder here and there won’t hurt,” I whispered to him.

“
I’m just warning you,
it’s not hard to get your heart lost along the way with a devil
like that.”

I laughed. “You worry too
much about me. I’ll be fine. He’s a great guy. I know why he’s here
with me, acting all lovey-dovey. Ten grand is worth it for
him.”