Knight in Shining Suit (35 page)

He stared at me and smiled
and then he put an arm around me and kissed my forehead. I put an
arm around his waist and I leaned my head on his shoulder. I knew
that right then, in that moment, we were a picture of
bliss.

He told my aunt, uncle,
and mother that we would go somewhere and we’d meet them back at
Macy’s after an hour. Then he took my hand in his and led me out
into the streets.

“
Where are we going?” I
asked.

“
I want to show you
something,” he said.

We walked a couple of
blocks and then he led me to a lane where there were bridal shops,
stores that sell wedding favors, and then florists.

“
Wow!” I beamed as I went
inside one bridal shop to study the quality of their wedding
gowns.

I was delighted to go to
the wedding favors’ shop and saw a variety of materials that I
could use for the weddings that I plan.

Ryder was staring at me
seriously.

“
What?” I
asked.

“
Weddings happen in New
York almost every hour,” he said. “You’ll get plenty of supplies
here. And with your ideas, you’d be a hit here.”

I raised a
brow.

“
Did you not consider
branching out?”

“
In Manhattan?”

He nodded.

“
I’m fairly new. I haven’t
even shown profits.”

“
But you’re growing at a
record rate.”

I shook my head. “I’m
merely an employee there. It’s not my decision to make.”

He took a deep breath.
“I’m sure you can convince your investor.”

“
Maybe. But I want to show
income first.”

He nodded. Then he took my
hand and pulled me out of the shop.

“
If I branch out here,
then I’d be like you. Half here, half in Malibu.”

He stared at me and his
eyes glittered. “Exactly!” And without giving me time to react, he
leaned forward and kissed me thoroughly.

18.

FLOWERS:

An important element that
makes up the whole wedding. Flowers must go with the theme, and
must always match or compliment the motif.

I
found my mother in deep conversation with my aunt. When she
saw us coming, she turned away, but not before I saw that her eyes
were glistening with tears.

I raised a brow at my
aunt, but she merely shrugged.

We went back to the hotel.
Uncle Reynolds and Ryder had coffee in the living room and I
figured it was time to speak to my mom and aunt
privately.

“
What’s going on,
Mom?”

She shook her
head.

“
Mother, I’m not a child
anymore. Tell me what’s wrong.”

All of a sudden she
launched into a fit.

“
Oh my God, Mom!” I said,
hugging her.

“
Your… father is having an
affair!” she burst out.

“
What? When?”

“
It’s been going on for a
while now!” she cried.

“
How can you be so sure?
Did he confess?”

She shook her head. “But I
know… I just know.”

“
Mom, you can’t accuse Dad
without proof! How can you tell?”

“
He’s always away… he’s
talking to someone secretly on the phone… I know he’s having an
affair!”

“
Mother, come on. You
can’t be sure so don’t stress yourself out. Dad is innocent until
proven guilty.”

I tried to console my
mother. I knew my dad. He couldn’t be having an affair. He was too
sweet for that. He was a responsible guy.

Ryder didn’t say much to
me on our way back to his apartment. But he held my hand. I was
happy about the silence and the comfort he provided.

When we reached his
apartment, I picked up my phone and gave my father a call. He
wasn’t answering. I tried about ten times, no success.

I stared over at the
wonderful New York view from Ryder’s balcony. Tears threatened to
pour down. How could my mother think that my dad was cheating?
Maybe Mom was just being paranoid about the whole thing.

Suddenly, I felt arms wrap
around me from behind. Ryder kissed my neck gently.

“
Are you ready to talk?”
he asked.

I sighed. “I don’t even
know what to say,” I said. “My mother thinks my father is cheating.
I tried calling my dad, but he wasn’t picking up.”

“
How do you feel about
it?”

“
Confused. I love them
both. But if Dad really is cheating, I don’t think I’ll be able to
forgive him either. I know what it's like to be cheated on. It’s
ugly and it hurts.”

“
But you’re better off
now, aren’t you?” he asked.

I turned around to face
him so I could look into his eyes. “Which Ryder are you now? Ryder,
the multi-millionaire, or Ryder, the substitute bartender who saved
me from hell?”

“
I’m Ryder Van Woodsen,
the guy who would go to hell and back for you,” he whispered.
“Doesn’t matter whether I’m rich or poor.”

I smiled at him. “Then
yes. I’m definitely better off now,” I whispered.

He leaned down and kissed
me gently. After the kiss, I sighed and gave him a hug. I leaned my
head on his shoulder.

I closed my eyes and
inhaled his sweet masculine scent. Ryder, whether rich or poor, was
my solid rock. And he’d become more precious to me each second. I
wished I were ready to jump into a new relationship. I wished Kevin
Moore hadn’t made me feel I would never be good enough to date a
filthy rich guy. I wished Bryan hadn’t taught me to protect my
heart with my life. I wished Ryder was just a simple guy who would
rather hold my heart in his hands than the world full of power and
privilege. I wished things were just as easy as ABC or 123. I
wished this moment with Ryder would be frozen for eternity. Right
here. Right now. Where I was not afraid to open up my heart again.
And Ryder wasn’t cynical about women dating him for his money.
Here, where we were on equal footing. So I wouldn’t have to worry
about broken hearts or shattered dreams.

“
Can you stay like this
forever?” I whispered.

He tightened his arms
around me. He sighed. “Can
you
stay like this forever?” he asked
back.

“
We’re complicated,
Ryder.”

He shook his head.
“No.
You
are
complicated, Astrid. Me, I know what I want. It’s you who has to
figure out what
you
want.”

I whispered, “You can’t
really want me.”

He took a deep breath.
“But I do! God, I want you…
so
much!
” There was frustration in his
voice.

I stared up at him.
“Ryder, I’m not ready for a relationship yet. And even if I were,
I’m afraid you are more than I can handle.”

“
I want to kill whoever
made you like this!” he whispered.

I shook my head. “It’s not
just that, Ryder. I don’t want to get heartbroken again… especially
not by you. I don’t want to lose you, Ryder. So let’s just… stay as
we are. Uncomplicated. Friends.”

He took a deep breath.
When he looked back at me, I think I saw defeat in his eyes. Then
finally he said, “You’re still in New York. And we still have a
deal.” He bent to give me a thorough kiss on the lips. Then he
swung me up in his arms bridal style and carried me to
bed.

***

When we reached Malibu and
I said goodbye to my family, I didn’t feel like going home just
yet.

“
Wanna grab a bite?” Ryder
asked.

I smiled at him and
squeezed his hand. It was like he could read my thoughts loud and
clear.

I nodded. He smiled at me.
Then he drove to Oil Rig. The place was packed, but he led me to a
reserved VIP area. He asked what I wanted to eat.

“
Boy, I could really eat
some steak, huh!”

He laughed. “Alright. You
deserve some comfort food. Steak it is!”

My phone rang. It was
Dannie. “Are you still in New York?”

“
Nope. Just got back to
Malibu,” I replied.

“
Where are
you?”

“
Just got to Oil
Rig.”

“
We were there a couple of
minutes ago. It’s packed! Did you get a table?”

“
Yeah. I’m having dinner
here!”

“
How did you manage that?
The line was too damn long!”

“
I’m with…
Ryder.”

“
Well, of course!” I
didn’t miss the sarcasm in his voice.

I sighed. “I don’t have
time for this Dannie. My parents are having a big fight! I just
want to forget about them for a while.”

“
Oh shoot! I’m sorry!” he
said apologetically. “Can we join you there?”

I looked at Ryder and he
knew what I was about to ask him before I opened my mouth.
“Three?”

I nodded.

“
Send them in, I’ll give
instructions at the reception,” he said.

I smiled at him.
“Thanks.”

In a few minutes, Nicole,
Dannie and John joined us.

I told them about New York
and how my mother went there to get her mind off her fight with my
father. Ryder dined with us and then he excused himself for a while
to check up on his staff.

“
Oh my God!” Nicole beamed
looking at me. “I’m dying to ask! What is that on your
neck?”

“
Um… a
necklace?”

“
Did you buy that or did
you get that as a present from your very rich boyfriend?” Dannie
asked.

“
He’s not my boyfriend!” I
protested.

“
But he gave you that?”
Dannie asked.

I sighed. They knew I
couldn’t afford the necklace yet, so there’s no point in lying to
them.

“
Yeah, he did. And don’t
ask me why,” I said.

“
And you’re wearing your
engagement ring again!” Nicole said surveying my finger.

“
I had to. My mother knew
about the engagement. They were looking for a ring. Ryder had to
give it back to me.”

“
So he never returned the
ring after you returned it to him?” John asked.

I shook my
head.

“
What’s this? He’s got a
standby engagement ring handy?” John teased.

I glared at John before
Ryder returned to our table. Then Nicole and Dannie asked me to
dance.

“
He’s watching you,”
Dannie whispered against my ear.

“
Who?”

“
Who else?” Dannie said
looking over at our table. I turned around and saw Ryder with John.
He was looking at me. When our eyes met, he winked.

“
I think he really likes
you,” Nicole said.

“
He plays his part very
well!” I said. “Too well, I’m afraid my family will be heartbroken
if we break this thing off. It’s not real. You guys have to
remember that.”

“
Well, tell that to
him
not us!” Nicole said
evenly.

“
Do you like him?” Dannie
asked.

I sighed. “Yes. But do I
want my heart to be broken again? No.”

“
But you want
him.”

“
I’ve wanted him from the
moment I met him. But it’s… complicated. And I don’t want to risk
my heart or my friendship with him for something that might not
last forever.”

“
Why do you keep saying
that?”

“
Because I’ve been there
before. Guys like Ryder have fun with girls like me, but at the end
of the day, their families expect them to marry within their own
circle.”

“
Ash, one rich guy shot
you down. Who knows? Maybe Ryder is different!” Nicole
said.

“
Do I really want to risk
everything we have just to prove myself wrong?” I asked.

“
Don’t you think he’s
worth the shot?” Dannie asked.

“
Guys, I came here to have
a bit of fun so I could forget that my parents’ marriage may be on
the rocks. Leave Ryder and I alone for a while, okay?”

The two finally let it go,
but I knew the looks on their faces. Someday, if I regret my
decision not to go after Ryder, I had two best friends who would
tell me, “
I told you so
.”

It was one in the morning
when we decided to go home. I’d had six bottles of alcohol and was
feeling tipsy.

“
I’ll take you home,”
Ryder offered. I said goodbye to my friends and let Ryder lead me
to his car.

“
When will you be back to
Manhattan?” I asked him.

“
Tomorrow, six a.m.,” he
replied. He looked at me wearily. “Are you sure you want to be
alone?” he asked reaching out for my hand.