I laughed. “I knew he’d hidden that money so he wouldn’t have to give Mom any in the divorce. I can’t believe you were able to make him do that.”
“I didn’t make him do anything. He wanted to. Was eager to, in fact.”
“Mom knew about this?”
“I gave her the check and she didn’t ask any questions. She said she wanted me to know that whatever was done was done and she didn’t hold anything against me except breaking her daughter’s heart.” Ryan sighed and put his hands behind his head. “She was upset for me. Said she couldn’t imagine one of her kids having to make the decisions I’d had to make then said she’d kick my ass if I ever made you cry again.”
I trailed my fingers up his chest. “Is that all she said?”
“I told her that I was coming after you and that I loved you. She wished me luck and said you were hard-headed.”
I lightly smacked him. “She did not!”
Ryan lowered his arms and tangled his hands in my hair. “She didn’t. She said we were young and to take it slow.”
“How slow do you want to go? Hmm?” I kissed his shoulder, the side of his neck and finally his lips.
He raised his head from the pillow to return the kisses, then drew back. “You’re smiling. What are you thinking?”
“I was thinking of something that you said to me once, but you were wrong. You said that you were my first but not my last.”
“I said that when I was trying to drive you away. But I was wrong,” he said, pushing my hair back. “I’m your first
and
your last boy.”
“I like the sound of that, Ryan Collins.”
“Me, too,” he said and kissed me again.
We made love throughout the night and the next morning when I woke up, I panicked at first because Ryan wasn’t in the bed. Then I looked at the window and he was standing in front of it, watching the snow gently fall. Tucking the sheet around me, I slid from the bed and walked up behind him to rest my cheek against his bare back. “What are you doing?”
“Thinking about family.”
“You miss them a lot?”
He turned around and pulled open the sheet, stepping inside the material with me. “Yeah, I do but you’re my family, too.”
“I suppose next you’re going to tell me that you see us getting married someday and having kids.” I was only teasing because I hadn’t thought that far into the future but the serious look on Ryan’s face told me that the idea had at least crossed his mind.
“I never thought I could ever be part of a permanent relationship until you and now, it all makes sense. Home for me was never a place. It was a person. You. I think about kids and how I’d keep from screwing them up. I think what if I have a son? How could I teach him to be a good man when I’ve done such bad shit? Or a daughter? How could I keep from beating the shit out of any guy who even thought he had the balls to ask her out?”
He shook his head and grinned when I laughed. “Then I realize that I’m changing every day. Letting go of a little bit more of the chains that always held me. So maybe...” His throat worked as he swallowed. “Maybe I wouldn’t screw kids up too bad. At least not permanently.”
“I feel like the luckiest woman in the world to have you in my life and I know that if you and I do have children one day, those kids would be the most loved, luckiest kids in the world to have you as a daddy.”
He dropped his head. “Shit. Something in my eye.”
I cupped his face to look into those beautiful eyes. “You are a good man, Ryan Collins, not because of what you’ve done or what you will do but simply because that’s who you are and I love every inch of you.”
“Every inch?” He scooped me up into his arms.
“Well, some inches more than others,” I said with a smirk. “We should get dressed and get some breakfast.”
Ryan lowered me down onto the bed. “That’s what tomorrow is for.”
“Tomorrow,” I agreed dreamily as he sank down beside me and pulled me into his arms. I looked forward to tomorrow. And the tomorrow after that. Together with Ryan, I knew that each one of those tomorrows would be better than the one before it.
Acknowledgements
I want to start by thanking my agent Nicole Resciniti who offered support and encouragement. You are an amazing person.
Author Alison Bliss, you are the rock star of kindness. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading the book and offering your words of wisdom, and for the cover art and for the teasers and for all the things you do because you have such a big heart.
Author Carolyn Jewel, thanks for sharing your publishing expertise and helping me navigate the million and one things I needed to get done.
Author Dax Varley for patiently answering questions no matter how many I asked.
Marika Nespoli and Tessa Walters, thank you for beta reading the book. You were such a tremendous help and you are much appreciated!
Marry Wing, Audrey Higgans, Dala Dolan, you are fantastic friends who offer such tremendous love and support.
Karen Nunes, fantastic writer and good friend. You are someone that I’m so thankful to know. You have made such a difference.
Tanya Webb because you are an awesome sister. And you understand back in the bucket and the short shorts and you make me laugh until my sides ache.
Thank you reviewers and bloggers who took the time to read and share your thoughts about the book.
Thank you, to all the readers. I appreciate each and every one of you. Thank you to those of you who wrote reviews, sent an email telling me you loved the book, and for spreading the word. You are all so amazing.
If you’d like to get in touch with me, you can reach me at the links below.
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSonyaWeiss
https://twitter.com/SonyaWeiss
I also have a newsletter you can sign up for and a street team you can become part of. We’re still kind of in the early stages but there’s a great group of people there and we’d love to have you join us.
http://sonyaweiss.com/street-team/
Other books by this author:
Entangled Bliss
Stealing the Heart series:
Stealing the Groom
Resisting Her Rival
Stealing the Bachelor
Entangled Indulgence
The Millionaire’s Forever
Kensington Publishing/Lyrical Press
The Tazavorn Series:
Revenge
Table of Contents