Neshawn had reached a new low. Tonight’s star-studded birthday celebration for movie star Marsetta Leoni wasn’t something Ridge would’ve ever attended. And he certainly wouldn’t have chosen this as a date night outing with Talaya. Not after the week they’d had.

While he was certain Talaya hadn’t confronted a blast from their most recent past in the same way that he had, he knew she’d been struggling with something the past four days. Something other than the nightmares. He’d first noticed it on Monday night when he’d gotten home from work to find her in the gym with Dino and Jaheem, another member of their private security team. The slimmer man had been standing on the other side of the heavy bag while Talaya stood in front of it inflicting blow after blow until Dino had placed his beefy hands on her shoulders and encouraged her to step back.

“Distribute your weight more evenly,” Dino instructed her. “You’re too tense so you’re not gaining enough power in your punches.”

Tense was an understatement where Talaya was concerned. As Ridge stood in the doorway watching, he loosened his tie and frowned. Her face was tight with concentration, lips drawn into a thin line, nostrils flaring. Sweat beaded her forehead, a glossy sheen of it going down her neck and on the portions of her skin left bare by the sports bra she wore. Black leggings covered her long legs, tennis shoes at her feet, her hair, which had been straight this morning when she’d left, was pulled into a messy knot on top of her head.

“Fighting is intense,” she snapped back at Dino.

The big guy, to Ridge’s utter amazement only shook his head before he calmly replied, “That’s not using your head and it’s exactly what your opponent will expect. Sure, you’re gonna be pissed off, what other reason would you have for going into a fight? But you can still be smart about it. Plant your feet like this,” he told her and moved his hands from her shoulders so he could demonstrate.

A quiet relieving breath that Ridge hadn’t been aware he’d been holding escaped his lips. Dino was his guard, the number two one Ridge trusted with not only his life, but Talaya’s as well. He wasn’t some fuck boy Ridge needed to hem up for putting his hands on his fiancée. Still, he gritted his teeth and then relaxed his jaw as he continued to watch in silence.

Talaya positioned her body to mimic Dino’s stance. “Relax your shoulders,” the guard said touching her there again. It was a brief touch this time because Talaya immediately did as Dino said. “Focus all your power into your fists,” Dino continued. “Draw from your gut.” He flattened a hand over Talaya’s torso and Ridge’s fingers tightened over the tie he’d just slid from around his neck.

Ridge stuffed the tie in his suit jacket pocket with one hand and undid the top button of his shirt with his other.

“Don’t focus on your rage, instead zone in on your strength. It’s going to come from right here.” Dino tapped her stomach with his wide palm. “You feel it?”

With intensity etched in the lines that now furrowed her forehead, Talaya nodded. “Yeah.”

“Punch!” Dino instructed.

And she did, her right fist slamming into the heavy bag with force. Not enough that Jaheem lost his footing—to be fair, Jaheem was about six-feet-two-inches tall and easily weighed two hundred and twenty-five pounds of solid muscle. Moving him wasn’t going to be an easy feat. Talaya was five feet nine inches and weighed one hundred and forty-four pounds now, something she’d told him because she was excited about picking up some weight after all these years of being what she considered skinny. She’d also shared that her therapist had been happy about her healthy weight gain which had also made the woman optimistic about Talaya’s progress.

A pang in his chest reminded Ridge that he’d wondered about that progress in the last few weeks. They both had.

“Punch!” Dino yelled again and again until he’d stepped back to watch Talaya as she continued to pound into the bag.

Her punches were growing stronger, so much so that Jaheem had to take a step back and re-plant his feet to actually keep from losing his footing. Now, pride blossomed in Ridge’s chest and a smile touched his lips. Talaya had an inner strength that he’d admired since day one and was reinforced that morning in Sansonique when she’d told him all about her life. His heart had both broken and been soothed by the story of being repeatedly devastated by people she’d loved and having no other choice but to rebuild herself. She’d done that in such a way that he’d envied her because he’d been unable to be so succinct in his own rebirth.

When she landed a succession of punches then stepped back and turned to lift her leg and kick the bag, Jaheem cursed and stumbled back. Dino laughed and Ridge—unable to hold back any longer—clapped.

The three across the room turned their attention to him as he walked inside, but Ridge only had eyes for her. She’d started walking toward him and when they met, he cupped her face in his hands and leaned in to kiss her deeply, not giving a damn that they weren’t alone.

In that kiss he’d felt her tension marginally melt away, loved the way she’d leaned into him, leaned on him knowing inexplicably that he would catch her and hold on tight. Because that’s exactly what he’d done, what he would always do.

And now, as he glanced across the table to where she sat staring down at her phone, he knew he had to tell her. She’d trusted him with her heart, had opened up and given him everything he’d never thought he needed, there was no way he could keep this from her. He didn’t want to keep it from her. Nor did he want to hurt her.

“They’re talking about us already,” she said and then closed the screen on her phone and set it on the table.

He was about to ask who “they” were when she looked up at him and he had to catch his breath.

She was stunning.

Her hair had been smoothed back into a sleek bun at her nape. Thin gold earrings—a grouping of three hoops—hung from her lobes, while a thick gold choker cupped her neck. What seemed like miles of deeply bronzed skin was exposed from her shoulders down to the delicious swell of her breasts. The black evening gown Raphael had selected for her to wear this evening had something they called a crepe ruffle shoulder, which really just equated to a bunch of material wrapped around her breasts and the mid-area of her arms to create a look that was sexy as fuck. From her torso down, black material was sculpted to her silhouette, with the exception of a split that was I’ll-shoot-a-bastard-for-even-daring-to-peek high up on her left thigh. All that was topped off with a pair of ridiculously high black sandals that really only consisted of the heel, one strap across her toes and a gold link hook around her ankle. When she’d walked into the reception room where he’d been waiting for her, Ridge had wanted to toss her ass on that couch and fuck her right then and there.

How the hell had he gotten so damn lucky?

“Did you hear me?” she asked. “I said they’re talking about us already on social media. I mean that’s what Neshawn wanted but, I don’t know,” she said with a shrug. “I just hope this doesn’t backfire.”

There was something to her tone in those last words. A hint of sadness or was it fear? Whatever it was, he was on instant alert.

“What do you mean backfire? It’s positive exposure, how can that hurt us?” he asked and captured her gaze with his inquisitive one.

She didn’t look away but cleared her throat and tried to sit up straighter in her chair. “I just meant I hope it brings the right type of attention.”

Ridge narrowed his gaze at her. “As opposed to the wrong type? Such as?” He prayed she wasn’t going to say what he thought she was going to say because just for one night he wanted her to be free of those thoughts. Free of that man Ridge had never known but knew he hated.

Her tongue darted out over her lips as she momentarily looked away from him. “I, um, I don’t know.” She shook her head. “I was just talking,” she said. “You were so quiet and I was scrolling my timeline. You know I hadn’t been on social media until Neshawn said I needed to be to help the family. Your family, I mean.”

She sighed. “I never wanted to be on social media, to have any type of attention on me. I just wanted to work and live a normal life. But now—”

“Now, because you’re with me, you’re in the spotlight.” When she didn’t immediately respond, he said what he knew she was thinking. “Now, you’re in a place where even more people can discover who you’re related to.”

She sat back and let her hands fall to her lap.

Ridge leaned over in his chair until he was able to reach for her hand. He clasped her fingers in his, then covered their hands with his free one. “You are Talaya Richmond,” he told her. “You are the woman I love. The woman I’m going to marry. So, yes, that puts you in the spotlight because that’s where my family and I have been for a very long time. I’ll apologize for how uncomfortable that may make you feel, but I won’t apologize for needing you with me. For wanting you by my side for every step I take from this moment forward. I won’t apologize for loving you beyond anything else in this world.”

When she opened her mouth to speak, he shook his head to silence her.

“But make no mistake, Talaya. I will protect you with my life. I won’t let anyone hurt you again, not as long as I have breath.”

“I kno—”

“Well, well, well. Isn’t this cozy?” the woman’s voice interrupted Talaya’s response and Ridge looked up to see someone he hadn’t seen in a while. Someone he’d been perfectly okay with not seeing in a while.

“Yolanda,” he said as she met his glare.

“So, you do remember who I am?” she asked, bringing a hand up to her neck where her fingers fluttered as she gave him a coy smile. “I was confused since I hadn’t heard from you. Then I thought I’d give you a little leeway since you’d just lost your mum and so many nefarious things were going on with your family. But then one morning I wake up and glance at my social media pages and see you,” she said pointedly, then nodded her head dismissively in Talaya’s direction, “all hugged up like some starstruck lovers.”

“Talaya,” Talaya said, her cool gaze pointed at Yolanda.

“What?” Yolanda asked as if she’d just realized Talaya was sitting there, which they all knew was a lie.

“My name,” Talaya told her. “It’s Talaya, pronounced tuh-lay-ah. So, the next time you want to refer to me, you can use it. Like normal mature adults do.”

Sensing it was probably a good time for him to speak, Ridge kept his grip on Talaya’s hand when she attempted to pull away.

“Talaya,” he said looking at her now. “This is Yolanda Daisda. She accompanied me to one of Aunt Birdie’s parties a couple of years ago.” After which time she’d immediately begun to display clingy, moderately unstable tendencies and he’d ceased all contact with her.

Bringing his attention back to Yolanda, he stated. “Yolanda, this is my fiancée, Talaya.”

Yolanda rolled her almond-hued eyes dramatically and then fluttered long lashes that he knew were fake at him. “I’d really like it if we could talk. Privately,” she told him.

“No,” he said without reservation.

Yolanda was still a beautiful woman. She would be forty years old now, five feet eleven inches tall, rich dark chocolate skin tone, tight little body with big surgical breasts and pouty lips. The gown she wore was hot pink and dipped so low in the front it left absolutely nothing to the imagination. Not that Ridge had needed to imagine anything. He’d fucked Yolanda at the hotel before they’d even made it to Aunt Birdie’s party at Donovan Manor three years ago. And before that he’d had her several times during the course of the one night he’d spent in her flat in London. So, he was well aware of everything she possessed beneath the sparse material of that dress. And he’d walked away from it all because she wasn’t the woman for him.

Now, to further drive home the fact that he’d been absolutely right to leave her alone, she stomped her foot like a petulant child.

“That’s not fair, Ridgley. You at least owe me a civil conversation,” Yolanda said.

Talaya cleared her throat then. “His name is Ridge. But you should probably refer to him as Mr. Donovan from now on.”

“Look you…you…” Yolanda looked at Talaya, pausing as if she didn’t know what to say next. “Dowdy social worker or whatever. This isn’t a conversation for you.”

“Oh, but it is,” Talaya replied. “You see, you’re speaking to my fiancé and he’s made it perfectly clear, at least to me, which is really where it counts,” Talaya added with a shrug. “And probably any other normal mature adult, that he doesn’t want to talk to you. That suggests…again to me, a normal mature adult, that there’s no familiarity here. So, you can refer to him as Mr. Donovan, just like everyone else who doesn’t know him.”

Yolanda moved first, taking a step toward where Talaya sat. Ridge released Talaya’s hand so he could stand and move Yolanda on, physically if need be. In his peripheral Sage appeared at his side, Dino coming to stand behind Talaya’s chair. But not before Talaya had pushed back and stood, facing Yolanda herself.

“Yes?” she asked Yolanda, one elegantly arched brow raised to further iterate her question. “Is there something else you’d like to say to me?”

The pride that had bloomed in Ridge’s chest earlier this week when he’d watched Talaya in the gym, now spread throughout his body. Despite what Suri might say, Ridge wasn’t an egotistical man. But in this moment, he felt like a fuckin’ king with his queen making it known she was ready to ride or die with and for him without question.

Yolanda, who in the next instant proved once again that not only was she not the woman for him, but she also wasn’t one of the smartest people in the room, actually took another step toward Talaya.

Dino moved to stand in front of Talaya blocking her from Yolanda’s wrath.

“You don’t want to push me, little girl,” Yolanda continued, her British accent stronger on the last two words. “I’m not one of those poor tramps you work with. I’ll bury you.” And to elaborate on that last part she foolishly tried to reach around Dino to…do what Ridge wasn’t sure and he certainly wasn’t going to let any of them find out.

While he desperately wanted to grab her skinny ass by the waist and drag her out of this room where he could shake some sense into her in private, he knew that wouldn’t go over well with the many people in the room who’d turned their attention to them. So, instead, he nodded toward Sage, who immediately moved in behind Yolanda, taking both the woman’s arms and pulling them behind her back as if she were arresting her.

“It’s time to go,” Sage said to Yolanda.

“Let me go!” Yolanda yelled. “This is assault! You have your goons let me go, Ridgely or I’ll—”

“You’ll do nothing,” Ridge said stepping in front of Yolanda as Sage kept her restrained. “You are going to leave here tonight and never speak another word to my fiancée again. Or I swear Yolanda, I, will be the one to bury you.”

He’d said that last part in a deadly whisper because the last thing he wanted was for someone to record him threatening her. Neshawn and Roark would both have fits and Ridge would never hear the end of it.

“But you promised me, Ridge! You said—” Yolanda continued but was cut off by Sage pulling her arms back even tighter.

“I’d advise you to shut the hell up now,” Sage told her. “And walk out of here before I pick your ass up and carry you out kicking and screaming.”

Yolanda clamped her lips shut and glared at Ridge before Sage turned her away and ushered her out of the room.

“Want me to get the truck?” Dino asked when Ridge turned back to face him and Talaya.

“No—” he started to say because he didn’t want Yolanda to have the power to run him or Talaya away from anywhere they wanted to be.

The party wasn’t over and Ridge still needed to talk to Talaya about his meeting with Renata’s parents and the subsequent appointment he had on Monday afternoon with them and Khady Donovan.

“Yes,” Talaya spoke up. “I’m ready to go.”