Angela strolled hand in hand with Ryder after a night of seeing Hamilton on tour at Sarofim Hall at the Hobby Center. It was a beautiful night, so they walked the half mile to Spindletop, a revolving glass-walled restaurant that provided 360-degree views of the city, for a lovely meal.
Ryder looked particularly handsome tonight. He’d ditched his customary dark brown Stetson and had allowed his dark blond hair to grow out a little longer because she loved running her fingers through it.
Ryder wasn’t a fan of suits, but he looked handsome in a gray vest, crisp white shirt with French cuffs and a black tie with gray and white diagonal stripes.
Ryder ran his fingers through his hair, flipping back a few strands that had fallen across his eye.
After they’d finished their meal, he reached across the table and took her hands in his.
“I know I’ve already told you this, but you look stunning in that blue dress.” He squeezed her hands. “It’s been such a perfect night.”
“It has,” she agreed. “The show was fabulous. The food was delicious. And the company was outstanding. I couldn’t imagine a more perfect night.”
“I don’t know about that. The night’s not over.” He winked. “I ordered dessert.”
“When?”
“When I stepped away from the table.” He grinned.
“That’s sweet of you.” Angela placed a hand on her belly. It was already filled to capacity. They’d shared barbecue bourbon shrimp and smoked salmon carpaccio appetizers. Then they had an entrée of a seafood pot for two. “But I honestly don’t think I can eat another bite.”
“Good thing I just got one slice to share.” He released her hands and sat back as their server approached.
The woman practically beamed as she set the slice of cheesecake on the table, then walked away.
Angela glanced down at the dessert and noticed a brilliant shimmer coming from it.
What...
“Oh, my God, is that—I mean, are you—” Her heart raced and she couldn’t get the words out.
“Yes and yes.” He took her hands in his again, bringing one to his mouth and kissing the back of it. “These past few months that we’ve spent together have been incredible. I didn’t think I’d ever find love again. Nor was I looking for it. But you shook things up. Awakened this dormant heart. You made me believe that love was possible again.” He grazed the back of her hand with his thumb. “Experience has taught me that when you find love, you shouldn’t hesitate. You never know what tomorrow’ll bring. And I don’t want to miss out on another precious moment with you.” He removed the ring from its perch atop the cheesecake. Its large-carat, round-cut center diamond and ribbons of pavé diamonds set in a platinum band gleamed. Then he got down on one knee before her. “Angela, darlin’, will you marry me?”
“Yes. Of course, I will, Ryder.” Angela nodded wildly, tears streaming down her face. “I had started to think my cowboy would never come along. But there you were. The man I’d been waiting for my whole life. You’re everything I dreamed of and more. And I am so very much in love with you.”
Ryder slipped the ring on her finger. When she leaned down and kissed him, the nearby patrons and staff cheered and applauded.
She and Ryder Currin were going to get married.
Angela could barely contain her joy.
But how would their families react?
She only hoped that their families would be half as happy for them as the restaurant filled with strangers seemed to be.
* * *
It’d been two days since Annabel had walked out of Roarke’s condo, and he hadn’t called.
She’d overplayed her hand when she’d come up with her plan to get Roarke to move back to Houston. Her motive certainly hadn’t been diabolical. She just wanted him in her life, there in Houston, surrounded by their families.
She hadn’t realized that he’d have such a harsh reaction to her meddling.
So she’d thrown herself into her work and tried to pretend that it didn’t feel as if the entire world had crashed down around her. She’d honestly felt a sense of relief when Mason had broken off their engagement. But with Roarke gone from her life, it felt as if she was missing an essential organ.
Her life just wasn’t the same without him.
She stood in the center of the kitchen at their family ranch when sounds of laughter rung throughout the house. It was her father and Angela.
“Hey there, darlin’.” Her father kissed her cheek as he entered the kitchen, still holding Angela’s hand in his.
“Sounds like you two had a great night.” She forced a smile. They’d gone to the theater and then out to dinner. The way the two of them were giggling, she was guessing they’d hit the wine particularly hard.
“It was amazing.” Angela stared dreamily into her father’s eyes. As much as Annabel liked the woman, there was a moment of envy that made her want to puke. Angela extended the hand that her father wasn’t holding. “We got engaged!”
“You two are getting married? Wow, that’s awesome.” Fat tears burned Annabel’s eyes and streamed down her cheeks. She forced a big smile as she hugged them both, joy and envy battling in her chest. “I’m really happy for the two of you.”
“Thank you, Annabel.” Angela squeezed her hand as she embraced her new fiancé. “Your support and acceptance right from the very beginning has meant so much to us.”
More tears slid down Annabel’s cheeks. She could only imagine the kind of pushback Angela had gotten about the relationship from Sterling and probably from her sisters and brother. But unlike Roarke, Angela had been willing to fight for what she wanted.
“I’m glad you were here. You’ve been spending so much time with Roarke, I didn’t know if we’d get to tell you in person.” Her father pulled a bottle of champagne out of the fridge.
“I’m glad I was here, too.” Annabel forced an even bigger smile, determined not to rain on their parade. She hadn’t told her father about the argument between her and Roarke. And she wouldn’t let them know just how much her heart was breaking now.
“We should all go out to celebrate.” Her father squeezed Angela’s hand. “Once we tell Sterling, we should invite him, too. Whether or not he accepts is up to him.”
Angela nodded, looking hopeful. “It’s late. I’ll tell my family tomorrow night.”
“Are you sure you we shouldn’t do this together? Maybe we should build a wall of solidarity right from the start, so Sterling won’t think he can divide and conquer.”
“No, I think I should talk to him alone first. But I promise, there will be no dividing and conquering. We’re in this together.” She pressed a quick kiss to his lips.
Annabel suddenly felt like a third wheel.
The ranch was large and her father’s bedroom was in a different wing of the house from hers. Still, it felt as if she was encroaching on their big night.
“Maybe I should go and give you kids some space,” Annabel teased.
“No, don’t go.” Angela grabbed her hand. “This is your home. I’m the intruder.”
Annabel smiled. “You’re not an intruder. You’re family. Starting right now.”
* * *
Ryder smiled to himself as he watched his beautiful fiancée sleeping in his king-size bed. His son, Xander, and his lovely fiancée, Frankie, had come over and joined them for a celebration toast. They were gone and it was late, but he couldn’t sleep. Partly because of the excitement of the engagement. Partly because he felt guilty that he hadn’t told his youngest daughter, Maya, yet. She’d spent the summer at a job in Cape Cod and was about to start her second year at school in Boston College. He missed her.
He sent her a quick text message.
Hey darlin’. You up? Got some news.
His phone rang almost instantly, and he stepped outside on the patio to take the call.
After their pleasantries, he jumped right in to the reason for his call.
“Engaged to a Perry? Wow, Dad. I can’t believe it. You’re actually marrying into that family.”
“A few months ago, if anyone had predicted this, I’d have thought they were auditioning for a straitjacket. Guess life really is stranger than fiction.”
Maya suddenly got quiet and Ryder held his breath, waiting for his youngest daughter to ask the question she’d been asking more frequently lately.
“I hate that I’m not there with you all to celebrate,” Maya said finally. “Sometimes, I feel so disconnected from everyone.”
“It’s just homesickness, sweetheart. That’s all. You’ll adjust, I promise. And know that even when you’re away, my baby girl is always in my thoughts.”
Maya sighed softly. “I know, Dad. And I love you.”
“Something bothering you, buttercup?” Ryder asked. He realized he was giving Maya a pathway to the very topic he didn’t want to discuss, but it broke his heart to hear her sounding so sad and alone.
“Tonight’s not the time. I’ll call you later. After your champagne buzz wears off.”
Ryder chuckled. “Sounds good. ’Night, sweetheart.”
He ended the call and poured himself the last of the champagne. Ryder knew exactly what Maya had wanted to ask. She wanted to know who her biological parents were.
Off to college and no longer a little girl, Maya had become more persistent about learning the identity of her birth parents. But when he and his wife Elinah had adopted Maya a little more than eighteen years before, he’d assured the girl’s grandfather that he would never reveal the identity of her biological family. It was a promise that had become much harder to keep now that Maya was officially an adult and as stubborn as her sister, Annabel.
Maybe Maya would learn the truth one day. But as long as it was dependent upon him, he would try to keep his promise to her grandfather.
Now that all three of his children knew his happy news, Ryder felt a sense of relief. He turned off the bedside lamp and crawled into bed with his bride-to-be.