Page 163 of What are the Risks
Fina-fucking-lly!
Ruby melted against me, returning my kiss with a desperation I was all too familiar with. No more days without this. No more distance. No more casual. No morejust friends.
It was time for my pick – and I chose her. Every. Single. Time. In every lifetime.
Somewhere close by, my mum let out a gasp of pure disbelief. “Cherie, they’re kissing! Are you seeing this? They’re kissing!”
Yeah we fucking were, and if I had it my way, I wouldn’t stop anytime soon. But with cameramen circling us, I forced myself to – before I got carried away and we ended up on every available porn site.
Glancing over Ruby’s shoulder, I caught Mum and Cherie going wild, cheering maniacally as if they’d just won the lottery.
I knew I had.
Slightly breathless, Ruby chewed her lip shyly, heat blooming across her cheeks. “Your mum sounds happier about this than the fact you were just drafted.”
I leaned down, brushing my lips against hers once more. Fuck the Draft. My future was already right in front of me.
“Honestly... so am I.”
CHAPTER SIXTY
This is forever now
Ruby
By the time Ryker rolled into the hotel room later that night, he looked exhausted – happy, but exhausted. He’d been tied up with obligations after the Draft ended, so we’d been celebrating in his suite while we waited.
He’d been put up in a fancy penthouse – the type you imagine when thinking about Las Vegas. The living area was huge, and the floor to ceiling windows looked out across the Bellagio Water Show. I’d watched it more times than I could count while I’d been waiting. It never got old.
Ryker wasted no time taking off his jacket and loosening his tie. Setting them down, he walked to the ice bucket on the table, popping off the cap of a longneck.
Mum and Nancy had stocked the room with victory beer and champagne, and Tori and Brady had just slipped out with Brady’s parents to pick up some pizzas. Stefan had gone with them too – dying to escape Mum and Nancy’s champagne antics. I couldn’t blame him – they were already well beyond tipsy.
There were three empty champagne bottles on the table. Savannah had only had one glass before helping her husband put the twins to bed, and I’d stopped at two. I wanted to remember this day – no cloudy thoughts, thank you very much.
“There’s the latest Seattle quarterback,” Charles proudly beamed.
He hadn’t stopped smiling all day.
Nancy rested her hand over her chest. “Honey, I’m so proud of you, but let’s circle back to football in a second... there’s something far more important to discuss.” She motioned between Ryker and me. “What in The Real Housewives’ name is going on between you two?”
Mum set her glass down and levelled Ryker with what I assumed was meant to be an intimidating glare. “Yes, Ryker. What are your intentions with my daughter?”
I’d sensed Mum and Nancy itching to grill me all evening, but they’d shown a rare case of self-control and waited until Ryker was here. Now that he was, the interrogation had begun.
I rolled my eyes. “Ignore them, Wheels. They’re drunk.”
With a relaxed chuckle, Ryker confidently met my mother’s glare head on. “I’ll happily fill you in, Cherie. I’m in love with your daughter.”
Mum and Nancy spat out their champagnes in perfect sync, like a rehearsed scene from a movie. The shock on their faces was priceless. They hadn’t seen that coming, and it was extremely satisfying to be the ones to finally render them speechless.
Dad and Charles seemed equally as stunned. At least Ryker didn’t have to worry about my dad giving him thelook after my daughterspeech. Dad already knew how much Ryker cared about me.
With a surprised quirk of her eyebrows, Mum’s gaze flashed to me. “And is my daughter in love with you?”
Ryker and I hadn’t hadthe talkyet, and we sure weren’t about to have it in front of an audience.
“You two are relentless,” I grumbled. “And you wonder why we kept this a secret.”
