Page 66 of Forever Fallen

“That’s not what you said last night,” he whispered, and this time it was his turn to grin wickedly as she blushed fiercely.

“Behave…” she chastised gently, before looking at him. “Do you see anything personal that I might have missed? I need it to look clean, generic, and cozy like a hotel room.”

Ryan’s eyes scanned the room carefully, taking several moments, and then he stepped over to take a peek behind the fabric paneled room divider and peer in the closet, before turning to her.

“It looks wonderful. Great job, Sophie.”

“Perfect,” she smiled and nodded. “And I think I’m going to take your advice after all. I reached out to get the website updated and ordered business cards for the bed & breakfast.”

“That’s wonderful,” he praised. “I think it’s the best of both worlds, you know? You could start out fresh here and we can support each other in this, building a future together… where your family’s past is.”

“Thank you for that, you know?” Sophie began gently. “I can’t think of any other man who would be as caring or generous as you were, offering to agree to marry me to help me out.”

“It was purely selfish,” Ryan admitted. “One thousand percent selfish because I took one look at you and wanted to know more.”

“You sure hid it well.”

“Tons of training over the years,” he smiled. “Now how about that coffee or is it getting too late in the day? Do you know what time they are supposed to arrive or check in?”

“Usually at four or so.”

“Alright. Let me start some fresh coffee and double-check the keys on the locks I replaced. That could be a problem if I mixed them up…” he made a playful face at her.

“That’s not even funny…” she breathed nervously.

“I’m just kidding – the locks are fine. Relax, Sunshine, and I’ll meet you downstairs in a few.”

Sophie realized that was the second time he’d called her ‘Sunshine’, recognizing that Ryan had given her a pet name.

A part of her melted at the idea and how affectionate he was becoming. Perhaps she would witness his infamous towel pose once again and things would be different.

Blushing profusely, she chuckled nervously to herself and realized that they still had quite a long way to go before she would ever stop acting like a giddy young schoolgirl who was head-over-heels in love with her crush.

CHAPTER20

SOPHIE

Less than an hour later,the house was full of guests.

Everywhere she turned, there was another person. The six rooms were filled to the brim with people crowding in, using the place as a nearby spot to stay for a wedding.

She listened, fascinated, as they told her about the bride and groom, how they met, and the details of the wedding… just before catching Ryan watching her from across the room.

He gave a slight smile and acknowledged her by lifting his cup of coffee slightly as someone else was talking to him. She adored the fact that he seemed to need to connect with her – and treasured those little faint smiles, knowing what lay behind him.

He could have been giving a dissertation on something completely mundane and looked almost bored to tears – but when he looked at her?

His eyes lit up… and she melted.

“It’s supposed to be gorgeous with all this satin, bows, and flowers everywhere. I hear that her ring is almost two carats and…”

“Seriously?” Sophie grimaced. “Don’t you think that is a little gaudy or ostentatious? I mean, I figured marriage meant simple wedding bands and not some display or show of how much money you have.”

“Is that why you don’t wear a ring? I noticed that neither of you do.”

“Yeah,” Sophie said immediately, hiding her hands and smiling coolly. “We aren’t into a bunch of show and it’s just a piece of metal, right? It’s what’s inside that counts.”

“Exactly.”

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