“I think it’s safe to say that neither one of us was a virgin when we met,” Ryan muttered. “I’ve never asked you about the guys that you were with
before me, because hearing about it would just make me crazy. And you’ve never asked, so I figure the same goes for you. What difference does it
make who we slept with before? We both have pasts.”
I nodded in agreement, knowing he was right.
Ryan drew in a deep breath. “The first week I was here I hooked up with one of the PAs,” he admitted. “I messed around with her a couple of t…”
“Ryan, stop,” I interrupted, trying not to visualize this new girl as being the lucky recipient of the missing condom.
He looked at me, confused by my order.
“Don’t lie to me,” I whispered.
“I’m not,” he confirmed.
“You told Kyle one girl, one time. You just slipped and said a couple. What’s the truth?” I breathed in desperation.
“Can’t you see he’s trying to rip us apart?” he said, almost pleading with me.
“He and a million other folks,” I corrected.
“Tar, I don’t have to explain myself to Kyle, but I am being truthful with you. So I had sex with some girl – twice – before I even knew you,” he
stressed. “It was nothing. It meant nothing. And I ended it. I swear to God, from the moment I met you, I have not touched, been with, or even looked
at another woman. Suzanne doesn’t count.” He laughed lightly, then collected himself. “I’ve been completely faithful to you.”
I stared at my feet, trying to keep a hold of my emotions.
“When we were out on the lake, you said it had been months since… I just assumed that meant sex,” I confessed.
Ryan exhaled loudly.
“Taryn, when we were out on the lake, I was already falling madly in love with you. And I didn’t lie; it’s been months since I had a girlfriend.” He
collected my hand in his. “When I got to town here, I was… lonely. I took advantage of an opportunity,” he admitted.
I thought about why lovers lie to each other - feelings and egos are such fragile things.
“Do you have any more secrets or is this the last of them?” I asked.
Ryan thought for a moment. “I lost my virginity to Kelsey Bowman when I was sixteen,” he confessed.
I smiled and nudged him in the leg.
“Do you want to know how it happened?”
I laughed uncomfortably. “No!”
“What about you? Are you keeping any secrets from me?” he asked cautiously.
I looked him directly in his eyes. “No.”
He twisted my garnet ring to align it on my finger. “Do you remember what I told you Christmas morning when I put this ring on your finger?
Honey, there is no one else. There hasn’t been anyone else. I’m in love with you, Tar.”
As I watched the last minute of the year count down I resolved that his past and mine needed to stay there… in the past.
Ryan grabbed the belt loop on my jeans and pulled me off to the privacy of the dark kitchen. His arm wrapped around my waist; together we
were ushering in a new year, a new chapter to our lives.
“Ten, nine, eight…” he counted backwards on my lips. I couldn’t help but be giddy at our closeness; my arms wrapped around his neck tighter,
holding him fast to my body.
“Happy New Year Honey,” he whispered, his warm mouth kissed me passionately.
The bar was completely crowded, but at that moment in the darkness we were the only two people on the planet.
Our days together turned to just hours and then to mere minutes; Ryan was leaving for Florida to start filming his next movie.
“Call me once you get settled in,” I requested, trying to keep my extreme sadness of his departure in control. I turned my car ignition off.
His gentle hand rubbed my cheek. “I will. It won’t be for a couple of hours though until I land. Don’t be sad. I’ll see you in three weeks, I promise!”
Ryan looked over his shoulder nervously, expecting that at any moment photographers could rush up to my car.
“Three weeks.” I nodded. “I think I can make it.”
“You could always quit your night job and come stay with me?” he teased.
“I’m working on it!”
“I know. I’ll see you on the 22nd. Keep your calendar open,” he reminded.
Mike was already standing behind my car with their luggage, waiting patiently.
“You better go. Kiss me already!”
“I love you,” he whispered.
“I love you more!”
“Doubt that!” He leaned and kissed me again.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you,” he said quickly, one of his long legs was already out of my car. “There’s a crew coming tomorrow morning to start
demolition on the pub kitchen.”
“What?” I asked, slightly louder than I had intended. “Wait, we only just got the estimate.”
“I know. I hired them.”
Ryan hopped out of my car before I had a chance to argue. “So if you want to yell at me, you’ll have to call me later and do it over the phone.”
“Ryan!” I whined.
“Sorry, I can’t hear you!” He mouthed on the other side of the closed passenger door. He looked at me intently through the glass window,
grinning.
I read his lips when he silently said, “I love you,” placing his palm on the window to say goodbye.
I smirked and watched his sexy butt dash off towards the terminal.
Chapter 29 - Options
“Wow, they’re really making progress,” Pete commented, assessing day four of the kitchen remodel. “It’s going to be beautiful once it’s
finished.”
I nodded, watching the crew install the new stainless steel ovens.
“So I take it you’ve forgiven him?” Pete asked, slightly distracted by watching the installers struggle with the appliances.
I suppose my reactions and behaviors were completely predictable.
“I was never mad at him, Pete. And now that this kitchen is finally getting done, I’m actually quite relieved. I guess I’ll have to just get used to his
generosity.”
“Now there’s a good idea!” Pete staggered slightly, giving me a teasing bump. “You know most decent men have it engrained in them to take
care of their family. He just wants to be the provider, that’s all.”
I sighed heavily as Pete’s words sunk in. “I know.”
“You know he’s going to marry you, especially now since you’re the proud parents of twin kitchen sinks!” He winked.
“Yeah right!” I elbowed him in the arm for teasing me. “Are you taking bets?”
“Yep. How about a grand?” he suggested, pretending to reach for his wallet.
“Pass. Just keep your money. I may need to borrow some to pay him back for all of this.”
“Oh she of little faith,” Pete said, patting my head.
“Well, if you’re done being overly presumptuous, I’m going to get the mail.”
I was still laughing as I picked up the pile that lay inside the front door. Ryan’s fan mail volume never ceased; it actually increased since his fans
had a physical mailing address for the object of their affection. Fortunately, the Seaport Post Office kept a running pile and only delivered the trays
of fan mail twice a week. I laughed to myself when I weeded through the pile and still found a few that snuck through.
I used my finger to open up a plain white envelope addressed to Taryn Mitchell.
I gasped in horror as my eyes read the frightening message written on a simple, white piece of paper:
My throat tightened and I felt faint. Basic internal instincts made me want to run screaming. The nightmares were starting all over again.
“Why are you so jumpy?” Marie asked at the start of her shift. She was filling the cooler with bottled beer and every time she clanked the bottles
together I unconsciously flinched.
I took the letter out of my back pocket.
“Taryn! This is no joke! Did you call the cops?”
I folded it back up and shoved it deep in my pocket. “No, I didn’t. What are the cops going to do? Besides, my fingerprints are all over it now.”