My heart was full as I looked in her beautiful blue eyes. “That is a compliment I’ll take any day.”
JAY FLOPPED DOWN in the chair next to me in the orthopedic doctor’s office. “You know, you up and leave me. Get engaged to a hot cowboy. Come home and the first thing you do is ask me to take you to the doctor. I should have said no.”
With a grin, I looked her in the eyes. “The first thing I asked you was if you wanted to go out tonight, then I asked you to bring me here. Cut me some slack; they had an opening this afternoon.”
“Ms. Moore?”
I got up and crossed my fingers. “Wish me luck!”
Jay lifted her hand dismissing me. “Yep. Good luck.”
After taking a ton of x-rays, I was led into an examination room. “The doctor up in Montana was able to scan your x-rays over, so we have them for Dr. Russell.”
“Oh good!” I said with probably too much excitement in my voice.
“He’ll be a few minutes more.”
I lifted my hand and gave her a thumbs up. Jesus. What is wrong with me? Am I twelve? “Um … great thank you.”
“Sorry about that wait, Ms. Moore.”
I was pretty sure my jaw dropped to the ground when the doctor walked in.
“Are you … um … you’re not the doctor are you?”
With a warm smile, he nodded. “I am.”
I could not believe the sight in front of me. The guy couldn’t have been older than me and not to mention he was easy on the eyes. Not nearly as good looking as Ryder … but none the less he was pretty to look at. “Wow.”
He stopped and turned to look at me. When he smiled that smile men do when they think you’re interested, I quickly snapped out of it. “Wow? Is that wow a good thing or a bad thing.”
I smiled politely as I felt my cheeks flush from embarrassment.
Sinking my teeth into my lip, I couldn’t help but notice his eyes drop and his smile widened. Shit. No! No! No! Not flirting, Mr. Hot Doctor. Just nervous. “Um … ahh … good.”
Clearing his throat, he put my x-rays up as I began to swing my legs. My cast felt heavy as hell but I didn’t know what to do with my now nervous energy.
“Looks like everything has healed really well. You were scheduled to get your cast off in a few days so if you’ve got the time, I’d be more than happy to remove it for you … myself.”
I swallowed hard. How in the hell did he make that sound naughty?
Shit! I wanted my cast off and I needed to derail him. “Great!” Too excited sounding, Ava. Calm it down. “I mean, I’d love for you to take my cast off.” Dear lord. How did I make that sound naughty? Flippin’ shit balls. Where is Jay when I need her?
His eyes lit up. Derail Ava. Derail. I went to talk, but he cut me off.
“May I ask what brings you to Texas?”
“I live here. I was visiting Montana when I broke my leg and ankle.”
“And you stayed up there for … work?”
With a nervous chuckle, I said. “No. I mean, I’ve been working up there but my fiancé lives in Montana. So, I guess you could say a little work and a little play.”
Ugh. Why did I say that?”
“It’s always good to play every now and then.”
Oh God. He’s flirting. What part of fiancé did you not hear?
“Yep. Keeps life exciting.”
He seemed to zero in on my lips before he seemed to snap out of it.
“Well, let’s get this cast off you.”
By the time the good doctor got the cast off, I was ready to run out of the office.
Glancing down at my leg, I gasped. “Gross! That looks like … like … I don’t even know what that looks like.”
Dr. Russell laughed as did the nurse. “You’re probably going to want to see about physical therapy at least for your ankle. You’re moving around pretty good on it.”
Excitement coursed through my body. Finally, I got that heavy bitch off! I was so happy I wanted to scream. “I am! Just in time for some salsa dancing at Volstead’s tonight.”
The nurse chuckled. “Well, don’t get too crazy.”
Not using my brains, I blurted out, “Oh I never get crazy, unless I’m dancing with a hot guy.”
Dr. Russell stared at me and I swore his eyes darkened. “It was great meeting you, Ava. Please feel free to come back anytime.”
Staring at him with a confused expression, I tried to figure out if he was really flirting or maybe it was just my imagination. After all, I was upset with Ryder and maybe I was reading into it. At any rate, I needed to get out of this office and quickly. “Well, if you’ll pardon me being blunt, you’re nice and all doc, but I pray I never have to come back and see you or any other doctor for a broken bone again.”
“Touché. Let me walk you out, okay.”
“Sure. Thank you so much again for working me in like this.”
“Not a problem, Ava.”
Jay lifted her eyebrow when she saw me walking out with Doctor Hotty Pants. Standing, she let her eyes roam freely over him. “Well, I see you’ve been in good hands.”
Dr. Russell laughed as he placed his hand on my lower back.
Holy shit balls. We have physical contact! That is not good!
“Well, you ladies enjoy yourself tonight.”
With a polite nod, I grinned and said, “We will. Thanks again.”
My leg and ankle were for sure sore and I was limping for fear of putting too much weight on it. We hadn’t even made it to the elevator when Jay busted out laughing.
“You dirty slut!”
My eyes widen. “What the hell?”
“You were flirting with him … admit it! I could see it all over his face. He probably had to go back to his office and jack off.”
“Oh my gosh … your mouth is filthy.”
Stepping into the elevator, I pulled out my phone.
Nothing from Ryder.
My heart ached as I pushed the phone back into my purse.
“So, was that your way of paying back the fiancé for ignoring you?”
“Remind me why I tell you anything. And I was not flirting. I may have said something innocently that he took as flirting.”
Jay busted out laughing again as we headed to her car. “You still in the mood to shake your ass?”
A feeling of dread washed over me. Was I really going to walk away from something as amazing as Ryder? No, of course I wouldn’t. This whole silent treatment thing from him wasn’t something he would do either.
With a frustrated sigh, I shrugged. “I don’t know. I can’t really move around on my ankle. Maybe I should pass.”
“Pass? Why can’t you sit your ass at the bar while I get my salsa on then? Why must we both be punished because you feel guilty for flirting with the hot doctor?”
“I don’t feel guilty, because I was not flirting with him.”
Jay shook her head. “Fine. Then I see no problems with going out tonight.”
Dropping my head back, I moaned. “Fine. Just drop me off at home so I can stare at my stuff and wonder if I’m moving to Montana or not.”
Jay dropped me off and called out, “I’ll pick you up at eight!”
Once I got back into my apartment, I dug in my bag and pulled out Kate’s journal. I sat on the sofa and quickly got lost in the pages of a young girl lost and confused.
“YOU STILL HAVEN’T called her?” Nate asked.
“No. I want to surprise her.”
“And you don’t think by her calling you and it going to voice mail that she might think you’re pissed at her?”
I stopped walking and stared at my brother. “Shit. I hadn’t thought about that.”
“She called last night.”
“What?”
Nate smiled an evil smile. “She called my cell phone and asked if you were okay. I told her you were sitting right next to me.”
Anger raced through my veins. “And you didn’t think to let me talk to her?”
“Hey
, it’s not my fault you threw your phone and smashed it into a million pieces or the fact that you didn’t want to call Layton or Reed and ask them for her number for fear Reed would think y’all were fighting and use that against you. You could have called Walker.”
“I called him and left a message! He never got back with me! And again, why didn’t you let me talk to her? Plus if she called you have her number on your phone asshole!”
“Huh. That sucks for you and she didn’t want to talk to you. She only wanted to make sure you were okay and her number came up private asshole or I would have given it to you.”
“Fucking hell. Why do I keep messing up with Ava?”
Nate walked out and took in a deep breath. “Feel that? That is beautiful Texas seventy-degree weather in December. Hell yes.”
“Just get a damn taxi.”
Nate chuckled as he held up his hand and a taxi came pulling up. “How do you know she’s at her apartment?”
“I know Ava.”
“So you think you do. Clearly you don’t know how not to keep pissing her off.”
“Fuck you, Nate. Let’s hurry up so we can stop at the bank and I can get to Ava. The sooner I see her, the better.”
When the taxi pulled up to Ava’s apartment building, I jumped out. “Shall we wait?”
I glared at Nate. “I hope when you hook up with whoever you’re hooking up with tonight, your dick goes limp and stays that way!”
Nate’s eyes widened in horror. “Why would you say something so terrible like that?”
Rolling my eyes, I slammed the car door.
“Hey, Harry!” I said as I walked up to the doorman.
He lifted his brow. “Do I know you, sir?”
“I’m Ava Moore’s fiancé. Ryder. Ryder Montgomery.”
Harry looked me over. “Mr. Montgomery, I do remember you.”
Smiling, I asked, “Is Ava home?”
“She is. She returned from her trip and was feeling rather happy with getting her cast off.”
“Her cast off? She got her cast off?”
A woman walked up carrying a large amount of bags. “Harry! Please, will you help me with my shopping bags?”
I quickly reached for the door and held it open. Harry was so occupied with helping the woman that he forgot about me. I made my way over to the elevator and headed up to Ava’s apartment.
My heart was racing in my chest. I knew Ava was going to be pissed at me and think I had been ignoring her. I only hope what I picked up at Nate’s place would show her how sorry I was.
Taking in a deep breath, I reached my hand up and knocked on the door. It took a few seconds before the door opened and I saw her beautiful face.
Her mouth dropped open and her eyes lit up. “Ryder. I thought … what are you doing here?”
“I missed you.”
She shook her head and narrowed her eyes. “But … you haven’t been answering your phone.”
Puffing my cheeks, I blew out a breath. “Yeah, about that. I didn’t mean all the shit I said, Ava. I was so angry with myself for all of that I threw my phone and it broke into pieces. Then when I realized your number was in my phone and I couldn’t remember it, I kind of freaked out.”
Her eyebrows rose.
“I didn’t want to call your family, then your father would ask why I hadn’t taken the time to memorize his little girl’s number if I asked her to marry me. He would know we argued and I didn’t want that.”
Her teeth sunk in her lip. “No, we don’t want that.”
“Baby, I’m so sorry. I don’t care what you do or if you want to live in that little stone house for the rest of your life. All I care about is that you’re by my side each night I close my eyes and every morning I wake up. You are my life. All that matters to me.”
I dropped onto my knee and that’s when I noticed.
“Oh my God,” we both said at once.
Glancing up, her hands were covering her mouth. “Your cast is off and your leg … looks … so good. When did you get it off?”
She dropped her hands and looked at me. “Really, Ryder? Can that wait?”
“Oh … shit. Yeah.” I reached into my pocket and pulled out the jewelry box.
With a huge smile and my heart pounding in my chest, I opened the box. I knew the moment I bumped into Ava that day on the street that she was going to be my forever. “Ava Grace Moore, will you marry me?”
Tears rolled down her face as she nodded her head. Jumping up, I slipped the round antique diamond onto her finger.
“Ohmygawd,” she mumbled while staring at the ring. “It’s beautiful. It looks … so elegant!”
Knowing I was about to make her very happy, I replied. “It’s old. It was my great-great-I think one more great grandmother’s.”
Her head popped up. “Lizzy’s?”
“Yep. It’s been passed down to each first-born son.”
Pinching her eyebrows together, she shook her head. “I thought Nate was older.”
“He wanted you to have it and thought it would mean much more for you to wear it. He’s had it in a safety deposit box here in Austin, so it was perfect timing.”
Wiping her tears away, she stared at the ring. “It’s … I don’t know what to say. It’s perfect.” Lifting her eyes to mine, she whispered, “You’re perfect.”
“I’ve missed you, Ava.”
She pulled me into her apartment and we quickly got lost in a kiss. “Ryder, please make love to me.”
My lips trailed lightly across her neck while she moaned softly. “It would be my pleasure.”
Picking her up, I carried her to the bedroom where I gently set her on the floor.
We slowly undressed one another in silence. Nothing needed to be said because our love filled the entire room. My heart had never beat this hard before in my life. The idea of making love to her and knowing she would be mine forever was amazing.
Jumping back, Ava said, “Oh wait!” She reached down and began itching her leg like crazy. “It. Itches. So. Bad!”
I tried like hell not to laugh. There was no way I was going to say anything. She finally had that damn thing off and I was going to baby the hell out of her. “How about a nice hot bath?”
Her eyes lit up. “That sounds wonderful, but I’m supposed to be going Salsa dancing with Jay.”
With a chuckle, I kissed the tip of her nose. “You got your cast off and you’re ready to go.”
“Well, not really. I planned it before I got the bright idea of getting the cast off. I made an appointment and it just so happened they were able to remove it. But, now that you’re here, we have time to fool around and then go out.”
“With, Jay? Your evil friend who left you drunk and alone? No thanks.”
Ava hit my chest. “Stop it. She’s my best friend, and I’m not sure when I’ll get to go out with her again. Besides, I have a sexy little dress I’ve been wanting to wear.”
She frowned. “That is if I can still fit into it with all the food your mother has been giving me.”
Placing my hands on her hips, my chest felt tight. I loved this woman so much. “You look beautiful and I’d love to go dancing with my beautiful fiancée.”
Slipping her panties down, she gave me a sexy smile that had my heart stopping. Licking her soft lips, she softly said, “I think we need to get back to the whole fooling around thing.”
STEPPING OUT OF my bedroom, I waited for Ryder to turn around. The little silver cocktail dress I had bought a few months back fit like a glove. It hugged me in all the right places. The only thing that would make this better is if I had on my expensive-ass Michael Kors heels that I bought as a pick me up when Johnny dumped me. The last thing I wanted to do was break my ankle again.
I cleared my throat and waited for him to see me. When he did, I couldn’t hide the smile that spread across my face. Even though we had just made the sweetest love to one another, Ryder was looking at me like he wanted more. Like he needed more. His face curved up into a sm
ile that was so breathtaking I wanted to call Jay and tell her I wasn’t interested in going out anymore.
“My god, you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
I lifted my foot and wiggled my toes. “I can’t wear my sexy heels though. I think I’ll have to wear flats which won’t really do anything for the dress.”
He slowly sauntered my way. “Fuck the shoes. They couldn’t do anything more if they tried.”
Slipping his hand behind my neck, he pulled me closer. “If I kiss you, I’ll smear your lipstick.”
“I can always put it back on.”
He kissed me ever so softly on the lips, causing my stomach to dance with excitement. Every time he kissed me, I was taken to a place I never wanted to leave. There was something so amazingly different about Ryder. He not only held my heart, he owned my soul.
The knock on the door had him pulling his lips away. I wanted to scream out for him to keep kissing me, but if I knew Jay, she would just walk in.
“That’s probably Jay.”
“Lucky me,” Ryder mumbled before sitting down on the sofa.
I was still limping a bit on my leg. It felt weak, but I wasn’t sure if it was in my head and I was just scared or it really was weak.
“Does she know I’m here?”
Pressing my lips together, I glanced over my shoulder. “No,” I said scrunching my nose.
Ryder smiled. “This should be fun.”
Opening the door, I smiled big. “Hey there!”
She whistled. “Damn girl. Are you hoping to get laid tonight?”
My face dropped. “Jesus, Jay. Really?”
Ryder wrapped his arms around my waist. Jay’s expression went from happy to shocked. “She already did, so she’s covered.”
“Ryder!” I exclaimed as Jay rolled her eyes and acted like she was gagging.
“Please tell me he is not coming with us.”
I put my hands up and looked between them both. “Now listen here. You both are special to me and I love you, y’all. But I can’t have my fiancé and my best friend hating on each other.”
Jay gasped and grabbed my hand.
“Holy shit! That diamond is huge.” She peeked up at Ryder. “I will say, you know how to say you’re sorry.”