Emme
Today’s Learning Objective:
Students will take the one-bed loss like a win.
When we arrivedat our hotel, the famous Galt House on the Ohio River, we didn’t do anything as mainstream as checking in. We were met at the door by someone whose entire job was to wait for us to show up, hand us our room keys, and escort us to the elevator.
We didn’t even bring our own bags which was probably for the best because I couldn’t be responsible for anything other than staring at the ring perched on my hand.
The sparkle was unbelievable. It was so bright, I was convinced everyone in the hotel lobby could see the light radiating off it. But it wasn’t just the ring. I felt like a crystal sun catcher hanging in the perfect window, light and color streaming out of me and leaving tiny dancing rainbows everywhere I went.
I wasengaged.
Yes, there were many technicalities and complications, but I didn’t need to think about that right now. Not when I was still reeling from the proposal.
I hadn’t expected a proposal of any kind. Certainly not one on bended knee. If I’d thought about it, I would’ve anticipated the big, shiny ring but it was all the other pieces that made me feel like a disco ball.
I’d replayed Ryan’s words on the drive from the airport and still found myself stuck on the earnestness of them. It was as though he’d meant what he said.
Part of me—a very, very dangerous part—wanted him to mean it. That same part of me could hear my heart thundering in my chest like a stampede with no end.
“Ready?” my fiancé asked, nodding toward the elevator. Two hotel staffers held the doors open. Another offered us water, mint juleps, or champagne.
This, I could get used to.
I reached for a champagne flute, watching the way my ring gleamed under the warm light of the chandeliers. I glanced to Ryan and discovered him staring too. When he slowly shifted his gaze to my face, a smile warmed the corners of his lips and he reached for my free hand.
The stampede in my chest gained speed. I felt it shake all the way down to my bones and blaring through my veins. It was so much, so intense—and somehow I wanted more. I wanted to feel all of these things until I forgot what it was like to be sad and alone.
With our fingers laced together, I said, “Lead the way.”
This place remindedme of all the Christmases spent with my dad and his family. They were all about private islands in the Caribbean or ultra-premium luxury resorts in Aspen or Whistler. The more exclusive, the better.
I always felt like I was betraying my mom when I was with them. That family he’d created with his new wife Danielle and my half brothers was the one my mother had envisioned for herself, the one I knew she still mourned. It was the one she would’ve had if my father hadn’t been an unapologetic cheater with lawyers who wrote bear-trap prenups.
A staffer met us at our floor and escorted us to our suite. Ryan pressed a crisp bill into his hand and sent him on his way once we were inside, and I appreciated that he knew those maneuvers. Even if this wasn’t exactly new to me, it would’ve taken me five full minutes to realize I should tip the guy and another five to dig cash out of the bottom of my bag. If I even had cash, which I usually didn’t.
“Take whichever room you want,” Ryan said, gesturing down the hallway. “I have to return some messages before we leave for the party.”
There were a million parties this weekend and we were scheduled to make appearances at all of them. I didn’t know what constituted an appearance. Was it literally just a pop-in or were we doing time at each venue? Or was it more a matter of flashing the engagement ring at the right people?
Regardless of how it worked out, I was going to look good at these parties. The muffin/cream puff dress aside, Wren and I understood each other now. I hadn’t expected to enjoy working with a stylist so much—or letting Ryan buy all my clothes—but it was great having someone do all the legwork and then present the best options. We didn’t shy away from color, I had enough room in every skirt to break into a dead sprint if needed, and I felt confident again.
I’d missed that.
My thumb twisted the band on my ring finger as I wandered down the hall and glanced into the first bedroom. The bed was the size of a city block. I expected the next to be the same, butwhen I opened the door I found only a closet stocked with extra blankets and pillows.
Convinced that I’d missed something, I opened every door in the suite and made two passes through the living and dining rooms. Ryan arched a brow in question but said nothing, his phone pressed to his ear.
I hurried back to the first bedroom—theonlybedroom—with Ryan trailing behind me, still on the phone. I heard him say to someone, “Just make a decision and get it done.”
He ended the call and watched as I rounded the bed. This wasn’t a problem. It really was a big bed. His entire offensive line could snuggle up in here. Hersberler would end up on the floor but that had more to do with his personality than the fit.
“What’s up?” Ryan asked, his arms crossed over his chest.
My gaze snagged on his thick forearms and the lines inked there. It took some effort to drag my attention away because my fiancé—regardless of whether I was supposed to notice this or not—was devastatingly hot. “This is the only room.”
“It’s a two-bedroom suite,” he said.
