AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“How are things with Josh? Is everything cool there?” Ryder crossed his arms over his chest and eyed me. “The Millers are really tight. Can’t imagine he loves the idea of you getting with his little sister.”
“We’re good. I ran into him at theDaily Grindand we discussed it. I wouldn’t say he gave me his blessing, exactly, but he was okay with it. I promised him I was serious, and we left things in a good place.”
“Delaney seems like a cool girl. You look good together.” Ryder shot me a goofy grin.
“How’re things going with Dr. Love?” I asked, seizing the chance to change the topic and tease him a little.
“Great.” He kept grinning, his smile wider than I’d seen since he was drafted to the NFL.
“Dude. You’re like, totally gone,” I said, elbowing him in the ribs.
“Probably. But she’s the best thing that’s happened to me since Charlie.”
“She’s nice and she’s great with Charlie. I’m happy for you, man.”
“Thanks. I was thinking about proposing.”
I inhaled sharply, my stomach swooping down low and hard. “Really? You sure?”
Ryder’s track record was even worse than mine. His ex had some serious issues and the divorce had been brutal. Her most recent move landed her in jail, and she wasn’t even allowed anywhere near Charlie.
“Yeah. Not to sound corny, but I think she’s The One.”
“I’m happy for you. If you need any help with the details, let me know.” No need to remind him of his past failed relationship. I tended to agree with him—Bree was a complete one eighty from Shayna. “You did good.”
“High praise from you, Quinn. Thanks.” He slapped my shoulder.
“Boys, time to eat!” Bree stuck her head out the porch door, waving us in.
“Coming!” Ryder called, moving instantly towards the house.
I trailed a ways behind him, crunching rust-colored leaves beneath my feet and digesting the info he’d just sprung on me. I wasn’t surprised he was thinking about getting engaged, but still, it was a shock to the system to hear him say it out loud. Ryder was going to be marriedtwicebefore I even took one step down the aisle and that was not lost on me.
I headed to the powder bath, splashing cold water on my face. It was fine. I was fine.
I knew it was coming, I just wasn’t prepared.
Taking a deep breath, I headed to the kitchen. Bree, Delaney, and Mom were deep in conversation by the sink, their heads close together, chatting away. Delaney glanced up, catching my eye. She shot me a smile, so I figured she was good. Grabbing another beer from the fridge, I popped the top and sat down next to Ryder.
“Where’s Pops?” I asked, taking a swig of my drink.
He shrugged. “Dunno. I suppose he’ll be here shortly. I think Gigi’s holding dinner for him.”
“Okay.” I leaned back in my chair, ignoring the rumbling of my stomach. Now that I was at the table, I was starving. The fresh rosemary and garlic from mom’s roast smelled amazing.
“Ho, ho, ho!” Dad’s deep voice bellowed into the kitchen. “I need a little help here!”
Ryder and I both jumped up and headed to the door, Charlie at our heels, the ladies close behind.
Pops stood in front of his truck, a huge grin on his face. “Thought we’d get into the Christmas spirit today!” He waved at the large Christmas tree tied to the roof of the cab. “Big enough for you, Charlie?” he asked.
Charlie barreled down the stairs, throwing his arms around Pops.
“Yeah! I love it! Let’s decorate it now, please!” Charlie bounced up and down.
“After dinner, kiddo,” Pops said, squeezing his little shoulder. “But we do need to bring it in and set it up. Good thing the boys are here.” He waved at Ryder and me and I chuckled. We were hardly ‘boys’ anymore and he should be glad about that because the tree he’d brought home was not exactly small.
With some effort, Ryder and I managed to untie the tree and haul it up the stairs, into the den. Under Gigi’s watchful eye, we anchored the fir tree in the stand, sharp needles poking me in the face as we worked to get the tree perfectly straight.
