Page 85 of Special Delivery

She looks beautiful and elegant in every single one, and emotion builds up in my eyes. She barely knows Jordan, Emma, and me, but she was certain she wanted us to be a part of this process. With all of our dad’s weddings, Jordan and I have never gone wedding dress shopping. Our role was to blend into the background as meaningless extras, not stand out as daughters of the groom. This feels different. Kim feels different.

In a way, knowing the kind of person she is affects my opinion of Ryan, too. It’s hard to imagine him being calculated or abusive when he was raised by the amazing woman in front of me. The entire thought process makes the task of keeping my walls up that much harder. I’m not even sure if I have any walls left by now. I’ve let him into my body, I’ve let him into my home, I’ve let him into my mind, and I’m pretty certain I’ve let him into my heart.

Just the thought of him mowing the lawn under Linda’s strict surveillance pulls a grin to my lips, and I roll them in an attempt to not get questions from the others. Luckily, a loud sigh fills the room as Kim exits the changing room.

“This is the one,” Brenda states with absolute certainty, while Emma lets out a squeal.

“Really?” Kim asks, her voice growing shy.

Her sister is absolutely right. The floor length pearl white dress looks gorgeous on her. The color compliments her hair, while the satin material flows over her curves in just the right way to accentuate her figure, while not showing too much. The off-the-shoulder neckline is perfect for a statement necklace, one I’m sure Dad will gladly buy her, and the train is short enough not to get in the way, but long enough to make this dress a truly stunning piece.

“How do you girls like it?”

My throat constricts as I watch her twirl in front of the mirror. “It’s perfect.”

“I agree,” Jordan adds, wrapping her hand around mine. It’s a small, unnoticeable motion, but it holds more meaning than anyone else in this room could understand. Maybe this time it will be different.

Hope blooms at the base of my spine, before spreading to the tips of my fingers and toes. My chest fills with air, and I squeeze Jordan’s hand back, letting her know that I got her message.

I’m still a mess of emotions when I park in my driveway. There’s something about wedding dress shopping that pulls on everyone’s heartstrings, but this was even more special.

There’s a car parked in front of Linda’s, which I pay no attention to, getting into my house. I expect Ryan to be long gone, which is why I startle, a gasp escaping me when the sound of a lawnmower reaches me from my backyard. I rush to the back and find Ryan mowing my lawn. Shirtless. My eyes trail over him lazily, unwilling to break the moment. They travel his strong biceps pushing the lawnmower, his bulging pecs and those mouthwatering abs. When they finally lift back up to his face, I realize he’s staring at me with a smirk on his lips.

“Like what you see?” he yells over the sound of the mower.

“I just hadn’t expected you here,” I respond, approaching him.

“After I finished Linda’s lawn, she mentioned yours isn’t looking any better.”

“Erm, yeah. My lawnmower broke. I was meaning to replace it but haven’t gotten around to it.”

“That’s okay. Linda let me use hers.” He winks.

“But you’ve been here for hours. You must be starving.” I check the clock on my phone to confirm my suspicions.

“Don’t worry. Linda took great care of me.”

Like he summoned her, my neighbor comes out, carrying a tray with a pitcher of lemonade along with some glasses. “Ryan, dear… Oh, Paige, you’re back. I’ll bring another glass.” She places the tray onto the small table on her back porch and heads back inside.

“She almost seems disappointed to see me return,” I mumble, making Ryan laugh.

“She prefers having me all to herself.”

My gaze returns to the muscular planes of his chest. “Can’t say I blame her.”

Linda pours us each a glass of lemonade, all while questioning us. We zig and zag, trying to avoid any landmines, but she’s too skilled to let us bypass her interrogation. By the time she’s done, she knows pretty much everything. She knows about his big-city job and how he left it. She knows about him being my delivery driver, but doesn’t find out about the sex toys, thank God. Her hand lands on her chest when she finds out our parents are getting married.

“It must be destiny,” she says with a dreamy voice.

I turn to Ryan to roll my eyes, but he gives me another wink. His shirt is now draped over his shoulder messily, his cap placed backwards on his head, and my heart does a little leap inside my chest.

Placing her hands on her knees, Linda rises from her Adirondack chair. “Well, I would love to stay and chitchat, but the house won’t take care of itself.”

“Bye, Linda. Thank you for feeding me,” Ryan tells her, making her blush.

She waves him off sheepishly, collects the lemonade glasses and enters her house.

“She might have a point,” he says. “Better get back to work.”