Page 69 of All Because I Found You

“Parents, cousins, aunts, uncles. Your uncle threatened to kill me if I ever hurt you. And your cousin Sergio insisted only your wrist broke was because you were made of stone.”

She cringed. “Oh God, you met Sergio.” Of all her family members, Sergio was not only the most protective, but the most intimidating. “Sorry.”

A half-hearted smile tugged at the edge of his mouth. “It’s all right. Sergio is a good guy.”

“You finally met my family, and I was unconscious?”

He laughed, rubbing at the stubble on his chin. “It’s okay. All I care about is that you’re alive.”

“But there were so many people. How are you dealing with it all?”

“You’re the one in a hospital bed and you’re worried about me?”

“I always worry about you.” She couldn’t help it.

“You don’t need to. You need to worry about yourself and the baby.”

“And you?” she asked.

“I’m going to be doing the same.”

Hope blossomed inside her. “Does this mean…”

“I’m not going anywhere. I almost lost you last night, and I can’t shake that dread. I love you, and I want this baby.”

Tears poured down her cheeks, and she hugged him to her. He loved her.

“I love you, too.”

He kissed her then, gently and slow. She ignored the pains radiating through her face and melted into the tender movements of his lips.

“I should call the nurse. Let them know you’re awake.”

“Just one more minute of the two us.”

He rested his hand on her stomach. “Three of us.”

With a smile, she pressed her head to his and kissed him. This wasn’t exactly how she imagined this moment. As an event planner, she had hoped for a big, fancy dinner with champagne and strawberries. Then after the I love yous were uttered, they’d go have wild and crazy sex. But nothing with Ryder had been expected, and that’s what made it even more special.

He continued to surprise her and as they moved on to the next phase of their life, she imagined the surprises wouldn’t end.

His lips moved softly against hers and she never wanted to pull away, but the door flew open and her entire family barged in. Words and cheers mixed together, and Ryder stood in the middle of it all, looking like he belonged. And he did. He was hers, and she was so happy she found him.

Epilogue

Ryder was nervous. Other than a few house parties he’d thrown in high school when his parents went out of town, he’d never thrown a party before. So of course, the first party he’d throw in his adult life had to be for an actual event planner. He needed to make sure everything was as perfect as she would make it. Because he knew damn well she’d have a comment.

It was why he loved her. She didn’t shy away from honesty, and she was always true to who she was.

He'd wanted to have the baby shower at the barn, but being in the middle of winter, it wasn’t feasible. He and Raelyn had spoken about adding heat and air conditioning to the barn, but they were still on the fence about it, wondering if it would ruin the rustic vibe that she loved so much.

Her friend Harper had loaned him her studio. A space where she held wine and paint nights. Apparently, it was a huge hit since its grand opening. All the easels had been moved to the back, and Ryder had tables and chairs brought in and set up. He had a wishing well in the corner that he had made during the days when Raelyn was at work.

George made the trip with him, leaving behind the just finished nursery to be a prop at the party. He sat in the corner with a pink bow tied around his neck. A pink and white balloon arch stretched across the backwall and beneath it a table with all the presents. And there were a lot of presents. At this rate, he was going to have to build another shed at the house to store all of this stuff.

“This looks amazing,” Isla said from behind a box filled with white and pink floral centerpieces.

“Here, let me help you with that.” Ryder took the box from her arms.

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