Page 91 of Tempest

“This will make me happy. It’s not much to ask.”

“That’s not fair, Ryan. What am I supposed to do now?”

“Agree and make me happy. You said you loved me, so love me and let me take care of you.”

“I can’t even argue with that. That’s not fair.”

Bending over, he smiled into her face. “I love you.”

What could she say that wouldn’t sound awful? He’d made it clear that he wanted to take care of her, and it was important to him. The fact that she felt uncomfortable seemed like just another thing she would have to learn to live with. This relationship business wasn’t easy. “I’ll clean up the kitchen and then we can go in.”

“Let’s do it together,” he said as he picked up their plates.

As they loaded the dishwasher, she came up with an idea. “Since you want to put up the money for the office, then I want to buy our next house.”

“What’s wrong with the one you have? I thought you liked it.”

“I do, but two bedrooms isn’t going to be big enough. I want some babies, so we need a bigger house.”

“Okay, honey. Sounds good to me.” He winked and put the last dish in.

That was too easy. He agreed too quickly. As she dried her hands, she tried to figure out why. “Why did you say yes so fast?”

“Because it seemed important to you, and you won’t let me put any babies in you if you’re mad at me.” He kissed her and then started gathering his keys and phone. “We should get going.”

“All right. I’m going to fix my lipstick and I’ll be ready in two shakes.”

“Honey, exactly how long is two shakes?”

She threw him a smile before she walked toward the bedroom. “As long as I need it to be.”

***

Ryan and Ivy walked into the SAI offices, and TT shouted when she saw them. “I’m so happy to see you all.” Clasping her hands together, she let her eyes bounce between the two of them. “Oh my…you two are in love.”

Joel walked down the hall and shook his head. “TT, give them a chance to make it inside the door before you start shouting.”

“Don’t spoil my fun,” she said over her shoulder.

Joel shook Ryan’s hand and then gave Ivy a small hug. “I just spoke to Max, and he said they would be here in a bit.”

“Perfect,” Ivy commented. “I have a couple of things to finish.”

“The conference room is all yours. Go ahead and set up in there,” he said with a smile.

“Joel, do you have a couple of minutes?” Ryan asked.

“Of course. Let’s go into my office.”

Ryan kissed Ivy and then followed his boss down the hall. He wanted to give him a heads-up about the possibility of him leaving. He was grateful for the opportunity that he and Grady had given him, and he wanted to make sure he conveyed that.

Joel walked into his office and collapsed into his chair. Ryan sat across from him and took in a calming breath. “I want you to know how much I appreciate the opportunity to join your team.”

Joel put up his hand. “Where are you and Ivy going to settle?”

“How did you know that’s what I was going to say?”

“I saw how you looked at her when we had you over for dinner. Vivi told me that you two are perfect for one another, so I assumed you were going to do something about it. Have you asked her yet?”

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