Page 36 of Her Surprise Protector
I plopped onto the bed, too tired even to lift my legs. Riker’s hands closed around my calves again, much more gently and carefully this time, and he lifted them onto the bed. Soft sheets floated to rest on top of me, and Riker’s arm snuck under my head.
My lips twitched, trying to deliver the three words on repeat in my brain, but I didn’t have the energy to even say them once. No problem. I would have my entire life to say, “I love you” to Riker.
Chapter Fifteen
Riker
Sometimes, no matter how successful you were in life, some things just scared you. Not scared like you came home and found your door wide open, or scared like you just avoided a car crash – scared like if you messed this one thing up, your life would change forever, and not for the better.
To an objective person, it might seem quite impossible to mess up the simple question, “Would you like to move in with me?” A question comprised of exactly eight words and took less than two seconds to say. I wasn’t an objective party, though. I was very, very much invested in receiving the answer I desired, which, of course, wasyes.
Every weekend since living in Manhattan together, I opened my mouth at least twice a day to ask her that question and shut it again. Elena loved her home in Montauk, and I worried that the solace she found on that quiet beach in her cozy clapboard house would trump the allure of my grand mansion and, well…me.
Conversely, I did know that Elena worried sometimes. She worried that Bree would make her way outside and get swept off her feet by the pounding surf. After Oscar, she confessed living in a secluded area was often frightening. Elena also worried that since the landlord had refused to erect a fence and the lease wasn’t up for several months, her concern for Bree’s safety would continue until the lease terminated.
Rich as I was, paying for a fence around Elena’s property would cost me nothing at all. However, it wasn’t my property, and – also rich as I was – I couldn’t do whatever I wanted to the place. Elena had already told me that the landlord hadn’t even been willing to let her put up a fence if she saved for it and paid part of the cost since the house was historical, and that was part of its charm.
The simple solution? For Elena to move in with me. We had comfortably settled into living together in New York City, and I missed having her and Bree around so much. But I knew how big and lonely this place could get, and I would only be able to be here from Thursday evening to Sunday evening. She wouldn’t want that - surely she wouldn’t want that…
Weeks stretched into months, and before I knew it, Elena and I had spent another month living apart. It had now been about four months since we started dating in June. The days were growing shorter, and while the sun still warmed the beaches during the day, a chill sprung up at night that saw everyone leave their houses wearing coats in the morning.
One weekend in October, on a beautiful fall afternoon spent exploring one of the Hamptons’ nature preserves with Bree, I decided to make my move. It took me about half an hour of testing the waters and throwing out subtle questions designed to help me get a read on Elena’s possible responses. Finally, when we stopped to fill up our water bottles, I gave up trying to figure it out and blurted out the question. “Will you and Bree come live at the Eagle’s Perch with me?”
“Of course,” Elena replied.
I just stared. Water ran over the sides of my bottle and soaked my hand until Elena tugged my hand off the button. “Really?”
“Yes, silly. I miss living with you more than anything.” Her nose was pink from our long walk and the slight chill in the air, her eyes bright.
“Oh. Well, I had a whole speech about why you should move in with me prepared, but I guess I don’t need it.”And now I have a speech for myself about waiting so long to ask.
“There’s a problem, though,” Elena reminded me. “The lease. It’s up in six months. I can try to find someone to sublease-”
“Or I can just pay it off right now.” Nothing was going to keep Elena from me any longer, especially not a stupid piece of paper. “Yeah, that’s what I’ll do. When do you want to move in?”
“Next weekend?” she suggested. “That gives me time to figure everything out.”
“Well, since you’re moving in with me, you won’t have to pay rent, right?”
Elena regarded me suspiciously. “Maybe? I can pay rent if you want.”
“No, I don’t want that at all. I mean that you definitely won’t have rent, as a statement. So, you won’t need a job?”
“No, Riker,” Elena replied with an adorable eye roll, “I’m not quitting my job.”
At least, it was worth a try, but I hadn’t expected any other answer. It would be nice if she let me take care of things monetarily since she worked so hard to be a wonderful mom to Bree. On the other hand, Elena liked to keep busy, and she enjoyed her job. “Okay.”
The week that followed that Saturday, impatience dogged me in everything that I did. No results within my company were good enough; reports came in too slowly; security systems didn’t get installed fast enough. Nothing I did made the dragging days pass any quicker. I stood on the edge of a precipice of impatience. I had taken everyone in my staff who had contact with me to the edge as well, but a slightly different one – to the edge of their patience. I could feel them walking on eggshells around me, and that only added to my desire to throw my hands up and go home to Elena.
I knew that very woman wouldn’t approve, though, and she had her own job to do. Going home would be pointless because I knew Elena wouldn’t give in to my impatience and ditch her work to be with me. So, by Wednesday morning, I decided instead of storming out of the building and hopping on my private jet, I would stay through my whole four-day workweek. And on Thursday I even managed not to get impatient with my pilot when the jet had a small issue that delayed departure for a few minutes.
Finally, I found myself on the ground in the Hamptons. Seeing Elena that night washed away the cares of the week. I slept alone on Thursday evening, but that was okay. Tomorrow evening, she would come to sleep here for good. As long as I had Elena nearby, everything else would fall into place.
I hired a moving company who had no problem moving all of Elena’s belongings into the mansion by Saturday evening. Her furniture occupied one of the guest bedrooms, converting it into an impromptu storage room until we decided what to do with it.
Sunday afternoon, we converted another guest bedroom into a bedroom for Bree where she could both play and sleep. “Do you mind if I paint the walls a different color?”
I glanced around. Neutral gray might not be the best for a room that was supposed to be fun and colorful enough to entertain a little girl. “Of course not. Pick any color you want.”
