Page 50 of Love Letter Lost
“Don’t call me that.” His voice was tense and not the slightest bit amused. “You know I don’t like it.”
“I didn’t realize. Does that mean it’s a special pet name reserved for your almost-fiancée and your mother when you’re in trouble?” I was being nosy and I knew it, but the stress I saw on Ridge’s face had me concerned.
“I’ve asked Amber not to call me that.” He raised a hand and ran it through his hair. “She claims Rigdon is more professional. She thinks Ridge is juvenile, more the name of a high school jock than a world-class lawyer.” His tone was acidic. “Not that I’m doing much as a lawyer yet anyway. My internship is essentially my chance to be a glorified errand boy.” He waved a hand towards the box of flyers that I wished I could throw from the car.
I sat in silence a moment longer, considering his words. Taking a deep breath and gathering my courage, I spoke. “If you hate it so much, why do you let her call you that?”
“Dating involves sacrifice. It’s about compromise,” Ridge ground out.
“Compromise about where you go to dinner and who you eat with, not your name and other parts of your personality.”
“I don’t expect you to understand. It’s not like your past relationships have worked out.”
I flinched at his cutting words before responding, my words quiet. “Not that it’s my business, but I do know that if the person you’re dating doesn’t respect you enough to accept your name and career choices, chances are good you shouldn’t be dating them. Though maybe I’m wrong. After all, I just have a failed engagement to a cheating, manipulative jerk to base my observations on.”
The silence that followed made me immediately regret my words, but I refused to take them back.
“You’re right.” His voice was clipped and cool, nothing like his usual teasing tone. “It is none of your business.”
His words stung, and I bit my lip to keep from responding.
Ridge and I drove the rest of the way in silence. As he pulled to a stop in front of the church, a stone building not far from Livvy’s parents’ house, I unbuckled my seatbelt and clambered from the car, not waiting for him to put it into park.
CHAPTERTWENTY-SIX
I walkedinto the church to find Livvy, wearing jeans and a floral blouse, wringing her hands and gesturing at the gym ceiling. Uncle Ben and Kyle were in the process of stringing lights and tulle in an effort to dress up the utilitarian space. From where I stood, they had their work cut out for them.
“It’s not even,” Livvy shouted as I walked over. “It needs to be even!”
“Livvy, we’ll adjust. We need to get them hung first.” Kyle tugged on a string of lights.
“Don’t tell me what you need to do first. This is my wedding and—”
“And it’s going to look perfect.” A deep male voice cut in. I looked over to see David walking towards Livvy, his black hair perfectly styled and his dark brown eyes sparkling with laughter. He looped his arm around Livvy’s waist before continuing. “You’ve got a good team helping you. Trust them to do their job.”
I smiled at my future cousin-in-law and his ability to balance out Livvy. His calm counteracted Livvy’s energy and tendency towards the dramatic. Not to mention his obsession with sports analogies helped him connect with Kyle and Uncle Ben.
Livvy leaned into him for a moment and sighed. “Everything needs to be perfect. My family will all be here, and your grandma flew all the way from Japan and—”
“Breathe.” David rubbed her back. “Everyone is going to love it.”
Not wanting to interrupt, I took a step back to give them some privacy.
“Mallory!” Livvy caught sight of me before I could turn and make my way back to the car to help Ridge unload. She stepped away from David and grabbed me in a hug that more resembled a choke hold. “Please tell me you’ve got everything. I need to know we’re ready.”
I struggled from her embrace, needing to take a breath before I could respond. “As long as you’ve got the pictures, we’re good.”
Her face paled at the words. “The pictures! I forgot the pictures. How could I forget the pictures?” She let go of me and whirled to face David.
“Breathe.” David grabbed her shoulders and gave her a gentle shake. “There are several places that print photos within an hour or two. If we place the order now, we’ll have plenty of time to pick it up before the dinner tonight.”
Livvy took a couple of deep breaths before nodding. “You’re right. We’ve got plenty of time. It’s going to be fine.” She caught sight of something over my shoulder and took off screeching, “What in the world is that?”
“How are you holding up?” I asked David, touching his arm to keep him from running after her for a moment.
“I can’t wait until we’re on the plane for Japan. We both need the break.” He gestured toward Livvy’s retreating back. “I just need to get her to calm down, and everything will be perfect.”
“Good luck with that.” I laughed slightly. “My advice, take her to pick up the pictures and don’t bring her back until tomorrow.”
