Page 48 of Perfectly Imperfect Us
I raised an eyebrow at him, secretly delighted with his gentlemanly display. “Aren’t I supposed to be a bride or something?”
He shrugged, not easy with a grown woman still in his arms. “I like tradition even better when I can put my own spin on things.” He let me down gently, his hands going on a tour of my body in the process. He was a gentleman most of the time, but I think I’d gotten under his skin.
Before I could protest, he grabbed my hand, lacing our fingers together and tugging me toward where the kitchen would be. All the walls were framed out, but no drywall was installed yet. In the center of the kitchen, a simple folded card sat on the concrete.
“What’s that?” I asked, walking toward it, thinking one of the workers must have dropped it.
“Read it and find out,” Ryder said mysteriously.
I bent down and picked it up, my curiosity piquing when I saw my name scrolled on the outside of the card in Ryder’s handwriting. I flipped it open and read the short message.
Our adventure began where we celebrated our friends. Grow roots with me in Nickel Bay, Ava.
I twirled around and saw Ryder leaning against the doorframe, arms folded across his chest and a smug smile on his face. Stepping closer, he ran a hand through his hair, longer again like I liked it.
He was nervous.
Which only mademenervous. “What’s going on?”
Ryder dropped his hands and pecked out a rhythm against his thigh with his thumb. “Thought it might be fun to have a scavenger hunt date. I even have a prize for you at the end.”
That familiar warm glow that filled me every time I was around Ryder exploded into a raging inferno. How did I ever get so lucky to win the love of a man so sweet? I sauntered up to him, walking my fingers up his shirt, enjoying the flex of his abs and chest muscles as I went. When I reached his face, I smoothed the day-old beard and pressed a sweet kiss to his lips.
“As long as you’re at the end of the scavenger hunt, then I have all the prize I need.”
Ryder’s eyes heated. “I love you all the time, but when you’re sweet? It literally makes me weak in the knees.”
I nuzzled into his neck, reveling in the feeling of his arms around me. The new house would be great, but my home was Ryder.
He finally pulled back. “I’m going to stay here for a bit and chat with the contractor. You better get out of here and find your next clue.” Then he swatted me on the butt.
“Hey!” I tried to block his hand and missed. Normally I’d stick around to get even, but the first clue was burning a hole in my hand and I had a pretty good guess as to what the location would be.
I walked toward our front door, tossing over my shoulder, “I’ll get you back later, mister!”
Hopping in Ryder’s Porsche, the custom color that matched his eyes perfectly, I rode to my next clue in style. The church made a pretty picture, the white building set perfectly against the sea cliff. A huge expanse of green lawn made up the rest of the property.
Celebrated our friends.
That could possibly mean the first time we spoke as adults at Max and Skylar’s wedding reception. I’d been mean to Ryder, of course, a reaction I could regret, but didn’t because it got us talking.
Grow roots with me.
That could only mean the huge oak tree on one side of the lawn. If my memory served me correctly, that was the exact spot where we’d had our argument. I climbed out of the car and headed to the back of the church.
Kadee stood beneath the oak tree, a huge smile on her face when she saw me. In her hands, she held another note card.
“Kadee! What are you doing here?” I gave her a hug and itched to get my hands on that card.
“You know if I sniff something romantic, I’m all over it. When Ryder told me about his plan for a scavenger hunt, I couldn’t help myself. True love is a mighty thing, Ava.”
Kadee radiated a calm happiness, a recent development in her love life. She’d found her one true love and I couldn’t be happier for her. She’d certainly been through the wringer with various men she’d dated, but all had turned out well in the end. She handed me the card and I read it while she bounced on her toes.
If this were a wedding, you’d have the something old and something blue already figured out.
“Say what now?” I wrinkled my brow, wondering what he could be talking about.
I’d gotten the first clue in one try, but this one seemed a little more vague. I wracked my brain for something old or something blue.
