Page 70 of The Lyrics of Love

“Then we better tell Pops today and our friends tonight if we want them all to be there.”

She reached inside her purse and pulled out her phone. “I’ll have everyone meet at my place for pizza tonight at six.”

Rylie typed a text and sent it on their group chain. Nash’s phone chimed and he read it.

“Cryptic and interesting enough to get them here. I like it.”

Both their phones dinged, and Rylie said, “I’m not going to answer any of their texts. You do the same. If they want answers, they’ll know where to come and get them.”

He kissed her. “Life with you is never going to be dull, darlin’.”

CHAPTER 23

Rylie was pleased when they told Pops of their plans to marry because the old man hugged her tightly to him, whispering to her that he had known she would be the one to bring Nash back to life. She had told Pops she felt the same way.

They shared how they wanted to get married this coming Saturday, and Pops agreed to be Nash’s best man at their courthouse wedding. Naturally, she would ask her cousin to stand up with her, knowing how much Ainsley liked Nash.

She had left the old and young Edwards together, telling Nash she had things to do at the store. Instead, she went home and began planning for their upcoming wedding. She found a dress online and called a Portland store, who told her they had it in stock in her size. She asked them to hold it until Monday. Antiques and Mystiques was closed on Mondays, and she would need to get a lot done that day.

Taking out pen and paper, she designed a wedding cake and would show Ainsley the design tonight, hoping her cousin would have time to bake it. She made a guest list for a small party after the courthouse ceremony, again hoping Ainsley wouldn’t mind hosting the gathering, since Rylie’s place was so small. She created a separate list of hors d’oeuvres she wanted served and would tap Carter for those. She also researched flowers which were now in season and would call a florist in the morning to order a small bridal bouquet for herself.

Rings would be something else they would need to shop for. That could also be something they did in Portland tomorrow after Nash’s recording session. She supposed he might make an announcement to his band members and management team to bring them into the loop regarding his future plans.

Rylie jotted a last note to call Shayla Newton tomorrow and arrange for an appointment. While they could live for as long as necessary at her place, she looked forward to getting something larger for her and Nash to share. It would be nice to have some land, whether it was large enough for a house and recording studio or merely a bigger house than she had now, especially because Nash had mentioned children.

Satisfied that she had thought of everything to act upon, she picked up her pen again, doodling across the page. She itched to write a poem, something she had done quite a bit of during her high school and college years. Though she had graduated with a business degree, she took as many electives as she could in English—poetry classes, in particular.

Scribbling quickly, her thoughts flooded the page. She got them down as they came and then went back, toying with a word or phrase, rearranging a few, until she had the poem exactly the way she wanted it to read. With her neat penmanship, she copied it over, following the arrows she had drawn and reading through words she had scratched out. When she completed her transcription, she read it aloud.

It was good. Very good. And she couldn’t wait for Nash to read it. She thought about the possibility of him turning it into a song and hoped that might be the case.

The alarm she’d set on her phone went off, and she called Crust ’n Stuff, ordering several large pizzas with various toppings, telling them it was for pick-up.

Rylie called Nash. “Pizza order has been placed. Why don’t you and Pops go over and pick it up?”

“Pops won’t be coming tonight,” he informed her. “He and Jerry have plans.”

“They do? Something tells me we better keep an eye on those two, or they might wind up in trouble. It would be no problem to have Jerry come, too,” she added.

“They’re going to work on something in Jerry’s shop. Pops told me he’d text when he needed a ride home.”

“Okay, then drop him off and go get our pizzas. Has anyone texted you?”

“Not since I went radio silent,” he told her. “You?”

“Same. The only one I did reply to was one from Ainsley. She asked if she could bring dessert. I said yes and didn’t elaborate.”

“See you soon.”

Rylie checked her refrigerator for drinks, seeing she had enough. She paced nervously and jumped when her doorbell sounded. She answered it, finding Dylan, Willow, Tenley, and Carter all standing there.

“Come in,” she said.

“We’re not ganging up on you,” Willow told her. “We just rode over here together.”

“And gossiped about you the entire way here,” Dylan added, receiving a hard punch to his arm from his wife for revealing that information.

Immediately, the doorbell sounded again. This time, she found Gage standing there, along with her cousin and Jackson.

---