Page 86 of Nailed (Dad Bod Contracting 3)
“You know we’re in!” Audra says, clearly speaking for the rest of us.
Jesse laughs. “A month or two.” He holds Imogen tightly, still laughing. “So, the same day I find out I’m gonna be a father, I propose, and then we’re getting married in a month or two!”
“Yeah, well, Laurel and Nate are moving in with me tomorrow,” Ryder says, “so obviously none of us do anything the easy or normal way.”
Nate, who has, up until now, been watching all this unfold, finally speaks up. “So…when do we get cake?”
And thus the festivities begin. Cake is cut and served, jokes are told, and fun is had by all.
During the party, I look around at this group of people who have, somehow, become like family, and realize I’m deeply, abidingly happy. Mostly, though, it’s because of Ryder.
He sits beside me, holding my hand at every possible opportunity, and if he’s not holding my hand, he’s playing with my hair or rubbing my thigh or curling his arm around me—always touching me in little signs of affection, the kind of affection I’m just now realizing I’ve craved my whole life.
I elbow him at one point in the party. “Thought it was for you, huh?”
He rumbles a laugh. “It did cross my mind.”
“It hasn’t even been a week since we…you know, without the…you know,” I mutter to him. “I wouldn’t even know for a month or two.”
“So…it’s still possible?”
I laugh, resting my head on his shoulder. “I mean, yes, it’s possible, as in no birth control is one hundred percent perfect, but it’s very unlikely, especially seeing as that happened a few days before my period, which is when I’m least fertile. I think you’re fine.”
He sighs. “Don’t get me wrong, if that did happen, I’d be all-in and happy, but I wouldn’t mind if it didn’t happen just yet.”
“I agree.”
He hesitates, and then looks at me. “So, I, uh…I kind of got Nate a…um…moving-in present.”
I sense something in his voice. “And what did you get him?”
He winces, keeping his voice low. “A dog.”
I blink at him. “Are you serious?”
He grins sheepishly. “I’ve wanted one for a long time, but I’m not home enough to justify one. With you guys there, too, it’s pretty much the perfect time, because with you both there, I’ll be home a lot more.”
“What kind?”
He chuckles. “Great Pyrenees. It’s just a pup, so it’s still with the breeders. I figured it would be a fun surprise to take him to go get it after we get moved in.”
“Oh my god, Ryder. A Great Pyrenees? Those things are huge!”
He nods. “I have a big place. Needs a big dog.” He gives me a long, searching look. “I guess I probably should’ve talked to you about it first, huh?
I laugh, and nod. “Yeah, probably.” I nuzzle into him. “But you’re in luck, because I’ve been thinking about getting one for years, but never did for the same reason. He’s been begging me for a dog for every birthday and holiday for two years. You have no idea how excited he’s going to be.”
The evening winds down, and yet we all linger in the private event room, the adults talking, Nate and the girls alternating between running around chasing each other and watching shows on Nina’s phone. Finally, the kids start to look droopy-eyed, and even the adults seem to be flagging.
Nova is the one to call it. “Okay, I think it’s officially time to call this party a success and go home.”
There’s a chorus of agreement from everyone, and we all file out and to the parking lot where we all say goodbye and hug and linger a little longer, until finally we manage to drag ourselves away from each other and head home.
Which, for me, means my last night in my little suburban home—tomorrow, Ryder and the gang will swarm this place and empty it of my belongings, and merge my life and Nate’s with Ryder’s—the week after, I will officially be renting my house out to one of James’s clients.
I stand in the darkened parking lot beside Ryder’s truck, watching Nate and Ryder talking quietly. I look up and see a bright full moon shining down on us, and thinking about the past few weeks, I cannot believe my good fortune. Life is full of surprises, and with my two best guys by my side, I’m ready for all of them.
Epilogue
A month and a half later
* * *
I’m woken at three in the morning to a frantically ringing doorbell. Ryder rolls over, peering at the clock. “Who th’fuck could that be?”
I nudge him out of the bed. “I don’t know, but you need to go see.”
“Yeah, yeah.” The only time Ryder is ever ill-humored is if he’s woken up unexpectedly, and even that is funny.
He tugs a pair of gym shorts on and shuffles down the stairs. A few minutes later he shuffles blearily back up the stairs.
