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like being with you.” She smiled and ducked her head as if she’d said something intensely personal.
But maybe she had...
Unless it was simply his reading too much into the situation, it sounded as if she’d said she didn’t mind his pulling her away from Tripp and Benedict. As if she wanted to be alone with him as much as he wanted to be alone with her. The thought gave him courage.
“I like being with you, too. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.” Ryan took a deep breath. “I want us to date for real. Not this pretend stuff.”
Betsy inhaled sharply, but her expression gave nothing away. “Really?”
This was her reaction? Really. A response that told him absolutely nothing. He comforted himself that at least she hadn’t said no.
“I realize you like Tripp, but I get the feeling you like me, too.” He forced himself to breathe past the tightness in his chest. “I’d like to give us a chance.”
As she sat there, saying nothing, he realized that in his perfect world, she’d have flung her arms around his neck and cried out yes, yes, yes. But it didn’t look as if that was going to happen. He waited a few more seconds—which seemed an eternity—then spoke. “What are you thinking?”
“What about Adrianna?”
“What about her?”
“You liked her. You thought she was—” Betsy paused and swallowed hard “—the one.”
“I was mistaken.” Ryan couldn’t believe he’d ever thought he and Adrianna would be a good match, but he couldn’t say that to Betsy. She was her friend and might think he was dissing the woman.
“Would you date me? For real?”
“Yes,” she said. “I’d—I’d like that.”
“You would?” Dear God, was that a quiver in his voice?
She jerked her head downward, a short quick nod.
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. “That makes me happy.”
“It makes me happy, too,” she said, her breath warm against her neck.
He kissed her gently, sweetly, with all the love in his heart.
“This is so unreal,” she murmured, arching her neck back, giving him access to the sensitive skin behind her ear. “I’ve never—”
She moaned as he sucked on her earlobe and he missed whatever she had said. He could have let it go, but he was curious.
“You’ve never what?” he asked.
“I’ve never dated two men at once before.”
Ryan jerked back as the words registered. “Two men? What are you talking about?”
“You and Tripp.” Betsy snuggled against him. “Before it would have just been him who was really interested. You and I were just pretending.”
Ryan inhaled sharply. Surely she didn’t still want Tripp?
“Tripp isn’t interested.” He couldn’t be, Ryan thought. He’d made it clear to his friend that he needed to back off.
Betsy pushed away his hands and sat up, a strange look on her face. “What do you mean by that?”
Take a second, Ryan’s rational part urged. Think before you speak. But he didn’t. He couldn’t let Betsy think of Tripp as a viable candidate for her affections. In the long run Tripp would only hurt her, and he couldn’t let that happen.
“Tripp may seem nice,” Ryan said, “but he’s a player. Before he was married he dated a lot of women.”
Betsy cocked her head. “Other than the married part, we could be talking about you.”
Ryan paused. “It’s different.”
“Is it because you don’t think he could be seriously interested in me?”
Even though he wanted nothing more than to say yes, to tell her Tripp wasn’t serious, thank goodness for common sense popping up a red flag. Even without a warning, there was a vulnerability in her eyes that made him want to wrap his arms around her and never let her go. A protective urge that told him he would walk over hot coals rather than say something that would hurt her. Plus, he feared Tripp was serious. And that’s what worried him.
“I don’t have any doubts. You’re a beautiful, desirable woman. The only thing I don’t understand is why some guy didn’t snap you up a long time ago.”
The tenseness on her face eased and a warmth filled her blue bedroom eyes. Her lips curved up in a smile. “Perhaps that’s because I was waiting for the right one.”
She hadn’t said that man was him, but she didn’t have to, because she was the woman he’d been waiting for, the one he was meant to be with forever. All he needed was the time—and opportunity—to make her fall in love with him.
* * *
Ryan was discussing a legal precedent with Lexi’s husband, Nick, when Kate appeared.
She smiled at Nick. “Mind if I steal Ryan for a few minutes?”
“Of course not,” Nick said easily, taking a sip of wine. “I was just about to search for my wife anyway.”
The second the attorney stepped away, Kate wasted no time. She slipped her arm through Ryan’s and pulled him to a private area by the fireplace.
“Why, Kate, darlin’,” Ryan said with a teasing grin, “I didn’t know you cared.”
“I do care.” The smile left her lips, her expression serious. “About you. And about Betsy.”
“Betsy.” Alarm raced up Ryan’s spine. It skyrocketed when he glanced around the room and didn’t see her. “Is she okay?”
“She’s fine.” Kate rested a hand on his arm. “I just need to know what your intentions are toward her.”
Ryan had a whole repertoire of pithy one-liners on the tip of his tongue. Then he saw the look on Kate’s face and realized this was serious. “Why do you ask?”
“Betsy and I talked. I think she’s confused. I just want to make sure you’re as serious about her as I think you are.”
“I adore Betsy,” he said.
Kate exhaled the breath she must have been holding. “Good. That’s what I thought.”
Last year Ryan had dated the woman at his side. Now they were what they’d been meant to be—good friends. “I understand about Joel. For the longest time, I didn’t.”
A tiny smile lifted the corners of Kate’s lips. “I know you didn’t.”
“In fact when it came out that you were Chloe’s birth mom, I found myself thinking it was awfully convenient that you’d fallen in love with her adoptive father.”
“Joel initially thought it was a little convenient, too,” Kate said with a sigh. “He accused me of using my relationship with him to get to Chloe.”
“But he finally realized that wasn’t true.” Ryan liked the happy ending Kate had found. It made him think that same happiness was possible in his life, too.
“Yes, he did.”
“Betsy isn’t going to believe I love her.” Ryan turned and planted his hands on the windowsill. He gazed unseeing into the darkness.
Kate placed a hand on his shoulder. “Why wouldn’t she believe you?”
“I’m the boy who cried wolf.” He whirled, frustration surging through his veins. The knowledge that he had only himself to blame fueled the anger.
“I’d