Her

"Isn't that almost enough to make you believe in the wonderful institution of marriage?" The words were spoken by Ryan Beardsley as he watched his close buddy Raphael de Luca perform the dance.

accompanied by his glowing new bride, Bryony.

A reception was being held inside the modest municipal building on Moon Island, which did not stand out in any way. Ryan had a hard time picturing any of his other friends holding a wedding reception there, but he guessed it was appropriate that Rafe and Bryony would get married on the island where so much of their love had been developed.

The pregnant bride absolutely radiated beauty, which was accentuated by the rounding of her stomach. They stood in the midst of the impromptu dance floor with Bryony curled into Rafe's protective grip, and they were so concentrated on each other that Ryan was beginning to question whether or not the world around them ever existed. Rafe gave off the impression that he had been given the universe, and it's possible that he had.

Next to him, Devon Carter remarked, "They appear to be indescribably content."

Ryan chuckled and looked up to see Dev standing there with one hand resting comfortably on a wine glass and the other reaching into the pocket of his pants.

"Yes, they do," you said.

The corner of Dev's mouth turned up in displeasure, and Ryan laughed once again. Devon wasn't too far away from walking down the aisle himself, but he wasn't exactly acting like he was excited about the prospect. In spite of this, he couldn't help but pick on his pal.

"Copeland, are you still giving you the runaround?"

Devon mumbled something like "and how." "Dad is adamant that Ashley and I should be married. If I don't go along with the deal, he won't budge one inch. And now that we've moved the resort to its new location and started building it, I'm prepared to move on to the next step. I really don't want his confidence to suffer as a result of this botched business transaction. The problem is that he is insisting on a period of dating. It is important to him that Ashley feel at ease in my presence. I swore to myself that the man is of the opinion that he is still living in the 1800s. Who in the devil still sets up an arranged marriage for their daughter these days? Also, why in the devil would you make getting married a prerequisite for doing business? I just can't seem to get my head around it."

When Ryan thought about his own tight escape, he said, "I'm sure there are ladies out there that are worse to marry."

Devon grimaced in an expression of sympathy. "Has there been any update on Kelly?"

Ryan displayed a miserable expression and shook his head. “No. But, I only

just begun looking. She is going to show up."

"What gives, man? Why are you hunting for her? What might possibly be your motivation for taking that route again? Put her out of your mind. Get over it. You'll be in a much better position without her.

You are completely insane for continuing to pursue this."

Ryan gave his friend a wry grin before turning his head to gaze at him.

"I have no doubt I'm better off. I'm not trying to find her so that I may have her back in my life when I find her."

"So, for heaven's sake, why did you employ a private investigator to try to find her?" It is in your best interest to put the past behind you and stop dwelling on it. Get over her. Continue on"

There was an extended period of silence from Ryan. It wasn't a question that he could respond to in its entirety with an answer. It baffled him how he could have such an intense need to find out where she was.

What she was doing. I wanted to know how she was doing. It shouldn't matter to him at all, damn it. He ought to have completely forgotten about her, but he was unable to do so.

He mumbled, "I want some answers," when he finally spoke. "The check that I handed her was never cashed by her. I just want to make sure that she is safe and that nothing bad has happened to her.

Even to him, the explanation seemed ridiculous.

Devon arched his eyebrow slightly as he took a taste of the pricey wine. With what she did, I can only guess that she is feeling pretty damn dumb right about now. I wouldn't want to show my face either in that situation.

Ryan shrugged. “Maybe.” But, he was unable to shake the impression that there was something else going on. Why did he even bother to be worried? Why should he even care about it?

I was confused as to why she hadn't cashed the check.

Why was it that he just couldn't get her out of his mind? She haunted him. For a period of six months, he had vowed to curse her and had spent his nights lying awake, wondering where she was and if she was in danger. And he detested the fact that he cared, despite the fact that he had told himself that he would be concerned about any woman in their position.

Devon shrugged. Your precious time and money, both. Oh my gosh, there's Cam right there! "Wasn't sure whether or not Mr. Reclusive would actually emerge from that castle of his in time for the event."

People automatically stepped out of Cameron Hollingsworth's path as he shouldered his way through the crowd. Cameron Hollingsworth shouldered his way through the crowd. He was tall and had a big chest, and he wore his power and sophistication on his sleeve in the same way that most people wore clothing. Because of his stony exterior, most people found it difficult to approach him. Even though he had a reputation for being a jerk, his pals could almost always count on him to let loose and have a good time.

The trouble was that other than Ryan, Devon, and Rafe, he did not consider anyone else to be a buddy. When it came to dealing with other people, he had very little patience.

Cameron apologized to the other two individuals for his tardiness as he approached them. After that, he cast his look over the dance floor, and it was until he came to Rafe and Bryony that his gaze halted. "How did the ceremony actually take place?"

Devon remarked in a drawling tone, "Yes, it was great." All that a woman could possibly want, if I were to guess. Rafe didn't give a damn about anything as long as the outcome was that Bryony was his.

Cam let out a wry chuckle in response. "Poor bastard. I'm not sure whether to offer my sympathies or my congratulations; I'm sorry for your loss.

Ryan grinned. "Bryony is an excellent human being. Rafe is really fortunate to have her as a wife."

Devon gave a small nod, and even Cameron managed a smile, if you counted the very slight upward curve at the corner of his mouth as a smile. Then Cam shifted his attention to Devon, a devilish grin spreading across his face as he did so.

"I've heard that you're not too far off from making your own journey down the aisle.

The vulgar expletive that Devon said was followed by him running his middle finger along the side of his wineglass.

"Let's not talk about my wedding since we don't want to spoil Rafe's.

As there are no longer any plans to develop Moon Island as a hotel location, my primary question is whether or not you were successful in negotiating the purchase of land for the new site of our establishment.

Cam's eyebrows sprang up in a dramatic display of surprise.

"You disbelieve me? I'm pleased to inform you that we have successfully closed on the purchase of twenty beautiful acres of beachfront property on St. Angelo. And I got a very good deal. To make matters even better, the construction will begin as soon as we are able to move crews in. If we put in a lot of effort, we'll be able to go pretty close to meeting the initial deadline we set for the grand opening.

Their attention was immediately drawn to Rafe, who did not look up from his embrace of his new wife. Although it was true that the man had resulted in a significant setback for them when he terminated their involvement in the Moon Island business, Ryan found it difficult to get worked up about the situation because Rafe appeared to be in such good spirits.

When Ryan felt a vibration in his pocket, he leaned down to grab his phone out of the pocket. As he saw who was calling, he was going to press the ignore button, but then he noticed who it was. He wore a frown.

"I hope you don't mind, but I have to take this."

When Ryan dashed out of the building, Cameron and Devon gave him a friendly wave and then went back to joking around with each other.

As soon as he went outdoors, the salty air filled his nose, and the breeze from the ocean ruffled his hair.

The weather was typical for the time of year, yet it was in no way scorching. Particularly for a wedding that was held on the beach, the day was about as close to ideal as it is possible to get.

While still holding the phone up to his ear, he turned to stare at the waves in the distance.

"Beardsley," he said in a curt manner of welcome to the other person.

Without any sort of introduction, his lead investigator stated, "I think I've located her."

Ryan's hand went numb from the intense grasp it had to maintain on the phone as he stiffened up. “Where?”

"I haven't had the opportunity to dispatch a personnel to acquire a tangible confirmation as of yet. I have just recently had access to the material in the past five minutes. I wanted to give you a heads-up about her identity since I felt so strongly about it. By tomorrow, I should have more information.

“Where?” Ryan demanded again.

“Houston. There, she is employed in a local diner. In the beginning, there was some sort of error with her social security number.

The information reported by her employer was incorrect. Because he made the amendment, I became aware of her immediately afterward. By the afternoon of tomorrow, I will send you a comprehensive report along with photographs.Houston. He was completely aware of the irony. He had no idea that he had been in such close proximity to her all this time.

Ryan interrupted with a "No." "I'll go. I've already checked in.

Texas. It shouldn't take me more than a few hours to get to Houston."

On the other end of the phone, there was an extended period of silence. "It's possible that it's not her, Sir. Before you go on that pointless journey, it would be best if you could have some sort of conformation from me.

Ryan said in an agitated tone, "You said it was most likely her, right?" "I won't hold you liable in the event that it turns out not to be."

Should I keep my distance from my man then?

Ryan took a breather, clamping his lips together and squeezing the phone even more tightly. "If it's Kelly, I'll recognize her right away. In the event that it is not, I will let you know so that you can continue looking for it. You don't have to send anyone else down since it's not necessary. I'll go myself."

The pouring rain made it difficult to see as Ryan drove into Westheimer. His destination was a quaint restaurant in the western part of Houston, where Kelly worked as a waitress. It really shouldn't come as a surprise to him. When they did finally meet, she was working as a waiter at a hip New York City café. But, the check that he had written out to her would have freed her from the necessity of having to work for a considerable amount of time. He reasoned that she would have gone back to school by this point. Even after they had announced their engagement to one another, she continued to voice her wish to complete her education. Even if he hadn't fully grasped it, he stood behind whatever choice she made. The egotistical side of him desired nothing more than to have total control over her life. I was confused as to why she hadn't cashed the check.

After wishing Rafe and Bryony the best of luck, he had immediately boarded the next available ferry to Galveston. He just informed Cam and Dev that he needed to attend to an important business matter and had not shared the news that he had located Kelly. When he finally arrived in Houston, it was already late in the day, so he had to stay the night in a downtown hotel, where he was unable to get any rest.

It had been raining steadily ever since he'd checked out of his hotel the previous night, and the sky had been cloudy and gray when he'd gotten up this morning. There hadn't been a single break in the precipitation either. At least, Rafe's wedding had taken place during a time when the weather was perfect. At this time, the joyous couple would already be on their way to their honeymoon, which would take place somewhere with an abundance of blue skies.

When he looked at the map on his GPS, he realized that he was still quite a distance away from his goal. As he made his way down the crowded street, he was annoyed to see that he had run every single red light. He was unable to explain the reason for his haste. His investigator found evidence that she had been employed here for a period of time. It was clear that she had no plans to leave.He had a million questions, but he knew that he wouldn't know the answers to any of them unless he confronted her. The thought of doing so filled him with dread.

A few minutes later, he pulled up and parked at the small coffee shop on the corner that had an angled sign for doughnuts. He was really taken aback by the location and could not believe that Kelly would choose to work here of all places.

He sprang out of the BMW with a shake of his head and hurried toward the entrance. As he did so, he shook the rain off of his collar and stepped beneath the small awning that was located over the door.

After entering, he took a few moments to look around before settling into a booth on the opposite side of the restaurant. Kelly wasn't the waitress who approached him with a menu and slammed it down on the table in front of him.

"Just coffee," he muttered under his breath.

She said, "Suit yourself," before sashaying over to the bar and starting to pour coffee there.

She left again a short while later and returned a moment later, this time setting the cup down with a jolt that caused the dark drink to spill over the edge of the cup. She threw a napkin on the table while flashing a sheepish look.

Simply let me know what you need, and I will do my best to get it for you.

When he peered beyond her, he spotted a waitress standing at another table across the room with her back to him. The question concerning Kelly was about to come out of his mouth when he noticed the waitress. She had her back to him.

He gestured for his waitress to go and then focused his attention on the table located across the café. It was in fact her. He was aware that it was she.

Nonetheless, despite the longer honey blonde hair that was styled into a ponytail, it was still her. Even after all these months, he could feel her presence more than he could picture her, and his body tensed up in response.

After that, she turned around and exhibited her profile, at which point he felt every single drop of blood leave his face.

What the everloving hell is going on here?

It was impossible to miss the obvious curve of her pregnant tummy.

She was carrying a child. Extremely pregnant. According to appearances, she is even more pregnant than Bryony.

His eyes lit up as she completed her spin and they locked gazes for the first time. Her eyes were blue, but they were widened with shock as she peered across the room at him. Instantaneous recognition occurred; yet, this raises the question of why she would have forgotten him any more than he could have forgotten her.

yg

Fury made those blue orbs as cold as ice before he even had a chance to react, stand, or say anything. From where he was sitting, he could see her delicate features tense up, and he could hear her jaw clench.

What the devil could have she done to deserve to be so upset?

It appeared as if she would like nothing more than giving him a good spanking with her fingers as they were clenched into tight balls at her sides. Suddenly, without uttering a single word, she abruptly changed direction and marched toward the kitchen, where she vanished behind the swinging door.

His pupils became more narrow. Right, so that had not gone according to his plans at all. He was confused as to what he ought to have anticipated.

A tearful expression of regret? A request to bring her back with you? He had no idea that she would be eight months pregnant and working as a waitress in a dive that looked more like it belonged to someone who had dropped out of high school than to someone who was well on her way to graduating with honors from university as Kelly had been.

Pregnant. He inhaled slowly and steadily to regain his composure. How far along was she in her pregnancy? At the very least, she had to be seven months old. Perhaps even more.

The sensation of dread gripped his throat and compressed it to the point that the strain of breathing caused his nostrils to flutter.

There was a probability that it was his child if she was pregnant and had reached the seventh month of her pregnancy.

Alternatively, his brother's.Kelly Christian rushed into the kitchen while fumbling to loosen the apron she was wearing. She muttered an expletive under her breath as she fumbled around ineffectively with the strings. Her hands

shook so badly that she was unable to even complete a job that was quite easy for her.

In the end, she pulled with sufficient force to cause the fabric to tear. She did not so much as toss it as she hung it on the hook that was used by the other waitresses to hang their aprons.

Why did he come to be here? She hadn't really done much to disguise her tracks, to be honest. She had, in fact, departed New York, but at the time, she had no idea where her travels would take her. She had not shown any concern. But, she had nothing to hide because she hadn't done anything wrong. That meant that he had the ability to locate her at any time.

Why now now? After a period of six months, it is difficult to fathom the motivations behind his search for her.

She was adamant that there were no such things as coincidences. It seemed highly unlikely that Ryan Beardsley would ever find himself in this location by chance. Not his quickness. His delicate family would rather perish than contaminate their refined palates by dining in a restaurant with fewer than five stars. Gosh, Kelly, are you still angry?

She was irritated with herself for reacting to the man's presence with such a strong reaction, and she shook her head.

"Hey, Kelly, what's up with everything?" Nina asked.

Kelly turned around and saw the other waitress standing in the entrance to the kitchen. A worried frown formed on Kelly's face as she took in the scene.

Kelly shouted, "Shut the door!" as she gestured for Nina to follow her inside.

The door slammed shut behind Nina as she swiftly complied with the request.

"Is there anything that needs to be done? Kelly, you have a problem with your appearance. Is it the new child?"

Oh my goodness, it's a baby. It is inconceivable that Ryan could have missed the obvious presence of her expanding stomach. It was imperative that she leave this place.

In an attempt to provide an explanation, she responded, "No, I'm not well at all." "Tell Ralph I'm sorry, but I had to go."

Nina wore a frown. "He's not going to like it. You are aware of his feelings regarding the time we miss from work. If we don't have a missing limb or start throwing up blood, he's not going to have much mercy for us."

Kelly whispered, "Then tell him I quit," as she made a hasty retreat down the lane toward the exit. She halted at the creaky door and turned tensely back to Nina as she retraced her steps. "Do me a favor, Nina. Please don't ignore this; it's vital. You don't know anything if anyone in the diner asks about me, and that includes absolutely anyone.

The pupils in Nina's eyes appeared to expand. "Kelly, are you experiencing any kind of difficulty right now?"

Kelly displayed her impatience by shaking her head. "There's no cause for concern. I vouch for it. It's...the it's person I used to date! He is a great piece of work. I just saw him in the restaurant a few moments ago."

The lines on Nina's lips began to tighten, and the fire in her eyes intensified. "You go on ahead, hon. I'll see to it that things go smoothly around here."

Kelly's response was a soft "Bless you."

She quickly slipped out of the diner through the back entrance and made her way down the alley. The distance to her flat was merely two blocks. She might go there and try to find out what the heck is going to happen next.

She came dangerously close to stopping halfway there. Why was she trying to get away? She had nothing to conceal in any way. There was no foul play involved in any way. She ought to have marched across that café and bloodied his nose instead of doing what she did.

On the contrary, she was hurrying.

She made her way up the rickety stairs to her apartment on the second floor two at a time. Once she was safely inside, she exited the room, locked the door behind her, and then leaned heavily against it.Her eyes began to prickle with tears, and the realization that she was truly sad about seeing Ryan Beardsley again just served to enrage her further. No, she was not willing to confront it.

him. She vowed to herself that she would never see him again. Never in her life did she want anyone else to have the power like he possessed to be able to hurt her. Never, ever again

Her hands went immediately to her stomach, and she caressed her tummy in a reassuring manner, not knowing whether she was attempting to soothe her baby or herself the most.

She muttered to herself, "I was a fool to adore him." It was naive of me to believe that I could ever be accepted by his family or that I could ever fit in there.

When she heard someone knock on the door behind her, she jumped backwards. The woman's heart leapt into her throat, and she instinctively placed a trembling hand on her breast. She appeared to be looking through the door as she fixed her attention on it.

"Kelly, open the door for god's sake. I've got my eyes peeled for you."

Ryan. God. The last possible person for whom she would have wanted to open the door.

She laid her palm on the wood and leaned forward, unsure of whether she should just ignore him or respond to what he was saying.

She was startled by the power of his second knock, which caused her hand to be jostled, and she quickly yanked it away.

"Get out of here!" she yelled in exasperation. "I am at a loss for words," I told him.

Then, there was a shuddering sound, and the door swung open. She retreated in a hurried manner while bringing her arms into a protective fetal position over her stomach.

He appeared to be just as tall and imposing as ever as he filled the doorway. There was no discernible difference other than the appearance of new lines around his mouth and eyes. His stare traveled over her, penetrating any barriers to defense she might have tried to erect. He had, and still did, have a knack for seeing straight through to the core of her being. Except for when it was the most important.

She felt a wave of new anguish wash across her chest. Darn him.

What else could he possibly have in mind to do in order to cause her pain?

It was too late to save her from him.

"Go out," she said, gloating at how calm and collected her voice sounded. "Get out of here or I'll have to call the cops on you. There is nothing I can discuss with you at this time. Not right now. Not ever."

Ryan remarked, "That's really bad," as he advanced toward the other person, "since I have plenty to chat to you about." To begin, I will like to know whose kid you are carrying.