The Risk: A Billionaire Romance (Wagered Hearts Series, Book 2) (24 page)

I’d just gone on an amazing date with Ryan the night before and I thought that we had something special. And here Chad was, the man I’d thought was the love of my life, asking me to take him back. I didn’t know what to do.”

“So, you chose Chad,” Lily said.

“You make me sound so callous. It wasn’t like that at all,” I said a little defensively.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound that way. What made you decide to give Chad another chance?” she asked.

“My mother.”

Lily furrowed her brow and pursed her lips, looking like she was struggling for words. “Really?” she finally managed to say after a long pause.

“Yes,” I laughed. “That was my initial reaction too.”

“I don’t mean to be rude about your mother—”

“Oh, don’t worry about that. I don’t really consider her a mother. She’s just a woman that gave birth to me,” I said bitterly.

“Something serious must have gone down while I was away to make you say those things,” Lily said, eyeing me cautiously. “I’ve never heard you speak badly about her before, though she deserved it all right.”

“Yeah, you could say that. Something did go down,” I said.

“Well, what was it?”

“I’m getting to that. So, my mother calls me into her office and basically told me that I should give Chad another chance,” I continued on, ignoring Lily’s interruption. “When I told her I might have feelings for Ryan, she let me know that he wasn’t someone I should even consider. She said she knows he’s a serial cheater and even had a girlfriend he kept on the side.”

Lily muttered a protest, but I continued on trying to get my story out while I still had the steam. “She said Chad was a good man who’d stick by me and be loyal and reliable. She was so nice and seemed like she actually was concerned about me. It was the first time I’d ever seen her like that in my life. And I guess I wanted to please her and make her happy. So I told her that I’d give it a try.”

“So, why’d you turn down his proposal?” she asked.

“Because I realized I didn’t love him anymore,” I said. “It was different. I knew it would never work out between us. My feelings had changed. He seemed to take it well but he mentioned something that I thought was weird.”

“What’d he say?”

“He said that it was my mother who told him I was waiting for him to propose. He said he never would have believed it if she didn’t plant that idea in his head. So that’s what made him go out and buy the ring,” I said.

“That’s odd,” Lily said, looking as confused as I’d felt when I first heard it. “Why would she do something like that? I never thought she liked Chad all that much. Then again, she hardly likes anyone, so I have no idea how she’d treat someone she did actually like.”

“I thought it was weird too. A few days ago she called me into her office and she was livid that I’d refused Chad’s proposal. I’d never seen her that angry before, it was almost scary. She basically called me worthless and all the usual motherly things one says to one’s daughter,” I said sarcastically, trying to fight down the tears forming in my eyes.

Lily reached out her hand and placed it over mine giving it a squeeze. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that. What a horrid woman,” she said.

“It gets better though,” I continued on ruthlessly. “The reason why she wanted me to marry Chad so badly was just to spite Ryan. Can you believe that?”

“What? That makes absolutely no sense. What was she thinking?”

I relayed to Lily everything my mother had said about the board and her removal as editor in chief and her belief that Ryan was the architect of that. I also told her how I finally stood up to her and called her out on her vile behavior and that I’d finally quit my job. Lily sat back in stunned silence, shaking her head slowly.

“Wow,” she said.

“Tell me about it.”

“I mean I’m proud of you for finally facing that woman down. Lord knows I wouldn’t want to do it. That took real bravery and strength. I’m proud of you,” she said.

I actually blushed. I didn’t feel very strong. To be honest, it wasn’t bravery that got me through that confrontation, but anger and finally indifference. I knew there was nothing left that my mother could have said that could have hurt me anymore than she already had. So I had nothing to lose. But hearing Lily’s kind words and seeing the pride in her face lifted my spirits slightly.

“Thanks, Lil,” I said. “This is what happens when you leave the country, though. I make a total mess of my life,” I added to lighten the mood.

“Have you talked to Ryan since finding out about your mother’s involvement?” Lily asked.

“No,” I said. “I really haven’t had a reason to talk to him.”

“What do you mean? You have every reason to talk to him. You can tell him about what your mother did for one thing. I’m sure he’d like to know what stories Cora Abelgard is telling about him behind his back. Besides, maybe you two could work it out—”

I held up my hand to stop her. “Don’t even go there Lily. Even though my mother interfered with Chad and I, she might have actually been right about Ryan. He wasn’t seriously interested in me.”

“Why would you say that?” she asked.

“Because after what I thought was an amazing date and night together, he never called me back or tried to contact me. Then, when I saw him again at the Vivienne Cabot launch party, he completely ignored me. I tried to talk to him and he acted so cold and arrogant, I felt like I was talking to a stranger. And then if that wasn’t bad enough, he left soon afterwards to hang out with his date. It’s in all the papers now that he’s dating that actress Emilia Holliday. So that’s why I say he’s not interested in me,” I said.

“That doesn’t make any sense. He told Roman, actually gave his word, that he was serious about you and wasn’t going to play any games,” Lily said.

“What?! When did he say that?”

“Right after Vegas. Roman confronted him and told him to stay away from you if he wasn’t serious. If he broke your heart, Roman said he’d hurt him.”

I didn’t know whether to feel touched that Roman had gone out of his way to look out for me or frustrated at the fact that everyone seemed to think it was okay to interfere in my life. If Ryan really was serious about me, then why did he act like he didn’t care when I saw him at the party? And what about Emilia Holliday? I shook my head, trying to clear it and make sense of this jumbled mess of my life.

“You know, he probably thought you had ditched him for Chad and maybe that’s why he was acting so strange when you saw him,” Lily mused out loud.

“How would he have known anything about Chad and me?” I asked.

The answer came to the both of us at the same time. “My mother!”

“Your mother!”

Even now, the depths of her viciousness surprised me. Lily blew out a low whistle. “I wouldn’t want to have that woman for an enemy. She really does not play around.”

“If my mother told him Chad and I were already back together, then he must have thought I was a tease or maybe just using him as a rebound,” I realized with growing horror. “That’s why he was so angry and distant.”

It all made sense now. The coldness and aloofness. He probably thought I was the one playing him. I felt sick to my stomach. Not only had my mother gone and stuck her nose into my affairs with Chad, she had to go and ruin things with Ryan too.

He had moved on and my chance with him was gone. My anger and frustration with her came surging back and wanted to head over to her office and give her another piece of my mind. But knowing her, she probably had me banned from entering the building.

“You can still make it right with him, I’m sure. He really was taken with you. I’m sure if you just told him what your mother did—”

“No,” I said adamantly. “He’s already moved on and I’m sure he probably thinks himself lucky to get away from me and my crazy psychotic mother. He’s probably better off anyways.”

“You don’t mean that,” Lily said. “I know you like him and you shouldn’t give up hope. You were there for me when Roman and I were on the rocks and by hell or high water I will be there for you and make this happen.”

“I really appreciate your help, but there’s no chance for us. He’s with Emilia Holliday now. They’re in all the papers together looking like two lovebirds,” I said sadly. Even though I tried to avoid any news of them, it had been hard. Not only did my mother constantly bring them to my attention, I also had an itching curiosity to see and read the news about them too.

“You’re just saying that because you’re upset. But from what Roman told me of Ryan, he doesn’t ever show his emotions. And for him to admit to Roman that he was serious about you—well, that’s a huge thing. Roman was even surprised by it. I don’t think he’d get over you as quickly as you seem to believe.”

Her words brought a sliver of hope to me and I perked up slightly. “Do you really think so?” I asked.

“Yes,” she answered before she sat back with a look of utter concentration on her face. I was just about to ask her what she was thinking when she turned her attention to me. Her eyes were fervent and intense and she had a triumphant smile on her face. “I’ve got it.”

“What?” I asked eagerly.

“Ryan’s throwing a house party in the Hamptons this weekend and he’s invited Roman and me. Since Roman can’t make it, you’ll come with me instead. And once we’re there, you can talk to him and confess your feelings,” she said.

“I—I don’t know about that,” I said hesitantly. “I’m sure Emilia will be there and—.”

“Forget about Emilia! This is about you and Ryan. You have to go after what you want or you’ll regret it. Isn’t that what you used to tell me? Suck it up, Mel, and put on your big girl panties and just lay it all out on the line. The worst thing he can do is to say no,” she said.

I agreed silently. That was the worst thing he could do but somehow I wasn’t as heartened by that as Lily assumed I would be. In fact, I thought it would probably break my heart.

***

We pulled up to a long gravel driveway leading to Ryan’s estate. All week, I’d been debating whether or not I’d actually come. Lily had been persistent to a fault. Usually it was me who had to nag Lily to do anything, so it felt strange to be on the other end of the stick. When I told her I probably wouldn’t be able to make it, she had put her foot down and glared at me.

“You’re going even if I have to kidnap you,” she said, reminding me of the time I kidnapped her for her bachelorette party.

I could tell by the stubborn tilt of her chin that she wasn’t joking. One way or another, she’d get me to the Hamptons whether I wanted to go or not. Deep down, I did want to go, but I was too nervous and scared of the outcome. What if Ryan really had moved on? The thought sent my emotions spiraling down again. It was only now, when he was probably out of my reach, that I realized how much I really liked him.

If I were being honest with myself, I had started falling in love with Ryan before Vegas, but I never seriously considered it a possibility. I was still so wrapped up in my own heartache over my breakup with Chad that I couldn’t see what was right in front of me. And when Chad finally did come back into my life, I realized that it was Ryan I wanted all along. How ironic and unfair it all seemed. I should have followed my gut instincts instead of listening to my mother.

I clenched my jaw in anger, thinking over what a mess I allowed her to make of my life. Lily grabbed my hand to get my attention. “We’re here,” she said.

I looked out the window at a large Tudor style home. The house looked immense, but lacked the gaudiness of some of the other mega mansions in the Hamptons. It looked quite elegant and classic, just like Ryan. I took a deep breath and braced myself for what came next. Finally, I looked back at Lily, nodded my head silently and unbuckled my seat belt. There was no turning back now.

Lily opened the door and got out first. It took me only a moment to follow her. Once on solid ground, I stretched my sore muscles, and tried to calm my racing heart. I headed back to the trunk to grab my bag when the front door opened. My breath caught in my throat as I watched Ryan step out with a huge smile on his face. I was partially hidden behind the open trunk of the car, so he hadn’t seen me yet.

He walked over to Lily and kissed her on both cheeks. They lapsed into a friendly conversation and I took the opportunity of being unnoticed to feast my eyes on him. All the photos and paparazzi shots that I’d seen of him recently didn’t do him justice. He was by far much more dynamic in person. The pictures didn’t capture the mischievous twinkle in his eyes or the playfulness of his smile. He was quite simply stunning, and I felt a yearning for this man that sent a physical ache in my chest.

When they both turned to me, I was momentarily caught off guard. Ryan looked shocked to see me and I felt the color rise to my cheeks. I shouldn’t have come. He doesn’t want me here, I panicked. He quickly schooled his expression to one of polite interest, but I’d already seen the look of horror on his face when he first set eyes on me.

“Mel, I’m so happy to see you again,” he said holding out his hand for me to shake

I plastered on a shaky smile and grabbed his hand. “Thank you,” I said. If it hurt that he’d greeted Lily with a kiss on the cheeks and me with a handshake, I tried not to let that show. “You have a lovely home.”

Ryan looked back at his house as if noticing it for the first time. “Thank you,” he said. “Uh…why don’t I show you inside to your rooms and you can unpack and relax a bit before lunch.”

Lily and I followed Ryan into the house. He made polite conversation with Lily again, while I remained silent, taking in my surroundings. The house was just as beautiful and elegant on the inside as it was on the outside. There were floor to ceiling windows that looked out onto his waterfront view. It was breathtaking. The furnishings were tasteful and luxurious, yet looked comfortable and had a cozy quality about it. I was sure Ryan had a hand in it. It just seemed like his style.

“I’m sorry you’ll have to share a room,” Ryan was saying. “I had thought you were coming with Roman and it’ll be a full house party now and no spare bedrooms. There is the guest house off the main property of course—”