2. Ryan

two

Ryan

H old it together. Everything you've ever dreamed of will come true soon enough.

How many times have I said those words to get me through the cold and lonely years while I waited for Sutton to get older so I could claim her for myself? The only light during those years was when our families got together and the group texts between the four of us.

I was ready to claim Sutton on the day of her college graduation, but my best friend unintentionally stole my thunder by declaring his love for my sister. Not that anyone was shocked by this news except maybe my sister and Sutton.

I'll never forget the look in her eyes when Seth grabbed Lucy and pulled her into his arms, passionately kissing her in front of our families and friends. Once the kiss ended, he held her close, looked deeply into her eyes, and said, "You're finally mine." Sutton's eyes snapped to mine with so much love and longing that I lost my nerve.

I've kicked myself every day for the last five months. If I had been strong enough to lay my claim on her that day, would we be having a double wedding this Christmas?

The engagement ring in my pocket feels heavy. I bought it the day after Sutton graduated high school—the same day we shared our first kiss at her shared graduation party with my sister. I wasn't sure she felt the same way about me that I felt about her until that moment.

"So, what have you been up to since I saw you last?" I ask, trying to fill the void in the car ride to Wintervale and our hotel with some light conversation.

The last time was right after her college graduation when she and Lucy would take their nursing boards and start their new career as nurses in a few weeks.

Seth and I took a few weeks off from our jobs for vacation and to help the girls move into a shared apartment in our hometown until they passed their boards and figured out where they wanted to live and work. Seth and I had a shared apartment about an hour away in the city, but city life wasn't cutting it for me anymore. We're both lawyers and life in a big firm isn't what we thought it would be.

She filled me in on passing her nursing boards and applying for various nursing positions until she decided on taking the job offer at the burn unit in a local hospital. "Wow, Sutton. That's got to be a tough job."

"It is. But it's so rewarding being able to help people when they've gone through something so awful." Her eyes shine as she continues to talk about her new job. "I've taken a few extra courses, so I'm now a certified trauma nurse certified to teach CPR, ACLS, and PALS."

I don't ask what those letters stand for—I don't want to interrupt her story. When she finally pauses, I take a hand off the steering wheel and squeeze her hand. "I'm real proud of you, Sutton. I always knew you could do anything you wanted as long as you put your mind to it."

I maneuver the rental truck into a parking spot at the hotel with one hand, refusing to let go of her hand until it's time to get out of the vehicle, and I have to let go. I grab our suitcases and follow her inside the hotel to the check-in desk.

"What do you mean you don't have a reservation for Sutton Wells? It's under the Wells-Jacobs Wedding party." I hear Sutton ask the clerk as I step next to her.

"You might want to look under Betty Buttmunch." I cough into my hand, trying not to say the name too loud.

"You didn't?" Sutton turns to face me just as the clerk declares no one by that name has a reservation.

"Calm down, Shortcake, I got this," I say before turning to the clerk. "Look under Ryan Jacobs."

Before the clerk can answer, Sutton says, "Actually, you might want to look under Tiny Wiener." Her face turns a cute shade of pink, which only enhances her beauty.

"Touche, Shortcake." I smile and shake my head. "The student has surpassed the master." I set the suitcases down, place my palms together, and bow at her.

"You're such a dork." She bats at my shoulder with an eye roll.

"I'm afraid none of those names are listed as having a reservation. We, um, that it was a couple of local kids messing around when we saw the names Betty Buttmunch and Tiny Wiener," Sutton and I both burst out giggling as he pronounces Ty Niewoehner causing the clerk to stop and glare at us, "Anyway, we canceled the reservations. We also received a call earlier today canceling the Wedding block for tonight and tomorrow night due to the storm, thankfully, since that same storm is keeping people here. We needed the rooms."

"You don't even have one room we could share?" I have another option if they don't have a room for us, but I'm not ready to reveal it yet.

"Well, there is one room left—the honeymoon suite. The man who called to cancel the block of rooms today was very adamant that we don't cancel that room just in case." The clerk shrugs as I blow out a breath.

Good, my secret is still safe.

"Shall I put the room under Betty Buttmunch or Tiny Wiener?" At this point, I'm beginning to believe the hotel clerk is enjoying announcing our fake names as loudly as he can.

"Sutton Wells and Ryan Jacobs will be just fine." I hand the clerk my credit card. Instead of taking the offered credit card, the clerk lifts his hand and shook his head, saying that Mr. Wells's personal assistant had taken care of everything.

I look at Sutton, knowing darn well that Seth doesn't have a personal assistant, and try not to laugh, "Which one of Mr. Well's assistants was it? He has so many, I want to make sure to thank the right one." Sutton tips her head down to hide her laughter at my question.

"I believe his name was Mr. McCracken, Phil McCracken." Sutton and I burst out laughing at how the clerk pronounces the name, fill my crack in . The name finally dawns on the clerk, and with a scowl, he shoves our room keycards at us. "Here. Take your junior high humor and get out of my sight."

And like a couple of junior high kids, as he accused us of being, we grab our suitcases and dash to the elevator in a fit of giggles. And for the first time in a long time I feel like I can breathe again having my girl next to me.