Samantha
I closed my eyes and tilted my head back, sucking in the cool night air. I felt some of the tension leave my shoulders and the pressure leave my head.
It was nice and quiet out here. I’d needed to escape the crowd and the noise of the reception for a moment, so I’d gone outside to get some fresh air. Stepping out of the hall, I’d thought I’d just wander the parking lot a bit, but I’d spotted a little garden with a walking path next to the building.
At that moment, I stood in the middle of the garden, letting my head clear as I cooled down.
I hugged myself, thinking of what Ryan had said to me earlier. I couldn’t decide if I was angry at him or not.
He’d blatantly ignored my wish to not talk about us until after the wedding. For that alone, I should be furious.
However, I couldn’t quite bring myself to be angry with him. He was fighting for me. For us. I knew he was worried about what was happening between us. At the first sign of trouble, I’d pushed him away. I’d ran, convinced I had to handle this situation on my own.
Was I just being stubborn? Was I doing more harm than good by putting distance between me and Ryan?
I wasn’t certain anymore. I hadn’t expected any of this to happen. I hadn’t expected Ryan to come walking back into my life, and I hadn’t expected to fall in love with him.
I froze, that thought catching me off guard.
Love? Was I in love with Ryan?
My feelings for him had been growing and were strong, but I hadn’t realized they’d been growing that strong.
I did love him, though. I couldn’t deny that. Maybe I’d always been in love with him, even when I was furious with him.
Crap, I hadn’t expected to make that discovery. Now what was I going to do? I loved him, and I wanted to be with him. I wanted to be a family with him and Henry, and as I continued thinking through everything, I came to another realization.
I’d forgiven him. I’d forgiven him for everything. For breaking my heart and leaving me all those years ago. I couldn’t say those things didn’t matter anymore, but they didn’t matter as much as our present time together and the future we could potentially have.
There was always the possibility of Ryan breaking my heart again, but that was a risk in any relationship. I trusted that he wouldn’t, though. Not on purpose. The risk, ultimately, was worth taking. We could be so happy together if I just let myself embrace this thing between us.
Ryan was such a good man. Caring, hardworking, loyal, and powerful. I’d never been able to push him out of my heart, and I knew at that moment that I never would. No other man would be enough for me. It was him, or nobody at all.
I felt a strange sense of relief at the thought of giving my heart back to Ryan. I wanted to tell him right at that moment. In fact, I was excited for what life might have in store for us.
At that moment, I heard footsteps behind me. My heart raced, and I turned with a wide smile, assuming it was Ryan.
“I was just thinking…” My words died on my tongue when I saw that it wasn’t Ryan approaching me, but a strange man I’d never met before. He was dirty and disheveled. His face was bruised, his arms and hands covered in scratches. As he stared at me, I noted a strange, crazed glint in his eyes.
“You’re Samantha,” he said, moving closer to me.
I frowned, anxiety and fear bubbling in my stomach. I looked around, hoping to see someone else from the wedding walking nearby, but there wasn’t anyone else in sight. It was just me and this strange, clearly troubled man. I took a step back, keeping my eyes on him and readying to run if I needed too.
“Sir, I don’t know who you are, but I don’t think you should be here right now,” I said in as calm of a voice as I could.
He pointed a finger at me. “I need to make him pay. He ruined my life.”
Panic seized me, and I struggled to breathe.
“Are you Bill?” I cautiously asked.
“It’s nothing personal,” he told me. “I need to make Ryan pay. You’re going to help me.”
“What are you talking about?” I gasped, but before I could fully grasp what he intended, Bill charged at me, his expression feral and his eyes blazing with fury.