Brighton

 

After two weeks of moping around, I finally decided that I needed to stop stressing over Brayden. I’d left him texts and voicemails to call me, and I hoped that he would. But in the meantime, I needed to focus on getting ready for the baby which meant house shopping.

When Ryland made the appointment with the realtor, I had no idea what kind of houses he had in mind for us. But when I saw them, I was utterly speechless.

They were the kind of houses I’d only ever seen in magazines. Top of the line luxury with more space than I even knew what to do with. From turn of the century in Pacific Heights to art deco in Sea Cliff, we saw them all. The realtor had an excited gleam in her eye as she led us from property to property, no doubt tallying up the commission she was about to rake in. But Ryland didn’t really seem to have an opinion one way or the other, simply asking me what I thought of each one as we went. Until we got to the last and final house.

On Belvedere Island.

His whole demeanor changed as we drove down Golden Gate Avenue and pulled into the gated driveway of the white mansion overlooking the sea. I threaded my fingers through his and squeezed, giving him a soft smile as the car came to a stop. I never would have guessed that he’d even consider a house so close to his old family home, but there was something in his eyes that told me differently. It was a small spark of hope.

“I’d understand if you didn’t want to live here,” he said. “But I grew up in this community, and I know the people. I think it’s a great place to raise kids, and I wanted you to see this place before you make a decision.”

I leaned up and kissed him before the realtor ruined our moment by delving into details about the architecture. Ryland helped me from the car, and I got a good look at the palatial Queen Anne style mansion perched on a prime piece of San Francisco real estate. It was elegant, yet in an understated way, which I liked. It looked like a real home, albeit a very large one. The realtor started rattling off features as I tried to take it all in. The property came with wraparound porches, a solarium, and a carriage house. As she commenced the tour, she pointed out each feature as we went along.

“Herringbone oak floors, mahogany doors, marble bathrooms…”

I stopped listening as I tried to take it all in. It was honestly the most beautiful home I’d ever seen. Everything inside was filled with natural light, creating a relaxed and happy atmosphere. In the back, the views of the city skyline and Angel Island were unrivaled. There was a pool and garden, and even an outdoor breakfast nook. The property had more bedrooms than Ryland and I could ever use in a lifetime, but he mentioned something about getting a housekeeper upon my pointing that out.

When I glanced up to see how carefully he was watching me, it was obvious how much he wanted this place. This was where he felt most at home. Where he wanted to settle down and make a lifetime of memories. I wrapped my arms around his waist and squeezed.

“What do you think?” he asked.

“I think it’s completely crazy.” I smiled up at him. “But I love it.”

He looked relieved. “You do?”

“I’d be crazy not to.”

“Agreed,” the realtor chimed in.

We both laughed and took a moment to stare out at the skyline before Ryland spoke again.

“Let’s do it,” he said. “I want to put in an offer today.”

 

***

 

Once Ryland set things in motion, it took us all of three weeks to get settled into our new house. The realtor told me she appreciated that he was a man who got things done quickly. I simply laughed. She had no idea what Ryland could accomplish when he set his mind to it.

We had a housewarming dinner and invited Matt, Nicole, and Norma. Since leaving rehab, she’d moved into our old apartment, and seemed to be spending a lot of time with Ted. It was very odd, considering he was nothing like Frankie, but I guess that was a good thing.

Matt and Nicole’s relationship had obviously progressed just fine, considering how she couldn’t keep her hands off him. She still found time to book shopping dates and arrange times to decorate the nursery which I obliged her. We also planned to continue our weekly meetings for Sophia’s Shoes in the city until the baby came.

Everything seemed to be going according to plan, and true to Ryland’s word, he’d cut back his hours at work. But as soon as everyone left that night, he dropped a bomb on me.

“I have to go back to Chicago tomorrow,” he said.

I narrowed my eyes and crossed my arms. “No.”

“Brighton.” He sighed. “It really is just business this time. I swear.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Come here.” He patted his lap.

I frowned and walked towards him slowly, and once I was within reach, he tugged me onto his lap. Taking out his phone, he pulled up some emails along with a schedule.

“I have a meeting with Robert Burton,” he said. “About the shareholders of my company. It’s important, and I can’t put it off any longer, otherwise, I wouldn’t go.”

“Robert Burton, as in…”

“Alex’s father.” Ryland nodded.

“What does he have to do with your shareholders?” I asked, remembering how Matt said the Burton family was involved in some bad business dealings.

Ryland’s expression clearly told me he didn’t want me involved in this. It only made me more determined.

“It’s complicated, Brighton. He’s trying to strong arm some of my shareholders. He’s using underhanded business tactics, and I won’t stand for it.”

“But he’s dangerous,” I protested. “Matt told me some of the things he’d been involved with.”

“Don’t worry.” Ryland gave me a soft kiss on the lips. “I’ve got it handled, baby girl.”

I didn’t like that he was dealing with the Burtons one bit. It scared the hell out of me, but this was his company. I knew he wouldn’t just let whatever they were doing slide.

“Promise me you’ll be careful,” I pleaded.

“Always.” He gave me a reassuring smile.

“And you’re going to take Mick with you.”

“No.” He shook his head. “Mick stays with you. That’s his job.”

“I can have Matt and Nicole come stay while you’re gone,” I said. “I’d much rather he was with you.”

“Not gonna’ happen,” he smirked. “You don’t need to worry about me, Brighton. I can take care of myself, okay?”

I frowned but nodded. There was no point in arguing with him when he was like this. He was stubborn as hell.

“And while we’re on the topic.” He reached into his filing cabinet and pulled out a folder. “I need your signature on a few things.”

“Okay.” I glanced at the paperwork in confusion before I realized what it was. If I wasn’t worried before, now I was terrified.

“Life insurance?” I squeaked.

“I just want to have everything in order,” he explained. “It’s just a precaution.”

I shook my head and crossed my arms. “I don’t want to sign these,” I protested. “That makes it seem like it could really happen.”

Ryland reached up and trailed his fingers along my jaw. “Baby girl, this is important,” he said softly. “If anything ever happens to me…”

“Which it won’t,” I cut in.

“It won’t,” he assured me, “but if it did, I need to know that you and the baby will have everything you need, okay? Everything in my will has already been arranged, and this is the last step. Consider it something to help me sleep at night.”

I still didn’t feel comfortable with it, but I decided to indulge him just so I didn’t have to think about it anymore. I scrawled my signature across the documents quickly and then shoved them away.

“One more thing.” He pulled a piece of paper from his desk with a picture of an SUV. He’d been looking at them forever trying to decide on the safest one to buy. “This is the one I want to get. Okay?”

I didn’t want to tell him he was scaring me. It felt like he was wrapping everything up. Like he really thought something might happen to him.

“We’ll get it together,” I said. “When you come back from your trip.”

He nodded.

“Promise me,” I demanded. “Promise me that this is all just a precaution like you say, Ryland.”

“Come on, baby.” He pulled me up and wrapped his arms around me. “Let’s go to bed. Before I have to leave tomorrow.”