Crossroad to Love (Fab Five Series) - By Anna Kristell Page 0,34
I have become since meeting this man.
“Not a bad idea, little lady, not a bad idea. I might just have to have to take you up on that.” Ryan smiled back at her as the waiter brought their dinner to the table. The food was out of this world. He had made all the right selections.
“Ryan, this food is delicious,” Katy said in awe.
“I told you that you would like it,” he answered as he took a bite of his own dinner.
“It is almost as good as ‘Chloe’s Place,’” she laughed as she looked up at her dinner partner.
“I am just glad Jarrett is not close to our place or we might have some serious competition on our hands,” he answered as he looked into her eyes, the gold flecks in his twinkling in the light.
“Am I going to get to meet your friend, Jarrett?”
“Unfortunately, not tonight. When I phoned him, he told me that he and Michelle would be out of town tonight to a family gathering of some sort. He arranged for our table and said he hoped to meet you another time. I think he was a little shocked when I told him that I was bringing a special lady with me tonight.”
“You told him that? Why would that shock him? Surely you’ve brought dates here before.”
“But I said special lady, Katy.” He hesitated before adding, “Jarrett is not used to me referring to one of my dates as special.”
Katy blushed happily at the knowledge that he indeed thought she was special.
“We need to talk later, Katy. There are some things you need to know about me.”
“You read my mind. I was thinking the same thing.”
****
They finished their dinner, laughing together at Ryan’s restaurant stories and Katy’s tales of some of the ‘Fab Four’ past experiences. Dinner was topped off with a scrumptious dessert that was to die for.
As Katy was sipping a fresh cup of coffee, Ryan began in a more serious tone, “Katy, when I told you that we needed to talk, I was very serious. I was more serious than I have been in a long time. I feel a real connection with you and that is something new for me. But there are things you need to know about my past.” He took her hand and continued. “As you probably have heard, I lost my wife several years ago. That’s when I moved from Indianapolis to Dallas.”
Katy nodded and replied, “I did know that.”
He went on, “Since coming to Dallas, I have earned quite the reputation of a so-called playboy. I admit that I’ve dated many women during the years I’ve been here, but I made a pact with myself that I would never let myself become seriously involved again. It was all fun and games. Anytime a woman started becoming serious, I immediately broke it off with her. Up until now, that has worked just fine.”
“What do you mean, up until now, Ryan?” Katy held her breath, waiting for an answer.
“Do you believe in love at first sight?” he asked her and, without waiting for an answer, continued with, “I never did until you walked into ‘Chloe’s Place’ the other evening. I have been fighting this for the two days that I have known you. This is crazy, I told myself. Ryan O’Grady, of all people, does not fall in love, let alone at first sight. I decided on the way here tonight, I’m not going to fight it anymore. Maybe it’s finally time for me to put the past behind me and move on with my life like you said you’re doing. We both seem to be at a crossroad in our lives.”
Katy looked at Ryan with tears shining in her eyes. “Oh, Ryan, I feel exactly the same way, but I thought you would think I was nuts, or that I was just another one of those women trying to get you to commit. Since I lost my husband, I haven’t had any more than an occasional social date. I was never really interested. For ten years, I have been waiting for you to enter my life, I guess. I never believed in love at first sight either, but there definitely is something happening here. But before we move on, there is something that we have to do, Ryan.”
He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it softly before he asked, “And what is that, my love?”
He called me his love. Her heart skipped a beat. But she needed