Falling for a Stranger (29 page)

"Tell me what?" she asked suspiciously.

"I think we should celebrate your first day of freedom," Drew said. "I've taken the day off work. Megan has already missed the start of school, and I think you're free as well, aren't you?"

"I do have Tuesdays off," she admitted.

"So let's play tourist," Drew said. "We can walk around the city, see the sights, eat great food and not look over our shoulders."

"That sounds wonderful, but I think I have to meet with Max today."

"I already called him. He said we can meet him this evening. He wants to get a little further in the investigation before he talks to you again."

"Is he investigating me?" she asked, unable to get rid of the lingering fear that she might still be facing some charges.

"He's investigating Valdez along with everyone else we spoke to last night. And I've also asked Sara to get involved. She's an excellent attorney, and you may need one."

Ria was touched by his family's support. "Everyone is being so generous; they barely know me."

"But they know me. And they want to help. I'll start breakfast. Megan requested French toast and bacon."

"What can I do?"

"Nothing."

She watched them unpack the groceries then said, "If you don't need me, I'll take a shower."

"I need you, Ria," he said with a teasing smile. "But not for breakfast."

Megan clapped her hands over her ears. "I am not listening to this."

Drew laughed. "Don’t worry I'm done."

Ria headed into the bathroom with a smile. She felt so much lighter this morning and listening to Drew and Megan bicker over who was making the egg batter warmed her heart. She felt like she was part of a family again, and that was both wonderful and a little scary. She didn't want Drew to break her heart, but if there was a man who was worth the risk, it was Drew.

An hour later, after a delicious breakfast, they took a brisk walk to the nearest cable car stop. They hopped on one of San Francisco's famous trolley cars for a somewhat harrowing climb up and down the steepest hills in the city. They got off the cable car by Union Square and roamed around the big department stores. Then it was on to Chinatown for Dim Sum and fresh fortune cookies.

As the hours passed, Ria felt the tension drain from her body. Two long years of fear had put permanent knots in her shoulders but now her muscles were starting to let go of the need to be ready to run or to fight. She'd done her fighting last night. Now they were free to walk around without looking over their shoulders.

After Chinatown, they went down to the water, visiting the sea lions outside Pier 39, and buying touristy stuff like t-shirts and hats.

They finally went home tired and happy just after three o'clock. Ria flopped onto the couch while Drew took the chair across from her.

"That was fun," she told him. "I needed that."

"We all did," he said.

"Hey, you two," Megan interrupted, looking up from her cell phone. "Lindsay just got home from school, and she wants me to come over to her house. Can I go, and can I walk there by myself?"

Ria stiffened, realizing that Megan was about to force her to put their sense of freedom to the test. "Yes," she said, although it took a lot of strength to get the word out.

Lindsay lived two blocks away, so she wasn't exactly sending Megan into the panhandle but it was still an important step—for both of them.

"Thanks," Megan said, meeting her gaze. "I know that was hard for you." She paused. "Can I tell her everything?"

"You can tell her whatever you want," Ria said. "We have no more secrets." She just hoped that Megan's past and her ties to a drug smuggler wouldn't affect her relationship with her friends. But she didn't want Megan to have to hide her true self anymore.

"Can I stay for dinner, too."

"If Lindsay's mom is okay with it, but you still have to be home by nine," she added. "I don't want you walking alone after dark, so I'll meet you. And that fear has nothing to do with Enrique."

"Fine," Megan said with a little exasperated sigh. "But I am sixteen you know."

"Believe me, I never forget," Ria said dryly. "Text me when you get to Lindsay's."

Megan rolled her eyes, then headed out the door.

"I never understood why my mother got so nervous when I was a teenager," Ria said to Drew. "Now I do. I thought I was invincible. She knew I wasn't."

"Megan will be careful. But it's important for her to feel her independence," he said quietly.

"That's why I let her go." She swallowed, knowing that the conversation she'd been putting off all day really needed to begin. "About what you said last night, Drew. If you got caught up in the moment, I would understand."

"I didn't get caught up in a moment," he said, tenderness in his gaze. "I meant every word." He got up from the chair and sat down next to her on the couch. He took her hand in his. "Let me say it again. I love you, Ria. I fell for you the first time we met. That night in the bar, I had no idea that a beautiful stranger was about to steal my heart."

"You stole mine, too," she said, looking into his eyes. "But I have Megan. We're a package deal. Where she goes, I go."

"I think Megan likes me."

"She adores you, but that's not the point. Actually, it
is
the point. I don't want her to get hurt if you decide later on that you don't want this kind of relationship or life."

"I want you and I want Megan. I'm not afraid of a sixteen-year-old, especially one as great as Megan."

"Are you sure? Our life is not very exciting—homework, school nights, parent-teacher conferences. Is that really the kind of life you want to lead?"

"Yes. In fact, what you just described sounds damn good to me."

"Really?" she asked doubtfully.

He laughed. "Why are you always trying to get rid of me?"

"You seem a little too good to be true."

"I'm not." His expression grew more serious. "But is it me you're worried about? Or is it you? You're free now. You could grab a boat and hit the high seas. You could hand Megan over to your mom, or even take her with you."

She shook her head. "No, I'll never turn Megan over to anyone. And I've been all over the world, Drew, searching for a place to call home. I finally found it. It's here." She put her hand on his heart. "Wherever you are, I want to be."

He put his hand over hers. "I feel the same way, Ria." He took a breath. "When we first met, you told me that you needed the sea to be happy."

She nodded. "And you said you needed the sky."

"But the truth is all I really need is you. I'm never letting you go, Ria. This is it for me."

"Me, too." Her gaze fell to his lips. "I haven't kissed you in way too long. What time do we have to meet your family?"

"Not for a couple of hours."

She smiled into his eyes. "What will we do with the time?"

"I have a few ideas."

"Show me."

Epilogue

Six weeks later

"I can't believe we're in a wedding," Megan whispered to Ria as they posed on the steps of the church for bridal party pictures with Sara and her other bridesmaids.

"I know," Ria said, adjusting the bouquet in her hand as the photographer set up his camera.

In six weeks, their entire lives had changed. They were no longer on the run, no longer worried about getting caught by Valdez or law enforcement, and they had been welcomed into the Callaway family with warmth and love.

The photographer snapped several shots, then said, "Now, just the sisters."

Megan and Ria stepped away from the group as the bride, Sara, posed with the Callaway women, her maid of honor, Emma, and her two future sister-in-laws, Nicole and Shayla, on the steps of the chapel. Behind the church was a wide grassy area and a gorgeous view of the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco Bay.

The women were just as beautiful as the view, Ria thought. Sara with her dark hair and white gown stood out in the middle of the three sisters with their varying shades of blonde hair and pink dresses. With only a few weeks to plan the wedding before Sara started to show her pregnancy, they'd foregone the matching dresses and instead had decided on a theme of short, silky cocktail dresses in some shade of pink.

Ria had tried to decline when Sara first approached her with the idea of being a bridesmaid, but she'd lost that battle in about two minutes, especially since Megan was thrilled by the idea. Sara was also very persuasive in her arguments. She was an excellent lawyer who knew how to win a case. So Ria had agreed to be part of the wedding party. How could she say no after Sara helped her navigate murky legal waters with both local and international law enforcement? With Sara's help, Ria's name had been cleared, and she'd been granted legal custody of Megan.

The Valdez family had been shattered by Enrique's death, and also the death of his right-hand man, who'd been one of the victims on the yacht that terrible night. With their leader gone, the rest of the Valdez family just wanted to live in peace. No one had come forward to challenge Ria for Megan's care, and as far as Ria and Megan were concerned, they were completely done with that part of their lives. They were concentrating on the future now; a future that looked nothing but bright and hopeful.

"Phew," Emma said, coming over to Ria. "I'm already tired of smiling, and we haven't even gotten to the ceremony yet."

"I know what you mean," Ria said.

"Sara looks beautiful, doesn't she?"

She followed Emma's gaze to Sara, who was now caught up in conversation with Megan.

"She does," Ria agreed.

"And Megan looks happy, too. So do you," Emma added. "I'm so glad everything worked out."

"Thanks to all of you, I have my life back. Actually, that's not true, because my life now is much, much better than any other life I've lived."

"I have a feeling my brother has something to do with that."

"Everything," she admitted.

"So maybe this wedding is a good time for you two to make an announcement," Emma said with a sparkle in her eyes.

"No announcements. This is Sara's day. And we have your wedding coming up in August, so I think there's enough action happening for a while."

"Actually, we're pushing our date back to the fall," Emma said.

"Really? Why?" she asked in surprise.

"The venue we had selected for August is too expensive for me and Max on our own. We had originally planned to share it with Sara and Aiden, so we had to let it go. Unfortunately, it's been difficult to find another place in the summer. But now I'm thinking maybe a Christmas wedding."

"That sounds lovely, if you don't mind waiting."

"Max and I are so happy together that it doesn't really matter. We want the marriage, of course, but we already have the most important things, love and a life together." Emma blinked moisture out of her eyes. "Good grief, I can't believe I'm tearing up already. I'm not usually the girl in the family who cries. That's Nicole."

"Are you talking about me?" Nicole asked, as she joined them.

"Yes, I said you're usually the one who cries at these things," Emma said, dabbing her eyes with a tissue.

"True," Nicole admitted. "But I think I'll wait until the actual ceremony to start weeping. Are you all right, Emma?"

"I'm just happy," Emma said. "Sara has loved Aiden for so long. They're finally going to seal the deal after all these years."

"I think the baby-on-the-way has already done that," Nicole said dryly. She glanced over her shoulder at the parking lot. "I wonder where the guys are. Shouldn't they be here by now?"

Ria smiled, and Nicole gave her a curious look. So did Emma.

"What do you know, Ria?" Emma demanded.

"I think your brothers want to arrive in style," she said, the sound of an approaching helicopter drowning out the end of her sentence.

Megan, Sara and Shayla joined them as the helicopter came in for a landing on the grass beyond the church.

"Oh, wow," Megan muttered.

"Wow is right," Sara said, as Aiden hopped out of the helicopter in a black tuxedo.

"It's like James Bond," Megan added.

"Damn those boys. They always outshine us," Emma complained as the rest of the Callaway men made their way off the helicopter.

Following Aiden were Burke, Sean, Colton, Max, and finally Drew.

Her own personal James Bond, Ria thought, her eyes on the ruggedly handsome man who was heading directly for her.

"Aiden cannot see the bride," Emma said suddenly, grabbing Sara's arm.

"I think he already has," Sara said, her gaze on her fiancé.

"Not up close," Emma replied. "Let's get you back to the dressing room."

While the other bridesmaids hustled Sara away, Ria waited for Drew.

He gave her a smile and a warm kiss. "What did you think of our entrance?"

"Very impressive. My heart skipped a beat. But then it seems to do that every time I see you," she admitted, gazing into his eyes.

He put his hands on her waist and kissed her again. "This wedding is giving me some ideas."

Her breath caught in her throat. "I think you're getting caught up in the moment again, Drew."

"You always think that, but it's never true. It's not about the moment; it's about you. I love you Ria. And I want to marry you. But this is not the official proposal, he added quickly. "I need to do that in a much more exciting way. There will be flowers and candles and romance. Megan would kill me if I didn't do it right. She's given me very firm instructions, and I do not want to let her down."

She smiled, happy that the relationship between Megan and Drew was so strong. But she needed to set him straight on one thing. "I'm glad that you're taking Megan into consideration, but I don't need candles or flowers, Drew."

"But you're going to get them," he said, cutting her off. "Because you deserve the best."

"I have the best. I have you," she said with a smile. "And just so you know—

whenever you ask me, however you ask me, the answer will be yes."

"Good, because I don’t take no for an answer."

"Don't I know it," she said with a laugh. "You're the most stubborn man I have ever met."