Forever Entangled (23 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Sienna unlocked the door to her house in silence. She felt Ryan standing close behind her as they stepped into the darkened living room. The sun would be coming up soon, but Sienna didn’t think sleep would come. She placed the keys on the side table and dropped her purse to the floor.

“Where’s Hooch?” she asked quietly and turned to where Ryan was watching her.

“With your parents. I’ll pick him up tomorrow,” Ryan told her. He reached out for her. His warm hands closed around her upper arms, and he pulled her forward.

“Are you leaving tomorrow? For your new job?” Sienna asked against the tight muscles of his chest.

“I have to go to D.C. first,” Ryan answered quietly.

“So, tonight is our last night before you take over the FBI office? You’ll be a wonderful boss, Ryan.” Sienna fought the tears in her eyes and hated the way her throat felt as if it were swelling shut with emotion.

Ryan didn’t answer. Instead he bent his head and captured her lips in his. His hands came to cup her face, and Sienna rested her head in his hands. She’d place her whole heart in his hands if he’d let her. If tonight was the last night, then it was going to be one to remember.

She ran her hands down his T-shirt and pulled it from his pants. She bunched it up in her hands and at the last second pulled it from his body, breaking their kiss. Sienna moved her lips to trace the line of Ryan’s jaw and pushed him back against the door. She ran her hands over the ridges of his abdomen and let her lips follow before falling to her knees in front of him.

“Sienna,” Ryan groaned as she pushed down his pants and bent forward. Her named sounded pained, revered, mourned, and loved all at the same time.

Ryan closed his eyes and let the pleasure heal him as his fingers tangled with Sienna’s hair. He needed her love. And tonight he was going to show her that. He didn’t have fancy words to tell her, sonnets to recite, or feelings to share. He wasn’t that kind of guy, but he knew how to show her he loved her. He was going to show her she had his whole heart and always would.

With all the strength he had, he pulled away from Sienna and swept her into his arms. The bedroom had never seemed so far away as he carried her in his arms. Setting her onto her feet he kissed her eyelids, the tip of her nose, and down her neck, while slowly unzipping her dress. He kissed her shoulder, her collarbone, and then slowly went down to his knees in front of her, kissing her along the way. It was his time to worship her. He guided her to sit on the edge of the bed before lifting her leg and kissing the back of her knee. In slow, savoring kisses, he worked his way up her leg to her center. After tonight, Sienna should never doubt what she meant to him.

Sienna grasped the sheets as the world exploded around her. And when Ryan moved up her body, she wrapped her legs tightly around his waist and gasped as he filled her. She was complete. But it was only for tonight. Tonight she would be his and he would be hers. Then it would be gone. As he moved inside her, she forgot to mourn what might have been. Instead, she lost herself in the now—in Ryan and in their love.

*     *     *

The sun was high in the sky by the time Ryan quietly shut the door to Sienna’s house. She was still sleeping, and he knew he was taking the coward’s way out by leaving without saying goodbye. He just didn’t have the answers to the questions she would ask. The problem was, it wasn’t just one night he had to think about. It was a lifetime of bad timing, friendship, and wanting.

“You ready for this?” Nash asked from the other side of the fence where he sat atop a large chestnut horse.

Ryan climbed the four boards of the black fence and dropped onto Dani and Mo’s property. Nash handed him the reins to the big black horse with a white diamond on its nose.

“As ready as I’ll ever be. It’s not everyday we get debriefed by the FBI director,” Ryan said as he mounted his horse. “Thanks for meeting me here.”

“I thought you all would be tired this morning. I didn’t want the ATV to wake up Sienna,” Nash explained. “And I wanted to give you this.”

Nash held out a flash drive and Ryan took it. “What is it?”

Nash just smiled. “You forgot about the camera in the living room.”

Ryan shot a murderous glance to Nash. “Did you watch this?”

Nash shook his head. “Nah! I saw you two enter the house and kiss. That's when I turned off my tablet. This is the only copy of the surveillance from Sienna’s house. I thought you might want it.”

“Thank you,” Ryan said as he pocketed the flash drive and pushed his horse into a gallop. “What’s going on at the main house?”

“Ahmed had to fly Kale in overnight,” Nash said of Ahmed’s son who was away at MIT.

“Cade couldn’t hack Bahir’s system?” Ryan asked, astounded.

“It’s a young person’s game now. The best hackers all over the world are teenagers. Bahir had a system on his computer that Cade had never seen before. Kale broke it in twenty-four minutes. Annie laughed, Cade shook his head, and Ahmed beamed with pride. It let him forget about the car . . . for a moment.”

“What did they find out?”

“They forwarded it all to the director. We’ll talk about it in D.C. I also had them print it out so we could look it over on the plane. But the short version is, we found the target and the area is being swept for explosives as we speak. The information on the computer, along with the information we got from Bahir and his cohorts, has led to the FBI rounding up twenty-seven people so far. That includes eight FBI agents all across the country who were on Bahir’s payroll. We also found the money. All of it. It should be able to be returned to the investors eventually. We’re thinking Bahir should announce his retirement in an email to investors and have someone undercover from the government step in as the new head of the company and funnel it back. We’ll then have him close the doors to the company. That way, no one will connect Bahir’s investments to terrorism and it ties in the story of Bahir retiring to the lap of luxury.”

“Good plan,” Ryan told Nash. They slowed the horses to a walk. Two farm workers ran forward to take the horses from them, and they met the rest of the group.

Bridget stood next to Ahmed and their son. Kale already towered over his parents and was still growing. Annie and Cade stood next to them with the computer and multiple large files in their hands. Behind them stood Ryan's father, Cole. Bridget elbowed Ahmed, who looked pained.

“I’m really sorry about the car, Ahmed,” Ryan said for the hundredth time.

Ahmed’s lips pursed, but then he took a deep breath. “I’ll let you live this time. Bridget said I could get the new 650.” He smiled then and Ryan felt the first tinge of relief. Now he just had to have a little chat with the FBI director.

“The plane is ready for you. First stop D.C. After your debriefing, Kale will snag a flight back to MIT while you all come home . . . or some of you will. The director said you could take their plane back to L.A.,” Ahmed explained to Ryan.

“Let’s not keep the director waiting,” Ryan said with a sense of foreboding. The sooner he could close the book on this chapter of his life, the better.

*     *     *

Sienna waved at Sydney and walked into the Blossom Café that evening. Her best friend had been out of town during this mess. As soon as she had landed in Lexington, she had called Sienna to set up dinner. It had been her phone call that had woken Sienna to find Ryan gone. A note on his pillow that read
Don’t forget that I love you
was all he left behind.

He hadn’t even picked up Hooch for her like he’d promised. Sienna hadn’t wanted to face her parents yet, so she told them that she’d pick the slobbery beast up tomorrow. As if by tomorrow she would forget what she had lost.

“I go out of town for a few days and miss the most exciting thing to ever have happened in Keeneston!” Sydney gasped as she wrapped Sienna up in a tight hug. “What is it? What’s the matter?”

Sienna sat in the booth and looked at the ceiling for a moment to gain her composure. “He’s gone.”

“I know. Mom and Dad told me all about it. Someone gave my mom a gun? What is that about?” Sydney joked.

Sienna shook her head. “No, not Bahir. Ryan. He left this morning for L.A. The FBI director personally asked him to become the Special Agent in Charge of the L.A. office. It’s a huge promotion; it’s one of the biggest offices in the United States and a clear chance to become the FBI director later.”

Sydney sat stunned as Sienna took a big gulp. She was not going to cry.

“Hey, girls. What I can get you tonight?” Zinnia asked, stopping next to the booth with her pad in hand.

“Better make it a Rose Sisters Special Iced Tea,” Sydney told her. “And chocolate. Whatever you have that’s mostly chocolate.”

“You got it. I heard about Ryan leaving this morning. John told us all about the job offer in L.A. and how he’s meeting with the director today. I’m sorry. I really thought you two were the perfect couple. I even placed $20 on it with Poppy.” Zinnia gave her a sad smile and hurried off to make their order and, Sienna was sure, to spread the word that she was broken-hearted.

“Now, tell me everything. And I mean everything. Like why you were still asleep when I called you this afternoon.” Sydney winked and Sienna laughed. She was strong. She didn’t need a man to fulfill her life, but it would have been nice to have Ryan to share it with her.

*     *     *

Ryan sat back on the plane and closed his eyes. The president and the director had grilled him and Nash for hours. Every bit of evidence was combed over and scrutinized. Kale presented his findings. For a moment, Ryan thought he’d end up in jail for laughing at the FBI director’s initial lack of faith in Kale’s ability, but Kale was now on his way back to college with a job offer in hand.

There was one thing Ryan needed to do before he could move on and start over. And it would be something that made facing the president seem easy. But he could do it, he told himself. He had taken down a major player in the international terrorism scene. He shouldn’t be nervous about the future.

Ryan let out a deep breath. He just needed to accept it. It had to be done.

“We’re preparing to land,” the captain said over the intercom as the plane descended.

In short order, Ryan was off the plane and in a borrowed vehicle. It had been a long day and an even longer night. The moon was high and cast a yellow glow on the road as he drove. He practiced the speech he was going to have to make.

By the time he arrived, the sun was just starting to crack over the horizon. He felt the new warmth on his face as he jumped out of his car and looked at the place that would be the first step to the rest of his life. Ryan took a deep breath. Here went nothing.

Ryan knocked on the door and waited. He looked into the security camera mounted overhead and gave it a nod. He heard movement inside and then the door opened.

“What are you doing here so early?”

“I’ve come to ask permission to marry your daughter, Mr. Ashton.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Sienna didn’t want to get up. The sun was bright and shining a new day upon her face as she pulled the pillow over her head. She didn’t want to face her parents. She didn’t want to face a day that didn’t include Ryan in it. And she certainly didn’t want to face the pitying look of the patrons of the Blossom Café when she went to get her morning muffin. They had all seen her break down the night before and stuff her face with chocolate.

No. Sydney had made her swear that last night was her time to pity herself. Today was the first day of the rest of her life, and she wasn’t going to spend it hiding in bed. She was going to get her dog and give him all the love she had in her heart for Ryan. She’d start with a trip around her parents’ farm while she rode one of their horses. Then they would both have hamburgers for lunch and cuddle on the couch with a movie for the night.

Sienna groaned and smothered the pillow over her face. She was treating her dog like the man she loved. How pathetic was that? Okay, one more day of pity and maybe doing these things with Hooch would encourage her to get out in public tomorrow. Yes, that was the plan. Tomorrow was Monday, a perfectly good day to start the rest of her life. Today was all about survival.

The white house Sienna had grown up in had changed very little over the years. The trees had gotten bigger and the bushes fuller, but the feel of the house had never changed. Even when her mother completely renovated the house three years ago, it still gave the feel of home. Then why was she dreading going inside? Her father opened the door, and Sienna finally had the motivation to open her car door as Hooch ran out to greet her.

“Hey, boy. Did Grandma and Grandpa take good care of their granddog?”

“You know we did. Your mother spoils him rotten. Goodness knows what she’ll do with a grandchild.” Her father wrapped her up in a hug, and Sienna tried not to cry. There would be no grandchild for a very long time at the rate she was going. Good thing her younger brother, Carter, was so handsome. He’d have no problem finding a wife who couldn’t wait to supply baby after baby to feed their mother’s grandmother demands.

“That’s why she shouldn’t retire. Can you imagine what kind of trouble she’d get in with all that free time on her hands?” Sienna shuddered. She loved her mother, but she might have to move to Montana to hide from her meddling. She could move to L.A. That was even farther, but Ryan hadn’t even asked her to join him out there. He didn’t ask because he knew her life was here. Sienna sighed and wiped Hooch’s drool onto her jeans.

“True enough. What are your plans for the day?” her father asked, leading her to her mother, who was working on the caseload for court on Monday.

“I thought I would take Keeper for a ride and let Hooch run for a bit.”

Her mother looked up and smiled at her. “That sounds lovely. Have a good time. Maybe when you’re done you can stop by for a minute. I should be done with all this work by then.”

“Sure, Mom.” Sienna gave her mom a quick kiss on the cheek and headed out the back door. She gave a quick whistle, and Hooch thundered after her. His big body bounced with the excitement of going for a run.

Sienna headed for her favorite part of the farm. The stallion was six years old now and had just retired from racing. Quarterback Keeper had done his father, Naked Boot Leg, proud and won his fair share of stakes races. He’s been a nice addition to the stud program, too.

For some reason, the big stallion had fallen in love with Hooch when Sienna first brought him by years ago. Hooch had killed a mouse in Keeper’s pasture and the two had been inseparable ever since. The big horse looked at Hooch as some kind of protector and would follow him all around the farm if he could.

Sienna leaned over and gave Keeper’s neck a pat as they headed toward the beginning of the wooded area at the back of the farm. There was a trail there that followed the gently rolling brook that cut through their property.

Hooch paused and stuck his nose up in the air and sniffed. He let loose a howl and tore happily off into the woods, his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth flapping in the wind. Sienna smiled even though she knew she’d have to wash a mud-covered dog when she got back to her parents.

Sienna was almost to the tree line when Hooch came bounding back with something in his mouth. Oh, gross, he’d killed another mouse. Sienna stopped Keeper and hopped down, tying the stallion loosely to a tree to prevent him from wandering off.

“Come here, Hooch,” Sienna cooed. “Give it to Mommy.”

Sienna tried to catch him, but Hooch growled playfully and evaded her grasping hands.

“Hooch! Drop it!” Sienna commanded, only to have Hooch go down on his haunches and growl playfully again as his big tail wagged.

“Fine, I don’t want it. But don’t you dare think of licking me after you eat that mouse.” Sienna turned away and ignored him as she walked back to Keeper.

Hooch followed after her with his head hung low. He didn’t like to be ignored so he rammed his big head against her hip. When Sienna ignored him, he did it again. Sienna smiled at using reverse psychology on a dog and looked down at her droopy-faced pal with his jowls covering the prize.

“Are you going to drop it now?” Sienna asked as she placed her hands on her hips and looked down at her dog as if he were a toddler.

Hooch rolled his eyes and then opened his mouth. A square black box inside a plastic baggie dropped to the ground. Sienna stared at it before bending to pick it up.

“What did you find now?” Sienna asked as she opened the plastic baggy and pulled out the black box. She opened the lid and gasped. A perfect single solitaire diamond was looking back at her. She gulped as she pulled the ring out to get a closer look. She turned the heavy band and saw something written inside. All around the inside of the band were initials. The last ones were CP+PD.

Sienna felt her mouth drop open. This wasn’t just a ring. This was Ryan’s mother’s engagement ring. And Hooch had somehow found it. Oh, please let it be found and not stolen, Sienna prayed and put the ring back in the box.

“Where did you get this?” Sienna asked Hooch.

Hooch howled and took off into the woods with Sienna hot on his trail. She followed him through the trees, past the berry bushes, and to the small clearing by the brook. Hooch stopped and leaned against the man standing there, watching the water bubble over the stones in the creek bed.

Sienna must have gasped when he turned around. He looked at her hand and smiled. Her heart stopped as he stepped toward her looking devastating in worn jeans and a tight gray FBI T-shirt.

“You found it,” Ryan said with a smile that made her forget what he was talking about.

“I found, what? Oh, your mother’s ring.” Sienna handed the bag to him and shook her head, reminding herself to breathe. How was she going to move on when just the sight of him caused her heart to soar?

“I was afraid Hooch stole it,” Sienna said as Ryan took the bag from her hand and pulled out the box.

Ryan shook his head and gave her a crooked smile. “No, he didn’t steal it. He did exactly what he was supposed to do.”

“Do? What was Hooch supposed to do?” Sienna asked in confusion while Ryan gave the dog a pat on the head.

He bent down on one knee and turned the open box to face her. He took her hand in his and his eyes looked straight into her soul. “Bring you to me.”

Sienna opened her mouth but nothing came out. Instead, she stared at the man on one knee in front of her, her eyes darting between his gentle but nervous smile and the ring he was now holding up to her.

“Sienna Danielle Paige Ashton, I love your fierce independence, your ability to throw a football, your sharp mind, and the way you so nicely put me off until I was older. I didn’t want to admit it when I was younger, but it was for the best. We had to grow and come into our own before coming together. What we have is something so strong we could have lost ourselves in it when we were teenagers. But not anymore. We know how to be ourselves and how to be together. We don’t need each other to survive. But we are strong and better when we are together.

“I want to be there for you every day. I want to wake with you in my arms and come home to you every night. I want to find you at the café, complaining about me to your friends. I want to make love to you like every time is the first time. When I was five years old, you were the first girl I kissed, and I lost my heart. It’s always been you, and it always will be. Sienna, will you marry me?”

Sienna’s heart had stopped beating the second he said her full name. Tears slid down her cheeks as she saw the love he had for her in his eyes—the love she knew was reflected in her own eyes.

“Yes! Yes, I’ll marry you. Nothing would make me happier,” Sienna said as joy filled her. Ryan let out a whoop and wrapped his arms around her waist. He stood, picking her up with him and twirling her around. She looked into his face and lost herself in their future. She moved her hands from his shoulders to cup his face and bent her lips to his. He stopped spinning and kissed her. The slow kiss told her all the things she already knew—they were madly in love and this was just the beginning.

Hooch howled, and Ryan smiled against her lips. He loosened his grip so she slowly slid down his body. “It would make me so proud to give this to you.” He held up the ring and slid it onto her finger. She stared at the ring that had been given to generations of Parker brides and would one day be given to their son's fiancée.

Ryan didn’t want to let her go. He knew he had a goofy grin on his face, but when he slid that ring onto Sienna’s finger he had never known such pride or pleasure before. Still, deep down, he couldn’t believe someone as amazing as Sienna had said yes to marrying him. He would make sure every day he showed her how thankful he was that she was part of his life.

“How did you know where I was?” Sienna asked. She finally took her eyes from the ring on her left hand and looked up at him.

“Your mom,” Ryan smiled. “She’s a great co-conspirator.”

“My mom knew? And she was so normal when I saw her. Did my dad know, too?” Sienna asked with surprise.

Ryan nodded and kept his hands hanging loosely around her waist. “Sweetheart, by now the whole town knows. I went to your parents and asked your father’s permission. Then I headed over to my parents to get the ring from Mom. Then I went to Dani and Mo’s farm where Nash sped me to the back fence on the ATV after your mom sent me a text as to where you were going to be. I can guarantee my mom and your mom called Dani, and Dani told Bridget, who told Annie, and well, you see where this is going.”

Sienna tilted her head back and laughed up into the trees. How blessed she was to have so many people who cared for her. “Wait,” Sienna said quickly, the smile falling from her lips. “You said you started your new job tomorrow. You have to leave so soon? I can’t possibly get out to L.A. tomorrow.”

Ryan pulled her back into the tight circle of his arms. “I am starting my new job tomorrow. My new job as appointed by the FBI director himself as Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Lexington Office.”

“What?” Sienna practically yelled as Ryan laughed.

“I turned down the L.A. job. I’ve missed you, and I’ve missed Keeneston. It was time for me to come home. Dad went with me to Washington since he was technically my supervisor during this takedown. When I turned down the job, the FBI director asked my dad if a new agent had been appointed to his position yet. When Dad said no, the director offered it to me, and I gladly accepted.”

“But, the L.A. job was going to lead to a job in Washington. You shouldn’t give that up for me,” Sienna protested.

Ryan couldn’t help but kiss her. This was why he loved her and why they would do remarkable things with their lives, because they supported each other. “Sienna, I don’t want a job in Washington. At least, not yet. Let’s see how I do as the head of the FBI office here in town first. I may not be cut out for the political role. But, if I am, then we’ll discuss it as a family.”

Ryan stopped further questions with a kiss. But a kiss wasn’t enough, and Ryan wondered if it would ever be as he pulled her tight against him. He ran his fingers down her spine and smiled against her lips as she shivered with anticipation. This was the woman he loved. He pulled her shirt over her head and filled his hands with her breasts. This was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life protecting, loving, and cherishing. Ryan pushed her jeans down as she frantically kicked them off while reaching for his zipper. And this was the woman he was going to show how much he needed her every day.

Sienna wrapped her legs around his waist, and he placed his hands on her ass, holding her to him. And today was just the beginning. He smiled against her neck as he went about showing her just what a great couple they made in more ways than one.