Love Unscripted (47 page)

It was almost seven o’clock when Pete called to inform me that they were parking almost two blocks away since my street was quite busy.

Ryan and I waited in the dark bar for our friends. I didn’t want to turn the lights on and give the paparazzi any reason to wake up prematurely. Ryan looked adorable in my dad’s gray flannel shirt and a fresh white T-shirt underneath. He called his bodyguard Mike and made arrangements to get picked up in the morning. I was elated knowing that he was definitely staying with me tonight.

I stood by the door, waiting for their knock, although I didn’t need to wait – the moment they paused at my door the cameras started to flash.

“
Hurry, come in.” I waved, trying to hide as best I could behind most of the door.

It angered me that the paparazzi were taking pictures of
anyone
who entered my pub. A twinge of panic ebbed up my spine thinking about how things would be tomorrow when I had to unlock the doors to let the public inside.

Pete was balancing three pizza boxes in front of him. “All right, where’s the fucking President?” he called out.

I turned the lights on and Pete nodded to Ryan, who was leaning on the bar.

“
Oh, hey Ryan!” Pete boomed. “You see the President around here?”

“
Only Presidents that are here are in my pocket, Pete.” Ryan shook his hand.

“
Rumor has it that Brad Pitt is visiting,” Marie joked on her way in. “Oh, it’s just you, Ryan. Somebody should go out there and tell them that Brad isn’t in the building. What a freaking disappointment.”

“
Nice to see you too, Marie!” He squeezed her shoulders and pretended to choke her.

“
Gary, good to see you, man!” Ryan shook Gary’s hand.

“
Hey Ryan! Ready to lose big tonight?” Gary teased.

Tammy gave me a hug with one arm; she had a cake pan with a lid on it in her other hand. She gave Ryan a one-arm hug too. “I made a new dessert I’d like everyone to try.”

Pete placed the pizzas on our big, center table. The aroma of melted mozzarella and tomato sauce filled the room and everyone was mentioning how hungry they were. I tapped a pitcher of beer and we all took our familiar seats to eat and drink.

Ryan grabbed a slice and stood up from the table.

“
Pete, can I talk to you a minute?” He motioned with his head for Pete to follow him. The two of them disappeared into the kitchen. I wondered what that was all about.

“
Taryn, there are a lot of people out there.” Marie nodded to the door. She looked over her shoulder to see where Ryan was. “How long has the crowd been there?”

“
Since yesterday. Ryan and I went to Cal and Kelly’s for dinner. His fans coated my car with love notes too.”

“
How can he stand that?” Tammy asked, shuddering from the thought.

“
It’s difficult. Those girls out there are all whacko! One of them grabbed his arm when we were speed-walking to my car. I was actually relieved that we were surrounded by the photographers; it was like they created a circle around us to keep the girls out.”

“
I know, I saw the pictures,” Marie whispered. “Tar, you’re on the freaking Internet! Just search for his name and the pictures they took come right up. You looked great, by the way. I liked the gray sweater dress with your leather jacket and black boots.”

For a moment everything went dim. I felt like I could pass out from hearing the confirmation that my picture was now on the Internet, forever associated to Ryan Christensen.

Ryan and Pete walked out of the kitchen; they were both laughing at something, although Pete looked a little worried.

I squinted at Ryan and gave him a questioning nod. He leaned over and spoke quietly in my ear.

“
I gave Pete a few bucks for the plywood and I paid him for the pizzas. And I thanked him for being a great friend and for taking care of the window and everything.”

I squeezed his leg. Ryan was truly a good man, down to the core.

After we finished eating, we started our usual game of poker.

“
How’s your business doing, Tammy?” Ryan asked somewhat over-casually, tossing his cards into the center of the table.

“
Good! It’s hard to keep up though, trying to make all the food in our kitchen at home. Hopefully I’ll get a few more jobs and then we might be able to afford looking for a shop somewhere.”

“
Why don’t you let her use your kitchen, Tar?” Ryan suggested. “You have that huge kitchen back there that you don’t use.”

My memory recalled conversations I had with Pete about that and the reasons why it never happened. I was also wise enough to sense I was being set up. I launched my counter-defense.

“
I’ve thought about that before, Ryan, but the kitchen as it stands isn’t fit for cooking and baking. New gas lines need to be run and all the appliances need to be replaced. Even the copper piping needs to be removed and replaced. It’s an expensive disaster back there. That’s why I don’t serve food in the bar.”

“
Well, look into it and see how much it would cost,” Ryan stated.

I shook my head, wondering why he cared and hoping he would let it go.

“
What?” he asked.

I leaned over and whispered in his ear. “Please drop it. I can’t. I already have one huge loan I’m paying on for the renovations I did to the poolroom, stage, and sound system. I can’t afford it.”

“
I’m sure we can figure something out,” he dismissed.

“
Figure what out?” I wondered.

He tapped me in the foot and scratched his nose.

Several rounds of poker later, I was losing big-time. My game was off tonight; I had a hard time reading everyone’s tells. Ryan smiled devilishly every time he won more of my chips.

“
A few more hands like this and you’ll have to ante with clothing,” Ryan slyly suggested, kicking me in the foot.

“
I’m not drunk enough for strip poker,” I muttered.

Ryan abruptly sat up and joked, “Where’s the tequila?”

“
Not so fast! I still have a few chips left!” I defended.

“
Yeah, but not for long,” Ryan teased. “All you have to do is ask. I’ll be glad to loan you a few chips. We can even call it a favor if you’d like.”

I smirked at him.

“
Speaking of favors…” Ryan continued, making his general announcement. “I have a favor to ask of all of you.” He looked around the table at my friends. “My parents are coming to town this Wednesday and they’ll be staying here until Monday. We want to take them to dinner and spend as much time as possible with them.” He smiled at me. “I was hoping you’d let me steal Taryn away for the entire weekend. Do you guys think you could handle a few days without her?”

I glowered at the table. I could not believe he just did that. He didn’t even give me an opportunity. I suppose he thought that I would chicken out.

“
Of course!” Marie answered immediately.

I knew exactly what she was thinking just by the way she looked at me. It was a combination of “Oh my God” and “Holy Shit” followed by a lot of high-pitched, excited screams. This was a big step – Ryan freakin’ Christensen was introducing me to his parents.

I hadn’t even told her that he was sort of staying with me. That round of screaming would have to wait.

I had serious doubts whether or not they could handle Halloween weekend on their own. This was a big occasion for Mitchell’s Pub, and I felt guilty as sin for sticking them with it.

“
I have bands booked for Friday and Saturday. Cory will be working every night this week too.” I looked at Marie and sighed. She smiled and winked at me.

“
I can help out,” Tammy added. She was also grinning excitedly at me.

“
Are you guys sure? I really feel bad…” I started my apology but Marie cut me short.

“
Taryn! It’s okay! We can handle it. Pete will keep a head count. We’ll just make sure that we don’t overcrowd the place, that’s all,” Marie confirmed. “Besides, we can always post a sign out front that says he went away for the weekend so don’t bother looking for him in here.” She pointed at Ryan.

“
If you think it will help!” Ryan winked.

Pete cleared his throat. “Well, as long as we are sharing good news, Tammy and I have an announcement to make.”

For some reason when he spoke I wasn’t surprised. I knew something was up. All night Pete and Tammy were gazing lovingly at each other, like they were protecting some deep, dark secret.

“
Tammy and I have officially set a date for our wedding!”

“
We’re getting married on Saturday, September 4
^th
!” Tammy gushed, looking into Pete’s eyes.

I noticed Ryan fidget in his chair. The air that he breathed out of his nose was audible, but a little smirk appeared on his lips. I wondered which word did him in.

Was it the word “married” or “wedding” that caused him to squirm?

My hand stretched to hit the snooze
button. It was way too early to be awake, but Ryan had obligations - he had to get in the shower and go be a movie star.

“
Ten more minutes,” he groaned, nestling his face on the back of my head. My eyes closed and I drifted right back to sleep, but the buzzer on the alarm clock wouldn’t allow it to last.

“
Babe, it’s five thirty. Your car will be here in a few minutes.” I rubbed his back to wake him.

“
Mmm!” he moaned. “That feels nice.”

His cell phone rang, forcing him to reach. “Morning Mike. Yeah, I’m up.” He got out of bed, rubbed his eyes, and looked out the bedroom window. “The alley looks clear. See you soon.”

I smiled to myself while I made him a cup of coffee. I was so in love with the man who woke up next to me and was now getting ready for his day in my shower.

I thought about how different things were since the first time he spent the night. How I wrestled with the thoughts of not allowing myself to get hurt again versus the burning desire to love again.

“
I have a twelve hour day scheduled. I’ll call you when I’m on my way,” he said happily as he dried himself with a towel. “What’s on your agenda today?”

“
I have to drop off the deposit at the bank and I was going to do some grocery shopping. I’m almost out of coffee and there’s really no food in this place.”

“
While you’re at the store, would you pick up a couple of things for me? I’d really like some sort of soap that doesn’t smell like fruit.” He sniffed the skin on his arm. “Just pick out something for me please? Oh, and make sure you keep your cell phone with you at all times, just in case.”

In the kitchen, he wrote a small list on a piece of paper. “Here’s some money. It’s all the cash I have left on me after losing to Gary last night.” He pulled a random mix of bills from his pocket and laid it on the table. “Use it!”

We waited by the back door in the pub kitchen for his driver. I punched in the numbers to shut the alarm off. “The code is 283091 and then you hit this button here.”

He repeated the number. “You may have to remind me; I don’t know if I’ll remember it.”

“
It’s my birthday but in reverse… remember? 19
^th
of March in 82. You should at least remember the year.” I nudged him.

“
I remember when your birthday is,” he droned kiddingly. “Do you remember mine?”

“
November seventeenth.” I grinned. “Three more weeks.”

His driver honked once and he kissed me goodbye. “Got to go. I’ll call you later.” The annoying cameras started clicking the moment he stepped one foot out the door.

By the time I reached the apartment door, I heard my cell phone playing Ryan’s ringtone.

“
I forgot something,” he said, sounding a bit regretful.

I hurried to the kitchen. “You need me to add something to your list?” I already had the pen in my hand.

“
No!” he said amusingly. “I forgot to tell you that I love you.”

My heart skipped another beat just hearing him say those words to me. “I love you too!” I whispered.

I plunked down in the kitchen chair and took a moment to revel in his words; his grocery list was still in my hand. I scanned over the items he requested – typical items that you use every day – shampoo, razors, body soap, and contact lens solution. I chuckled when I read ‘man-scented shave cream.’ Poor guy! All the products I had in my bathroom were definitely scented for women.

I did an inventory of the things I had on hand in the pantry and added a lot to his list. The last item he had noted was raisin bran cereal. His needs were simple.

I turned my computer on to check the balance of my accounts before going shopping, just so I knew how carried away I could get. I pressed the icon to open up my Internet connection; the second my finger clicked my mind flashed to Marie telling me I was on the Internet.

Search: Ryan Christensen

I hesitated before hitting Enter on my keyboard. My pinky finger hit the key anyway.

It was like opening up the floodgates to Hell. There were over sixty two million different hits for websites with his name. At the top of the page, there were several items listed under “News results.”