He blew on his tea. “You’re thinking of my dad’s company. It’s more than manufacturing now, I don’t even know what all he’s into. I was never interested in that part of it.” He placed his hands around his cup. “When I was about fourteen, I came up with some ideas for video games. My dad backed me and we formed RE Gaming. The games sold like hotcakes. I designed several more games. Combat games. Racing games. Role playing games. Anything that would appeal to a teenage boy. I did that all through college and then when I joined the Navy, I sold the company, with my dad’s blessing, for two point five billion.”
Her mouth fell open and her eyes widened. “Two. Billion. Dollars. Wow, I’m impressed. It never would have occurred to me that RE Gaming was you.”
He smiled. “I named it like that so it wouldn’t be associated with Evers’ Manufacturing. I was never interested in my dad’s business, but interestingly enough, my sister, Sophie, is. He’s been grooming her to take over when he decides to retire. She’s ready and she’s good at it. She’s always been serious about learning, first everything at school—she graduated high school at fifteen and went to college after completing many of her classes online. By the time Sophie entered college as a junior, she was seventeen and it wasn’t so traumatic for…” He paused and grinned. “The other students. But she’d done enough classes already that she graduated at the end of that year. She was always ahead of the other kids. I’m so proud of her and so are my parents.”
She laughed. “I bet she still intimidated them with her intellect if not with her young age.”
He nodded and then took a sip of his tea. “That she did, but she was still very popular. She’s pretty, smart, athletic and makes friends easily.”
Kaylie smiled. “Sophie sounds like someone I’d like to meet.”
“I know you’d like her.” He reached across the table and took her hand. “I’d like to get to know you better. And I’d like to show you I’m not the man you saw a little while ago.”
“But you are that man.” She pulled back her hand and shook her head. “You are also the man who is sitting here, talking rationally. I worry about that kind of temper. What if I do something again that you don’t like?”
He huffed out a small breath and sighed. “I don’t normally have a temper.”
She lifted an eyebrow and her mouth formed a flat line. “Really? Could have fooled me.”
“I know it looks bad, but I couldn’t have had that temper and do what I did in the Navy. I was a sniper. I’m telling you this in confidence and because I trust you, and I want you to trust me. I continued that work in the CIA until I couldn’t do it anymore because I wanted a normal life. A wife and kids.” He reached across the table and took her hand again. “What about you, Kaylie. Do you want kids?”
My first boyfriend had a temper and actually hit me once. That was the end. I promised myself I’d never get involved with a man with a temper. Admittedly, Ryan isn’t the same and given what I know now, it’s not likely to happen again. His grief is what caused his outburst and now that we’re through that, I feel like I might be able to trust him. And, didn’t Dad teach me that everyone deserves a second chance?
Kaylie lifted her brows, surprised he’d ask her this after knowing her such a short time, yet she wanted to answer. She sighed and let out a breath. “I’d be lying if I said I don’t. I want all those things.” She opened her hands to the sides in front of her. “Husband. Two point five kids and a dog with the white picket fence.” Then she laughed. “And probably a trampoline in the backyard that it will terrify me to see the kids on.”
He chortled. “Then why get it?”
She blinked a couple of times and then shrugged. “Because they’ll want it and I’m a pushover.”
Ryan shook his head and laughed. Then he wiped his eyes and looked at her. “Well, I’m not a pushover. I had a nickname in the Navy. It was the equivalent of hard posterior.”
Her eyes widened.Is he talking about marrying me? I admit I’m hugely attracted…but marriage? Stop it Kaylie. You’re putting the cart before the horse and probably reading things into his words that he doesn’t mean. Just ignore them.
Ryan changed the subject. “Well, if we’re going to get that tree and those decorations back up before midnight, we’d better get started.”
Deciding this was safer than continuing the last line of conversation, she answered. “We have about an hour before I have to make cornbread and get dinner ready.”
“I’ll start with the tree since I’m the one who messed it up.”
Kaylie gave him a small smile. “Good. I’ll get the mantel and the stair railing.”
By the time she had to prepare dinner, they were nearly done. She took his stocking and walked to the fireplace. As she started to hang it, she felt Ryan touch her arm. She turned and eyed him.
He furrowed his brows. “Don’t. I don’t want that up.” His voice was a whisper.
Kaylie knew he was thinking of Janice and wanted to comfort him. Suddenly, she wrapped her arms around his waist.
His arms enveloped her.
They stood like that for a while. Just holding each other with no agenda, at least on her part, other than to support him.
Finally, she stood back. “I better make that cornbread. The cowboys will be hungry.”
He nodded and let her go.
She turned and headed toward the kitchen.
“Kaylie.”