Knight in Shining Suit (14 page)

I was thankful for the
cool air and the privacy. Although there was not much of it, since
there were other people in the veranda too. I could even see some
of Geena’s bridesmaids flirting with some guys somewhere in the
corner.

I stared at the lake view
in front of us. I was content to stand close to Ryder quietly. It
was comfortable.

I realized that I was more
aware of Ryder’s presence than I was aware of Bryan and Geena being
in the same room as I was. I smiled to myself. More and more, I
felt positive that I would get over them.

How pathetic am I?
If Ryder weren’t here with me, people would not
think the same! Now only I knew just how painful it still was, and
how sad I was.

I felt Ryder pull me
closer to him. I felt his breath on my bare shoulder and then I
felt his lips on my neck.

“
Because it’s just the two
of us here, I need not make up an unforgettable line to propose,”
he whispered.

I laughed and faced him.
His eyes were sparkling. I took in a deep breath.

God, I wish I had his
spirit!

He took my hand in his and
he kissed it gently.

“
Astrid Ysabelle
Jacobson…” he started and I was surprised that he knew my full
name. “You are the epitome of beauty and strength. You are smart
and creative… you have a brilliant mind. Being here shows just how
courageous you are. Putting on a brave face and making your aunts
and uncles think that everything is fine with you, even though you
still ache, shows just how much respect and love you have for your
family… seeing that you have not even thrown the bride and groom
any antagonistic look or sarcastic remark, shows what a classy
woman you are. You are a goddess, Astrid. Any man would be lucky to
have you… any man would want to make you his bride. Someday,
your
real
ever
after will find you. Then you will understand that everything
happened for a reason… you will learn to appreciate this pain…
because if it weren’t for this, you wouldn’t find your way to the
arms of your real soul mate, your real prince.”

I couldn’t help crying at
those words. His face was so sober, his expression was so
genuine.

“
I’ve known you for a
short time, Astrid. I consider myself lucky to have met you. Torn
as you may be now, I know you, of all people, will rise above this.
To tell you the truth, they say that the bride is the most
beautiful woman at the wedding.” He shook his head. “She’s not. You
are. Trust me. I’m not saying this because you asked me to. I’m
saying this because… I look at your innocent beauty… and I know I’m
incapable of lying to you.”

He reached forward and
wiped my tears with his fingers.

“
Will you promise me some
things?”

Because I couldn’t say
anything, I merely nodded.

“
Will you promise me that
you will allow healing to come? That you will rise above Bryan and
Geena?”

I bit my lip and whispered
tremulously, “Yes.”

“
Will you promise me that
you will learn to love yourself beyond your love for anyone
else?”

I let out a little
giggle.

He took a deep breath.
“And will you promise to find your way to me again… when the time
is right? Maybe we can meet under different
circumstances?”

This question took me
aback a little bit.

“
Why?”

“
We belong to each other
tonight, Astrid. But after this night… it’s over.” He took a deep
breath. “Someday, I would like to see what you have become… after
you rise above it all. I want to see that you have kept your
promises. I’d like to see the real you. The you that is buried
underneath the smile that you put on. The you that Bryan and Geena
attempted to bury in pain. And… I would like you to see me, the
real me. The guy behind the mask I put on the day I met
you.”

I stared up at him and
realized what a sincere person Ryder was. He may not be the rich
guy he pretended to be tonight, but the rest of him was genuine.
The type that you rip right out of a romance novel.

“
Will you promise to come
find me again someday?” he asked solemnly.

I stared up at him, tears
still streaming from my eyes.

“
Yes.” The word was a mere
burst of air from my throat.

He smiled and then he took
something from his pocket.

It was the ring. He slid
it on my ring finger. My breath caught in my throat. It was ten
times more beautiful than the ring Bryan had given me. The stone in
the center was probably at least two carats.

It was lovely and as it
sparkled in the light, I thought I was going to go
blind.

“
It’s beautiful,” I
whispered.

“
I’m glad you like it,” he
said. “It’s not a rental.”

I smiled at him. “It’s
lovely.”

The stone could be cubic
zirconia or probably moissanite. At least Ryder was honest about
it; he didn’t try to pass it off for a diamond when it wasn't. The
beauty of the ring itself was so extraordinary that no one would
mind what stone it was.

“
A little reminder of your
promises,” he grinned.

I laughed and then I said,
“Yes. I promise to heal, I promise to love myself, I promise to
come find you when all this is behind me.”

He grinned at me and then
slowly his face descended towards mine and he kissed me. The kiss
was deep, sincere… mind-blowing!

When the kiss ended, I
couldn’t bear to open my eyes. I was afraid that if I opened them,
Ryder wouldn’t be there. He’d be gone. Everything would be a
dream.

Then I felt him kiss the
tip of my nose. Finally, I opened my eyes and found him still
staring at me.

“
Are you for real?” I
breathed.

He laughed. “I’m for real.
At least for tonight.” He released me and then he took my
hand.

“
Come. People will be
wondering why you’ve gone missing,” he said. “Plus, you’ve got
another story to tell.”

I giggled. “Yeah. Like
what’s the answer to ‘when’s the big date?’”

He smiled at me. “You can
always say we haven’t spoken about it yet. You’ve just said ‘yes’
to me tonight.”

I sighed. “Oh, yeah. I’m
still in heaven. This is all a dream to me.”

When we rejoined the group
once again, the first person I ran into was the very familiar
groom.

“
Astrid!” He beamed at me.
“I am so glad you made it!”

Liar!

But I smiled at him. Ryder
squeezed my hand encouragingly.

“
I’m glad I made it too,”
I said bravely.

He stared at me for a
while and then he looked over at Ryder.

I realized that I had to
introduce them… and then kill myself later probably, but for now,
formalities first.

“
Am… swee… sweetheart,
this is Bryan, the groom. Bryan… this is Ryder Woodson.”

“
Your date?” Bryan asked
still looking at Ryder.

Ryder extended his hand to
him. “Ryder Van Woodsen,” Ryder corrected me. “Her… fiancé,” he
said.

In spite of my surprise
that Ryder changed his surname, I didn’t miss the shocked
expression on Bryan’s face.

“
Wh… what?” he stuttered,
not comprehending.

“
That’s right, Bryan,” I
said, keeping my voice steady.

“
Wow! That was fast,” he
murmured under his breath, looking at me grudgingly.

“
Apparently, still a lot
slower than you,” I said to him.

It didn’t take long before
Geena came up behind Bryan.

“
There you are!” she said
hugging her husband from behind, pretending to be oblivious of us…
well of me, because I already saw her looking at Ryder as she
approached us.

“
Honey,” Bryan said
putting an arm around her.

“
This is Ryder Van
Woodsen. Apparently, he’s Astrid’s fiancé.”

Geena looked at me for the
first time. The insulting shock on her face made me want to slap
her in front of her husband. Did she think I couldn't score a guy
like Ryder?

Well, they both know me
too well. They know I thought rich, cute boys were given fortune
and good looks because they were lacking in the IQ department.
Maybe Geena and Bryan couldn’t believe I somehow chose to conjure a
Ken doll to life and brought him to their wedding… and he brought
his expensive, shiny car with him!

“
How long have you known
each other?” Geena asked.

“
Two months,” Ryder
answered quickly. He pulled me closer to him, wrapping a possessive
arm around my waist. He looked down at me with affection in his
eyes. “I cannot wait to make her mine forever.”

“
Well, she’s good at the
waiting game,” Bryan snorted quietly, but loud enough for Ryder and
me to hear.

“
I can wait as long as it
takes,” Ryder said. “She’s definitely worth it.”

Though Ryder didn’t know
what Bryan was getting at, I knew just exactly what he meant. I
smiled bravely at Bryan. “I changed a lot since the day I found out
you knocked up my cousin! I told myself that the next time I find a
wonderful guy, I’m going to seize the day! No more waiting games,”
I said, trying to keep myself cool. Then I turned to Geena.
“Congratulations on your wedding. I can’t really say it’s…
original, but you pulled it off. You should be proud of yourselves.
Now, if you’ll excuse us, we need to retreat to our suite so we can
celebrate our engagement privately.”

I started pulling Ryder
away.

“
You rented a suite here?”
Geena asked.

I turned back to her and
nodded.

“
Yes. The Paradise Suite.
I was told it was the most romantic suite they have,” Ryder
replied.

Geena couldn’t help giving
Bryan a hard look that almost said,
Why
didn’t we get that instead?

“
We don’t need the most
romantic suite,” Bryan said, as if reading Geena’s mind. “My wife
is pregnant. Nothing can be more joyous than that.”

Somehow, I felt that that
comment was for me. Bryan knew how much I adored babies and
children! I smiled at them, refusing to be defeated. “Oh, is that
why you got married so hastily?”

Geena blushed violently
and I could tell there was some truth in my words at
least.

“
We got married because
we’re in love!” she hissed at me.

I smiled at them and I
placed my left hand on my chest, so she won’t miss the sparkle of
my new ring.

“
Oh!” I sighed
sarcastically. “Well, I can say that’s a relief!”

She stared at the ring on
my finger and then raised a brow at me. I can almost see the lust
in her eyes.

“
It’s lovely, isn’t it?” I
asked her. “Anyway, good luck with your life together. I think
you’re both going to need a lot of that! Ta-ta!”

I whirled around and
pulled Ryder with me. We went straight for the exit without saying
goodbye to my relatives.

I was holding Ryder’s hand
tightly, afraid that if I let go of him, I would not be able to
support my own weight.

“
Honey…” he started. I
didn’t respond. I kept on walking and dragging him with me.
“Honey!” he called out louder this time around. He actually stopped
walking and pulled me towards him.

I was afraid I was going
to slip, but he caught me spot on, wrapping his arms around my
waist and holding me against him.

I closed my eyes as I
buried my face on his chest. I felt him hold me tightly. I cried
silently in his arms, as he caressed my head gently, whispering
soothing words in my ears.

“
You're doing great,” he
whispered to me.

“
I was, until I saw them.”
I snorted.

“
Even when you saw them,”
he said. “He couldn’t take his eyes off you.”

I giggled humorlessly. “He
couldn’t believe I had the nerve to show up here
tonight.”

“
He couldn’t believe he
let you go. That’s what I see from the look on his face. Trust me,
I'm good at reading people.”

Tears rolled down my
cheeks. “Did I do the right thing? Letting him go? He did try to
explain himself and get me back, asking for another chance… but I
shoved all the wedding details in his face. I didn’t give him a
second chance.”

“
He doesn’t deserve a
second chance. You deserved better,” he said stiffly. I realized
Bryan was somehow getting on Ryder’s nerves.

I couldn’t help feeling…
flattered about that.

“
I want to forget it all,
Ryder,” I whispered to him. “I want to forget them! I want to stop
feeling the hurt and the pain.”

He smiled and pinched my
nose. “You can’t cheat the healing process.”

“
Really? There’s no
bypassing this the fastest way possible? I mean, what can take the
pain away?”