Stay (Love In Montana Book 5)

Her dad came forward and pulled her into a hug. “You don’t need to do a thing, sweetheart. Just leave everything to God. If your love for each other is true, I’m sure your love will win against all odds. So, is Ryder Kevin or Keith’s son? I haven’t been in touch with them for ages,” asked her dad with a smile, remembering his childhood friends. 

“He's uncle Kennedy's son, dad,” informed Anastasia, wiping her tears away. Her dad’s words gave her hope.

“Oh! That’s great! Last when I met Kenny, he was quite young. Now I’m sure that your Ryder will definitely pursue you. He should be as stubborn as his dad was when he was young,” said her dad. “If he has followed you all the way from Fordsville, he should follow you anywhere,” he told her, making her smile shyly. She just wished that her dad’s words came true. 

“Call him over. I’d love to meet him,” said her dad with a smile on his face.  Anastasia nodded, her heart skipping a beat or two hearing her dad’s words. She knew that her dad approved of Ryder and it made her very happy. Anastasia eagerly waited for Ryder’s call to invite him over. She had no idea how long he would stay here. So when he didn’t call by afternoon, she called him instead, unable to control her urges. 

Ryder immediately accepted the call. “Can’t stay without me or what?” he said teasingly into the phone.

“Of course, I can. I just called to inform you that dad wants to meet you. So are you free tonight?” she asked hesitantly, with a shy smile on her face. Did she seem too eager? 

“I’m always free for you, Annie. I can come right now,” said Ryder with a smirk. 

“No, not now. Come over for dinner,” said Anastasia. 

“What if I can’t wait that long? I’m coming in an hour,” he stated.

“Come at 6 o’clock, please,” begged Anastasia. “I have to be prepared to serve you something at least,” she explained. Ryder chuckled.

“What’s the big deal in that? Just serve yourself to me. I can devour you anytime, for breakfast, lunch as well as dinner,” said Ryder with a laugh. 

“Haha, very funny! You’ll devour me in front of my dad?” she said sarcastically. 

“Just kidding! Okay, I’ll be there by 5 o’clock. I’ll just sip beer and watch you cook for me,” he said, his eyes flashing with excitement. “Don’t decline, please. I won’t disturb you at all,” he said, making Anastasia give in.

“Okay, see you then,” she said, disconnecting the call. She rushed to her dad’s room to inform him about Ryder’s presence at dinnertime. “He said he’d be here before dinner. Will that be okay, dad?” she asked hesitantly. Her dad smiled and nodded.

“I’d love the company,” he said. “If you want, I can call Anson and get food from the restaurant. You can just prepare a favorite dessert of his,” suggested his dad. 

Anastasia’s eyes sparkled with delight at his suggestion. Although she loved cooking, but at the moment she wanted to spend time with Ryder more than spend it slogging in the kitchen. 

“Yes, dad. Please can you call Anson?” said Anastasia eagerly. Her dad nodded and picked up his phone to call. Anastasia went to the kitchen to decide what special dessert she would make for Ryder. Settling for the iconic Lobster Tails of Vegas, she checked for the ingredients she needed.  With two hours at hand, she could easily make the pastry first and while it was being cooked, she could prepare the filling. Soon a batch of delicious pastries in the shape of lobster tails were ready stuffed with French cream, a custard folded with whipped cream. Satisfied with the outcome of her hard work, Anastasia rushed to her room to change. 

With only fifteen minutes at hand, she quickly chose a pale pink chiffon dress with a classic flared skirt and a v-neckline. Leaving her hair curled and loosely hanging creating a halo around her, Anastasia was ready to face Ryder. She quickly applied some pink lip gloss and dabbed on her signature perfume before rushing downstairs. 

She could clearly hear Ryder’s voice from the living room as he and her dad laughed at some joke. Smiling, she walked into the living room to see Ryder dressed for the occasion. He looked extremely dashing in a blue dress shirt and off-white trousers. With his sleeves rolled up to show his thick, tattooed muscular arms, Anastasia couldn’t contain her wish to be wrapped in them. They both looked up on seeing her enter the room. 

“Hey! You’re ten minutes late,” smiled Ryder, looking at her appreciatively. 

“She was busy making something special for you,” said her dad, coming to her rescue. 

“Oh, really? I can’t wait to taste it,” said Ryder. Anastasia smiled at the two of them. She was glad that they had taken a liking to each other. 

They started discussing Fordsville and Anastasia’s dad asked him about Ryder’s family. They soon bonded more as Anastasia sat down with them joining in the conversation. “You should visit us, uncle David. Everyone would be extremely happy to see you,” said Ryder. 

“Yes, dad. Grandpa and granny still wait for you. They won’t live for long. You should go and see them, dad,” said Anastasia, with a pleading look in her face. Her dad wiped his eyes hearing her words.

“Yes, now I will. With Anson set in his career, I’m a free man. I might return to ma and dad for good,” said her dad. Anastasia’s eyes filled up with tears and she hugged her dad.

“I’m so happy, dad,” she said while Ryder smiled at them. 

“Why are you two crying? Is Sia getting married to this guy, already?” asked a surprised Anson as he walked into the living room. Anastasia released her dad and glared at him. Ryder chuckled and stood up to greet Anastasia’s brother. 

“Hi, I’m Ryder Wilson, currently just a friend,” he said, stretching his hand for a shake with a grimace making Anson laugh. He caught his hand in a warm grasp.

“Anson Farrell, your so called friend’s one and only brother. So she has friend-zoned your is it?” laughed Anson.

“Just don’t ask!” said Ryder with an eye roll. They all laughed. Two of their restaurant staff brought in the food that her dad had ordered for dinner. After they left, they all sat down to relax with drinks that Anson served themselves. No one offered Anastasia as she usually didn’t touch alcohol. They chatted like they had known one another for a long time. Although Anastasia didn’t get a moment alone with Ryder, yet she was happy that her family liked him. They loved the food but more so the lobster tails that Anastasia had made. 

“The girl has a natural talent for creating such delicious treats. Everything she amazes me,” said her dad.

“Yeah, she single-handedly handles grandpa Eddie’s bakery,” said Ryder. Her dad was amazed at the piece of information and applauded her immensely making her hide behind Ryder. 

“It’s nothing, dad. I love baking, creating mouth watering delicacies,” she admitted.

“Then you should bake instead of considering fashion designing as a career,” added Anson with a grim expression. Her dad sighed and Anastasia just stared at her food. Ryder watched everyone’s reaction minutely. He didn’t wish to say something awkward that would spoil the good rapport that he had worked hard for. 

“I don’t have a choice and you know that very well. Can we not discuss it right now, Anson?” pleaded Anastasia. She had no wish to spoil her mood right now. 

“So how long are you here in Vegas, Ryder?” asked her dad to change the topic of discussion.

 “I’ll leave Monday evening, uncle David,” said Ryder. “I just wanted to take your permission to take Annie out on a date tomorrow,” blurted out Ryder, making Anastasia’s eyes widen with apprehension. She looked at her dad who smiled at the question.

“You have my permission but get her back on time,” he said with an amused expression on his face. Anson was quiet and just looked at all of them. 

“Yes, I give you my word for it. Thank you, uncle David,” said Ryder. He glanced at Anastasia’s jaw-dropped stare and grinned. Ryder spent an hour more and then he took his leave. As Anastasia followed him outside to walk with him to his car. The moment they were out of sight, Ryder caught her hand. 

“Be ready at 5 o’clock. I’ll pick you up,” he said, leaning in a little. Anastasia nodded.

“Can’t we meet in the morning?” she asked hopefully. 

“You want to meet me in the morning as well?” asked Ryder with disbelief. Anastasia nodded.

“I want to spend a whole day with you,” she said softly. Ryder’s heart skipped a beat.

 “I’ll pick you up at 8 o’clock in the morning. Will that do?” he asked softly as they stood beside his car.