Page 43 of Loving Callie
Jake stared at Ryan in shock. “Could it be? Is Ryan Carlisle, the ultimate bachelor, finally seeing the light and realizing relationships are not a form of torture?”
Ryan punched his friend in the shoulder. “Don’t get too excited bro. I know I’m not cut out for commitment. I’m just saying, I don’t feel like being with someone who means nothing to me tonight. I’d rather be with my friends. That’s all.”
Jake nodded, a smug look on his face as he teased, “Right, that’s all. Okay buddy. Just watch, this year is your year to fall for a woman, hard and fast. And when it happens, I’ll be the first one to say ‘I told you so’. I’m betting you just need a damsel in distress to save or something. That would uncover your romantic side.”
“Yeah, right. And this year The Mariners will win The World Series.” Ryan glanced at the clock on the wall behind them. “Come on, dreamer, it’s almost midnight. Pour yourself a drink and let’s go and sit with the girls.”
Jake pulled out a megaphone to announce that the bar staff would be taking a fifteen-minute break from serving drinks so that they could also celebrate with everyone. Then the two men walked around to the front of the bar and stood with Callie and Reagan, ready to ring in the New Year.
“Five…Four…Three…Two…One… HAPPY NEW YEAR!” Voices rang out with cheers all around the pub.
Jake held Callie tightly in his arms, their lips fused together. The last few months had been a whirlwind, yet their relationship had withstood it and remained strong and steady. With the dawn of a new year on the horizon, Jake knew in his heart he would spend the rest of his life loving Callie.
* * *
In the days that followed, Ryan found plenty of time to think about what Jake had said on New Years Eve. Did he have a romantic side? Maybe so, but it would surely take an extraordinary woman to make him admit if such a thing even existed. The cynical playboy in him seriously doubted that it did.
A few days later as a snowstorm was ravaging Portland, he sent Jake home from the Lucky Strike to spend time with Callie. They didn’t both need to be at the bar with how few customers had come in, which left Ryan bored out of his mind.
He was getting ready to shut down and head home himself when the front door to the pub blew open, sending a blast of cold air and an unfamiliar woman inside. A woman who was about to change his life in ways he could never have predicted.
The playboy was about to meet his match.
