Saturday, November 23rd, 2019

Kimi's POV

While sitting on a lounger near the pool, I couldn't help but think about what has happened. I have been going to Sienna's mom's group for two months now. Those group sessions have helped me so much.

Don't get me wrong - I miss my baby girl so much, but now I'm able to talk about my story more to others. I appreciate Sienna coming over to our table back in September.

Meanwhile, Ryley's conniving mother, Vanessa keeps conveniently showing up at school. I told Ryder, and he went to get a restraining order against her. I just don't get it. Vanessa didn't give a hoot about Ryley. As soon as she sees us together, now she has issues.

"Kimi! Kimi! Daddy is going to teach me how to ride my bike now!" Ryley says as she ran over to me.

"He is? I'll come help too."

Ryley grabbed my hands then dragged me through the gate to the front yard.

"Daddy, Kimi came to help too."

Ryder looks like a nervous wreck.

"Ryder, remember the bike has training wheels on it. Ryley is not going to fall."

"Oh, I'm not nervous about teaching Ryley how to ride her bike. I have been waiting for this day. I'm still nervous about what Vanessa is trying to do."

"We will get the best lawyers in the world to make sure Vanessa DOES not take Ryley away from us. If I have to spend every bit of money that I have, I will do it."

"You would do that?"

"Without question, I would do it. Ryder, since we met, Ryley has brought so much joy and happiness into my life. Of course, I miss Arianna, but Ryley is special to me. You have no idea how much I love Ryley. I don't care about the money. I care about Ryley."

I hugged Ryder because he needed it. Vanessa is in his head, and it's my duty to get her out of his thoughts.

"Vanessa is NOT taking Ryley from us."

"How would you feel about adopting Ryley and officially becoming her mom? I thought about it since the day I proposed to you in Maui."

Now I'm the one who is nervous. "I would love to become Ryley's mommy."

"I already have the paperwork filled out because I was waiting for the wedding. But, why wait? I have already talked to my parents and Vanessa's parents. They are ready and willing to write recommendation letters to the adoption agency. Speaking of Vanessa's parents, they would like to meet you."

"They want to meet me?"

"When I take Ryley over to visit with them, she always tells them about you - how you take her places, how you treat her, how you love her, etc. So, they want to meet this special woman that makes Ryley so happy."

"When am I going to meet them?"

"I invited them over for dinner for tomorrow. That's not too soon, is it? I asked them to come to our house because I didn't want Vanessa to try something slick."

"Daddy and Kimi, am I ever going to ride my bike?" Ryley said with an attitude in her voice and hands on her hips.

"No, tomorrow is fine. We'll need to go shopping sometime later today. But, right now, Ryley looks impatient. We better teach her how to ride her bike."

************

Sunday, November 24th, 2019

I did not get much sleep last night because of being a nervous wreck about dinner tonight. I want Ryley to become my daughter so much. This dinner has to go perfectly.

Snowflake, Trixie, Ski, and Fluffy joined me in the living room to watch television. I hear footsteps, so Ryder or Ryley is about to join me.

"I'm guessing you couldn't sleep," Ryder said as he sat next to me.

"No, I couldn't. I'm worried about dinner tonight."

"Don't be nervous. Evelyn and Jeffrey's relationship with Vanessa is not good because of what happened. You will have more of a relationship with them than Vanessa."

"We'll see."

"Listen, I don't need anyone's recommendation letter. Ryley is my daughter, and I'm the one who decides what is best for her. You're going to be Ryley's mother, whether anyone likes it or not. Now, what would you like me to order for breakfast?"

"You're a trip about breakfast. I'll fix something for us."

******

Ryder's POV

I heard car doors closing, meaning Evelyn and Jeffrey are here. I walked through the back gate and met them at their car.

"Hi, Ryder. It's good to see you."

"It's good to see you too, Evelyn and Jeffrey. Follow me. We're going to have dinner on the patio. Ryley is in the kitchen with Kimi. She loves to help Kimi cook."

Evelyn and Jeffrey followed me through the gate and onto the backyard. Ryley was coming out of the kitchen and saw her grandparents.

"Grandma and grandpa!" Ryley ran to her grandpa and jumped in his arms.

"How's my girl doing?" Jeffrey asked Ryley.

"I'm fine, grandpa. I helped Kimi cook for you."

"You did? I can't wait to taste it. Let's go have a seat."

Kimi was coming outside as we approached the table. I could tell she was still nervous by the look on her face, and she was walking a little slow.

"Grandpa, there's Kimi," Ryley said as she wiggled out of Jeffrey's arms.

"Evelyn and Jeffrey, this is my bride-to-be, Kimberly Forester."

"It's nice to meet both of you. You can call me Kimi."

"It's nice to meet you, Kimi. You're just as pretty as Ryley described you. You can call me Eve. And, don't be nervous, honey," Evelyn said to her.

"Sorry. I'll be right back with dinner."

"Ryley, go wash your hands. I'll be back too."

Ryley ran into the house. I followed Kimi into the kitchen to help with dinner.

"Evelyn already likes you because she doesn't let everyone call her Eve. And, remember, what I say goes about Ryley."

Ryley ran back outside. I washed my hands, and Kimi did too. Then, we carried dinner out to the patio.

We heard Ryley say, "I helped Kimi make the salad. I poured the salad in the bowl, and Kimi cut up the veggies."

"We're having grilled chicken, salad, baked salmon, corn, and green beans."

I went back into the kitchen to get the grilled corn and salmon, which looked amazing as always.

"Ryder, you let Kimi do all this cooking? I remember you saying you couldn't cook worth squat," Jeffrey said, which made Kimi chuckle.

"Well, I'm on my way to cooking. So far, Kimi seasons the meat, and I grill it."

Kimi's POV

"Cooking is my passion. When I quit working, I began cooking more. And, Ryley told me one time, 'Daddy can't fix cereal, Kimi. Can you help me?' Ryley and I have been cooking together since I moved in with them."

"What made you quit your job?" Evelyn asked, concerned.

"My parents, along with William and Blair, are involved in some kind of disagreement that caused them to drift apart. Before Ryder and I started dating, we couldn't stand each other. But, in December of last year, that changed. On a ski trip to France, all it took was a cup of hot chocolate for that to change."

Ryder then said, "We were walking together in our friend's wedding, so we had to talk at least for the wedding. Kimi had a broken ankle, and I saw her sitting in the lobby by herself as I was about to go skiing. I changed my mind, so I went to grab two cups of hot chocolate and offered it as a truce."

"Once we started talking, Ryder and I became inseparable. The first time I saw Ryley, I cried. You see, I lost my daughter, and Ryley reminded me of what I pictured my daughter would have looked like."

"Aww, honey, I'm so sorry about your loss. You don't have to tell us."

"Thank you so much for your condolences. But, I want to tell you. I'm now at a status in my life where I am comfortable telling people what happened. You see, when I was six months pregnant with my daughter, I was hit by a drunk driver. My parents had to make a difficult choice - me or my baby. We finally found out who caused my accident, and he is paying for what happened."

"Anyone who drives drunk should be thrown under the jail."

"I absolutely agree. Back to the reason I quit working. My parents didn't like that we started dating. They gave me an ultimatum - quit dating Ryder or continue working for our family business. That was the easiest decision I ever made. Ryder and Ryley mean the world to me. I'm never giving them up for anyone. I finally have the relationship I have always wanted. I do so many of the things with Ryley that I wanted to do with my daughter."

"Why in the world would your parents do a despicable thing like that?" Jeffrey asked.

"We have been asking that same question. Neither of our parents will tell us why they don't care for each other. But, William and Blair have stood by my side. Their support is all that I need."

"It's a shame your parents did that. Ryley is in good hands. You care more about her than my child has ever done. And, I know for sure she is trying to interfere. I don't know what she is trying to accomplish, but we'll do all we can to help you and Ryder."

"Thank you, Eve. Ryley is a sweetheart, and I will do all I can to make her feel loved and wanted. She won my heart the first time we met."

"We have no doubt you will. I have a recommendation letter in my bag for you guys. Let's enjoy this delicious dinner."

*********

"Thank you for coming to dinner. And, thank you for your support, Eve and Jeffrey."

"You're welcome, Kimi. Thank you for the invite. Let's do this again."

"I would like that."

"Good night, Ryley. You too, Ryder."

"Goodbye, grandma and grandpa."

Ryder, Ryley, and I walked with Eve and Jeffrey to their car. Suddenly, Ryder, Eve, and Jeffrey were mad. Then, I saw the reason. What is Vanessa doing here?!

Ryder then said, "Ryley, princess, go get ready for bed. I'll be in shortly."

"Okay, daddy."

I followed Ryder to make sure he didn't do anything foolish.

"Ryder, be careful about what you say to Vanessa. She may be recording the conversation or something."

Ryder's POV

"Vanessa, you need serious help. Leave Ryley alone! DON'T EVER come to my house again!! What part are you not understanding?! She's happy with me!"

Evelyn added, "Vanessa, why did you follow us to Ryder's house?! Leave Ryder, Ryley, and Kimi alone. You wanted no part of being a mother to Ryley or being in a relationship with Ryder. You didn't even want to hold Ryley after she was born! Ryder has with Kimi what he wanted with you. You're the one who threw them away. Don't try to be a part of Ryley's life now. We are happy for them. Why can't you be?!"

"Unbelievable. My own parents don't even support me. I don't trust her. I just want my child to be safe!" She had the nerve to say while pointing at Kimi.

"Vanessa, Evelyn, and Jeffrey were very supportive of you when you were pregnant with Ryley, so stop it! Stop saying Ryley is your child! No mother would give their child away. Then, come back into her life after seven years! Ryley is safe - safely away from you! Vanessa, this is the last time I'm going to tell you this - stay away from my family!"

Kimi and I walked away while Evelyn and Jeffrey continued talking with Vanessa.

"Ryder, when does the restraining order against Vanessa begin?"

"It takes about one to two weeks. It's probably going to be another week before I hear anything."

Once we made it inside, I went to Ryley's room. She had fallen asleep, so I kissed her forehead and turned off the light.

I went back downstairs. I'm going for a swim in the pool. I feel the need to cool off.

***************

Monday, December 2nd, 2019

Kimi's POV

The restraining order against Vanessa begins today. Thank goodness. Ryder went with the court clerk who served Vanessa with the restraining order. She wasn't happy, but who cares? Vanessa better get the message and leave Ryley alone.

I'm sitting in my SUV in the school parking lot, waiting for the bell to ring. Ryley and I are having a mommy/daughter date today.

I just heard the bell, so I got out of my SUV and walked to Ryley's classroom. Ryley was talking to one of the other kids. As soon as she saw me, Ryley ran to hug me.

"Kimi!"

"Hi, Ryley. Ready for our date?"

Ryley went to grab her backpack. We then held hands as we walked to my SUV.

"Where are we going, Kimi?"

"Well, first we are going to California Pizza Kitchen. Then we are going to Starbucks. That's where we met."

After unlocking my SUV, Ryley sat in her seat, and I put on her seat belt. I then got in the driver's seat. "California Pizza Kitchen, here we come!"

******

Ryley and I had a good time eating our pizza. We talked about school and what she would like to wear for the wedding, which will be here sooner than you know.

We are on our way to Starbucks now. Ryley likes the double chocolaty chip Frappuccino, and we get it without espresso. I'm going to order the same thing so we can be twins.

After parking, I helped Ryley out of her seat, and we walked inside to order our drinks.

Once we put in the order, we waited for our drinks.

"Thank you for the pizza, Kimi."

"You're welcome, sweetie. I enjoyed our time together." I hugged Ryley.

"Me too."

The barista called my name. After grabbing our drinks, I turned around, and someone bumped into me.

"Oh, I'm so-."

When I saw who it was, I wanted to break every bone in his body.

"Kimi, is that you?"

My calm, happy demeanor changed to upset and irritated. We just can't have any peace. Can we?

*************************