The announcement rippled through the room like a stone dropped in still water—questions flying, worries bubbling up, everyone talking over each other in the way only family can.
Ryder stayed steady, rising to his feet, his broad frame casting long shadows across the wide-planked floor. His voice carried that unmistakable mix—southern drawl softened by years in Manhattan boardrooms, smooth yet unshakably firm. “We don’t see the need to delay. We’re ready to start our life together. Ain’t no reason to wait.”
Bella Rose leaned forward, concern etched across her pretty face. “But what about the venue? The flowers? The arrangements?”
Before Ryder could dig his heels in, Isobel rose and touched his arm, grounding him with that quiet grace of hers. “We want it to be in your dad’s barn, Ryder.”
