CEO’s Regret After I Divorced (Serena and Ryan) novel Chapter 161

Chapter 161: Chapter 161 A bold attempt

Ryan’s POV

I took Serena to the best spots in San Francisco, determined to make her forget about that nightmare with Georgina. She deserved a break, something light and beautiful after the chaos. Every time she smiled, something in my chest eased—and tightened all at once. How close I’d come to losing her. How easily the universe could’ve taken everything again.

"Ryan, look!" Serena pointed at the street performers near Fisherman’s Wharf, her eyes sparkling with childlike wonder.

She hadn’t laughed like that since the hospital. Hearing it again—it was like breathing fresh air for the first time.

I slipped my arm around her waist, shielding her from the ocean wind. "Want to go check it out?"

She nodded, grinning, and I followed her lead. Maybe I was supposed to be showing her around, but it felt like she was the one reminding me what life looked like.

We wandered the pier, tasting clam chowder out of bread bowls, watching sea lions argue like grumpy old men. I mostly watched her—the way she tucked her hair behind her ear, the way her nose wrinkled when she laughed.

"You’re staring," she said without looking at me, her voice teasing.

"Yeah," I admitted easily. "Can you blame me?"

Later, in Golden Gate Park, the calm should’ve settled me—but it didn’t. Every brush of her hand against mine, every glance she threw over her shoulder—it was driving me insane.

Three nights of restraint since the hospital. Three nights of sleeping beside her, smelling her, not touching her. I kept telling myself she needed rest.

She caught me watching again and smiled, slow and knowing. "Ryan," she murmured, slipping her fingers through mine. "I need to use the restroom."

"There’s one over—"

The look in her eyes stopped me cold. That wasn’t what she meant.

"Come with me," she whispered.

My pulse jumped. "Serena, this is— we’re in public."

She tilted her head, lips curving in that dangerous little smile. "Guess you’ll just have to be quiet too, Mr. Responsible."

The family restroom was empty and surprisingly clean. The second the door locked behind us, Serena was pressed against me, her mouth finding mine hungrily.

"God, I’ve missed this," she murmured against my lips, her hands already working on my belt. "Missed you."

"We should wait until—" My words died in my throat as her hand slipped inside my pants, wrapping around me.

"I’m tired of waiting," she said, stroking me slowly. "I’m fine. The baby’s fine. And I want my husband."

Fuck. When she put it that way...

"That’s it," I encouraged as she started to tighten around me. "Let go, baby."

When she came, she bit down on her own hand to keep from crying out. The sight of her trying to stay silent, combined with how she felt pulsing around me, pushed me over the edge right after her.

For a moment, we just stood there, breathing hard, my forehead pressed against her shoulder.

"Well," she finally said, a slight laugh in her voice. "That’s one San Francisco attraction not in the guidebooks."

I couldn’t help but laugh as I helped her straighten her clothes. "You’re going to be the death of me, you know that?"

She turned in my arms, her expression suddenly serious. "No more talk about death. Just life. Our life."

I kissed her softly, reverently. "Our life," I agreed.

As we slipped out of the restroom (thankfully unnoticed), Serena’s hand found mine again.

"Where to next?" she asked brightly.

"Anywhere you want," I replied, meaning it with every fiber of my being. With her by my side, I’d go anywhere.