Ryker just laughed a little.

"Hah, nice." he said.

"Like I said, she'll love them." he repeated.

"You're really thoughtful." he went on.

"Also, it's SUPER adorable how shy you are when it's brought up." he then whispered in Eke's ear.

Ryker just grinned, showing his teeth a bit.

"Heh." he chuckled.

"Best reaction." he said to him.

"Anything else you want to do while we're out and about?" he then asked.

"Any other stops you want or need to make?"

"Oh?" Ryker asked.

"All right." he replied.

"Let's go get it, then." he told him.

"Where we headed?" he then inquired.

Ryker smiled.

"Gotcha." he replied.

"To the bookstore!" he declared as they got into the vehicle, and he drove away.

The bookstore wasn't too far away, about 10 minutes, and they arrived there shortly, Ryker pulling into a parking space and shutting the vehicle down.

"All righty, let's get inside." he told Eke.

"Get that book."

Ryker was silent for a moment, blinking a couple of times.

"Ah... right." he said.

"Yes. Indeed." he agreed.

He then started the vehicle up again, and they were off.

"Wow." he said.

"You look pleased as all get-out." he commented.

"Is that book REALLY so awesome?" he asked.

Ryker just smiled slightly.

"Heh." he chuckled.

"Good man." he said.

"She's lucky to have you." he told her.

"Seriously, you treat her like a friggin' queen, and that is amazing." he added.

Ryker just smiled softly.

"I getcha." he said.

"She's everything you've been missing in your life." he said further.

"She fills in all the gaps, and repaired what needed to be fixed." he went on.

"You two really are perfect for each other." he declared.

"And that makes me so damn happy, you have no idea." he added with a small laugh.

"....." Ryker was silent, about to protest, but then stopped and sighed.

"...yeah." he said.

"Yeah, I can't argue that." he admitted.

"She's really something." he said further.

"I really DO like her. A LOT."

Again, Ryker just laughed.

"I never would have imagined my life turning up like this." he said, as they pulled up to their home.

"Not complaining, either." he said.

"I never knew my life could be so... well... good." he admitted.

"A woman I love, and a bro that I wouldn't trade for the world." he continued.

"I'd say my life is... about as excellent as it gets."

Aly had noticed that Eke's attitude had improved drastically.

And she liked it. It did her heart good.

She asked Ryker about it, and all he said was that she was lucky to have him, and that that would be exemplified later in the night.

She was confused about the statement, but just went with it.

Ryker, meanwhile, stepped outside and looked around, mostly skyward.

"...the showdown is fast approaching..." he mumbled to himself.