“Jesus. Halfway across the fucking country. No wonder I couldn’t find you,” he says under his breath. I can tell he wants to ask a million other questions, but he glances at our daughter, who’s now entertained with a couple of her toys she found in my bag and saves them for later. He dials a number on his phone and waits while it rings.
“Hey Bobby, it’s me. I’m going to need you to take over for me today. I had a family matter come up.” His gaze lingers on Ryland as he listens to Bobby on the other end. “No, everyone is okay.” He’s silent while Bobby talks. “Sounds good. Thanks, Bobby. Call me if you need anything. See you Monday.” He hangs up and puts his phone back down.
“You didn’t have to call off work. Like I said, I have to find a place…”
“You’re staying here until we figure this all out.”
“Ryder, I’ve already barged into your life unexpectedly. I can’t expect you to take us in, too. You have your own life, and you don’t need us here crowding your space.”
He steps closer to me, and I immediately back up and hit the counter. His greys have turned dark, and I see a storm in them. The sight sends my heart pounding loudly against my chest.
“The minute you told me I had a daughter, she becamemy life. I want her here with me so I can get to know her. I was robbed of the first two years. The least you can do is stay here and give me this time.” His eyes bore into mine, daring me to go against him on this. He’s right, though—he needs this time with her.
“Okay,” I say, nodding my head. “We’ll stay until we decide where to go from here.”
“Good. Now, let's go get her a better breakfast than dry cereal. Jake has some muffins I’m sure she would love. I could use some coffee, too.”
“Let me change first. We’re still in our pj’s.” His eyes roam down my shorts and tank top before meeting mine. I catch a glimpse of something that burns right through me before he looks away.
“You’ll be fine. We can change after. Everyone else will just be getting out of bed, too.”
“Who’s all here?” My gut twists at the thought of seeing his brothers. Will they be angry at me, too?
“Miles, Jake, Travis, Sophia, and Max.”
“Max is here?” I smile at the thought of seeing Max again. He was only three when I left, so he may not remember me.
“Yeah, Max is here for the summer with Travis and Sophia. Sophia is Travis’s wife. They’ve been married for a little over a year now, and she adopted Max shortly after.”
“Travis is married? What about Jake and Miles?”
“No, they are as single as they come.” He gives a small laugh. I glance down at his left hand, and he catches me looking at it.
“You won’t find a ring on my hand either. I gave up that dream a long time ago,” he says quietly. I meet his eyes briefly before looking away. The pain I see in them is too hard to bear. I swallow down the guilt and hurt and bend down to pick Ryland up.
“You want a muffin, Rybug?”
“Muffin,” she grins.
“Rybug?” His brows quirk up.
“When she was born, they swaddle them so tightly like a cute little bug snug in a rug. Rybug just stuck,” I smile.
“I like it.” He smiles at her and gets a toothy grin in return. She leans forward and reaches her hands out to him. My heart squeezes at the joy that flashes in his eyes before he takes her from me. He closes his eyes and hugs her tightly as he breathes her in.
“She’s never done that before. She must really feel that connection with you.”
For the first time since arriving here, I see the Ryder that I remember. He’s looking at his daughter with the same love in his eyes that he always used to give me. Tears blur my eyes as I watch them together. If it weren’t for her auburn hair, she would be a spitting image of him. My chest squeezes painfully at the sight.
His eyes finally meet mine, and his guard goes back up. “We still have a lot to talk about, and I have a lot of anger and hurt right now towards you, but thank you. Whatever your reasons were for deciding to come back, thank you for bringing our daughter back to me.” I nod my head, unable to speak through the emotions clogging my throat. He turns back to Ryland and smiles. “Let’s go get that muffin for you, Rybug.” He walks her to the door, and I follow.
“Muffin,” she grins. Laughing, he walks us across the back deck and pool area. The ocean breeze hits me in the face, and I stop to take a deep breath. My nerves are on fire right now, and the thought of facing his family makes me unable to take a step forward.
“You coming?” Ryder stops and looks back at me.
“I don’t think I can do this. They’re going to hate me,” I whisper.
“They aren’t going to hate you,” he hesitates and sighs. “Even I can’t find it in me to hate you, and I have lost the most. They’re going to be shocked and confused, just like I was…like I still am, but they won’t hate you.”
