“She did,” I nodded. “More than I thought possible, actually. Even Larry turned on him.”
A hint of relief washed over Ryder’s face. “Larry did? Really?”
“Yeah. Said he was angry he didn’t stand up for you sooner.” I wanted to reach for him, to touch the bruise on his neck, but I held back. “He told me to tell you he’s sorry.”
Ryder nodded, his fingers absently touching the marks on his throat. “Better late than never, I guess.”
I couldn’t take my eyes off those bruises. The thought of Pete’s hands around Ryder’s neck made something dark and dangerous stir inside me. If I’d been there... if I’d seen it happen...
“I should have stayed with you after the wedding,” I said, my voice low with regret. “I shouldn’t have let you go back there alone.”
“This isn’t your fault, Connor.” Ryder’s eyes met mine, clearer and more direct than I’d ever seen them. “It’s been building for years. Maybe my whole life. Yesterday was just... the breaking point.”
“What happened?” I asked, finally giving in to the urge to touch him. I reached out, my fingertips lightly tracing the edge of the bruise on his neck. “Did he do this because you went to the wedding?”
Ryder leaned into my touch, his eyes closing briefly. “Not exactly. He was drunk, ranting about the wedding, about Cole and Jesse. Then he started talking about my mom...” His voice cracked. “He told me he never wanted me. That I killed her by being born.”
My jaw tightened as anger surged through me. “That’s bullshit.”
“I know that now.” He swallowed hard. “But I’ve spent my whole life quietly believing it was my fault, anyway. That I had to make it up to him somehow.”
“And then what happened?” I asked, my hand moving to cup his cheek.
“I told him to fuck off.” A small, proud smile flashed across Ryder’s face. “And when he grabbed me by the throat, I punched him. Hard. Knocked him on his ass.”
Despite everything, I felt a surge of pride. “Good.”
“It felt...” Ryder searched for the right word. “Liberating. Like I’d finally broken some spell he had over me.” He reached up, covering my hand with his own. “But I couldn’t stay there anymore. Not after that.”
“No, you couldn’t,” I agreed, my thumb gently stroking his cheekbone. “You did the right thing, Ryder.”
“I don’t know what happens next,” he admitted, vulnerability creeping back into his voice. “The ranch was my future. My inheritance. My home. Now I’ve got nothing.”
“You’ve got yourself and you’re safe,” I said firmly. “And that’s worth a hell of a lot more than any ranch.”
He looked down at our hands, now intertwined on his lap. “I’ve got you too, right?” His voice was so soft I could barely make out his words.
My chest tightened at his question. Those uncertain green eyes looked up at me, asking for reassurance I wasn’t sure I had the right to give. But I couldn’t lie to him. Not now, not when he was so raw and vulnerable.
“Yeah,” I said softly, squeezing his hand. “You’ve got me.”
Relief washed over his face, and he leaned forward until his forehead rested against my shoulder. I felt him exhale, his whole body seeming to release a tension he’d been holding since I walked in.
“I was afraid you wouldn’t come,” he whispered against my shirt.
I brought my hand up to cradle the back of his head, fingers threading through his soft hair. “Of course I came. When Evelyn showed up at the ranch, I knew something was wrong.”
We sat like that for several long moments, his breathing gradually steadying against me. I was happy to just hold him, to be the support he needed in this moment. After all, if we were going to do this, going to besomething, that was my job.
“Does it hurt?” I asked, my fingers ghosting over the bruises at his throat.
“Not much anymore,” he replied, pulling back slightly to look at me. “My hand hurts worse, actually.”
I glanced down at his bandaged knuckles. “Worth it though?”
A small, genuine smile curved his lips. “Definitely worth it.”
I couldn’t help but smile back. This was a different Ryder than I’d known before. There was a steadiness to him now, a quiet confidence that hadn’t been there when he was playing games and pushing buttons. Standing up to his father had changed something fundamental in him.
