Over the next several hours, Ryan helped Anna to tape off and paint the kitchen, hallway, and living room. They only stopped for a quick dinner break, devouring the entire pizza. Anna felt more relaxed and happier than she had in years, laughing at Ryan’s stories of all the crazy things he and his brother Noah had done as kids.
“Wow, your mom sounds like the most patient woman on earth.” She playfully bumped Ryan with her shoulder as they sat side by side on the floor, leaning against one of the unpainted walls.
Ryan chuckled. “Yeah, she is amazing. Her strength is like nothing else. She raised us alone and worked tirelessly to not let us see how hard it was.”
Anna sat pensively reflecting on her own childhood with Aunt Theresa. She too had never let it show how difficult it must have been, going from a single woman, to a woman who not only was grieving the loss of her sister, but was thrust into parenting a grieving child as well.
“My aunt was the same. I don’t think I ever really thought about how hard it was for her, trying to figure out how to parent a kid that wasn’t even hers, but she never made me feel anything but loved. Makes me feel even more guilty for not being here for her.”
Ryan reached over and took her hand. “She sounds like an amazing woman, who obviously loved you no matter what. Why did you lose touch? Why didn’t you come home earlier?”
Anna’s body instantly became tight with tension. Those were questions she was not ready to answer, and she could feel her defenses go up. She pulled her hand away and stood, moving toward the door in a not so subtle hint that the evening was over. Ryan followed silently, gathering his jacket and keys. When he was near enough, he cupped her chin and forced her to look up into his eyes.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pried. I hope I didn’t make you too uncomfortable.”
Anna sighed. “No, Ryan, I’m the one who should be sorry. It’s hard for me to talk about my past, but someday I hope I can. Just know that it’s not you, it’s me. You have made me so happy, and I feel so safe and cared for here with you and your friends. I just want to forget that my past ever happened for a little while longer.”
Ryan pulled Anna against his chest, wrapping his arms tightly around her. “You can’t ever escape your past. But it doesn’t have to define you. I see you, Anna, and I really like what I see. Nothing is going to change that. And whenever you are ready to tell me your story, I’m ready to listen.”
Anna felt tears gather behind her eyes, as she let herself fully relax into his warm embrace. His woodsy smell, a mixture of sweat and aftershave, was intoxicating, and the tightness of his arms around her felt strong and grounding. How could this man affect her so strongly, so quickly? She could feel herself falling for him with every minute they spent together.
After a few minutes, she gently pulled herself from his arms. He kept a hold of her hands as he looked down at her, with a smile and a look in his eyes that stirred a strong sense of longing inside her heart. “I really like spending time with you. Would you let me take you around town tomorrow before we go to work? Show you what has changed, we can grab some lunch; just relax and have fun.”
“I’d love that.” Anna blushed. “I really like spending time with you too.”
With a quick smile, Ryan pressed a kiss to her forehead. When he pulled back, he brushed some hair behind her ear. “I don’t want to freak you out, but I have to tell you this. I’m not normally so sappy, but I’m really glad you chose my bar to walk into the night you arrived. It’s starting to feel like that was the beginning of something amazing.” With a final gentle squeeze of her shoulders, he turned and left.
As she watched Ryan head down the snowy path to his truck, Anna marveled at how quickly her feelings for him were growing. The sexual attraction between them was undeniable, but more important than that was the comfort she felt around him. It had been so long since Anna was in a relationship, or even a friendship, that didn’t come with controlling limits and expectations. Yes, Ryan was right. When she walked into The Lucky Strike that night, it was absolutely the start of something amazing.
Anna went about her evening chores in a daze. She let Samson out in the backyard, tidied up the kitchen and made sure all the doors and windows were locked. Her head was whirling with confusing thoughts. The chemistry between her and Ryan was at a point where it could no longer be denied. Tonight had shown her that, without a doubt, she could trust him to care for her, to put her needs first, and try to protect her. Fast on the heels of that hopeful thought, came the dose of reality—But, what will he think of me if I tell him about Tim?
Anna was terrified that by letting Ryan and his friends get close to her, she was putting them in danger. She had no idea how harsh Tim’s retaliation over her leaving him could be, and the last thing she wanted was to expose her new friends to his dark and cruel life. Instinctively, she knew that Ryan would do everything he could to keep her safe. All she could do was hope that Tim would decide she was not worth the trouble and stay far away in California. Then, maybe, she could put her heart in Ryan’s hands, and see if they could have a future filled with love.
* * *
The entire drive home, Ryan was so distracted by his thoughts he barely noticed the other cars on the road. Really, it was a miracle he made it without getting in an accident, he was so unaware of what was happening around him.
He was perplexed by the intense feelings and deep connection he felt for Anna. His entire life he had shied away from close relationships. Even Callie’s friend Reagan, and Chase the singer and guitarist they hired to play at the bar regularly, were not what he would considerclosefriends. He didn’t feel the same level of affection, protectiveness, and trust that he had with Jake and, by extension, Callie.
But what he felt for Anna was something different. The emotions he experienced when he was around her, hell when he was just thinking about her, were so new for Ryan it should have freaked him out. Instead, he felt an overwhelming sense of peace. As if Anna was meant to be in his life, and he was meant to be in hers. He was starting to suspect that what he was experiencing was close to the feeling Jake had when he first met Callie. He decided that tomorrow, on their date to explore the city, he would push the limit slightly, to see if the growing attraction he knew was present between them could blossom into a real relationship.
The next day, Ryan pulled up to Anna’s house, eager for their date to begin. As he walked up to her front door, he was floored by the sight of Anna standing on her porch waiting for him. Her cheeks were flushed from the cold, and her beautiful eyes sparkled with flecks of gold. But what was most noticeable and stirred something deep within Ryan was the new, confident, and happy smile on her face. Suddenly, beautiful Anna was absolutely stunning, and the sense of satisfaction he felt knowing he had played a part in bringing that smile onto her face was unlike anything else. Her excitement was infectious, and he found himself grinning back at her as she locked the door and reached for his hand in a way that felt so natural, he instantly wove his fingers in with hers.
“I’m really looking forward to this. Can we start with breakfast? I’ve wanted to try a maple bacon doughnut from that super popular place downtown ever since I saw a special about it on Food Network! Oh, and then let’s walk down to the waterfront. I used to love wandering down by the river.”
Ryan laughed at the child-like enthusiasm in her voice, it was so adorable he had to wrap his arm around her shoulders and tug her into his side, needing to feel her body against his.
“Your wish is my command, sweetheart, doughnuts and coffee is the breakfast of champions.”
Anna eagerly climbed into the passenger side of his truck, but when she started to pull her seatbelt over her shoulder, Ryan stopped her with a hand on her leg. With a bashful look on his face, he asked, “Is it too forward of me to ask if you’ll sit in the middle, next to me, so I can hold your hand?”
Anna reached out to touch his cheek where his Irish roots had made him blush. “What good is a bench seat if I’m all the way over here.” She smiled coyly as she scooted over to the middle seat, and Ryan was thrilled that she seemed as affected as he was by the sizzling chemistry between them.
Ryan grinned and practically ran around to the driver’s side, climbing in and reaching for Anna’s hand as soon as he had his own seatbelt on. Thankfully, he had left the engine running when he got to her house, so the cab was toasty warm to combat the winter chill outside.
“Let’s get that doughnut.”
* * *
