I lifted my phone and followed through on the call to Vanessa, knowing she would either be up because her ass didn’t sleep or answer assuming there was a problem. She was always accessible, which made her the best publicist in the business.
I gotta stop fucking up. I can’t lose Van, I thought while I waited for her voice to flow through the line.
“What did you do?” was how she greeted me, and at the very least, I was thankful—based on the alert tone of her voice—that Vanessa was already awake.
“Not me this time. I know I’m on your shit list but I need help.”
I moved through all the details I had and Vanessa remained quiet. Surprisingly, she didn’t run down all the reasons why I didn’t need to entertain becoming Rylee’s full-time guardian and instead mapped out a plan to get this settled as quickly as possible. Before she ended the call, she promised to get in touch with Raaj Armond, my attorney. The two of them would work on pushing the custody through so I could get home as quickly as possible.
Once I had assurance from Vanessa that the situation would be handled, I grabbed my duffle and headed up to my childhood bedroom, praying I could get sleep but knowing I wouldn’t. There were too many things I needed to unpack, and unfortunately, the knowledge that Felicia struggled with depression was now on that list.
Not that I cared, because I couldn’t, but the insight brought clarity to a lot of questions I had about why things played out like this. In life, people played the hand they were dealt. She was my hand but also Rylee’s. As shitty as the odds were, I would guarantee my sister won every fucking round moving forward.
Chapter 4
Somee
She has a brother. A very famous, and although sometimes unfavorable with his behavior type of brother, Ryland existed. Also, regardless of his questionable behavior, it seemed that he was still a great guy, according to the research I did. Ryland Parks had not only donated his money but his time to multiple kids and family organizations. Not all of them were sports related, which was a plus. It showed he had humanitarian interests that were personal and not just a commitment or obligation forced on him by his team to make them look good.
The most impressive thing about Ryland was that he did the work and not just for a write up or a clip. No one wouldn’t know all of the amazing things he was attached to unless they purposely did a deep dive on the man. Mostly because there were hardly ever cameras or media capturing the moments. Ryland’s actions felt genuine. Aside from his poor choices in his personal life, Ryland Parks wasn’t a media whore with his humanitarian commitments.
I was impressed. Then there was the simple fact that he was here. Ryland immediately took action and had already secured guardianship for Rylee. Although the reality made me sad, because I loved having her with me, knowing she had a brotherwho wanted her with him warmed my heart. It gave me hope that my sweet Rylee would be okay.
An empty cup, previously filled with rolled ice cream, came into view as it moved across the pink, abstract shaped table, grabbing my attention. When I glanced at Rylee, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hands before she signed, “I’m done.”
I lifted my hands and returned. “I see.”
“Can I go play?”
A smile spread across her face and a grin split mine.
I nodded and she was out of her seat and heading through the shop to the creative things play center. The rolled ice cream shop we frequented had become one of Rylee’s favorite places. I’d originally brought her here because I wanted a way to bring a smile to her beautiful face after her mother left. We came after school, had ice cream, then Rylee would play for a while before we headed back to my house. In my mind, these fun outings softened the blow of being abandoned.
As I watched Rylee play, a body came into view, right before I was granted a hug across my shoulders and Marlee filled the seat next to the one Rylee had just vacated. I glanced across the shop just in time to see Rylee toss a plastic ice cream scoop onto the massive cone then jump in place, clapping. She turned my way and noticed I wasn’t alone, sprinted back toward the table, and hugged Marlee.
“Watch me. I’m the best at all the games,” she signed wildly before running off again.
We watched her for a brief moment while she gathered the plastic scoops molded to look like ice cream. One by one, Rylee tossed them on the cones. Each one landed on the first try and Marlee’s hands were in the air.
“Okay, superstar.”
I grinned, then Rylee was in a zone again, no longer concerned with us. So I focused on my friend who began asking questions.
“What’s the emergency? She seems fine.”
After I found out Ryland was in town, I sent Marlee a text expressing that there was an emergency concerning Rylee and I needed to meet with her after school.
I sighed, lifted my phone, pulled up Ryland’s profile, and handed the device over. She swiped through a few of the posts with the same look I was sure had graced my face this morning when I’d done the same. Not only was Ryland seemingly a great guy, the man was sexy as hell.
Medium brown skin, low set eyes, fuck me beard, and a body that had me wanting to climb him like a jungle gym and play all sorts of nasty games. There were so many thirst trap pictures on his page I could see the thickness and length of his dick with my eyes closed because it was embedded in my subconscious.
Ryland wasn’t just fine, he was fine with an ego to match.
“You switching teams? I know the Tigers had a shitty season but you usually stick it through. However, if this is your motivation for becoming a Sharks fan, I fully support your decision.”
Once her hands were no longer moving, I rolled my eyes.
“I will forever be a Tigers fan.”
