And then we’re out of the booth, hand in hand with quick goodbyes to Banner. We head out of the restaurant, I get stopped a few times by fans, which Myla is used to by now, and then we’re on the street, walking toward the office supply store.
“I’m really glad the meeting went well,” I say to her as I drape my arm over her shoulders and hold her close. “I love seeing that smile and excitement on your face. It makes me happy.”
“You know, Ryot, I feel for the first time in my life that I know what I’m supposed to be doing. I have direction and purpose. I know that might sound silly, especially to someone like you—”
“Don’t put yourself down. Everyone is on their own path. It doesn’t matter the timeline.”
“You’re right, sorry.”
“And I understand your excitement, I truly do, because I know what it feels like to be lost. When I was in the minors and not getting called up as quickly as I expected, I truly felt like I possibly wasn’t doing what I was supposed to be doing, but then, when I was called up, I saw the vision. The plan. And I knew I was doing what I was meant to be doing.”
“That’s how I feel.”
“I’m glad, babe. So does this mean I get to buy my girl all the office supplies her little heart desires?”
“You don’t have to buy me anything. You just need to haul it around for me.”
I chuckle. “I’ll do both.”
“Ryot,” she complains, and I stop her immediately.
“A present from me, okay? Just take it and say thank you.”
She lets out a deep sigh. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” I kiss the top of her head.
And as we turn the corner, she says, “It feels like everything is going so great right now. I’m just waiting for the other shoe to drop, you know?”
“What do you mean?”
She shrugs and grips me tighter. “I just haven’t had the best of luck in this life of mine. And I didn’t think it was possible to feel this happy. I swear something will go wrong.”
“Or maybe everything is going right because you’re where you’re supposed to be, with whom you’re supposed to be with, and heading in a direction that you were supposed to be headed. Sometimes it isn’t about being lucky or feeling like you’re lucky. It’s about connecting all the puzzle pieces in life. Babe, you’re connecting them.”
She glances up at me, her smile wicked. “Oh Bisley, you are so going to get the best blow job of your life tonight after that heart-stopping statement.”
I chuckle. “I have more where that came from. What happens if I give you two more?”
“Hmm.” She taps her chin just as her phone rings in her purse. “Hold that thought.” She fishes into her purse, pulls out her phone, and frowns.
“What?” I ask.
“It’s my mom. She never calls me.”
“Maybe she’s calling to apologize about the other night.”
Myla snorts. “Yeah, when pigs fly.” Then she answers it. “Hey, Mom, what’s going on?” The store is just down the street, so I keep us walking in that direction when suddenly, Myla stops in the middle of the sidewalk.
“What?” she asks, her eyes welling up with tears. “How? When?”
“What’s going on?” I ask, turning toward her now.
She lowers the phone and looks up at me, an emptiness casting over her expression as she says, “It’s my dad.” She takes a shallow breath. “He’s dead.”
Chapter Seventeen
RYOT
Present day . . .
“Morning,” I say as Myla slowly rolls to her back, her hair fanning over her face.
“Who? What now? Where am I?” She thrashes around and then stiffens as if she was just pulled up by a string. “What’s going on? Is there a fire?”
“What?” I ask. “Jesus, Myla, you’re just in a hotel room.”
She moves her hair out of her face and stares back at me. She takes a moment to take in my swim trunks, sandals, and bare chest before her eyes meet mine. “Are you going scuba diving?”
“Does it look like I am?” I ask.
“I don’t know what you do partially nude.” She flops back down on the bed and sinks into the pillow. “What time is it?”
“Ten in the morning. You missed breakfast.”
“Ten?” She sits back up. “How is it ten?”
“That’s what the clocks say.”
“Well, Jesus, you shouldn’t let a girl sleep in until ten. That’s just irresponsible.” She flings the sheets off her, stands, and one of her boobs is completely hanging out of her tank top. She glances down, and then back at me. “Uh, under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t care about the wild beasts that are boobs in a tank top at night, but I’m just going to tuck this right back in.” She shifts her boob and covers it up, but not before I got a good eyeful. I’ve missed those girls.
“Okay, yeah, well, I’m going to head down to the pool.”
“Ah, hence the bathing suit.” She moves by me and to the bathroom. “I’ll go with you.”
“You don’t have to.”
“Won’t it be weird if I don’t?”
I pull on the back of my neck. “Yeah, probably.”
“Okay, so give me a second, and I’ll be ready. Just going to brush my teeth, pee, wash my face, and throw my hair up into a ponytail.”
“Okay,” I answer as she grabs a suit from her suitcase and slips into the bathroom.
I take a seat on the chair in the corner of the room and let out a deep breath. Today is day one of convincing Myla that we belong together. That we’re better together than apart. And even though we’re talking to each other and not trying to steal batteries or any of that bullshit, I know we have a long way to go. I need to gain back her trust first. I need to make some lifestyle changes and remember what’s most important in my life. And that’s her.
After a few minutes, the bathroom door opens, and she walks out in a navy-blue bikini that leaves nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, to the imagination. The strings on her bottoms cut high on her hips, leaving only a small triangle between her legs. And the top matches the triangle between her legs, small and barely covering enough.
I swallow hard and watch as her full hips shift, her breasts sway, her stomach contracts with every step she takes. Fuck, she’s gorgeous.
If we were in a different place, I would be peeling that swimsuit off right now and not letting her leave this hotel room until I felt like I’d fully claimed her, marked her so the world knew who she belongs to.
But now, I just need to keep my lips sealed as she walks around, getting ready for our trip to the pool.
“Okay, I think I have everything I need.” She plops sunglasses over her eyes.
I move to the dresser where I placed a yogurt parfait. I hand it to her and say, “Picked up some breakfast for you in case you were hungry.”
“Oh, thank you.” She glances up at me and then back at the parfait. “That was kind of you.”