“No. I don’t think he knows either.” I placed my hands on her shoulders. “Babe, I’m right here with you, okay? We’ll figure everything out.”
“You really mean that?” She sounded surprised.
“Of course I mean it.”
She gave me a guarded smile. “Is there anything else on your mind? You’re still tense.”
How could she tell that? It dawned on me that I wasn’t used to talking about family stuff with anyone outside the family. It was just one of those things I’d always compartmentalized. But I could practically see Heather folding into herself just standing here, feeling left out, perhaps still fearing I didn’t want them here. I could do this. Just let her be part of everything.
“Skye and Tess lost the investor they had.”
“Oh my God. So what are they going to do?”
“Find another one, but it’ll take a while. I’m worried about them. They’re stretched so thin, and that guy Skye had been seeing dumped her, and I’m frustrated as fuck that I can’t be of more use.”
“Ryker,” Heather said softly.
“I’m worried.”
“We can brainstorm ways to help them out.”
“We?” I asked. She nodded, placing her hands on my chest. She wasn’t just brushing off my concerns. She wanted to be involved in this. I couldn’t believe that she got me so completely. I kissed her—hard, deep, until she moved those hands up around my neck, pulling me closer to her. I felt the tension melt away from my body.
She smiled when I pulled back, tracing one finger on my forehead, down my temple, to the corner of my mouth. She tilted her head, as if considering some options.
“What are you thinking about?” I asked.
“That maybe we should take a trip to the Northern Lights tonight. You said that playing makes you relax.”
It did, though nothing got me out of this headspace when I was so wired up. Except this, right here.
“But then I can’t spend time with you.”
“You’d rather spend the evening with me than at the Northern Lights?” The look on her face was priceless.
“I’d rather spend time with you than do 99.9 percent of anything.”
“What’s the 0.01 entail?”
I brought my mouth to her ear. “If you want to know, you’ll have to get it out of me.”
Pulling back, she narrowed her eyes. “And you don’t think I can do that?”
“No, no. I have full confidence in you.”
“You’re full of shit.”
I laughed, curling an arm around her waist, keeping her close. I rested my forehead in the crook of her neck, drinking her in.
“Stay here. It’s been a fucking hard week, and I just need you for a bit.”
It felt good to say it out loud.
***
Heather
I ran my hands over his shoulders again and was pleased to discover they weren’t as tense as a few minutes ago. I really was helping him relax, and that made me so happy. I wanted to be a positive influence in his life, just as he was in mine.
Before I realized what was happening, Ryker slid his palms under my ass. I assumed that meant he wanted to scoop me up in his arms, so I helped by jumping him. A fraction of a second too late, I realized he’d had much simpler intentions: he’d just wanted to feel me up. He lost his balance, and for a beat, I was sure we’d crash, but then he recovered, placing me on the counter. I clutched my knees tightly at his sides. I was laughing so hard that I was afraid I’d crack a rib. Ryker wasn’t faring much better.
“Woman, are you trying to kill us?” he asked in between guffaws.
“How was I supposed to know that you’re just trying to feel me up?”
“Maybe because I’m always trying to do that?”
“Hmm... you do have a point.” I blew air out of the right corner of my mouth, because my hair was sticking everywhere. He pushed some strands away, tucking them over my shoulder. I loved that I was his confidante, the person he came to no matter if he had something good or bad to share.
“Mommy, can we go now?” Avery’s voice sounded from the corridor.
“We’ll be with you in a minute,” Ryker said. “Wait for us by the door.”
Avery squealed. “Okay.”
“Why did you tell her to wait there?” I asked, jumping down from the counter.
“So I could do this.” He brought a hand to my waist, pushing me against the door. I only caught a glimpse of the lust in his gaze before he brought his mouth down on mine. The second our lips touched, my nerve endings leapt to life, fire dancing along my skin everywhere he touched me. His hands pressed on my waist before skidding down to the hem of my dress. He slid one hand under the fabric before pulling back completely, as if afraid that if he didn’t put distance between us, he’d lose his head.
He didn’t say one word, but the way he kept his palms pressed against the wall was enough to give me a taste of all that passion he was barely keeping at bay.
“Sneaky kissing. I like it,” I whispered, grinning.
He grinned back. “There’ll be plenty more when we come back.”
“Why not now?” I teased.
“Because if I get another taste, we might not leave at all.”
His tone was playful, but that intense glint in his eyes told me just how plausible that scenario was. He grabbed the paper bag with breakfast in one hand, and we headed out to the corridor. My heart was beating insanely fast, as if we’d just been caught doing something wrong.
“Ready to go shopping?” Ryker asked Avery.
“YES,” Avery practically yelled. Yeah... she was definitely my daughter. No danger of hospital mix-ups there. If there was any opportunity to shop, Avery didn’t want to miss one minute of it.
“After you, my ladies.” Ryker opened the door. Avery skidded out first, mimicking a runway walk all the way to the elevator.
“What’s the first stop on the list?” I asked as we rode down. “Or wait, is there a list? Do we have an itinerary?”
I caught Ryker and Avery exchanging a glance. They’d been conspiring again?
“Bergdorf Goodman,” Ryker said.
Holy shit, that had escalated quickly. I’d expected Costco or Target.
“What exactly are we shopping for?” I inquired. This wasn’t my usual playground. It was out of my way, and honestly, above my paycheck.
“They have toys,” Avery declared. “The special collection Barbie dolls.”
“And we can’t find those anywhere else?” I asked.
“No, it’s an exclusive line. Some girls at my school have it.”
I barely hid my smile. My mother bribed Avery with actual animals. Ryker had only gotten to dolls. I didn’t know if I should consider myself lucky or brace myself for an escalation.
I took my phone out, sending a quick email to Danielle. I resolved not to think about any of this today and just enjoy our time together. I wasn’t going to let Ryker worry about anything today either. Usually, something like this would have sent me spiraling out in a panic, but I felt oddly at ease, feeling it in my bones that we really could work out everything together.
Chapter Twenty-Six