Instead, I fell asleep. Some kind of sound woke me sometime later, and I sat up feeling disoriented. The light streaming in through my open curtains was golden, telling me the sun was starting to set. Had I really slept the whole day away?
The sound happened again. This time, my jumbled brain recognized it as a light knock on my door, and I called, “Come in.”
I expected one of my housemates, so when Ryder stepped through the door, I yelled, “Oh my god!” He was carrying a few bags and a backpack, and he dropped them all a second before I tackled him.
I whispered, “Please don’t let this be a dream,” as I wrapped my arms and legs around him, and he held me tightly.
“You’re not dreaming, baby. I’m right here.”
“But how?”
“I booked a nonstop flight and got Dwight and Tank to watch the ranch for a couple of days. Then I messaged Vee, and he, Lark, and Dylan picked me up at the airport. Now here I am.”
I was overcome with emotion. “This is because of last night,” I mumbled, burying my face in his shoulder. “I was such a mess. That’s why you dropped everything and flew to San Francisco. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you.”
“There’s no reason to apologize, and it isn’t just because of last night. You seemed really stressed out these past few weeks, and I wanted to help. Besides, I’ve missed you like crazy. I’m here because I need this, and because I think you might need it, too.”
“I really do. I feel guilty, though. That last-minute flight must have been so expensive, and you had to make all those arrangements so your animals would be okay, and?—”
He quieted me with a gentle kiss, and I straddled his lap as he took a seat on the edge of my bed. “Please just let yourself enjoy this, baby. I’m here because I want to help you feel better, not to cause you more stress.”
“You’re definitely helping.” I cupped his face between my palms and kissed him again. Then it dawned on me that I was probably pretty gross right now, so I climbed off his lap and said, “Give me a minute, okay? I need to freshen up a bit.”
He said, “Take your time,” and I grabbed some clothes and hurried to the bathroom.
When I caught my reflection in the mirror above the sink, I muttered, “Fucking hell.” At least I’d showered this morning, but everything else needed help. I brushed my teeth, combed my hair, and changed out of my pajamas before stepping back and taking another look at myself.
The long, black tunic sweater and leggings were a step up from the ratty pajamas, but I still looked pale and exhausted. No wonder he’d hopped on a plane. He probably thought I was minutes away from needing medical attention, and he wanted to be there to drive me to the hospital.
When I returned to my bedroom, I found he’d cleared some space on my desk and was unpacking a bunch of takeout containers. “I asked your friends to stop off at a couple of restaurants on the way here,” he said. “I’m starving, so I thought we could have dinner together.”
I took a seat on my desk chair while he sat on the edge of my bed, and I told him, “Thank you. This all looks amazing.” He’d recreated our first virtual date with my favorite sushi, salad, and cheesecake for dessert, in addition to getting several things for himself.
Ryder pulled a couple of mason jars from a bag and removed the lids before handing me one. After I took a sip of my mojito, I asked, “How long can you stay?”
“I have to fly back Saturday morning. Dwight needs Sunday off for a family event, and Tank’s about to head to the UK for several weeks.”
“Is he taking a vacation?”
“No, one of the sports magazines he works for commissioned him to write a series of articles comparing rugby culture in the UK and the US.”
“Well, since you’ve never been here before and your time is limited, let’s get an early start tomorrow. There’s a lot to see, so we should start with the classics, like the Golden Gate Bridge.”
He shook his head. “There’ll be other visits to San Francisco, and more chances to see the sights. This time, I’m here to make your life easier, not to give you more to do. I want to cook for you, run errands, do your laundry, give you a massage—just help you, in any way I can.”
“There’s no way I’d want you to fly all this way and end up doing my laundry.”
“When you visited me, you fed chickens, filled water troughs, cooked with me, and did all sorts of other things that would never appear on a vacation itinerary,” he said.
“That was fun, though.”
“It would mean a lot to me to know I took some of the pressure off of you, and that I left you in a better place by the end of this visit.”
I couldn’t really argue with that. “Okay. We’ll do it your way.”
“Excellent.”
“I’m excited about introducing you to the rest of my housemates, and Logan, and his family. But tonight, all I want to do is climb into bed after dinner and curl up in your arms.”
