Being a family with Rylan could be everything she’d ever dreamed of, and she wasn’t going to let the damage that Stuart’s betrayal had done to her heart and her confidence ruin her chance at making that dream a reality.
She might not be ready to move in and play happy family, but she was ready and willing to commit to their relationship. She’d stand beside him while he navigated these next few hours with Jake and do it without question or judgment.
Neither man deserved that from her. Especially Rylan.
She’d been doing him an injustice from the beginning by constantly comparing him to Stuart.
But Alyssa was right. She couldn’t—shouldn’t—put Rylan in the same basket as her ex. Rylan was by far the better man. She remembered what her boss had said to her yesterday. Rylan was one of the good ones.
And if she was lucky, she’d get to be the woman he built a life with.
38
Ry closed the door to his bedroom and rested his forehead against it.
“You okay?” Mazey asked behind him.
Was he? He’d just discovered that his best friend hadn’t betrayed him with his wife.He’dbetrayed his best friend by sleeping with his girlfriend.
The other revelation that blew his mind was that Renee hadn’t been pregnant at all when they’d gotten married in Vegas. She’d used a girlfriend’s pregnancy test to get him to marry her.
He’d been so stupid.
He hadn’t even really liked her, couldn’t remember the details of their night together. They were drunk, and one thing had led to another and Bam! She’d showed him a positive stick and off to Vegas they went. All because she’d been pissed at Jake.
“Ry?”
He turned and leaned on the door. “Yeah. I think so.”
“What can I do?”
“Stay the night?” He pushed off the door and took a step toward her. “I know it’s asking a lot, but I need to hold you. And I’d like to sleep beside you. No sex. No pressure. Just two friends. One needing comfort, the other giving it.”
“Of course. I thought I already agreed to stay.” She smiled at him.
“I’ll get you something to change in to.”
“I’ve got stuff here.” She pointed to the basket in the corner. “It’s what I bought over to wash this morning.”
Rylan glanced at the basket and shook his head. “No. I want you in one of my shirts.” He didn’t wait for agreement. Striding over to his dresser, he pulled out one of his old army shirts and tossed it on the bed. “Do you want to shower before bed?”
“Will you wash my back?”
He spun around, the move and her words making him dizzy. “Maz?”
Her chest and shoulders rose with a deep breath. “I think we need to continue as we were. If we let today derail the steps we’ve taken so far, then it will always be there.” She moved closer to him. “But if we accept what happened and keep going forward, then we’re building on what we already have. I don’t want today to tear down what we’ve started.”
He didn’t know what to say. More than anything, he wanted what she was suggesting. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. Plus, I really want to soak in that tub again.” She grinned and pressed against him, her chin resting on his chest, her face tipped up toward him. “What do you say? Want to take a bath with me?”
Rylan couldn’t give her a verbal answer. His throat was choked up with gratitude for this woman. He’d do whatever he could to make up for today. She’d been through so much, been hurt so deeply, and yet here she was, opening that generous heart of hers to offer him whatever comfort he needed. Slipping his arms around her waist, he picked her up and walked to the bathroom.
“I’m going to take that as a yes.” She grinned at him.
“It’s always yes when it comes to you,” he murmured before dropping a quick kiss on her mouth.
“In that case, can I add some bubbles to the bath?”
