Anna smiled softly, and when he looked closely, he was relieved not to see pain in her eyes. Her voice was strong and sure when she said, “It’s not the same, but it is pretty wonderful. I can’t wait to spend more time with your mother.” A wicked glint came to her expression. “Especially if she shows me naked baby pictures…”
Ryan groaned. “Damnit, not the baby pictures, I was a weird looking baby.”
“I’m sure you were absolutely adorable,” Anna said.
“Let’s just hope that if we ever have kids, they take after their mom, not their dad.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Ryan winced.Too soon you idiot, too soon,he thought to himself as he watched Anna for her reaction. When she just laughed, oblivious to his embarrassment, he breathed a sigh of relief.
* * *
Anna shivered at the thought of having children with Ryan. She had laughed when he made the comment about what their kids would look like, but that laugh was just to cover up the hope and the worry that battled in her heart. The allure of imagining a family of their own, filled with love and happiness, was so strong.
When they pulled into the parking lot at the pub, instead of rushing to climb out, Anna and Ryan sat quietly together. Absorbing the emotions that swirled between them.
Anna was silent, as she thought about how lucky he was to have so many people in his life who loved him. An intense wave of grief hit her, as she realized she had no more family. Who would pull her out of the darkness if she had to leave Ryan?
“You’re lucky, Ryan, you have friends who are like family and a family who adore you,” she blurted out as she brushed a tear away that had slipped down her cheek. “Please promise me you will never lose sight of what a blessing that is.”
“Oh, sweetheart, I won’t, and you have them now too. You know that, right?”
Anna’s breath caught on a sob as Ryan gathered her in his arms. She cried, tears of love, tears of sadness. Grief from losing her parents, Aunt Theresa, her life in Portland, it all finally flowed out of her. Deep beneath the tears, Anna realized she had never truly allowed herself to feel her sorrow from losing her family. She had been so focused on being strong and keeping herself safe, on breaking free from Tim’s control. There, in the parking lot, safe in Ryan’s arms, Anna finally felt the walls around that part of her heart break down.
She was vaguely aware that Ryan was whispering words of love as he comforted her, words she couldn’t comprehend, but could feel the caring emotion behind. Eventually her river of tears slowed and came to a stop. Lifting her head from Ryan’s shoulder, Anna was startled to see the time on the clock in the truck.
“Oh my god, I’m so sorry, we’re late for work!”
“It’s totally fine. Jake knows we’re here, but that we need some time. Just breathe, Anna.”
Anna sagged back into his arms. “I can’t believe that all just came out of me. What a mess.”
Ryan tipped her chin up, so she was forced to look at him. “You are not a mess, Anna. You’re beautiful, and strong, and incredibly loving. Most importantly, you are loved. By me, by everyone. Please believe me when I say this. Jake, Callie, Noah, my mom, even Reagan, Melanie, and Chase. I know they all adore you and are here for you no matter what. You’re not alone anymore, babe. And you never will be again.”
His words rang out in the cab of the truck and infused the air with such love and strength, Anna felt the tears build behind her eyes again. This time, instead of tears of grief they were tears of joy. She had no choice but to believe him, so strong was the conviction behind his statement. She, Anna Thorn, was no longer alone.
A few moments later, after Ryan had finished kissing away any sadness or trace of tears, they emerged from the truck ready for work.
Ryan held her hand tightly as they walked in the back entrance of the pub. Anna could hear music coming from the front near the bar, but when she tried to pull away from Ryan so she could prepare for her waitressing duties, he tugged her into Jake’s office. Jake was sitting behind the desk working on his computer. He looked up with a warm smile.
“Everything okay, you guys?”
Ryan answered for them both. “Yeah, sorry we took a while to come in. Look, Anna is going to start behind the bar with me tonight. She can take over serving if it gets too busy but for now, I want her close.”
A look passed between the two men. Anna was relieved that once again Ryan had anticipated her needs so easily. After the emotional roller coaster of the day, she wasn’t ready to be apart from him either. She knew, and clearly so did he, that the added stress of putting on a smile to serve customers would take more energy than she had that night.
Jake nodded, clearly understanding Ryan’s unspoken message.
“No problem. If needed, I can help the servers when Chase goes on. See you guys out there.”
The next hour went by smoothly. Anna helped Ryan pour drinks and slowly managed to fully regain control of her emotions. Callie and Reagan came in and sat at the bar, chatting with Anna over a glass of their favorite peach ale. If anyone noticed anything off with her, they didn’t mention it.
After filling another drink order, Anna realized they were running low on bottles of Frog River, a crowd favorite—especially with many of the patrons who came to watch Chase perform. With a wave to let Ryan know that she was going to the storage room, she headed down the hall to grab another case. On her way, Anna smiled as she passed one of the waitresses coming out of the washroom. Just before she could open the door to the storage room, a strong hand grabbed her and pushed her out through the back door into the empty parking lot. As she was spun around, Anna smiled expectantly. It had to be Ryan, sneaking a moment of privacy.
Instead, all of her worst fears came true as she looked upon the face of the most evil man she had ever met.
“Tim,” she gasped.
Chapter 17
