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It sucks. From the way Ryan was with me, I could’ve sworn he actually felt something for me. But it was all part of his act, to make me vulnerable and give him the most sacred part of me. A part that I kept for myself all my life. When I told Millie I was coming back home, I also let her know that I wasn’t sure I’d be back. She wanted to say more but ultimately understood where my heart was at.
It’s not as easy as it was with Alex, seeing as I didn’t fall for him the way I did for Ryan. Who am I kidding? There’s no past tense about it. I’m utterly in love with the manipulative bastard, and I can’t stay in New York knowing that he’s only a few floors up from me when I’m working. I don’t want to take the chance that I’ll see him, or that he will try to see me.
The one thing I’ll make sure I never do again is trust anything that he has to say. I wipe the fresh tears from my cheeks, wishing that I could turn all my emotions off but failing miserably at doing so. It doesn’t take long for someone to finally come knocking on my bedroom door.
“Come in,” I choke out. I’m surprised to see that it’s my dad who walks through the door instead of my mom. These aren’t usually the type of situations he deals with. As soon as he sits on the edge of the bed he holds his arms out and I immediately crawl into his warm embrace.
I might be an adult, but that doesn’t mean a woman doesn’t need her daddy to hold her every now and then. This is the best time for me to take advantage of the opportunity without seeming like an immature baby.
My dad rubs my back in small circles while I let my sobs loose against his t-shirt. Once I’ve calmed down, he pulls away from me to look into my eyes, his eyebrows scrunched in concern.“What’s going on, baby girl?”
I laugh, which is a drastic change in my mood from only moments ago, but this is what happens when my heart is ripped from my chest. My mouth moves at rapid speed while I give him the rundown of the situation I’m finding myself in and he nods during the entire thing while listening intently. I’ve gotta give it to him, he sat through my long ass story like a champ and it makes me even more proud to have him as a father.
He sighs and glances around the room, which means he has a lot to say but is worried about what I’ll think of his response. “Honey, I think you need to sit down and talk with Ryan.”
My mouth hangs open, but he puts his hand up before I can argue back with him. “If there’s anyone in this scenario that’s been a pain in the ass, it’s Alex. Are you positive that what he showed you is true?”
Doubt starts to creep into my bones, making me wonder if maybe what Ryan said was possibly taken out of context. That has me shriveling up into myself, cursing that I didn’t give Ryan the benefit of the doubt when he’s been nothing but sweet to me. He never had to start this whole fake dating thing, but he did that to protect me more than to help himself.
As far as I know, the only thing he’s getting out of it is that his father is treating him with more respect. That’s not very hard to accomplish, so he’s really only done this for my benefit and less his own. He’s completely selfless, which is one of the reasons I’ve fallen so in love with him.
Knowing that Alex sent me all those flowers and that he made it seem like Ryan was the one sending them infuriates me more than anything. He didn’t seem to care that I felt some type of way about the deliveries, and he certainly didn’t seem to care when he showed me that recording and walked away with a triumphant smile. No, the only thing he cared about was getting one over on Ryan.
And what better way to do that than to lie about his intentions with me? As if I didn’t already know that Ryan started everything out based on a lie in the first place. But for me to walk away without so much as a conversation is selfish on my part. Ryan deserved to give me his version of the conversation.
I jump from the bed and start to rummage around the room for my suitcase. My dad chuckles from his spot on the bed and shakes his head. “You didn’t bring anything with you, baby girl. You came in such a hurry that you forgot to pack anything.”
I huff in annoyance at my impulsive decision. My lip quivers at the thought of ruining everything with Ryan. “I need to get back there, Daddy.”
He nods and rushes from the room. As soon as he gets to the bottom of the steps, there’s a knock on the door and my heart flutters ridiculously at Ryan standing there.
His eyes are bloodshot, probably from lack of sleep, and I curse at myself once more for putting him through so much shit. He looks like crap, and that’s being generous. His gaze jumps from my dad to me and he smiles ridiculously wide.
“Can I help you?” my dad asks curiously.
Ryan clears his throat and holds a hand out to him. “Uh, y-yes, sir. I’m Ryan and I came to win your daughter back.”
My dad smiles and steps back to let him inside. As soon as Ryan crosses the threshold, I’m rushing down the steps and jumping into his arms. He immediately wraps his arms around me, holding me to him as if it’s the last time he will ever see me again.
“I’m sorry,” we say in unison.
He chuckles and nods for me to talk first, waiting with a patient smile that I didn’t think I’d ever want to see again.
“He was so convincing with the evidence, and after everything that happened between us, I did the most rash thing I could think of and ran away before talking to you. That was a mistake, and I’m sorry for not coming to you first.”
Ryan sighs and runs a hand through his hair, then glances at my father before bringing his hazel eyes back to mine. “I love you, Ava. That’s the one thing I regret not telling you after the other night.”
He loves me.
I stand there with wide eyes, not sure I heard him right, until my dad walks over and bumps into my shoulder. “Don’t leave the man hanging, baby girl.”
Ryan looks at me hopefully, but also full of love and desire. Desire forme. Not the model that probably lives in the same building as him. He loves me. Tears are falling down my cheeks, but I don’t care to stop them.
I’m happy.
Completely and utterly happy.
He’s reaching a hand out to wipe the tears and smiles softly at me. “I’m really hoping those are happy tears, or I’ll walk out and never come back.”
