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Since he came back, though, things had seemed to go back to normal, but today he’d been feeling a bit off again, ergo the reason he thought a visit to the doctor might be in order. His self-diagnosis aside, he didn’t feel as ill as one would expect to if something was detrimentally wrong, but the sense of losing time and that feeling of something being off was enough to make him stick to his guns.
There was no history of any serious ailments or disease on either side of his family, so he wasn’t overly worried, but there was a first time for everything. Surprisingly, he was more interested in his marriage and how he’d arrived at this point than in any illness, he might be suffering from.
It had started while he was shut up in a motel room alone for those two weeks. By the third or fourth day when he wasn’t battling the shakes and thinking he too had come down with the illness, his mind had been trying to make sense of the steps he’d taken in the last year or so.
Each time he tried to think of exactly when it was that he’d fallen in love with Misty, his mind had drawn a blank. She wasn’t even his usual type, so he tried convincing himself that maybe it was her personality that had won him over, but when he tried to recall anything she’d done or said to make it so he couldn’t for the life of him recall that happening either.
In fact, the more he thought of it then and now, the more it seemed like it was a result of whatever was going on with his head. He did recall the sex being off the charts, though, but funnily enough, he couldn’t necessarily remember the feel or taste of her. It was damn confusing, and just a little bit frightening. He didn’t dare mention any of this to anyone because he was sure that they’d look at him like he was nuts, but the truth is it was beginning to freak him out.
He heard movement and thought Marissa had finally shown up but was surprised when he looked up to see Connie coming towards him. He felt a bit guilty for the way he’d spoken about her this morning to her mom but knew that it was for the best. There’s no way he could ever open himself up to being a parent to another child.
Still, the guilt of his own inner feelings made his greeting less terse than he wanted it to be. He knew that the best way to keep the kid at arm’s length was to be cold and uninterested, but sometimes it was hard to do that, especially at times like this when she looked so unsure of herself. He wishes he could open up to her and tell her the truth of why he didn’t want her calling him dad, but it was something he never spoke about.
“Hey, kiddo, I thought you were taking the bus home? Why are you here so late?”
“I had some stuff to do after class; I asked mom this morning, didn’t she tell you?”
“Is it okay if I wait here for you? I won’t get in the way or anything.”
“Sure, no problem.”
“Where’s Marissa? Isn’t she a bit late?”
“I guess she got caught up; she should be here any minute.” Just then, there was the sound of feet heading their way, but once again, Ryan was surprised at the newcomers. “Pete, what are you doing here?”
Ryan’s eyes went from his old friend to the woman beside him. “Rye…” Pete started to talk but had to stop. He couldn’t bring himself to say the words out loud and had been having a hard time accepting since this whole thing came to light. “I’ll handle this,” Celia said as she stepped forward with her cuffs at the ready. “Ryan Swamp, you’re under arrest for solicitation of a minor.”
CHAPTER 8
Ryan’s first response was a faint half chuckle. His old friend Pete had been known for a good prank back in their high school days, but it had been a while since they’d had a go at each other. In fact, since joining the force, the other man had been more straight-laced than any of his peers would’ve given him credit for. He questioned whether or not this was real up until he felt the cold steel of the handcuffs snap around his wrists.
Words failed him until he saw the look of shocked horror on Connie’s face and snapped out of it. “Call your mom, tell her what happened.” He didn’t look back as he was carried away, his mind going in a million directions at once. He was sure that they’d get to the bottom of this in no time since he’d never in his life been a kiddie diddler, but of course, it was worrying to be in the precarious situation he now found himself in.
