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“You can’t make that promise.”
He doesn’t say anything; instead, he wipes the tears from my cheeks with his thumbs. “Come on, let’s throw out the old and replace it with new.” He lifts me into his arms.
“I can walk,” I say through my tears.
“Yeah, but I can carry you. Humor your man.”
“My man.”
“Only yours.” He kisses me softly while still walking toward his room.
“You better watch where you’re going.”
“I won’t do anything to hurt you, Jordyn.”
“I know. But you can’t see.”
“I’ve walked this hall thousands of times. I’ve got you, sweets. No matter what, it’s me and you.”
I ignore that statement because I know what he’s thinking. He’s willing to run from his incredible family to be with me, and I refuse to let that happen, which he knows. We’re at an impasse, and I don’t want to argue over it. I know if it comes to that, I’ll have to do something drastic to keep Ryder with his family, and I’m prepared to make that sacrifice.
I did it once; I can do it again.
When we make it to the bathroom, he sets me on my feet and reaches into the shower to grab the bottles. He tosses them in the trash before turning to look at me with a smile on his face. “Add a stop to replace those to today’s agenda.” He winks.
“What else is on today’s agenda?”
“You and me, sweets. That’s all that matters, is you and me.” He leans in as if he’s going to kiss me, and I lift my chin, ready to accept his lips on mine. “Shower,” he says huskily. He stands to his full height and walks backward toward the door. “Keep the shirt, baby. You look sexy as fuck.” With that, he shuts the door, and leaves me standing in the middle of his bathroom feeling like I’ve been through a tornado and have somehow made it to the other side.
“I love you, Ryder Kincaid.” I whisper the words because they need to be said. As I reach into the shower and start the water before pulling everything I need out of my bag, I peel out of his shirt and fold it neatly.
He said it’s mine and I intend to keep it.
“Fishing?”
“Yep.”
“I’ve never been.”
“So I get to be your first?” He wags his eyebrows, making me laugh.
We’ve had a great day. After I showered, we ate scrambled eggs and toast, and I cleaned up while Ryder showered. Our very first stop was the store to get my shower stuff for his place. He insisted I get feminine products as well so we’d have them if I needed them. I didn’t bother arguing with him. I could see it in his eyes that this was important to him.
Next, we headed to the grocery store. Ryder needed everything to pack his lunch for next week, and the week's groceries. I know it sounds crazy, but it was nice getting to do normal everyday things with him.
Before my mother stepped in, this is the life I envisioned for us. Living in this sleepy little town of Willow River, raising a family here along with his siblings. If I’m being honest, I still thought about it every single day while I was away. I knew it was a dream, a wish that would never come true, but thinking about Ryder and the life I hoped I could have built with him got me through many lonely, sleepless nights.
And now, apparently, we’re going fishing.
“Yeah, you’re my first fishing experience.” I laugh. “Do I have to touch the fish?”
“Not if you don’t want to. I’ll do it for you.”
“I’ll try, but I hold veto power.”
“Fair enough, sweets.” He parks his truck in his driveway and turns his mega-watt smile on me. “Let me get this unloaded, and I’ll grab everything we need.”
Climbing out of the truck, I gather a few bags and help him carry everything inside. “How long is this fishing expedition we’re taking?”
“Just a few hours.”
“Do you need snacks?”
He stops to look at me. “I thought we’d hit the diner in town for lunch. Do you need snacks?”
“No, but I don’t know a damn thing about fishing, Ry. This is all new to me.”
“We do sometimes take snacks, but I don’t think we’re going to need them this time.”
“Okay, well, I’ll put these away, you go do”—I wave my hand in the air—“manly fishing stuff.”
He tosses his head back in laughter. “You’re cute.” He kisses my cheek and disappears into the garage.
I unpack everything. Most of it goes in the pantry. For everything else, I just guess. He’ll find it, eventually. I smile when I think about him calling me and asking where something is. That’s a normal relationship, and that’s what I want. I’ve never seen my parents go to the store, let alone unpack groceries. They have staff for that.
