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“You feel like home to me, Ryder.”
“I am your home, sweets. Just like you’re mine.”
“Do you really think that the PI will find something?” I hate to even bring it up, but it’s weighing on me, on both of us.
“I’m sure of it.”
Neither one of us says anything else. There is nothing we can say that we haven’t already. I need to snoop around, listen in on some phone calls. After I heard my parents talking about my brother and his death, I stopped trying to listen. I was too afraid of what I might hear next. I’m kicking my ten-year-old self in the ass for that decision. I need dirt on her. I know I should feel guilty for wanting to blackmail my mother, but I can’t seem to find an ounce of guilt where she’s concerned.
“We got a bite.” Ryder taps my thigh, and I jump from his lap. He grabs the pole and reels it in. “A bass.” He grins.
“How do you know it’s a bass?”
He shrugs. “Years of fishing. You want to help me take it off the hook?”
“Nope.” I cross my arms over my chest, and he laughs. “Is it hurt?”
“Nah, just hooked his lip.”
I watch as he works the hook out of the fish’s mouth and holds it up for me once it’s freed. “Throw him back.”
“I will. You want to touch him?”
“Not even a little bit.” He holds the fish out toward me, and I squeal, stepping back, almost tripping over the lawn chair that’s not being used.
“I’ll toss him back.” He bends down, releases the fish into the water, and wipes his hands on his shorts.
“Now I know why you brought two chairs.” I nod toward his shorts.
“I have some hand wipes in the truck.”
“That doesn’t help your shorts.” I wrinkle my nose.
“You saying you’re not going to let me touch you until I change?”
“Yep.”
“Jordyn?”
“Yeah?”
“Run.” He lunges for me, and I turn on my heel and take off running through the field that’s surrounding this side of the river.
I don’t know why I’m even attempting to outrun him. His legs are longer than mine, and he’s faster. I feel his hands on my waist, and he lifts me into the air. I laugh as he spins us around. When he finally places me on my feet, I turn in his arms, and he smiles down at me.
“Never dreamed I’d fall in love with a city girl.”
“Yeah, well, this city girl never imagined she’d give her heart to a country boy.”
“Baby?”
I smile up at him, raising my brows.
“My fish covered shorts are pressing up against you.”
I slap at his chest, and he snickers. The next thing I know, he’s lifting me over his shoulder and carrying me back to the truck. He sets me on the tailgate. “Let me pack up and we’ll head home to shower.”
“Now we both need a shower.”
He winks. “I was counting on it.”
Ryder is more than I ever could have dreamed of. I’m going to find something incriminating on my mother. I’ll be damned if I give this man up again. I’ll fight until the end. A love like ours is worth fighting for.
CHAPTER NINE
Ryder
I can’t close my eyes. Jordyn is sleeping peacefully with her head resting on my chest. When we came home, we showered together, which is a memory that will be in the forefront of my mind for years to come. We made dinner together—spaghetti, nothing fancy—and curled up on the couch to watch a movie. She fell asleep, so I carried her to bed, and we’ve been in this same position ever since. I can’t stop thinking that she’s leaving me in a few hours.
A few hours.
Glancing at the clock, I see it's just after 6:00 a.m. I’ve been lying here all night long, holding her and letting my mind race. I don’t want her to go. I know she has to, but I hate it. I want her here with me. In my bed. In my arms. In my house. My town. My life. I want it all.
I hate that I don’t know the next time I’ll get to see her like this. How long will it be before I get to wrap my arms around her? There’s also the fact that the PI has yet to find anything on her mother. I don’t have a plan B. Trust me, I’ve tried and failed to come up with something. Short of us leaving the country, I don’t know what else to do if this fails. Even then, there’s a chance she will destroy my family's name and businesses.
I fucking hate being in limbo. I’m ready to start my life with her.
This weekend has been incredible. She touched base with Gianna a few times, and there was nothing from her mother. She said she didn’t expect there to be, but I could still see the relief in her eyes. I hate that she’s afraid of the woman that gave her life. It eats at me every fucking day that I can’t be with her. She should be here with me and my family so we can love her the way she deserves to be loved.
