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Jordyn texts her mother that she won’t be home. A courtesy she doesn’t deserve, but for the time being, it’s a necessary evil.
Soon this will all be over, and I can move my girl to Willow River.
Forever here we come.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Jordyn
It’s been one hell of a week. I’ve been trying to covertly gather everything I’ll need to take with me, like my passport and my birth certificate, to name a few. Turns out they are locked in the safe in my father’s office. It’s going to take some finesse to get them. My goal is to get them this coming week. Once I have everything, we can move forward with the plan to expose my mother.
Gianna and Calvin are going out of town this weekend. Translation: Gianna and I are going out of town this weekend. At least that’s what my mother thinks. Gianna offered to keep my cell on her during their trip. That means I’m spending the next couple of days in Willow River with Ryder. We’re supposed to meet with his family, and to say I’m nervous is an understatement.
It’s early Friday afternoon, and I’m pulling into Ryder’s driveway. I know he’s still at work and won’t be home until later, but Gianna and Calvin are on the road. I’d much rather be here at his place than anywhere else.
Hopping out of the car, I go to the keypad outside of the garage and type in the code. The door squeaks as it opens, and I rush back to my car to pull inside. I stopped at the store to pick up a few things to make dinner. I’m sure Ryder’s going to be too exhausted after all the hours he’s put in this week to go out and grab dinner. Besides, I like to cook for him. I can put all those days sitting at the kitchen island with our cook to good use.
I’m taking the last bag out of the back of my car when a car pulls into the driveway. I freeze before turning to glance over my shoulder. Ramsey waves, and I find myself lifting my hand to wave back. Her smile is wide and comforting, and I feel myself relax.
Ramsey climbs out of her car and makes her way toward me. “Hey! I didn’t know you were coming home this weekend. Ryder said there was a delay.”
Home.
Tears burn in the back of my throat, but I refuse to let them fall. “Hi, yeah, it was a luck kind of thing.”
“Well, I’m glad. We’ve been brainstorming. I really think this idea is going to work, Jordyn.”
“I hope so. I hate the threats that my mother has made toward your family because of me.”
“Not because of you.” She reaches out and takes one of the two remaining bags I’m holding from my hands. “Come on. We should chat.”
Closing the back of my car, I follow her into the house, hitting the button to close the garage door on my way in. “Sorry, I just need to put these away and get the chicken in the Crock-Pot.”
“No worries. I’ll help.”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that.”
“I don’t mind. I just dropped Brynlee off at my in-laws’. They called me and claimed they were having granddaughter withdrawals.” She laughs. “Anyway, I was off today, so I took her over.”
“That’s great that you let her spend time with them. I didn’t have that growing up, so I know it’s a memory she’ll cherish.”
“How much has Ryder told you about me?”
“Not much. Just that your parents were assholes, and you came to live with them after you turned eighteen.”
She nods. “You and I are not that different.” She tells me her story. How her mother married into money, how controlling her father was, and the disinterest from her mother.
“Reversed, but yeah, very similar. I’m sorry for all that you went through.”
She nods. “Aunt Carol and Uncle Raymond took me in, no questions asked. Yes, I was an adult, but they still welcomed me into their home as if I’d always been there or belonged there even. Then I met Deacon, and my life changed again. Love will do that to you, I guess.” She grins.
“I wasn’t raised in a small town. I was raised with wealth, and I’d give it all up a million times over for the life I have now.”
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Sharing your story with me. Accepting me so freely as a part of Ryder’s life after the hell I put him through.”
She waves me off. “We know why you did it, Jordyn. We liked you before, but now you’re stuck with us for life. You sacrificed yourself and your needs to protect not just Ryder, but the entire family. We understand that this was all out of your control. There’s nothing for us to forgive. The past is the past, and we need to focus on the present, on your future with Ryder.”
