Chapter Thirteen
Ryder
“What the fuck was that?” Blade barked.
“Ryder, that wasn’t nice,” Rachel sneered.
“That was completely uncalled for,” Beck clipped.
“That was an asshole move,” Tank said, his arms crossed over his chest.
I looked at the people standing around me. My eyes connected with Sam.
“Cancel the book signing,” I said, walking around the counter.
“What? Why?” Sam asked, rushing over to the counter.
“Ryder, what is going on?” Mom asked.
“I don’t want her here. And I don’t want her around my girls.”
“You aren’t making any sense, brother,” King said, stepping forward.
I looked at the Silver Shadows’ President.
“I ain’t your brother.”
“Because you are being stubborn, man,” Zero added.
“Why the fuck are you all here?” I shouted.
“Son, you better watch your tone. I can still knock you on your ass if I need to,” Dad threatened.
He was right. My father wasn’t that old, and he took care of himself.
“You need to explain to my woman why you are canceling all the hard work she has been putting in over the last few weeks. I ain’t leaving until you do,” Jack said, folding his arms over his chest. Letting me know he would stand there as long as he had to.
“She is a lying, manipulative bitch, and I don’t want her here.”
Rachel walked over to me. Putting a hand on my good arm, she asked, “Is this about Tammi?”
I stared at her. She always knew me the best.
Nodding, I took a deep breath and told them what she said to me in the hospital.
“Ryder, she wasn’t lying,” Grace admitted.
I spun around and looked at her.
“What? She was lying. I don’t have sex with strangers.”
“Saturday night, you had been drinking a lot. You approached her and pulled her onto the dance floor, and then you two left together. You really don’t remember that?” she asked.
“No, I don’t fucking remember that. I only had a few drinks. I wasn’t drunk enough to black out.”
Grace bit her lip and winced.
“What the fuck did you do, woman?” King growled.
Grace spun around him and glared.
“No one is talking to you, so fuck off, asshole.”
“Grace,” King warned.
“Could you two do whatever this,” I asked, waving my hand between them, “is later?”
Grace snarled at King once more, then turned back to me.
“We have this stuff at the bar. It comes from an MC out of Virginia.”
“Oh shit, Grace. You gave him that?” Jack laughed. “That shit will fuck you up. I had a glass and Blade had to carry me home.”
“Literally.” Blade deadpanned.
“What is he talking about?” I asked.
“Hell’s Inferno. I switched you over, with your permission, mind you,” she said, pointing her finger at me. “Because you were knocking back the whiskey like water. I figured if I gave you the good stuff, you could have the same result without as much alcohol in your system.”
I stood there, my mouth open.
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, but that still didn’t mean I slept with her.
“Regardless, that doesn’t mean I had sex with her. I woke up alone, no sign of anyone being in my apartment,” I argued. “She’s just looking to come back in a couple of weeks, saying she’s pregnant.”
“So this is about Tammi,” Rachel concluded.
“Not now, Rach,” I warned.
“Ryder.”
“Not now, what? What does this have to do with Tammi?” Beck asked.
“Ryder.”
“Nothing,” I told Beck.
“RYDER!”
“What, Grace?” I asked, pinching the bridge of my nose.
“We have cameras behind the bar.” She grinned.
“So?”
“Ryder Montgomery Thomas! I raised you better than that!” my mother chastised. “Do you really not understand what Grace is saying? Ellie did not lie to you. You had sex with her behind the bar. I can’t believe you,” my mother cried, throwing her hands in the air.
King, Cash, and Tank all had a hand over their mouths. Like that was going to prevent me from seeing them laughing at me. Jack just grinned. Zero and Romeo fist-bumped each other.
I guess they approved.
Blade, who still held Tabby, shook his head at me.
Sam, Beck, and Rachel all glared at me.
“You will apologize to that girl, Ryder,” my mother demanded.
Sam shook her head at me.
“We will not be canceling the book signing. However, I will meet with her somewhere else.” She pointed a finger at me. “You, stay away from her.”
Sam was angry. If I hadn’t heard it in her words, or the tone of her voice, there would be no question with the way she stomped away.
“Charlie! Let’s go,” Sam yelled out.
“We have to leave already?” Charlie whined.
“Let’s go, Shortcake,” Jack said, swinging his daughter up into his arms. The three of them walked out of the bookstore, and I wondered if I would see Sam again before the signing.
“I need to apologize to Ellie,” Grace said.
“Why?” I asked.
“Because it’s her fault you can’t remember shit,” King stated.
“Fuck you, King,” Grace snarled.
“Watch yourself, woman. I will only put up with so much from you before I put you over my knee.”
Grace just glared at him, but Mom came to her defense.
“It is not her fault,” my mother countered. “Ryder is responsible for his own actions.”
“Apparently, I was drunk off my ass,” I mumbled.
“And who decided to go to the bar in the first place? Who made the choice to drink alcohol? Are you trying to tell me you didn’t know drinking would make you intoxicated?”
“No, ma’am,” I conceded.
“You fucked up, Son,” Dad said from behind me.
“If you would get your head out of your ass, you could have been at the club drinking instead and avoided all of this.” Blade just had to throw in a dig because I refused to join the club.
Fuck me. I couldn’t win with this group.
Rubbing my hand over my face, I let out a long sigh.
My parents were right.
Blade wasn’t wrong, either.
I fucked up going to the bar.
It had been two weeks since I had been released from the hospital, and I hadn’t seen Sam or Ellie. Blade and Beck came by a few times to take the girls to the clubhouse so they could play with Charlie.
Sam wouldn’t talk to me. Not until I apologized to Ellie. The problem was, no one would tell me where she was. Mom had given me a little insight.
She told me Ellie liked to have breakfast with Trudy at The Bake Shoppe. I had been over there every morning this week.
Nothing.
She told me Ellie liked to visit with Esmée at The Boutique. I tried staking out over there.
Nothing.
Dad was still filling in at the store, so I had been all over town, trying to locate the woman.
Nothing.
It was Rachel who told me Ellie had a friend visiting. Someone named Jesse. Apparently, the guy was staying with her.
I guess she’d gotten over me pretty quick.
There were only about two weeks left until the book signing, so I knew she had to come in at some point. So, two weeks later, when I heard the bell jingle, I looked up and there she was. Rachel and Sam with her.
No sign of Jesse. Hopefully, he left.
“Hi, Ellie,” I said.
She was laughing at something Sam said. However, the moment she heard my voice, her body stiffened before she turned to look at me, then glared at Rachel.
“You told me he wasn’t here. You said Mark was still filling in.”
Rachel shrugged. “I lied.”
Ellie huffed, heading toward the door. “I will catch up with you later, Sam.”
“Ellie, wait.” I slipped out from behind the counter and made it to the door before she did.
“Move, Ryder.” Her face was an emotionless mask.
“Can we talk? Please?”
“No.”
“Ellie, please talk to him,” Rachel urged.
“Rachel, you can fuck off. I see where your loyalty is.”
“You’re right, my loyalty is with Ryder,” Rachel said. “Which is why I lied about him being here. He wants to apologize. Please hear him out.”
“He doesn’t deserve my forgiveness,” the stubborn woman said.
“You’re right. I don’t, but please give me a chance.”
“I am supposed to meet Jessie in twenty minutes,” she stated, looking at her watch.
“Fuck him. Give me a few minutes,” I begged.
She looked at me, confused. “Jessie’s not—”
“Going to mind,” Sam interrupted. “Jessie will wait. In fact, Rachel can go meet Jessie and explain why you’re late.”
“Yes, I will go meet Jessie and let him know you will be there soon.”
Ellie’s eyes widened a fraction, then she turned and looked at me.
“Please,” I asked again.
She looked back at Sam and Rachel, who nodded their heads at her before she finally conceded.
“Fine, you have five minutes. I will not make Jessie wait.”
She walked over to the couch where she liked to read to my girls and sat down.
I ground my molars in frustration. I wanted to apologize to this woman, and all she could think about was the fuckboy she had living with her. I glanced at Sam and Rachel. They both looked smug.
Something was going on, but I couldn’t put my finger on what it was.
“Time’s ticking, Ry. Sam and I will watch the store,” Rachel said, shooing me away with her hands.
I walked over and grabbed Ellie by the hand.
“Come with me.”
I pulled her up off the couch and dragged her into my office. This conversation needed to be in private, not out in the store where anyone walking in could hear it.
Closing the door behind us, I locked it, not wanting any interruptions. As I leaned against the door, staring at her, I realized I didn’t know how to fix this. Yeah, I knew I’d fucked up, and I was rude, but my gut was telling me I should proceed with caution.
Standing near my desk, her arms crossed over her chest, she glared at me. “Well?”
Running my hand over my face, I sighed heavily. I didn’t know how to even begin to apologize for what I did. Or worse, what I said.
“I’m sorry, Ellie,” I said, my eyes focused on my shoes, unable to even look her in the eye.
“That’s it? That’s all you have to say?”
I looked up at her. Her hands had dropped to her sides, and the hurt I saw in her eyes hit me hard.
“No, there are a lot of things I want to say. I just don’t know how to do it without it sounding like I’m making excuses.”
“You could at least try,” she whispered.
“You’re right.” I took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I still don’t remember having sex with you behind the bar. I’m sorry I didn’t believe you when you tried to tell me. I’m sorry I screamed at you in the hospital. And I’m very sorry for the way I spoke to you in front of everyone the day I came home.”
Ellie just stared at me, saying nothing. Her face unreadable. I wondered what she was thinking.
Walking over to her, I reached up to touch her when she took a step back.
“The things you said to me.” She closed her eyes. “They were awful.”
“I know,” I agreed.
“You humiliated me.”
“Tell me how to make it better?”
Ellie shook her head as tears welled up in her eyes. When she looked up at the ceiling and closed them, I watched as they spilled from the corners.
“How can I make it up to you?” I asked.
She looked at me, and I swear I saw every hurt she had ever suffered reflected back at me. Every hurtful word, every rejected moment she had ever experienced, showed in her eyes.
“You can’t,” she whispered.
She walked to the door, unlocked it, and strolled out. She left me standing there, rooted to my spot. It took much too long for me to realize she was walking out on me.
“Ellie, wait!” I called out.
I heard the jingle of the bell as the door opened. I rushed to the front of the store, but I was too late.
She was gone.
“What the fuck, Ryder? Why did she leave here crying? You were supposed to apologize!” Rachel scolded.
“I know, I tried.”
“Obviously not hard enough,” Sam snarked.
“How do I fix this?” I asked, staring at the door she walked through. A door I wasn’t sure she would ever walk through again.
“You better figure it out. You have two weeks until the book signing,” Sam reminded me.
Two fucking weeks. If the last two were any indication, I had my work cut out for me.