Chapter 2
Chapter Two
Ryan didn’t know what to do with tears. Not a woman’s tears, but tears in general. And when Abby started crying right in front of him, he was pretty sure he wanted to cry right along with her.
When he saw the car in front of him slide on that patch of ice, his blood had gone cold at the sight. Then, he’d noticed who was in that car, and he’d had to swallow down bile before he knocked on the window.
He’d known that Abby and Julia lived close to him, but the fact that they were close enough that he’d witnessed that? He wasn’t sure if it was a blessing or a curse.
Ryan looked on as Julia patted her mother’s cheek and murmured sweet nothings, clearly anxious that her mom was upset and not sure what to do about it.
So, Ryan did the only thing he could. He plucked Julia from Abby’s arms and propped her up on his hip, grateful that she had her big, puffy jacket on to deal with the icy wind.
“You okay?” he asked again. “I mean physically, since Julia is out of her car seat and you’re in the back.”
Abby nodded, seeming to collect herself. He’d never seen her break before. She was always so cool and collected, even with those warm smiles of hers. It honestly scared him a little.
She wiped her tears and nodded. “We weren’t going that fast but I hit the ice wrong.”
“I can tell. Let’s get that car seat into my vehicle. We’ll make sure Julia is nice and warm, then deal with the technical aspects of this since I don’t think I can pull your car out.”
She sighed and nodded. “Thank you, Ryan. I didn’t realize you were here. I mean…why are you here?”
He pointed at his house near the end of the street.
“I live right there. Was on my way home from the shop and saw your car hit. I’m going to call Carter’s place and get a tow truck out here.
They’ll deal with it and take photos for insurance and all that.
I can take you home and make sure Julia gets warm. Sound like a deal?”
A little line formed between Abby’s brows as she thought over his words. “Carter isn’t at his shop.”
Ryan gave her a tight nod. “I know.” He kissed Julia’s hand as she patted his face.
She smiled at him, and he did the same to her, though he knew it probably didn’t reach his eyes.
Watching Abby and Julia crash like that hadn’t made it easy to smile.
Then remembering that Carter wasn’t working because he’d almost died?
Yeah, that made it harder to smile. “Carter’s crew is working, though. ”
“Oh. I forgot.” Abby was too damn pale.
“You’re in your head. Take Julia and let me get the seat out of your car. I’ll make a call. You two just stay and get warm.” He paused. “You sure you’re okay? Should we call an ambulance?”
She seemed to shake herself out of her thoughts and then stood up, her arms held out for her daughter.
She once again looked like the woman he knew that could handle anything.
The fact that she’d broken just a little in front of him told him not only how shaken she was, but also how damn strong she was to even allow herself to break down in the first place.
It took a hell of a person to show any kind of weakness in front of another, even though they weren’t exactly strangers.
“Thank you, Ryan. I’m fine. Though I’ll take Julia to her pediatrician tomorrow just in case. Neither of us hit our heads or anything, but I want to make sure she’s okay.”
“You’re a good mom. Let’s get you taken care of.”
“Thank you, Ryan. For everything.”
Ryan leaned down and ran his finger down Abby’s cheek.
From the look on her face, the action surprised them both.
He quickly moved his hand, holding back a wince.
He and Abby didn’t touch like that, and she had to be scared, just coming out of her shock.
Touching her at all would be too much like taking advantage, and he wasn’t about to do that.
Not now. Not ever.
Not when it came to sweet Abby.
Ryan made sure that Julia and Abby were safe in his car, then he removed the car seat from her vehicle, all the while hoping that they were truly okay.
Abby was right, the car hadn’t been going that fast, and Julia had been buckled in tight.
He assumed Abby had been as well. They would be fine, even if Abby was a little stressed out.
He didn’t blame her, though, not after the accident.
By the time the tow truck arrived, pictures were taken, and everything was in order, Julia was asleep in her car seat in his car, warm and snug like a bug in a rug.
Abby had wrung her hands to the point where she probably had a hole in her gloves, but she had stayed strong throughout it all.
She was possibly the strongest woman he knew.
And considering the women he had in his life, that was saying something.
After everything had been taken care of, they drove in silence to Abby’s place, and she even made an appointment for Julia with the pediatrician for the next day.
He knew it was the right course of action, and if Julia had looked the least bit injured or shaken, they would have been at Urgent Care or even the emergency room right then.
They had all missed dinner, but he didn’t think he could eat anything. Not when he kept going over what he’d seen in his head. Thoughts of exactly what had happened and what he’d seen with Abby and Julia.
“Do you want to come in for some hot cocoa or something? Or tea?” Abby asked as she lifted Julia into her arms. Ryan worked on getting the car seat out so he could bring it into her house.
Someone would have to take her to work the next day.
If he did it, then he would just put the car seat back in his vehicle.
But Abby had a lot of friends around here, and he assumed she would call one of them to take her.
“You should probably get her to bed.” He nodded at Julia.
He didn’t miss the disappointment in Abby’s gaze, but he knew it likely had nothing to do with him, probably just the fact that she didn’t want to be alone. He couldn’t blame her. The thought of going back to his big, empty house didn’t really settle on his shoulders like it should either.
“I’m going to get her right to sleep, but if you want to come in, at least for a hot drink, you’re more than welcome to. I want to say thank you. But I also don’t want to take up any more of your time. This has already taken up too much of it.”
Ryan shook his head and closed the car door.
“I don’t mind. I didn’t have any plans. The fact that you guys are safe is all I really need.” He paused and thought better of his initial answer. “Yeah, I’ll take you up on that hot cocoa, but Adrienne tells me you have something with peppermint.”
Abby rolled her eyes and grinned. “She’s addicted to that peppermint tea. It’s the white chocolate peppermint bark one. I had it last year, as well.”
Ryan licked his lips, and he didn’t miss the fact that Abby’s gaze followed the motion. Apparently, he wasn’t the only one that was tired. “I’ve had it. That was some damn good stuff.” He winced, looking down at Julia.
“No worries about the cursing. She’s heard worse, even though everyone tries to be good about it. Plus, she’s out cold. You’re fine.”
“Speaking of cold, let’s get inside.”
“You’re right. Standing out here doesn’t make a lot of sense. I guess I’m still a little flustered.”
He followed her to the house and watched as she deftly opened the door, Julia still in her arms, doing it as if she’d done it a thousand times before. And maybe she had. She had raised Julia alone from birth and hadn’t had any real help.
He didn’t know how she did it, especially considering he had trouble taking care of himself some days.
But she was damn good at it and had even created and ran a whole business on her own.
Ryan was just a tattoo artist. Yeah, he was a good one, but he didn’t own his own shop.
He finally owned his own home, but he didn’t have much else.
And…that was enough feeling sorry for himself.
Ryan stood awkwardly in Abby’s small living room, setting the car seat down on the floor out of the way as Abby went to put Julia to sleep.
He kind of wished he’d been able to say goodnight to the little girl, but that wasn’t his place.
He was just a friend, and not even a close friend.
Maybe over time he and Abby and Julia could get closer, but Abby didn’t need him and his troubles.
He didn’t need himself and his troubles most days.
Ryan took a look around the space, enjoying the way she had decorated.
It looked like a home rather than how his house looked.
She had photos on the wall, art and different knickknacks on shelves and tables.
The place was clearly childproof as well, with Julia being able to toddle around.
But it still felt warm and lived-in. It wasn’t dirty, wasn’t even messy, but it was clearly a home.
His house, on the other hand, barely had anything on the walls but his TV and a shelf he’d put up so he could set the rest of the entertainment equipment up.
He didn’t have much in the way of furniture, only what he needed.
Honestly, the house was too big for him, but it was a steal since he had worked on revamping and reinstalling things on his own.
But it didn’t feel like a home to him. Maybe it should, and probably would later, but for now, he was still working on it. Abby walked out as he was looking at a few photos on the wall, pausing on one in particular.
She must have seen what he was looking at because she came and stood next to him, a small smile on her face. Her eyes didn’t look sad, but then again, maybe she was just good at hiding it. After all, he was good at hiding things, too.
“That’s Max,” Abby said softly.
He swallowed hard. “Julia’s father, right?”
“Yes. I try to keep Max around the house for her. And for me, for that matter. I never want to erase him, even though he never got to live in this place.”