Chapter Twenty-One - Ryder
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Ryder
“Your girl was in the garden again this morning,” Nicholas huffs, not looking up from his phone. “Without Alec.”
The familiar irritation that comes every time one of the capos talks about Rachel cuts through my good mood.
Jealousy? Probably.
“I know,” I answer coolly. “She thinks she’s sneaking out, and I’ve been letting her get away with it since she’s not hurting anyone.”
Moreno chuckles from across the conference table. “Didn’t realize that’s how things work around here.”
“When you’re trying to keep the woman bringing your child into the world happy, you’ll bend your rules, too.”
“Doubt that,” he mutters, returning to his emails while we wait for Tripp and Kade to get here so we can get this meeting over with.
I use the time to shoot Rachel a text.
Ryder: I’ll be back soon, and I have a surprise for you.
She responds only seconds later.
Rachel: I have a surprise for you, too. See you soon.
It’s been two months since I asked Rachel to stay with me, and though she hasn’t given me an answer to that particular question, our attempt at friendship has created a healthier environment for both of us.
I come home early enough to have dinner with her, and we’ve started watching a post-apocalyptic drama just to have something to do together.
Our conversations come more naturally, and we’ve started to talk about what things will be like once the baby comes.
Since where they’ll live is still undecided, we’ve only nailed down the things that won’t change based on location—the first being finances.
It hasn’t seemed like something even worth discussing to me since I have more than enough to provide a perfectly comfortable life for her and our daughter, but Rachel doesn’t see it quite so simply.
Our compromise is more of a child support situation.
I’ll provide money, and Rachel will use it at her discretion, either to buy whatever the baby needs or to set it aside in a separate account for her future.
We discuss things like schooling—a private education neither of her parents had access to growing up—and the activities we want her to participate in when she gets older. As far as my job goes, we’ll slowly introduce her to what I do as she grows up rather than hide it from her completely.
The only thing we can’t seem to decide on is a name.
Between open communication and intentional quality time, things are better than ever and coming home to Rachel is the best part of any day.
When I’m at work, she’s doing endless school assignments or studying for quizzes and tests, so nights are a time for each of us to relax.
Though she hasn’t said it outright, she seems to be more comfortable around the base, too.
She no longer pops her knuckles and lowers her head when we walk the halls and pass soldiers.
Instead, she walks the halls with the same ease that she does the cabin, and I’m making every effort to increase that comfort.
Last week, I took her to the base’s shooting range and taught her how to use a gun. We used silencers so we wouldn’t hurt the baby’s eardrums, but halfway through the session, the flutter of kicks against Rachel’s stomach stopped us. We spent the rest of that hour waiting for her to do it again.
Donovan and Kade make a habit of joining Alec and Rachel a few days a week to watch her favorite shows.
When I voiced my displeasure at the frequency of her spending time with other men, she simply told me that getting to know the other capos makes her feel more comfortable.
I didn’t argue after that since my goal is to convince her to stay with me.
Which is the only thing we haven’t talked about.
I’ve done my best not to pry since pushing Rachel won’t gain me any points, but it’s not easy, especially when I’m getting more and more used to having her around.
“All right,” Moreno says, pulling my attention from my messages and thoughts of Rachel. I hadn’t even noticed when the other capos came in.
“The M.A.C. project is less than two months away. What are we still waiting on?”
“Travel details, but that can’t come from our end. We haven’t pushed communication, as you asked,” Donovan answers.
Kade lifts a hand. “I emailed you the document that needs to be filled out before I can complete the security clearance.”
“I’ll work on getting both,” Moreno confirms, shooting me a look so I know to jot down the note.
The next hour is spent detailing the LAPD’s new substance abuse and gang activity protocols that’ll be going into effect at the end of the month and our plan to work with our contacts on the inside to get around them.
Once the meeting’s agenda is complete, Moreno waves a dismissive hand. “All right, everyone out.”
The other capos don’t waste a second getting out of the room, but the look Moreno shoots me keeps me in my seat.
When the door shuts behind them, Moreno leans forward in his chair. “I sent the travel details to you four days ago. Why didn’t Donovan have them?”
“Must have slipped through the cracks,” I say in no particular tone. “I’ll send it to Donovan by the end of the day.”
Joshua’s nostrils flare. “That was a direct order that you disobeyed. I have every right to kick you out of here and half a mind to do it. What the hell is your problem?”
I jab my finger into one of the thick files on the desk that contains everything about the M.A.C. project. “This is my problem. It wouldn’t kill us to push the project by one month.”
He pushes to his feet. “You know we don’t have that option. We have a small window of opportunity, so we’re taking what we can. If this was any other capo, you’d tell them to get their head out of their ass and do their job.”
I stand to match his stance. “This isn’t any other capo. It’s me. The woman about to give birth to my daughter will be in danger if we go through with this project.”
“As long as she doesn’t overstep, she’ll be perfectly safe.”
“You can’t know that, Joshua.”
His glare shifts to a tired exasperation as he braces his hands on the table.
“I get that you’re worried, but you don’t need to be.
Nothing will happen to her or the baby,” he says, and I can feel the conviction in each word.
“I can’t do this if you’re not completely on board.
I need to know that you'll still back me even if you don’t agree with this. ”
Maybe there’s a world where I give in to the temptation to tell him to shove this project up his ass, but in this world, I only have one real option. I swore allegiance to this family, and I will honor that oath until my last breath, and Joshua knows it.
“I’ll back you,” I tell him. “If anything—and I mean anything—happens to Rachel or the baby, I’ll deliver the consequences personally.”
“And I’ll be right behind you,” he says with a small, openly relieved grin.
By the time I finally return to the cabin, I’m feeling marginally better about everything at the base. Moreno didn’t cancel the project, but it’s good to know he’ll protect Rachel at all costs.
As soon as I open the door, the unmistakable smell of fresh paint gives me pause.
“Rachel?” I call, setting my bag down on the counter as I search the small living space. She comes out of her bedroom with light pink paint streaked across her cheek.
Her hair is pulled back in a bumpy ponytail, and she’s wearing… are those my sweatpants? And that is definitely my shirt. Both articles of my clothing have paint smeared across them.
She has a paintbrush in one hand, a bottle of water in the other, and a smile so wide it creases every inch of her face.
Despite my confusion, I decide that—mess and all—this girl is who I want to come home to for the rest of my life.
“Come on,” she says, nodding to her room.
When I follow her inside, the smell of paint increases tenfold, but that’s not why my jaw goes rigid. Every item of furniture is moved to the center of the room and covered in plastic wrap, and the walls are bare, aside from their newest coat of paint.
I point to the ladder that’s set up along the wall. “Did you climb up there to reach the top of the wall?”
She presses her lips together to tamper down a smile, but I’m not amused. “Rachel, do you have any idea what could’ve happened if you’d fallen?”
She waves me off. “Alec has been here all day until a few minutes ago.”
“And he let you do that?” I ask, pulling out my phone. “I’m going to kill him.”
Rachel is at my side in an instant, lowering my phone with a gentle hand and catching my attention with her heart-stopping smile. “You think I would’ve listened to him?”
“He should’ve told me.”
“You think I would’ve listened to you?”
“Yes, you would’ve.” I rest my hand on her stomach. “That’s my daughter in there, and if you think I’ll let you do anything that could hurt her, then you don’t know me very well.”
I wait for her snap response, but it doesn’t come. Instead, her smile grows. “Ryder, why do you think I painted this room?”
I pause to look around again, realizing I hadn’t thought past the danger she put herself in. If she’s painting the room a light pink, that means she’s making… a nursery? But what’s the point if she’s just going to—
When I look at Rachel, my heart constricts with utter joy at the realization.
“Does this mean you’re—”
“Staying. Not forever, but I figure a year or two in LA wouldn’t be the worst—”
Her words are cut short when I scoop her into my arms and spin her around.
“Ryder!” she squeals, but I don’t let go even when I stop spinning her.
Her heated cheeks still have paint across them, and her bright eyes shine with affection. Suddenly, I forget that we’re supposed to be friends and do the only thing that feels natural.
I kiss her.
If I could sell the high that comes from kissing Rachel, I’d be the richest man on the planet.
There’s nothing so addictive as her lips molding to mine like we can be permanently sealed together.
Her arms wrap around my neck so tight I feel light-headed, though I’m not convinced the loss of blood flow is responsible for my dizziness.
The push and pull of our bodies moving against each other is unlike anything I have ever known. It doesn’t matter how long my lips dance with hers. It will never be enough. I could kiss Rachel until the day I die and still not have my fill of her.
And she’s staying with me.
If someone asked me how long it’s been since I started kissing her, I wouldn’t have an answer. All I’d say is that when the knock on the door came, I nearly murdered the person on the other side.
Only, that’s my surprise for Rachel, and it’d be a shame to taint this moment with homicide.
“Who’s that?” Rachel asks when our lips part, and I love the sound of her breathy voice.
“That is your surprise,” I tell her, and though the last thing I want to do is remove my arms from around her waist, I force myself to take her hand and pull her through the cabin.
I pull open the front door, watching Rachel’s face as her features morph from curiosity to shock to disbelief and, finally, pure joy.
“Mom? Dad? What are you doing here?” She crashes into the couple with a force that should knock them over, and they receive her with open arms.
“Sweetie! It’s so great to see you,” her mother says in a tight, emotional voice.
“Ryder flew us out here,” her father says, pulling away from her to hold his hand out to me. “It’s an honor to meet the man taking care of our little girl.”
I take his hand and give it a firm shake. “The honor is all mine. I’m thrilled you took me up on the invitation. I trust the travel accommodations were suitable?”
Lynette nods enthusiastically. “A private jet, Rachel. Can you believe it?”
Rachel pulls away from her parents, eyes shining with moisture that never falls, and the look she gives me is the first unreadable one since we’ve met. Or, perhaps it’s full of so many emotions that I can’t pinpoint each of them.
“Come inside. I’ll make some tea,” Rachel insists as she ushers her parents through the door.
They move to the living room, and Rachel is about to follow, but she stops herself, turning to me with a look I can decipher—wholehearted gratitude.
“Thank you for this,” she says, kissing my cheek. “It means so much to me.”
I’m overcome with a sense of awe as I watch her walk away to make tea, and the realization hits me with a certainty I couldn’t fight even if I wanted to.
I am falling in love with this girl.
And I have absolutely no intention of letting her go.