Chapter 16
Sixteen
Ryker
It’s just after midnight when I hear the quiet click of my bedroom door closing.
I don’t even have to open my eyes to know it’s her.
Ever since we returned from Vancouver two weeks ago, Ginny has been coming to me in the middle of the night.
She moves like a whisper—barefoot, careful, the way someone moves when they’re used to not being noticed.
But I notice. Every time. And she’s always gone before the sun rises.
She leaves her car at home and takes a rideshare over.
The sheets shift and the mattress dips slightly as she crawls into bed beside me. I pull her in without a word, her head finding the space just under my chin like it belongs there.
Like she belongs here. She keeps her visits quiet, like we’re something shameful, like being caught would cost her. And I’m sure it would. Evelyn doesn’t forgive betrayal, particularly not from her own blood.
That thought should scare me. Hell, it does.
No one knows about my true feelings for Ginny. Not Tarryn. Not even Ginny.
But this thing between us? It’s not just sex anymore. At least not for me.
If I lose her, it won’t just hurt. It’ll hollow something out inside me, leaving me empty.
I don’t know when it changed. Maybe it was the first night back after the trip, when she showed up at my door in one of my old baseball shirts and nothing else.
Or maybe it was the way she made my bed her home without asking, the way she rolls toward me in her sleep, fingers tangling in my shirt like she’s afraid I’ll vanish if she lets go.
Or maybe it was way before that, and I just don’t want to admit it.
But no matter when it started, now I’ve got a problem. And that problem is Ginny Dempsey.
Not because of who she is—not really—but because of who I am. My last name might as well be gasoline and hers a lit match. Everyone in this damn town knows it. We’re not just on opposite sides of a feud. We are the feud.
Still, I can’t stop.
I should. But every time I let her in… And when she leaves, I stare at the empty space beside me, wondering how the hell I’m supposed to go back to the way things were before.
I shift slightly, brushing a strand of hair off her cheek. She sighs in her sleep and curls closer, like she knows I’m thinking too much again.
I’ve always had flings. Short-term things. Fun, easy, forgettable.
Ginny’s none of those.
She’s sharp and bold and funny. She doesn’t just see me. She sees right through me. I want her to.
I close my eyes and try to will the thoughts away. But her body is warm against mine and her breath is steady and soft on my neck, and all I can think about is how I already know this is a lie.
I’m in trouble. And I don’t want out.
I need to talk to someone. I know where Tarryn sits on this, and the only other Paradise who would possibly understand is my mother. We’re meeting about the practice tomorrow, and maybe I can add this to the agenda as well.
After a full day of seeing patients, I’ve joined Mom in her office at our clinic for a meeting.
I sink gratefully into a chair in her sitting area, and we talk through our current patients.
Some of them started with me, but several are transfers from her caseload, as she continues to pull back, and she graciously answers all my questions.
Eventually, it seems like we’ve been through everything, but she’s still looking at me expectantly. I don’t know what else to say.
Mom studies me for a long beat, eyes narrowing the way they used to when she knew I was lying about sneaking cookies before dinner. “Ryker,” she says softly, “what’s really going on? I understand you had a leukemia diagnosis last month. It doesn’t get any harder than that. I promise.”
I run a hand through my hair and exhale. I’ve danced around it long enough. I could lie, say I’ve just been tired, blame work or the weather. But she’s always seen through me. And if I want something real with Ginny, I can’t keep hiding her.
“I’m seeing someone,” I say. “Ginny Dempsey.”
Her brows lift. “You’re dating her?”
I nod slowly. “It started…casual. Just a hookup.”
She takes a sip of her coffee and doesn’t say anything.
“But it’s not that anymore.”
She stays quiet, waiting.
“I didn’t mean for it to get serious. But it is. At least for me. She gets me in this weird way, and I don’t have to pretend with her. And yeah, I know it’s risky—I know the history—but when I’m with her, none of that seems to matter. Until it does.”
“How long has this been going on?” Mom asks.
“It started a while ago, but it’s only gotten serious since we went to Vancouver. We spent time together. And every night since we’ve been back, she’s come to my place. No one knows.”
She sits back, processing. “And you think this is more than just a phase?”
I look her square in the eye. “Yeah. I do. And I don’t care what Max or Dad thinks,” I add quickly, but the words feel thin even as I say them. “Actually, that’s a lie. I care. They’re going to lose their minds when they find out.”
“Especially Max,” she says. “It’s not really public knowledge, but the reason Max and Chereen broke up was because Chereen had an affair with Ginny’s father before Zach was born.”
I stop short and stare at her. “Chereen slept with Henry?”
She nods. “I think they were both trying to get back at their spouses.”
My stomach drops. All this time, I thought Max’s hatred was about land and legacy. But it’s not. It’s personal. The Dempseys are a constant reminder of his biggest humiliation. Which means coming clean isn’t just risky. It’s explosive.
I think back over what I know, piecing in this new information.
So Chereen, Max’s wife, had an affair with Henry, Ginny’s dad.
Then they broke it off, and Zach was born.
Chereen left Paradise not long after that, never to be heard from again.
And Henry must have been banished after Evelyn found out about his affair.
This is a huge part of the generational drama in our families.
No wonder our parents despise each other and have bred mistrust among everyone else.
Mom presses her lips together. “Chereen and Henry were never in love.” She closes her laptop. “But Max never forgave him for what happened. He’s always blamed Henry for breaking up his marriage. And you dating Henry’s daughter? That’s a powder keg. Especially with Zach so…involved.”
Something about the way she says it gives me pause. But she doesn’t explain, and I don’t press.
“He’ll use Ginny against me. Twist this. Turn it into proof that I’m not loyal to the family.”
Her mouth tightens. “You’ve always been loyal. Don’t let Max make you think otherwise.”
“But what if it doesn’t matter?” I say. “It won’t if everyone thinks I’m sleeping with the enemy. Even if she’s not the enemy. She’s just…Ginny.”
My mom nods slowly, then reaches across the table and covers my hand with hers.
“You don’t get to choose who your heart breaks for.
But you do get to choose whether you fight for them.
And if this is real, you fight for it. But you do it with your eyes open.
Because you’re right. There will be fallout. ”
“I know. You just want more grandchildren.”
She laughs. “I’m so transparent. But really, I want my children to be happy. I watched what happened with King and was crushed when it all fell apart. But I’m so glad Greyson and Beckett have found their forevers. I hope you, King, and Tarryn do too.”
“And you want more grandchildren.”
“I’m a pediatrician. Of course I do. But I’m serious when I say you need to be smart about your relationship with Ginny. And don’t let anyone—anyone—make you ashamed of how you feel.” Her grip tightens. “I’m proud of you,” she adds.
I swallow the lump rising in my throat. “Thanks, Mom.”
She smiles gently. “And for the record, I always liked Evelyn’s granddaughters more than her wine.”
I bark out a laugh, surprised by the rush of relief that floods my body.
“Bring her on Sunday,” Mom suggests. “Max and Zach won’t be there. You and Ginny can tell the family yourselves and control the narrative before Max spins it into something it’s not.”
Tarryn’s going to see this coming. My dad probably won’t. But either way, once the truth’s out, there’s no going back. And I can handle their anger, just not losing Ginny.
“Are you sure?” I ask Mom.
“Positive.”
“Thanks for your support.”
She stands and pulls me into a hug. “I love you, and I want nothing more than your happiness. And honestly, if this puts this Paradise-Dempsey crap to rest, all the better.”
I hold on to that hope, for a future where Ginny and I can stop hiding. But even with Max and Zach gone, Sunday’s going to be a battlefield. If this blows up the way I think it will, someone’s going to bleed. I just hope it isn’t Ginny.