22. A Test Of Sorts
22
A TEST OF SORTS
“ Y ou’re dating Tori,” Ryder said. “Like seriously dating or just kind of, you know, landed in bed together?”
He wanted to be pissed over that comment, but it was Ryder who said it.
Ryder who understood the most of what it was like to have a past you were trying to outrun.
His best friend who was smirking now.
“Both,” he said, laughing. “And that is all I’m saying about it.”
“I wouldn’t want to know anything else,” Ryder said. “I’m surprised you even said what you did. I expected you to tell me to mind my own business.”
So it was a test of sorts.
“I wouldn’t do that,” he said. “I did just walk down here to tell you about it.”
“Fill me in then,” Ryder said. “Since you came down here to do it.”
“Not much to say,” he said.
“Bullshit,” Ryder said. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know. I think we are both feeling things out on a lot of levels. I thought it was me, but it’s more about men in general for her now.”
“You’ll have to explain that,” Ryder said.
“Without going into too many details, I thought she was holding back or having issues with me and my past, but she just admitted that it’s not me as much as men as a whole. I know she hasn’t had any relationship with her father since she was eighteen and before that, not much of one.”
“That does make it hard,” Ryder said. “And if anyone knows how hard it is to get people to not see the reputation you had for years, it’s me.”
“Marissa knew you prior though,” he said.
“I’ll admit I got worse after Marissa and I split,” Ryder said. “My hurt and anger after the split with Marissa led me to go after anyone who differed from her,” Ryder said.
“None of the type of women you’d bring home to Mom,” he said. “Trust me, I get that.”
Not that Hyde did that on purpose.
Never.
He was more about having fun and enjoying his life.
He had relationships with women before Ryder did, it’s just they didn’t last. No one was taking anything seriously.
In between those relationships, he’d meet women out and hook up. He wouldn’t lie about it.
Maybe he was ashamed of that now, but he couldn’t go back and change it.
“Nope,” Ryder said, laughing. “I did it now and again though just to tick her off and get her off my back. Never you though.”
“No,” he said. “My mother only met people who I was serious about. She didn’t know about half the women I was with.”
Because as a teen when he was dating someone new every month, his mother warned him that just like girls get reputations, so do boys. He didn’t believe her.
No, that was wrong.
He believed her, but he thought it was cool rather than something to be embarrassed about.
Just went to show the double standard he had in his eyes.
Thinking that women wouldn’t care so much about it, but now he was learning differently.
“Are you going to have your mother meet Tori?” Ryder asked.
“At some point,” he said. “I just told her my mother knew about her.”
“Dude,” Ryder said. “That’s early to be bringing it up. Especially with the rocky start you’ve had with her.”
“I know,” he said. “They know the history. I told them.”
“Shit,” Ryder said. “I’ve got to sit down for this. What was your mother’s response?”
“Not as bad as CeeCee’s,” he said. “She’s more concerned that I’m trying harder than Tori.”
“Are you?” Ryder asked.
“I don’t know. It’s crossed my mind and I’m being aware of it if it is the case, but I’m not positive.”
“It’s all you can do,” Ryder said. “What’s the next step?”
“I’m not sure,” he said.
“The next step is telling our fathers,” Drake said, coming into the room.
He turned to see his immediate supervisor standing there. Ryder’s first cousin. Garrett’s son.
“No way,” Ryder said. “They will only get nosier.”
“No, they won’t,” Jade said, moving in.
What the fuck? Did this family have radar for personal dating conversations?
Hyde got up and shut the door before the two elder Fierces found their way into the office. As it was, they were all crammed in.
“How the hell do you guys know what is going on?”
“I was listening in the hall,” Drake said. “If you didn’t want anyone to know, you should have shut your door.”
Drake was grinning and Hyde realized now he should have shut Ryder’s door and wasn’t sure why he hadn’t.
“I saw Tori leave your office with a big smile on her face,” Jade said. “Then I went to talk to Raina. She’s a tough one, but she was smirking so I caught on enough. I wanted to go see you and then saw Drake eavesdropping here so I joined in.”
“This is too much,” he said.
“Tell me about it,” Ryder said. “I vote you don’t tell our fathers. They will tell our mothers and then you’ll get no peace.”
“Don’t listen to Ryder,” Jade said. “He doesn’t know what he’s saying.”
“I agree with my sister,” Drake said. “They will be more nosy and pushy if they think they need to find you someone or they think you’re sneaking around. Ryder didn’t have that luxury. Everyone found out about Marissa at once, so there wasn’t any matchmaking there.”
“No,” Ryder said. “But there was plenty of meddling.”
“You had a unique situation than the rest of us,” Drake said, waving his hand. “Don’t listen to him, Hyde. They set up the rest of us. There was no history like Ryder had for the most part. If you tell them you’re dating Tori and are working it out yourselves and would appreciate if they keep their distance, they will honor that.”
Jade laughed. “All you men are clueless. No, they won’t honor it completely, but they will give you space. They will check in and see how things are going. But they won’t get in your face about it. So you have to decide. Do you want them in your face trying to find out secrets or setting you up with someone else, or occasionally checking in to see how you’re doing with Tori? They are going to be around regardless. It’s just how you want it to be presented.”
“Jade’s right,” he said. “I’ve heard it enough from everyone else your parents have had a hand in.”
“See,” Jade said, brushing her knuckles across her chest. “I’m right. The next time you get a chance, don’t tell them you’re dating Tori. I wouldn’t go to them and announce it. I’d just let it drop and then walk away. Act like everyone else knows, how could they not?”
“That I agree with,” Ryder said.
“Me too,” Drake said.
“I guess,” he said. “I’m just trying to do my job. Little did I know my personal life was going to be out on display so much.”
Hours later, he walked out to get water and saw Raina waving her arm for him to come in.
He supposed he should talk to her more than Ryder, but he knew Raina would tell Tori everything.
This time he learned his lesson and shut the door.
“Yes,” he said.
“Ryder popped his head in and filled me in.”
“Jesus, when did he start to act like a chick with gossip?”
Raina smiled. “No clue.”
“So what is your advice?” he asked. Might as well see what she thought since she’d been part of the matchmaking schemes too.
“I think you do what is in your heart.”
“Thanks for that. Do you think Tori will be upset? I’m not doing anything without talking to her about this. The last thing I need is her upset that I’m trying to get set up with someone else, or that I’m airing out our relationship.”
“I think the smart thing to do is let her know your plans. Do I think she’ll have an issue with it? I don’t. Both of the Fierce men and their wives have talked to Tori and dropped hints. They’ve come to me too and done it just like they’ve been doing to me and Ryder about you.”
He remembered what Diane said to Tori outside his office one day. “Yeah,” he said.
Now he wanted them to know so they could back off of his girlfriend.
“They have been in the past with people I don’t know. But more recently, they’ve been hinting at the two of you.”
“They have?” Hyde asked. “How come I didn’t know this?”
Raina rolled her eyes. “Because you’re slow like most everyone else when it comes to them. But they’ve seen Tori in your office or you two talking. You’re not very secretive about it.”
“I wasn’t trying to be,” he said, frowning.
“There you go. There are a lot of eyes and even louder mouths in this building. My advice to you is to talk to Tori the next time you see her. Decide together, don’t listen to anyone else.”
“Including you?” he asked.
“Including me,” Raina said, smiling.