Chapter Four
chapter four
RYDER
One Month Later
“I told her if she doesn’t lay her ass down and rest, I’m going to tie her to the bed,” Julian says, trying to sound like there’s even a possibility he has a say in anything his wife does when everyone knows she runs the show.
“So, how’s sleeping on the couch going for you?” I ask, taking a bite of my sub.
Julian glares. “I’m not sleeping on the couch, dickhead. The woman is only a month away from giving birth, but I swear, she thinks she’s invincible. She did agree this will be her last week going into the office though.”
“We both know she can easily run this entire company from her bed regardless,” I point out, making Julian grin like a lovesick puppy.
“Yeah, she can,” he says with a nod.
My phone vibrates with an email from my dad, and I roll my eyes at his formality even though it doesn’t surprise me.
Ryder,
I hope you are well. As you know, Du Ponte Enterprises will be hosting their annual Fourth of July picnic. Margorie hasn’t received your RSVP. I don’t need to remind you that you missed the last two years in a row due to your situation. Am I correct to assume you’ll be attending this year? It looks bad that I’ve yet to meet my granddaughter.
—Henry Du Ponte
“Bad news?” Julian prompts when I groan out loud.
“Family obligations. My father has requested my presence.”
Julian chuckles. “The Fourth of July picnic?”
“The fact that he calls renting out several floors of a hotel and a private beach a picnic shows how out of touch he is from reality.”
I was excused last year because of the shit that went down with Nora—during which he never once showed up to offer his support—and the year before because of the wedding, which he didn’t attend. But he’s not going to take no for an answer this year. The idea of spending an entire weekend with my father and our stuck-up family at the beach has me wanting to drown myself in the ocean.
Although I’m sure my grandfather will be there, and unlike my dad, he actually cares about me. He might be related to my dad, but they’re nothing alike.
“Rich people problems,” Julian drawls, half joking.
Unlike Ana and me, Julian comes from a middle-class family. He loves his job, but even after all these years of working at Kingston, he’s not entirely comfortable around people like my father, who flaunt their wealth and judge others by the number of zeros next to their name.
“He acts like it’s my fault that he hasn’t met Addie when he’s the one who chooses to never visit. My grandfather and Eric both made the trip to meet her when she was born, and my grandfather has visited a few times since then.”
“Don’t let him get to you,” Julian says. “He’s just bitter that after all this time, you still haven’t caved on working for him, and there’s nothing he can do about it.”
Thankfully, my grandfather believes in following your own dreams, and the trust I was given was only contingent on me furthering my education. The day I graduated from college with my degree, I was given access to more money than I’d ever spend. My dad was pissed because he wanted me to work for the family business and tried to convince my grandfather to require it, but he refused—thank God. The thought of spending my days working for a man who has treated me more like a stranger than blood is not appealing, to say the least.
“So, are you going to the picnic?”
“Yeah, I haven’t seen my grandfather in a few months, and he’ll be there. I want Addie to know him.”
With him being in his eighties, I don’t know how much longer we have with him, and I’ll regret Addie not getting to know him because I hate being around the rest of my family.
While my grandfather was busy working when I was younger, he still made it a point to spend time with me. Both he and my grandmother—who passed away a few years back—were the only family I really felt somewhat close to, growing up. Neither of them agreed with the way my father chose to raise his children—or put work above his wife. Meanwhile, my father thinks my grandfather is soft and swears if it wasn’t for him taking over Du Ponte Enterprises, the business would’ve failed.
He’s probably not wrong, but while the business has thrived, his family life is a complete failure. He’s a lonely sixty-five-year-old man who never settled down after my mom left him and thinks having a gorgeous younger woman on his arm proves he’s made it in the world. It’s pretty fucking embarrassing if you ask me.
I’ve only taken a couple more bites of my food when another email comes through, this time from my brother.
Ryder,
I know you’ve been through a lot recently, but with me announcing my candidacy for president in the upcoming election, it would mean a lot if you could please attend the annual picnic. All eyes will be on us, and it will help to have a united front, especially after everything that transpired last year.
Sincerely,
Eric
“Let me guess,” Julian says. “Your brother emailed you.”
“Of course he did.”
I love my brother, and he’s never done anything wrong—just the opposite, he’s as perfect as it gets—but because of the ten-year age difference, we aren’t close. He lives in Austin since he’s the governor of Texas, so we don’t see each other often, and ever since Nora left, I’ve made it a point to hide from the public so I can deal with my shit in private.
Going to this picnic will mean putting myself, as well as my daughter, back in the limelight. People are going to want to know where her mother is and why she isn’t in the picture anymore. Even if Eric wasn’t a public figure, the Du Pontes are one of the wealthiest families in Texas, having owned and sold over one hundred thousand miles of pipeline years ago. Our family is still heavily involved in oil, among other things, and it was only a matter of time before I’d have to step out of the shadows.
“Knock, knock.” Ana pops her head in, grins, and then walks in. “Am I interrupting something important?”
“Never,” Julian says, pulling her into his arms on the couch we’re sitting on and eating our lunch. “Are you heading home?”
“Soon,” she says, giving Julian a kiss. “I need to grab Kingston from childcare first. Speaking of which …” Ana glances my way. “I’m not sure what to do. Julian and I have decided to hire a nanny instead of Kingston returning to childcare after the baby is born. And since Britney moved up to the older age group, that only leaves Addie with Kira.”
“And … what’s the problem?” I ask, refusing to let the mention of her name get to me.
I’ve done a good job of pretending she doesn’t affect me every time I drop off and pick up Addie when the truth is, I can’t get the woman off my mind. I’m only around her for maybe a total of ten minutes, three times a week, yet she’s managed to somehow get under my skin.
Her laughter, her smile. The way she genuinely cares about my daughter. Last week, Addie was teething and cranky, and Kira handled it with such patience and kindness. She doesn’t have a mean bone in her body. And don’t get me started on her looks. As if her blue eyes and dimple weren’t enough, her body is damn near perfection with curves for days and breasts I imagine would fit perfectly in my palms. I’m ashamed to admit the number of times she’s starred in my fantasies in the past month.
“Well, technically, it’s not a problem,” Ana says. “And we can afford to pay her, but since nobody else is pregnant or planning to use the corporate childcare in the foreseeable future, we’ll be paying Kira to only care for Addie. I just wasn’t sure if you wanted to consider getting a nanny …”
“Addie likes her. I don’t want to force my daughter to get used to another person.”
“Okay, then she stays,” Ana says, standing. “I’m actually glad you want that because she needs the job, and I dreaded having to let her go. We can probably have Kira join the other daycare workers, so she and Addie don’t feel isolated. I’ll talk to them tomorrow.”
The rest of the afternoon flies by, and before I know it, I’m heading to the second floor to pick up my daughter. It’s Friday, and I’m looking forward to the weekend. With Addie now walking, she loves to go to the park, and when it’s too hot, we take a drive to the beach. She can play in the sand for hours.
“Hey, Ryder,” Kira says with a warm smile. “How was your day?”
She asks the same type of question every time I pick up Addie. The first time she asked, I simply replied with, “Okay,” hoping to quickly make my escape, but when she scrunched her nose up and said that wasn’t a good enough answer, I elaborated, and we talked for a little while. It was nice to talk to someone who wasn’t Julian or Ana.
Each time, our conversations have gotten more in depth. We discuss the kids and the plans we have for the weekend. We’ve even talked about our favorite books and music. If I were at a place in my life where I was interested in dating, Kira would be someone I’d want to get to know on a deeper level. She hasn’t mentioned being in a relationship, and she only ever talks about her and her daughter, which leads me to believe she’s a single mom.
But I’m not looking for love. My only focus is my daughter, and the last thing I want is history repeating itself. Addie already had a mom who walked away, and isn’t the woman who birthed you supposed to be the one person who loves you the most? If I wasn’t enough for my mom to stay and Addie wasn’t enough for Nora to stay, how can I expect some woman who has no ties to us to stick around? Getting involved with a woman will only lead to one thing—heartbreak. And I’ve been there, done that, and I got the shirt to prove it.
“It was long,” I admit truthfully, answering her question. “I was thinking about heading to the beach with Addie this weekend. Any plans?”
“That will be fun,” she says, handing my daughter over to me. “Violet has been into bugs recently, so I was thinking of taking her to the science museum.”
“Nice. The one in Houston?”
“Yep. Have you been?”
“Many times.” My nanny used to bring me every summer, and then last year, when my brother and his family visited, we went back. “Make sure she checks out the fossil exhibit. She’ll love digging for treasure.”
“Thanks for the tip.” She hands me my diaper bag, and I sling it over my shoulder. “Bye-bye, Monkey,” she says, using Addie’s nickname that she dubbed her without even knowing I called her Chunky Monkey.
When I asked where she’d heard it, she said she made it up because Addie loved to hang all over everything, like a spider monkey. And she was shocked to learn I called her the same name.
“Have fun at the beach. Build me a sandcastle.”
“Bye!” Addie waves as we head out.
We’re almost to my car when I get a text from Julian, asking about a budget report I promised him. Realizing I never saved it so I have no way of grabbing it from the cloud, I throw the diaper bag into the car and then run back up to my office to send it to him.
I’m walking back to my car when I see Kira and Violet walking toward their SUV. They’re too far, so I don’t bother calling out to them. I strap Addie into her car seat and then round my vehicle so we can head home.
I put the car in reverse and start to back up when I notice the SUV is driving in the wrong direction. There’s only one exit, yet Kira is heading toward the top of the garage.
My first thought is that she must’ve gone in the wrong direction by accident and she’ll make her way back down soon, but as I sit and wait to see her vehicle drive by, it never appears.
Afraid something is wrong and not wanting to leave without knowing they’re okay, I drive up the same way they went, circling around the four-floor garage. By the time I get to the third floor, I’ve convinced myself I was seeing shit and she left, but when I arrive at the top level and find her SUV parked in the corner, I know I wasn’t mistaken. Now, the question is, why the hell is she parked up here?
I pull in next to her SUV, and leaving my car running so Addie has AC, I get out to make sure Kira’s okay. Only instead of finding her in the driver’s seat, she’s sitting in a folding chair while her daughter is lying on the ground on a blanket.
“Hey,” I say, making my presence known. “Are you …” My question trails off when I notice the back seats are lying flat, and there’s an air mattress spread out across the entire area with a couple of pillows and blankets.
Kira’s eyes widen in shock, and she immediately stands. “What are you doing here?”
“Hi, Ryder!” Violet says, waving to me like it’s perfectly normal for them to be hanging out at the top of a parking garage. It’s then I notice she’s not just lying on the ground, but is also coloring in a coloring book.
“Is Addie with you?” Violet asks.
“Yeah, sweetheart, she’s in the car,” I say, glancing at Kira, who looks a mixture of horrified and embarrassed. “You want to go say hi to her?” I suggest, my eyes not leaving Kira’s.
“Mommy, can I?” Violet asks.
“Yeah, that’s fine,” Kira chokes out.
As soon as Violet is out of earshot, I step toward Kira, praying what this looks like isn’t what it actually is.
“This isn’t what it looks like,” Kira says as if she can read my mind.
“No? Then, tell me what I’m looking at.” I point toward her vehicle. “Because it looks like you’re living out of your vehicle and using the Kingston parking garage as your temporary resting spot.”
“Okay,” she breathes. “That is what you’re looking at, but it’s not forever. I’m so close to getting enough money to rent a place. Please,” she begs, tears of desperation filling her lids, “you can’t tell anyone. If they find out, they’ll take her away from me.”
“Kira,” I say, closing the gap between us, “I can’t possibly let you and that little girl of yours sleep in your SUV.”
“Yes, you can,” she rushes out. “Please, just pretend you didn’t see us. Get back in your car and drive away. We’re okay. I’m not a bad mom.”
Her words crack at the end, along with my heart. How could I have spent the past month talking to this woman and not known she and her daughter were homeless?
“I swear, it’s only for a short time,” Kira sobs. “It’s not permanent.”
“Hey, hey.” I pull her into my arms, and even though she’s freaking out, she lets me. “It’s going to be okay.”
I don’t know what I’m going to do to fix this, but there’s no way I’m letting her handle this alone.
“I’m so close,” she cries into my chest. “She’s taken care of, I promise. You can’t turn me in. She’s my entire world. I’m all she has and …” She hiccups the last part, and I pull back so I can look her in the eyes.
“Shh,” I say, wiping her tears. “I’m not taking her away from you. I know you’re a good mom. I see the way you care for my daughter and yours. But I can’t let you guys live in your vehicle.”
“Okay.” She nods emphatically. “I’ll get a room in a hotel, I promise.”
“You’re not staying in a hotel.”
If she could afford one, she wouldn’t be sleeping in her damn SUV.
“Then, what do you want me to do?” she cries.
“Come home with me.” The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them, but I can’t find it in me to regret them.
I don’t know this woman’s story, but I know enough about her to know that she’s kind and sweet and caring, and if she’s living in her fucking car, there’s a damn good reason why.
“What?” She steps back. “No, I can’t.”
She shakes her head, looking at me like she’s a rabid animal I’m trying to corner and capture. Whatever happened to her is enough that she’d rather sleep in her car than get help from me.
“Yes, you can. I have a big home with too many damn rooms,” I say, trying to assure her. “You can trust me. You’ve known me for over a month now. You and your daughter will be safe in my home.”
“But …”
“But nothing,” I argue. “Come home with me and get a good night’s sleep, and tomorrow, we’ll figure this out. I’d bet your little girl would love to have a nice shower and sleep in a comfy bed tonight,” I add, not above guilting her into listening to me because there’s no way in hell I’m leaving them here to sleep in their vehicle another night.
She stares at me for several seconds. Then, her shoulders slump, and her panicked features morph into defeated acceptance, telling me she’s going to give in.
“Okay,” she whispers. “We’ll go home with you.”