Chapter 9 #3
“He’s so weird, in’he,” Ryan chuckled. “The whole world can clearly see you’re my Ryder.”
“Yeah!” Ryder was in agreement.
I smirked and rounded the counter to greet them properly. Well, the kid. Not Ryan. Fuck Ryan.
Smarmy, my fine ass.
Ryder took off down the aisle, and I got ready to catch him and his cocky grin. When he jumped, I scooped him up and positioned him on my hip.
“How are you, kiddo?” I flicked the brim of his Mariners ball cap. “Is Nana spoiling you all day while Daddy’s working out?”
Ryder snickered. “Wha’s’at?”
Never mind.
Ryan joined us and gave his boy a smooch on the cheek. “You be good for Uncle Ethan, you hear? Daddy’s gonna go get stronger than he already is.”
I gave him a look. “Do I look like a babysitter?”
“Nah, you look like an uncle.” He clapped me on the shoulder before abandoning my ass and heading for the changing rooms.
Dipshit.
What if I’d had private sessions?
“Where’s your membership card?” I called after him.
He hollered over his shoulder. “It’s okay—I know the owner!”
I suppressed a sigh and faced my nephew. “Can I interest you in an energy drink or two? Maybe four.”
He giggled and nodded furiously, having no clue what I was talking about.
Just as well. I was serving him a sugar-free juice box anyway. Even though I would love to see the results of a Ryan Quinn Jr. on caffeine.
“Where’re your brother and sister?” I asked.
“Home and Nana and Pop-Pop!”
Got it. JJ was presumably with our folks, while Abby was back home in San Francisco. She had school. These toddler wackadoos did not.
“All right, let’s go find a distraction for you before you find a reason to blow your nose on my T-shirt,” I said. “Have you met Uncle Gray’s auntie?”
He shook his head, then shrugged. “I dunno. I know many people.”
I laughed and walked him over to Natalie’s treadmill. She’d slowed down to a stop, so I wasn’t worried about interrupting her. Much.
She smiled curiously when she saw us coming over, so that was a good sign. And I figured showing up with a child helped.
“Ryder, this is Natalie,” I told him. “She’s Uncle Gray’s family.”
“Hi!” Ryder waved.
“Hi, sugar. It’s good to meet you.” Yeah, she definitely liked kids. She rounded the treadmill and joined my side way faster with Ryder here. “I take it your daddy’s Ryan?”
“My daddy’s my daddy.” He nodded.
I grinned.
Natalie laughed softly and patted her towel across her neck. “You’re adorable, aren’t you?”
Ryder smiled bashfully and tugged at his shirt. “Yeah…”
I chuckled. “You’re lucky. She’s never called me adorable. Or sugar.”
“Aww, you poor thing.” Natalie shook her head in amusement at me. “I didn’t know it was appropriate to call your PT adorable.”
I shrugged and helped Ryder down to the floor. He got bored quickly, and now, he evidently wanted to step on the treadmill. He was an observant little thing who’d noticed a couple other members walking on their treadmills.
“I’m okay with inappropriate too,” I said, pushing the start button. “Get ready, Ryder.” I grasped his hand as the display counted down from three, and I was quick to change the pace from three to one.
“It’s a move!” he gasped. “It’s a move!”
I grinned. “Yeah, it’s moving, buddy.”
He had no interest in holding my hand, and at the slowest pace, I could catch him if he fell back.
I guessed I’d found the distraction he needed. He was easily amused, legit laughing at a moving rubber band.
No need for a paternity test, even though he was a carbon copy of Ryan.
I glanced over at Natalie as she gathered her things.
“I, um…I’m gonna go home,” she said, back to avoiding eye contact.
Fuck. I’d crossed a line.
Goddammit. When was I gonna get it through my skull that she wasn’t interested?
“See you on Monday?”
I nodded. “Have a good weekend. I’ll text you.”
“Okay, cool.” She mustered a small smile before she took off.
I blew out a breath and felt like a dumbass.
“Faster!” Ryder demanded.
I frowned at my phone.
We were finally going to try boxing together today, and she was canceling because she was sick? Which happened. But I’d just seen a photo of her on Gray’s stepsister’s Instagram. She and Isla had been out shopping until a couple of hours ago.
Fuck it.
I was done with the tiptoeing. We’d had some strange tension between us for weeks now, and it had become worse since I’d put my foot in my mouth the day Ryder had been here.
I wanted to address it plainly. I had to talk to her. If she didn’t show up at the gym in the next couple of days, I was going to reach out for more than a quick how’s-it-going as her PT.
Someone knocked on the door to my office, and I told whoever to enter while I responded to Natalie.
It was Laurie and Shyla.
“Hey, boss.” Laurie smiled. “You up for happy hour later? We’re heading over to The Corner when we get off.”
I tore my attention from the phone. Happy hour, The Corner, right, and today was Friday. Uh. “Nah, I’m good. You kids have fun.” I dropped my gaze again and finished my text to Natalie, and the door clicked shut.
I fired off a text to Lias as well. We had plans tomorrow, and it was best to give him a few reminders before I showed up on his rotting doorstep.
With that out of the way, I got back to work. I spent the next hour doing paperwork since Natalie wasn’t gonna be here, and then I had private online sessions and two classes.
By the time six o’clock rolled around, my stomach with tightening with hunger, and I was ready for a lonely night on the couch with comfort food and my split personality.
Changes were fucking rough on the mind.
I changed out of my gym clothes and into what had become my comeback style. Granted, I didn’t always go with flannel. I liked fitted pullovers and regular button-downs too, but I was so over the prim and proper fashion.
“Looking good, Kenny,” I said on my way out.
He was another fighter. He’d lost everything in a divorce, mainly himself, and now he was building himself up again.
“Thanks, man.” He smiled, sweaty, and went over to the elliptical. “Have a good weekend.”
“You too.” I smiled back.
On my way home, I stopped at Bread & Soup to order my dinner. Spicy tomato soup and ciabatta could keep me company tonight. I also had jerky and a bag of cashews waiting in my snack cabinet.
“Would you like bacon crumbs on top?”
“Yeah, what the hell.” That sounded great.
I was on my way again soon enough, and I picked up the pace when it started raining.
I should probably call Pop tomorrow and ask if he needed help with anything else before it got too cold.
Considering they spent much of the summer hosting barbecues for the family, they had a lot going on out on the patio that needed to be stowed away before winter.
Ryan had helped them with the grills and the smoker already, but it might be time for the furniture.
Then again, Pop occasionally hosted barbecues in the dead of winter, so it wouldn’t be the first time we stowed something away and then had to take it out again.
It’d been a couple of weeks since I’d visited Nana at the home too. The lady was pushing one hundred, and she was still going strong. Somewhat. I mean, she couldn’t move around easily, but she was sharp and as active as she could be.
I slowed down and frowned when I saw the light was on in Natalie’s studio.
If she was sick, shouldn’t she be home resting?
I crossed the street and peered into one of the shop windows—and what the actual fuck. I could hear her. Because she’d left the damn door ajar. What was wrong with her? This may not be New York, but we had crime here too. Anyone could walk right in and hurt her or rob her blind.
The lights were on in the studio behind the shop section, though I couldn’t see her past the open doorway on the other side of the counters.
With a shake of my head, I gripped the door handle and—
“Is there a way to break up Gray and Darius?” I heard Natalie say from inside. I reeled back in confusion. “I feel like our families merging isn’t really working for me anymore.”
What the fuck?
At the sound of laughter, I figured she wasn’t alone, except the voice that spoke next was distorted. She had to be on the phone.
“That’d be something! Darling nephew, please end things with the love of your life so that I don’t have to see your brother-in-law at family dinners.”
I scowled at nothing. That was her sister, wasn’t it? Natalie was actually joking about breaking up Gray and Darius so she wouldn’t have to see me?
Well, that fucking hurt.
“Perfectly reasonable,” Natalie chuckled. “Kidding aside, I should invite Gray out for coffee so he can give me the ins and outs of what it’s like to be too hooked on a Quinn.”
Okay, hold the fuck on.