Chapter 3
3
Ryan
In the past few weeks since my family and I returned from D.C., I’d worked more late nights than not, just as Claire had predicted. Tonight, I’d left the office at a reasonable time and was on my way to my dad’s condo for a family dinner.
Growing up, my mom made sure we sat down to have dinner together as often as possible. It wasn’t easy, since my father put in long hours at his law firm, but Mom cherished the time we spent around the table discussing our day. After she passed away, Dad felt it was important for us to get together at least once a month to keep the tradition of family dinners going.
I wasn’t very skilled in the kitchen, so I always looked forward to getting a good meal at my dad’s place. It was great when Jasper worked for him, because he made some of the best food I’d ever had. After he left, Declan had taken over the cooking duties, and while he wasn’t formally trained, his meals were ten times better than anything I could put together.
When I arrived at my father’s condo, Morgan was already there, sitting at the island while Declan moved around the kitchen.
“Hey, they finally let you out of the office, I see,” she teased as I hugged her.
Besides getting together at Dad’s, Morgan and I usually saw each other at least every other week, but we hadn’t hung out at all since we had been at the White House. “Yeah, but I’ll be working from home this weekend.”
“Like father, like son.” Declan chuckled. “As soon as we walked in the door tonight, your dad headed to his office to make a phone call.”
“How long has he been in there?” Morgan plucked a grape from the fruit platter and popped it into her mouth.
“About an hour.” Declan checked on whatever he had cooking in the oven. “He should be done any minute.”
“What about you and that case you mentioned a few weeks back on our way to D.C.?” I asked.
He grinned. “Charges were dropped against my client before we went to trial.”
It hadn’t been a year since Declan passed the bar, and from what my father had said, he was quickly making a name for himself—not just at Ashford, Nolan & Torrance, but within the entire Boston law community.
Eventually, Dad joined us in the kitchen. “I thought I heard you guys come in.” He gave us each a hug.
“Sounds like you’ve been busy,” I mused.
He shrugged. “You remember how it is at the beginning of a new case, but I promised Declan that phone call was the last bit of work I needed to do and then I would be all his for the rest of the weekend.”
Morgan and I both made gagging noises, and Declan shook his head. “Hey, it’s not your father’s fault he’s so good looking.”
“Ewww.” Morgan cringed. “It’s one thing to know you think he’s attractive, but do you have to talk about it?”
Dad rubbed a hand over his face, trying to conceal his grin. “You are all ridiculous.”
“On that note, dinner’s ready,” Declan announced, and we all moved to the dining room.
As we dug into the chicken and cheese enchiladas with Spanish rice and black beans on the side, Morgan glanced around. “I’ve got some news.”
“What is it?” Dad asked.
She swallowed a bite of the cheesy enchilada. “Do you remember me telling you about Donnie, the guy I met at the Surrender concert?”
Dad nodded, and I wondered where she was going with her story. Last I knew, she and Donnie had made plans to go on a date when she got back from D.C., but I hadn’t heard from her since then.
“Well, we’ve decided to make things official, and I’m hoping you can meet him soon.”
“Meeting Dad already?” I leaned back in my chair. “Isn’t it a little soon for that?”
She narrowed her eyes at me. “No. Sometimes, you just know when you’ve met the person you’re supposed to be with, and it doesn’t matter how long you’ve been together.”
Maybe I needed to be less pessimistic. If being with Donnie was what Morgan wanted, who was I to throw shade her way?
“Sounds pretty serious,” Declan said. “I’m happy for you.”
She smiled at him. “Thanks. I appreciate you being supportive.”
I suppose it meant a lot to her for Declan to say something nice about her relationship, seeing as she hadn’t been so kind when she found out about him and Dad.
“You should bring him by sometime,” Dad suggested. “As long as he treats you the way you should be treated, then we’ll be glad to meet him.”
The following Friday, I was relaxing in my apartment, torn between getting dressed and hitting up Chrome, a gay nightclub where I found most of my hook ups, or staying in for the night, when my phone rang. My sister’s name flashed on the screen, so I hit the answer button. “What’s up, sis?”
“Can you come pick me up?” Her words were slightly slurred, and I instantly went on alert.
“Where are you?” I asked, already grabbing my wallet and keys.
“The Sapphire Lounge.”
“The strip club?” The only reason I knew anything about the Sapphire Lounge was because it was an upscale establishment not far from my work, and I’d overheard a few of my co-workers talk about going there occasionally. “What the hell are you doing there?”
“That’s not important. Just come get me.”
“Okay. I’m on my way.”
When my rideshare arrived, I looked around to see if Morgan was outside waiting for me like I expected, but when I didn’t find her, I paid the cover charge and entered the club. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the dim lighting and red glow of the stage lights at the far end of the room. The loud music bounced off the walls, nearly drowning out the chatter and occasional cheers aimed at the dancers wearing little more than body glitter and stilettos. It definitely wasn’t my vibe, especially since I had zero interest in watching naked women shake their assets .
As I looked toward the other side of the club, I spotted my sister sitting at the end of the bar, talking to a tall man with chestnut brown hair. It wasn’t Donnie. As I got closer, I was able to get a better look at the stranger’s strong jaw covered with a few days’ worth of stubble. Even though he was standing to the side of Morgan, it was impossible to miss his broad shoulders and bulging biceps under his black T-shirt. He studied me as I approached.
“Ryan ...” Morgan drawled. “What are you doing here?”
She seemed more intoxicated now than she’d sounded on the phone. “You called me to pick you up. Remember?”
“I did?”
The guy who was watching us closely jerked his head to the side, beckoning me to step away from the bar to speak with him. “Are you her brother?”
I nodded. “I am, and you are?”
“Court.” He shook my hand, and I found it difficult to stop staring at his gorgeous face, but it wasn’t the time to ogle the hot guy. “I’m a bouncer here, and my boss, Donnie, asked me to keep an eye on her until you arrived.”
So, her boyfriend had been with her at some point. Now, I was even more curious about how she ended up sitting at the bar in a strip club with the bouncer watching over her. “Well, where the hell is he? Did he leave her here?”
Court shook his head. “He hosted a party in the VIP area for some business associates, and from what I could tell, she drank quite a bit. After a couple of hours, she was asking to leave.”
“Why isn’t he over here helping her?” My blood was boiling. How dare he leave my sister alone while he continued to party.
“He’s in a closed-door meeting right now and couldn’t leave. She wanted to call a rideshare, but he didn’t think that was a good idea. Then she mentioned you lived nearby, and he suggested she call you.”
I couldn’t imagine what sort of “closed-door meeting” a strip club owner would be having, but I didn’t care enough at that moment to ask any more questions. I just wanted to get Morgan out of there and ensure she got home safely.
“All right. I’ll get her home. Thanks.” I pulled out my phone and ordered us a ride before helping her off the barstool so we could leave. Court walked with us and held the door open as we went outside.
When the car pulled up, I got Morgan into the backseat and then turned to Court. “Thanks again for your help tonight.”
“Of course. I’ve got a sister too and would hope someone would do the same if she was in the same position.”
I climbed into the car and realized Morgan had fallen asleep during the few seconds I had hung back to speak with Court. As the driver pulled away from the curb, I felt some of the anger I’d initially felt toward Donnie begin to dissipate. Although I believed it was a dick move for him not to wait with his girlfriend until I got there, at least he thought to ask someone he knew—and trusted, I assumed—to watch out for her.
We pulled up to her building, and it took a lot of coaxing and strength to slide her out of the car and walk her up to her apartment. Luckily, I managed to get her to her bed, where I removed her shoes and covered her with a blanket. Knowing she’d likely get sick during the night, I decided I’d sleep on her couch in case she needed me.
As I started to leave her room, she called my name. I stopped and turned around. “Yeah?”
“Thanks for coming to get me tonight,” she muttered, barely coherent.
“I’ll always be there for you,” I replied, knowing I would do anything to help her whenever she needed it.
The next morning, I tossed the blankets I’d used on Morgan’s couch into the washing machine and then riffled through her kitchen, looking for something I could make for breakfast. As I began preparing some coffee, Morgan walked into the kitchen.
“Gotta say, you’ve looked better,” I teased.
She tried to roll her eyes and then pressed her fingers to her temples. “Even that hurts,” she groaned. “What are you doing here anyway?”
I poured some cream into her mug and slid the coffee to her. “Last night you were so drunk, you couldn’t even walk. I decided to stay here to make sure you were okay, and now I’m trying to find something to make for breakfast to help with your hangover. You’re welcome, by the way.”
“Ugh, don’t even mention food.” She wrinkled her nose before taking a sip from her cup. “So, did you pick me up from the club?”
At least she remembered where she had been. “Yeah. According to Court, you wanted to go home and decided to call me.”
“Court?” Her forehead wrinkled in confusion. “Oh, the bouncer. He’s a nice guy.”
“At least someone is,” I grumbled as I continued looking for food to cook but came up empty.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
I leaned against the counter and crossed my arms over my chest. “It means I got a late-night call from my sister, begging me to pick her up from a strip club. And when I arrived, I learned her so-called boyfriend couldn’t be bothered to make sure she was okay. What kind of guy does that?”
She let out a breath. “I know it sounds bad, and my memory is a little fuzzy, but Donnie isn’t as bad as you’re trying to make him out to be. He was hosting a party, and I knew he had a meeting scheduled. Whatever happened, I’m sure he did his best to make sure I was taken care of.”
“Yeah.” I rubbed a hand down my face. “That lines up with what Court said. Maybe I’m making a bigger deal out of things than I should.”
“Even so, thank you for coming. I’ll let Court know you were grateful for his help.”
“Maybe I’ll do that myself.” I smirked.
She perked up. “Does someone think the bouncer is cute?”
I shrugged. “Perhaps.”
She pulled out her phone and began typing. “Maybe I can?—”
“What are you doing?”
“Just asking Donnie if Court is single.”
I shook my head. “Stop. I don’t need you to play matchmaker.”
“He said he doesn’t know,” she said, ignoring my protests and still typing away. “But he did give me his name so we can look Courtland West up online.”
Courtland West . I never really thought of someone’s name being sexy before, but his was, and it fit him. However, I didn’t want Morgan getting any ideas, although it seemed like it was too late for that.
She frowned. “Maybe Donnie didn’t spell his name right because nothing is coming up.”
“How hard is it to spell Courtland West?”
She glared playfully. “C’mon, aren’t you the least bit curious?”
“I might be, but I don’t need your help getting a guy.”
She huffed. “You’re no fun.”
“I know, but you love me anyway. Now get dressed so I can take you out for breakfast. You don’t have shit to eat here, and I’m starving.”