8. Ryan
CHAPTER EIGHT
Ryan
Lila climbed into the passenger seat of my car.
Colt was already passed out in the back, his mouth half open.
Typical.
Nate had roped half the station into this trip, so his SUV was crammed with other firemen and their gear, leaving me stuck with Colt and, to my surprise, the late addition to our vacation. Lila.
The car felt small.
Too small.
I gripped the wheel, keeping my eyes forward.
Don’t stare.
“Thanks for letting me ride with you,” Lila said, her voice soft, a little unsure.
I shrugged. “No problem.”
The silence stretched.
She cleared her throat. “It’s nice of Nate to invite me. I haven’t been skiing in years.”
“Yeah?”
I glanced at her.
Mistake.
I’d noticed Lila’s beauty before… how could I not?
But up close, it hit harder. The soft curve of her smile, the way her hair caught the light when she brushed it behind her ear—she wasn’t just pretty. She was stunning.
I nodded too fast. “It’s always a good trip. Fun.”
Real smooth, Ryan.
The road curved, snow piling up on the shoulders. The windshield wipers squeaked, scraping away the slush.
“So, you ski a lot?” she asked.
“Sometimes. Not as much as Jaxon and Colt,” I said, my voice coming out rough, like I was clearing gravel.
She laughed. “I can’t imagine Colt skiing. He doesn’t seem… patient.”
I snorted. “He’s not. He spends more time crashing than skiing.”
That earned a real laugh from her, bright and easy. It did something to my chest.
“Are you good at it?” she asked.
I shrugged again. “I manage.”
Small talk.
Safe.
Keep it safe.
But she shifted in her seat, looking at me like she was searching for something. “You’re quieter without the other guys around.”
Caught off guard, I fumbled. “Am I?”
“It’s okay,” she said quickly. “I like quiet.”
Quiet.
She liked quiet.
Colt snored from the backseat, breaking the moment. Lila laughed again, covering her mouth.
“You’re close with your brother, huh?”
“Yeah. Been through a lot together.”
I gripped the wheel tighter. Colt had always been there, had always had my back.
“Must be nice,” she said softly.
“It is.”
Another stretch of silence followed, but this one felt different. Easier.
She leaned her head against the window, watching the trees blur by.
Biscuit’s leash was coiled in her lap.
I wanted to say something. Something meaningful. But the words stuck in my throat.
The silence stretched, but it wasn’t heavy. It was waiting.
Eventually, Lila spoke. Her voice was softer now, like she was testing the water.
“I didn’t really want to come on this trip.”
That caught me off guard. My hands tightened on the wheel, but I kept my tone even.
“Why not?”
She hesitated, her gaze fixed on the snow-covered trees outside.
“Just… everything feels so complicated lately. Nate means well, but...” She trailed off, chewing her lip.
“But what?” I glanced at her, careful not to push too hard.
She exhaled slowly. “It’s hard being back here. I thought it would feel like coming home, being back in Medford, but it doesn’t. Not really. Everything’s the same, but I’m different.”
Her words hung in the air, but I understood where she was coming from.
“It’s tough,” I said finally. “Coming back. Trying to fit into a place that hasn’t changed when you have.”
She looked at me then, surprised. “Yeah.”
The road curved again. Snow fell heavier, soft flakes catching in the headlights.
“It’s like everyone expects me to be the same Lila I was before,” she continued. “But I’m not sure who that is anymore.”
I nodded, keeping my eyes forward. “You don’t have to be her. You just have to be… you.”
She fell quiet again, and I worried I’d said the wrong thing. But then she smiled, small and a little sad. “You make it sound so simple.”
“It’s not,” I admitted. “But you’ve got people who care about you. That helps.”
Her gaze lingered on me, her expression open, unguarded. For a moment, I thought she might say something more, but she turned back to the window instead.
The car felt warmer somehow, even with the cold wind howling outside.
“I don’t know why I’m telling you all this,” she murmured. “You’re just easy to talk to.”
I let out a short laugh. “First time anyone’s said that.”
She laughed, too, a quiet, genuine sound that made my chest ache in ways I wasn’t prepared for.
“Have you ever trusted someone so much, only to realize later that it was all… a lie?”
The question was unexpected, but the pain in her voice hit me hard. I glanced at her.
“Yeah,” I said carefully. “I think most people have. Why?”
She exhaled shakily, her gaze fixed on her lap. “That’s what happened with Rick. My ex.”
I didn’t say anything, letting the words come on her terms.
“At first, he was perfect,” she continued, sounding bitter. “Charming, attentive… he always knew the right thing to say. I thought I’d hit the jackpot. He swept me off my feet despite us being long distance, and I fell for all of it. God, I was so stupid. I should have known that a dating app wouldn’t work for me.”
“You weren’t stupid,” I said firmly.
She shook her head, a hollow laugh escaping her.
“Maybe not at first. But I should’ve seen the signs. I didn’t. Not until it was too late.” She paused, her fingers fumbling with the leash.
“He said he wanted to help me. That he believed in my dream of opening my own graphic design business. He even offered to invest in it once his accounting firm was successful. And I believed him. Why wouldn’t I? He was my boyfriend. I thought he loved me.”
I felt a knot form in my stomach. “What happened?”
She bit her lip, hesitating before answering. “We were buying a house together. I was moving to be near him because he said there were plenty of places I could start my business there. There was a lot of demand for it. He promised me the picket fence, the big wedding, and the kids, too.”
I could see the pain in her eyes.
It hurt me, too.
“I sent him all my savings for the down payment on the house. Everything.”
I gritted my teeth, trying to keep my anger in check. “And then what?”
Her laugh was sharp. “And then I flew out to meet him, to start our life together. But when I got there… he wasn’t at the airport. I went to the address he gave me, and it was fake. Just an empty lot.”
I didn’t say anything for a second, too busy trying to process how someone could do that to her. How someone could look at her and see anything other than someone worth protecting.
“He blocked me on everything,” she continued, her voice barely above a whisper. “Disappeared like I never existed. Left me broke, humiliated, and… completely shattered.”
I took a slow, deep breath, trying to keep the storm inside me from spilling out. “Lila, that doesn’t make you stupid,” I told her honestly.
She laughed again, but it was more pain than humor. “Doesn’t it? I let him take everything from me. Not just my money, but my trust. My confidence. He made me feel like I wasn’t enough. Like I never will be.”
Anger boiled in my chest. “What an asshole.”
Her laughter sounded hollow. “Yeah. That’s one way to put it.”
“Did you report him?”
She nodded. “I tried. But he covered his tracks too well. He knew exactly what he was doing, Ryan. And the worst part? I still felt like it was my fault. Like I let it happen.”
“It wasn’t your fault,” I said, and it came out rough. “That guy was a manipulative piece of shit who took advantage of you. That’s on him, not you.”
Her eyes met mine, wide and a little vulnerable. “You really think so?”
“I know so,” I said firmly.
She studied me for a moment, her expression softening. “Thanks, Ryan. That means a lot.”
I nodded, keeping my focus on the road. But inside, the anger simmered. Not at her, but at Rick.
At the thought of someone treating her like that, tearing her down.
Just as the anger was about to consume me whole, Colt shifted in the backseat, mumbling something incoherent before going quiet again.
Lila looked over her shoulder, her expression amused. “He really can sleep through anything, huh?”
“Pretty much.”
Her gaze returned to me. “Thanks, Ryan. For listening. For… not judging.”
I swallowed hard, my throat dry. “Anytime.”
The rest of the drive passed in silence, but it wasn’t heavy. It felt like something had shifted between us.
By the time we reached the cabin, I knew one thing for sure.
I wasn’t going to let anyone hurt Lila like that again. Not if I could help it.