Chapter 33
When I walk inside the house, I’m surprised and heartened by the sound of Hailey’s laughter. I come to a sudden standstill when I see her and Ryder sitting at the breakfast table, both of them leaning over his phone, their heads together.
Not wanting to interrupt, I remain at the entryway, discretely watching as he regales Hailey with stories about the mischief Brea got herself into over the summer.
Hailey bursts out laughing when he shows her something on his phone, and the smile on his face has me all swoony and heart-melty. My boyfriend is so freaking gorgeous.
Ryder notices me from the corner of his eye and my legs go to jelly when he points that smile my way. “There she is.”
“Good morning, you two,” I greet them.
“Hey, Lizzie,” Hailey says, the joviality from seconds ago dissipating quickly when she sees me. How can she be so relaxed and laughing with Ryder one minute, then shut down and close herself back in her armored shell with me the next?
I walk over behind Ryder’s chair, and he tilts his head back for a welcoming kiss. It’s similar to the upside-down kiss from that Spider-Man movie, except it’s not raining, Ryder isn’t hanging upside-down, and I’m not Kirsten Dunst in a wet shirt. Oh well. Close enough.
“When did this happen?” Hailey asks, waving her hand up and down at us.
I prop my chin atop Ryder’s head and fold my arms around the top of his shoulders.
“Recently,” is the only explanation I give her. She wants a better explanation than that, then she needs to be willing to actually sit down and talk to me.
Hailey narrows her eyes at me, trying to figure me out. “Are you and Jayson still friends?”
“I actually just saw him and Julien. So, yes, we’re all still friends.”
Ryder reaches up and curls his fingers around my forearms. “I thought that’s where you disappeared to. Could you do me a favor and leave me a note or something next time.”
I’m so stupid. How could I have been so careless not to consider how he would feel waking up and finding me gone.
Ignoring the inquisitive look Hailey is giving us, I drop my chin to his shoulder.
“It didn’t occur to me. It won’t happen again.
” I press soft kisses down his neck and across his shoulder, hoping that tiny bit of contrition shows him how sorry I am for making him worry. I’ve put Ryder through enough already.
He gives my arms a squeeze to let me know we’re good. “Have a fun run?” he asks me.
“Julien and I talked more than we ran.
Remembering his night sweats, I press my cheek to his, testing his temperature. He feels as cool as a cucumber. Hopefully, whatever bug he caught isn’t a bad one.
Hailey gets up from the table. “Daniel wants to take me clothes shopping today. I guess I should get dressed. I hate having to ask you, Lizzie, but can I bum some clothes from you again?”
I reach over and touch her hand. “Of course. We always shared clothes. You never have to ask me for permission.”
She shuffles her feet and pulls the long sleeves of her cotton shirt down past her wrists. “Okay. Thanks. I guess I’ll see you guys later then.”
“It was good to see you, Hailey,” Ryder says. “Try and hit up Brea soon. She’s missed you.”
“Hopefully, Brea can come tonight. I’m having the gang over,” I add.
Hailey’s brow creases and her posture tenses.
“You don’t have to join us if you’re not ready,” I tell her
Her gaze darts to Ryder. “It’s alright. I’d love to see Brea.
Daniel strolls in and does a doubletake when he sees Ryder. Oops. Daniel was asleep when Ryder came over last night
“Ryder,” he says and goes over to the coffee machine.
“Mr. Fairchild.”
They smirk at each other. Since Hailey isn’t aware that Ryder sleeps over—a lot—I guess they’re playing it cool and cordial for her benefit.
Daniel glances at Hailey. “Were you able to sleep alright?”
“That bed was like a cloud. I think I passed out as soon as my head hit the pillow,” she tells him.
“That’s good. Go on and get dressed if you’re done with breakfast. We have an appointment at eight-thirty and then we’ll go shopping, maybe grab some lunch if you’re up for it.”
Hailey gives him a small nod and walks out. Daniel tilts to the side to make sure she’s gone and out of earshot. “I’m taking Hailey to see Dr. Clairemont this morning and then the police want to question her.”
Dr. Clairemont is the psychologist who Daniel had me see a few times when he moved us to Fallen Brook.
He wanted to make sure that I was acclimating to being back home and returning to school.
I have a standing appointment with her once a month to talk about things.
I missed my appointment with her this month since I was in France at the time. Or maybe it was when I was in London.
“I also need to speak with both of you girls about Pete Masters.”
My heart slams against my ribcage. That came out of nowhere. “What about him?”
Pete Masters was the drunk driver who killed my parents and caused my accident.
“I’m supposed to talk with the lead prosecutor on the case next week. With your memories back, I’m sure she will want you to give an official statement and possibly testify at his trial if he doesn’t take a plea bargain.”
Ryder senses my unease and pulls me around the chair to sit me in his lap. I don’t notice that I’m shaking until he begins to vigorously rub my arms.
“The lawyer I hired to represent you thinks we might want to consider taking Mr. Masters to civil court. The D.A. is going to prosecute him for Ann and John’s deaths regardless, but the civil court would be another way to seek justice if the prosecution fails to make their case.”
“What, like sue him for damages or whatever the heck it is they sue people for?”
“That’s what that would mean, yes.”
“Daniel, I…” I stutter. I don’t think I can sit in a courtroom with the man who killed my parents and not want to leap across the aisle and kill him myself.
“Just think on it. We can talk more about things over the holiday.”
Yay, my brain says sarcastically. That’s exactly what I want to do over Thanksgiving.
Abruptly changing the subject, I ask him, “Is it okay if I invite my friends over tonight?”
Just as I predicted yesterday, Daniel never did get around to grounding me. I’m pretty sure that he’s more concerned with Hailey now than with my sudden trip to Europe.
“Fine with me. Just nothing too rowdy. Hailey needs time to adjust to being back home. We don’t know yet where she’s been all this time or what happened to her.”
I also just got my life back. And I want to see my friends.
Hailey and I will have to find a way to navigate around one another in our new normal.
I scold myself for considering it, but who’s to say that Hailey is going to stick around?
That was something that played out in my dreams last night.
Will she stay or will she run away again, especially since Mom and Dad are gone?
It saddens me to think that her inclination might be to run
Even after scarfing down the three muffins at Jayson and Julien’s, I’m still hungry. I pop some bread into the toaster and once it’s done, I join Ryder at the table. He has barely touched his food.
“Alright, kiddo. We’re off,” Daniel announces, heralding Hailey out the door.
“Bye!” Ryder and I call out.
I wait a couple of minutes to make sure they are truly gone, then I round the table to straddle Ryder in his chair. He quirks a sexy eyebrow at me.
“We’ll get to that in a minute,” I reply with a teasing grin, knowing we’re both thinking the same thing—a repeat of last night. We’re alone in the house. Daniel and Hailey will be gone until at least this afternoon. Let the fun times begin.
Ryder pushes his hand under my shirt and splays it across my lower abdomen. A flurry of butterflies scatter across my skin at his touch.
I kiss his forehead and burrow my fingers through this soft, thick hair. “How are you feeling this morning? You kind of drenched the bed last night.”
He makes an ahh sound. “That’s why I was covered with the extra sheet.”
I touch my nose to his, delighting my senses with his scent. Ryder always smells good. Like clean soap and citrus.
“That doesn’t answer my question,” I tell him as I lightly bite his neck, then soothe the area with gentle kisses.
“Babe.”
I smile. “What?”
“You know what,” he replies, gripping my waist.
My lips blaze a path up the column of his neck until they get to his ear. Ryder’s breathing changes, as does mine. “What do you want to do today? If you’re not feeling well, we can just stay in bed all day,” I state suggestively.
“What’s the fun in playing hooky then?” he answers, bringing me in to kiss me properly. My toes curl as he thoroughly and deeply kisses me. “Other than feeling tired, I’m fine,” he states against my lips.
“How about this, then? You ravage my body, then we shower, then I do schoolwork, then we go out and have some fun.”
He stands, taking me with him. “I’ve got a better suggestion. Sex first, then I ravage your body in the shower, then you do schoolwork, then I ravage you some more, and then we go out.”
“Deal!” I squeal when he hefts me over his shoulder and carries me to my bedroom.