Chapter Sixteen
RYAN
Piper barks in her usual excited manner as we walk through Tillie’s front door, jumping up at Tillie’s legs as we move through to the kitchen. I can’t help but smirk as I notice Hunter, the rat, in his cage by the window in the living room.
“God, I ate too much pizza. My doctor won’t be happy,” I say.
Tillie turns to look at me. “I think having one cheat meal is okay, Ryan. You’ve been working super hard on your diet. You’re allowed to have one night off.”
I shrug. “It’s weird. I kinda feel guilty for eating it.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard that can happen, but just go back to it tomorrow. A few slices of pizza won’t hurt you.”
“Might have been five.”
“Okay… five—”
“Maybe six.”
She laughs. “Really?”
I shrug, tilting my head and pursing my lips. She pulls me into a hug, wrapping her arms around my waist, and shifts her head to rest on my chest. I lean in to kiss her hair.
“Oh… and some garlic bread.”
She bursts out laughing, and her body vibrates against mine while I hold her closer to me, taking in her warmth. Piper continues to jump up at her legs, begging for more attention.
“Not to mention the champagne,” I add, and she shakes her head, looking up at me.
“You really know how to make a girl laugh, you know that?”
I furrow my brows in fake confusion. “It’s not funny. This is serious. I could go into a pizza coma and die, Tillie.”
She leans up on her toes, inching her lips right up to mine, the hint of champagne lingering on her breath. “Then I’ll just have to give you mouth-to-mouth, won’t I?”
I groan as I press my hardening dick into her. “Promise?”
“How ’bout we practice now? You know, just in case.” She licks her bottom lip subtly.
My hand comes up her back, fingers threading through her hair, and I pull her head to mine.
Our lips crash together, and I kiss her forcefully.
Our tongues collide as Piper barks, breaking the mood.
Tillie giggles into my mouth and pulls back, looking down at Piper.
She gives in and finally bends down, petting her.
“Geez, dog, kill the moment.”
I chuckle, leaning back against the kitchen counter. “What are you gonna do with Piper and Hunter while we’re on tour?” I ask.
Tillie winces and stands back up. “Um… shit. I guess I’ll have to call Roxie. She won’t mind, but the short notice might piss her off.”
“Roxie? That’s your sister, right?”
“Right.” She pulls her cell out of her bag and dials her number.
While she takes care of that, I squat and sit on the floor, and Piper comes straight over, curling up into a ball on my lap, letting me pet her. She is a cute dog, and even though she’s a mommy’s girl, she still loves the attention of anyone who will give it.
“Hey, Rox, it’s me…”
Silence, the kind that stretches a bit too long.
“So, um… the guys are going on tour for three weeks. We leave in two days, and I could really use a pet sitter…”
Another pause, thicker this time, like she’s weighing every word.
“You’re… not mad about the last-minute notice, are you?” I absent-mindedly run Piper’s fur through my fingers.
“Oh, yeah, I can do that. Thanks, sis. I’ll leave now.
See you soon.” She hangs up her cell, and I raise an eyebrow.
Tillie looks at me and clenches her lips.
“So, ah… Roxie wants me to bring them over now rather than in a couple of days, as she will be out that day, so… I should take them now. Sorry to bail on you.”
I move Piper from my lap and stand, dusting my ass. “Well, why don’t I just come with you? I’d love to meet your sister.”
Her eyes widen as a smile crosses her face so wide I feel like she’s about to break into a song or something. “Are you sure? I don’t want to pressure you into moving too fast or anything?”
“It’s no pressure, Tillie. I offered, and I want to. We’re not rushing into anything.”
“Okay… I’ll get Piper’s harness.”
Quickly gathering Piper and Hunter’s food and other items, we load up in the car. Not long later, we pull up in front of a cute suburban house not that dissimilar to mine. Piper is panting in the backseat next to Hunter in his cage as I turn off the ignition.
“You sure you want to meet my family?” Tillie asks, confusion written all over her face, like she thinks I’m going to bail.
I laugh. “Tillie, it’s not too much. I want to be here.”
She exhales and dips her chin slightly, then opens the car door and steps out.
Once she closes the door, I take a deep breath and mentally prepare myself.
Even though I want to meet Tillie’s sister, it’s still a big step in the relationship.
I hop out of the car and turn to watch Tillie getting Piper out of the back seat.
So I open the rear door, grab Hunter’s cage, then press the key fob to lock the doors.
We head toward the white wooden door, and Tillie giggles as Piper bounds toward the house as if she’s been here a hundred times before.
“So if Roxie says anything inappropriate, I apologize now,” Tillie says, making me raise an eyebrow.
I like her sister already!
The front door opens before I have a chance to say anything, and a loud squeal comes from the doorway of the house.
I grimace slightly as a tall, stunningly gorgeous woman with wavy chestnut hair rushes out toward Tillie, her hands outstretched.
She slams into Tillie, embracing her while Tillie laughs.
She grabs her, swaying her from side to side dramatically.
“Geez, Rox, anyone would think you hadn’t seen me for a year,” Tillie says.
“Well, it’s been nearly three weeks, and it’s too long.
I can’t help it if my sister is also my best friend,” Roxie replies.
Her eyes drift over to look at me. She raises her eyebrows, stops her dramatic hugging, pulls back from Tillie, and then tilts her head. “Um, Tillie… that’s Ryan from Recoil.”
Tillie looks back at me and lets out a small, nervous laugh. “Ah… yeah, it is. Um, and he can hear you.”
Roxie rolls her eyes. “I know that. Urgh. Anyway, come in. Excuse the state of the living room. Savvy won’t clean it up, and I’m too busy trying to sort out the website,” she says as she turns, leading us into the house.
Tillie closes the door behind her. Roxie leads us to her living room, which is chaotic, with a barrage of Lego scattered all over the floor.
Piper nuzzles the pieces with her nose as Roxie continues through the mess, kicking blocks to the side as she goes, clearing us a path.
I glance at Tillie, and she smirks as we continue to follow.
I can’t help but watch Piper chasing after the rolling Lego.
She eventually picks up a Lego block in her mouth and carries it with us into the kitchen.
“I’m so sorry about that. If I knew Ryan was coming, I would have made an effort,” Roxie says, stopping where a man and a young little girl are sitting, eating cereal even though it’s probably past her bedtime.
“I don’t mind. Really. It’s nice to meet you,” I say, putting out my hand to shake Roxie’s. She takes it, then looks from me to Tillie and raises her eyebrows with another smirk. A silent message to her sister, but I don’t miss it.
“Wait! Did you say his name was Ryan?” the man asks through a mouth full of Cheerios.
I turn around to face him, and he finally gets a good look at me. His spoon topples into his cereal bowl, making a splash of milk erupt all over the bench, while his mouth opens wide.
“You’re Ryan… from Recoil!”
“I am,” I say.
“Fuck! If I knew I’d be meeting you, I would have… fuck! I don’t even know.”
“Cool it, Donny,” Roxie chides.
“It’s fine, Donny. Just think of me as any normal guy.”
He nods. “Right, will do,” he says as the little girl, I assume to be Savvy, laughs at her father’s fangirling over me.
“So, Savvy, I need you to take care of Piper and Hunter for me. Can you do that?” Tillie asks, and Savvy jumps from her seat at the breakfast bar and rushes over.
“Yes! I’ve always wanted a rat. Thanks, Auntie Till,” she chirps, looking down into the cage I’m holding.
“Anytime, sweetheart.”
She looks up at me and smiles. “You’re a musician, right?” Savvy asks. She must be all of about six years old, if that. I’m surprised she even knows the word musician.
Getting down to eye level with her, I hold my hand out. “That’s correct.”
“Can you teach me how to play the drums?” she asks as she takes my hand. Instead of shaking it, she simply holds it for a second before letting go.
I can feel Tillie’s eyes on me, watching me with her niece. “Hm… I’m not so good with the drums, but I’m pretty mean at Lego.”
Her eyes light up, and she grabs my hand again, pulling me to my feet. “C’mon then, let’s go!”
I murmur a laugh as Tillie watches while I’m dragged off to the living room to dominate the Lego world.
TILLIE
“So, he seems great.” Roxie leers as Donny walks over to us.
“He is.”
“Tillie—”
“What?”
“He’s a musician.”
I scoff. “So?”
“So if you are dating, they’re not the most loyal type of boyfriend, are they?”
“What do you mean?”
She inhales deeply through her nose and slumps. “Well, they are… loose with women.”
“Oh, Roxie, Ryan hasn’t had a girlfriend in ages.”
“Exactly, he doesn’t have girlfriends for a reason. It’s so he can flick from girl to girl, and I’m not wild about the idea of my sister being one of said girls.” I purse my lips. “Are you even his girlfriend?”
I pause and bite hard on my lips. We haven’t had this talk. Sure, we spend all our time together, and now everyone knows about us, but we’ve never made us an official thing.
“Well, a label doesn’t matter,” I defend, but is she right?
Roxie sighs. “Be careful, Tillie. Please don’t give him your heart, okay?”
Thankfully, I’m saved by my niece, grateful for the interruption.
“Mooom… Auntie Till, come see,” Savvy calls out, and we rush to the living room to see Ryan holding a Lego guitar. He hands it to Savvy, and she rushes around the room, playing the guitar and making sounds from her mouth.