Chapter 3
Juliet had managed to get control of her emotions before they drove up to the boys’ school.
When Ryder stopped the car, she said, “I need a shirt out of my bag. I don’t want the boys to see my arm.
Ever since Michael died, they’ve been anxious about something happening to me.
” She squeezed his hand. “I’ll go in alone. ”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. As I said, I’m better now.”
She ducked into the back seat and pulled a hoodie out of her yoga bag and poked her arms through it.
Her hair flew all over the place from the wind as she walked inside and up to the front desk.
“I’m Juliet Sullivan. I have an emergency and I need to take my boys out of school for the rest of the day. ”
“Is everything all right?” She knew the receptionist for the school. “Are you safe Mrs. Sullivan?”
“Yeah. We’ll be fine.”
After she signed the early dismissal list, the boys raced down the hall, dragging their backpacks and coats. They dropped everything on the floor and threw themselves at her. “Mommy, are you okay?” Tommy asked.
“Yes. I’ll explain everything later. Just come with me now.”
They grabbed their stuff then, holding each of their hands, Juliet led them to Ryder’s car.
When they reached the vehicle, Billy said, “Wow, Mom! Whose car is this?
“A friend of mine owns it. Get inside and I’ll introduce you.” They clambered into the back seat and she followed them.
Ryder turned around and gave the kids a smile. “Hey, guys. I’m Ryder. A friend of your Mom.”
“We never saw you before,” Billy said.
“I know. But I’m here now and we’re going to my house.”
“Why?”
Juliet intervened. “Billy, give me a chance to explain.”
They quieted as he started to drive. Juliet went with her gut. “Remember Uncle Joey?”
“Your brother.” Billy’s brow furrowed. “He went to prison.”
“Yes. He’s had some hard times. He, um, came to the collective and got aggressive with me.”
“What’s aggressive?” Tommy asked.
“Pushy. He wanted money and when I said no, he made a fuss. The guard came in and scared Joey. He ran out of the studio.”
“So you’re afraid of him?” Billy’s voice was full of horror.
“I am, honey. I’m so sorry.”
Ryder turned as far as he could to face the boys.
“My house is very, very private. You and your Mom will be safe there until we decide on a course of action. But for the weekend, you’ll be with me.
” He arched a brow. “And you know what? I have a very big game room with lots of toys for you to play with.”
“You got kids?”
“No.” He glanced at Juliet. “Not yet.”
* * *
The first wrought-iron gate creaked open, then a quarter of a mile down, another gate did the same.
Juliet marveled at the security they had to go through to get to his home.
The structure ahead of them was massive, with sleek vaulted roofs, skylights and two wings branching out from the main part.
When they reached the driveway, Ryder hit a button and one garage door went up; he drove inside.
“Are all the cars yours?” Billy asked, looking down the elongated interior.
“Uh-huh. I’m a bit of a car buff.”
After seeing the sporty yellow Camero, a gleaming black Porsche and a little red sportscar, Juliet said, dryly, “That’s an understatement.”
He grinned boyishly. “A man has to have his toys, too.”
Grabbing the bags with their clothes, Juliet opened her door and she and the boys climbed out.
He took the packages from her and they followed Ryder up a set of steps and inside to a mudroom which was bigger than the bathroom at her house.
Ryder said, “You can leave your coats here but bring your backpacks.”
They went down a long corridor and when they reached the kitchen, the boys gaped. So did she.
The appliances were gleaming stainless steel. A huge gas stove sat next to a double oven and two sinks had been carved out of the counter. Down a way were two dishwashers. Modern, sleek and expensive described everything.
“Where’s the fridge?” Billy asked.
Chuckling a bit, Ryder crossed the room and opened a large wooden door which matched the cabinets to reveal a subzero refrigerator.
“That’s cool.”
“You guys hungry?”
“They usually have a snack after school.”
He opened a low cupboard. “I called my housekeeper Nora on the way over and asked her to fill a space of things she thought you’d like to eat.
A combination of food—sweet and sugary next to healthy cereal, peanut butter and jams filled the cabinet.
“You pick, Juliet,” he said. “There’s fruit in the fridge.”
“I’ll make a plate for them.”
“Sure.”
“And she cooked dinner for us.” The scents of spaghetti sauce and baked bread filled the air.
“Can we go see the game room, first?” Tommy asked.
Ryder looked at her. She nodded. “Let’s take a quick trip there then we’ll be back to eat.”
As she put together peanut butter crackers and plump grapes, she felt like crying, but she refused to weaken again.
She finished with the food and set it out.
Of course there was juice available too and that fridge really was fantastic.
She sat at the table and stared out the huge picture window at the woods behind him.
What was she doing here? How had Ryder come back into her life?
But the most important question was why she was so glad he had?
* * *
Ryder and Juliet sank onto one of the three couches in his living room. She’d just finished putting another ice pack on her arm, he stretched his jean-clad legs out onto the coffee table. “Is it always this hard?” He’d gotten his first taste of life with kids.
“Harder when I give them a bath.”
“Holy hell.” He nodded to her arm which she now covered with a hoodie. “How’s it feeling?”
“Still sore but the ice packs helped.”
“Listen, Ryder. You didn’t sign up for this. We should find somewhere else to stay.”
His brows furrowed. “I asked you to stay here. I wanted to offer you safety.”
“I know you did.”
He reached over and took a strand of hair between his fingers and rubbed it. It was so soft. “I tried to tell you before, sweetheart, I want to see where a relationship between us goes.”
“Surely not after all this mess with Joey and wrangling the boys to bed.”
“Them? They were delightful today.”
“That’s because you played games all afternoon.” Foosball, ping pong, Candyland and Sorry. At one point, he also colored with them.
“They had fun.” She gave him a half-smile. “Thank you for distracting them from what’s happened.”
“You’re welcome.”
He turned fully to her and tipped her chin. “Man, I want to kiss you.”
She whispered, “That would be okay.”
“I’m not coercing you into it. You can stay here no matter what.”
“If I thought that you were coercing me, I wouldn’t have said you could kiss me. And…” she touched his lips, “I want to kiss you, too. I have since we sparred that first day we met.” The last words came out hoarse.
His heart tripped in his chest as he lowered his mouth to hers.
The kiss was very different from the one at the restaurant.
This was sweet and sexy, innocent and passionate, loving and challenging.
And it went on a long time. At some point, he stretched himself flat out on to the couch and took her with him. Ryder was in heaven.
* * *
“What are you guys doing sleeping together?”
Juliet awoke, and for a minute didn’t know where she was.
But her mind cleared and she found herself tucked into Ryder’s arms on his couch, covered with a light throw he must have drawn over them at some point during the night.
She tried to sit, but she woke him in the process.
“We, um, accidently feel asleep on the couch.”
Billy’s eyes flared. “You used to sleep like that with Daddy.”
Ryder untangled himself from Juliet and they both sat up. “I can assure you guys I’m not trying to take your father’s place.”
Tommy said, “I like you, Ryder.”
“I like you too.”
“Listen guys, I—” And then she caught the expression on Ryder’s face. Wary. “I’ve told you before, I’ll always love Daddy. But if I choose to see another man, I’m going to do it.”
His phone rang, interrupting her. He glanced at the ID and rolled his eyes. “It’s from the collective.”
“Why would they be calling you?”
“I’ll find out. Boys, go on in the kitchen and decide what you want for breakfast.”
When they left, she said, “It’s my place of business. Put it on speaker.” He clicked into the phone. “Ryder Pace.”
Heath said, “Do you have Juliet and the boys?”
“He doesn’t have me, Heath,” she said patiently. “We came here of our own free will.”
“Listen, Jules, you don’t understand men like him. He goes through women like water through a sieve.”
“I’m right here, Heath. If you have an accusation, I’ll hear it.”
“We both know you’re out of Juliet’s league.”
She intervened. “Heath, I won’t listen to you talk about him like that.”
She could hear Heath blow out a heavy breath. “I shouldn’t have said it. But you’re a sweetheart, Jules. He’s Mr. All About Town.”
Juliet quipped, “You should talk, Heath.”
“I know. I’m not denying that I date a lot of women. I’m just worried about you.”
She softened her voice. “I appreciate the sentiment.”
“Have you talked to the police today? About what you’re going to do about your brother?”
“Not yet. I’m still dealing with what happened with him.”
“Are you coming into work?”
“No, I canceled my sessions for today.”
“Then I’ll see you Monday.”
When Ryder disconnected, he said, “I’m not toying with you, Juliet, I promise.”
“I believe you. And I’m sorry for what Heath said. He means well.”
Ryder nodded. She couldn’t tell if he was sad or mad. Or maybe both.
* * *
Heath disconnected and heard behind him, “I told you not to call her,” Oliver said.
“You were right. She got mad.”
He came inside Heath’s office and sat down. “You have to let her make her own decisions. We all do.”
“What are the girls saying?”
“Don’t let Daisy or Scarlet hear you calling them girls.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Did they talk to you?”
“Daisy told me to back off. That Juliet gets to make her own decisions. Scarlet said the same thing only nicer.”
“That’s because she’s happy as a clam with Larson.” He studied Heath. “You know, Pace might care about her.”
“He might. But she can’t trust him.”
“You don’t know him personally, do you?”
“Only by reputation.” Heath traveled in differ social circles than the rest of them did.
“They’re probably saying the same thing about you.”
Heath laughed. “Probably.” He’d never been able to settle down either. And he was wealthy, not to Ryder’s degree, but he had enough to do whatever he wanted—and right now, he wanted to be in this collective.
* * *
“You’re kidding, Monopoly? With a finance mogul?” Juliet had slept in and the boys had gotten up on their own. She found the three of them in the game room.
“What does that mean, Mommy?” Tommy asked.
“It means I work with money.”
“How?”
“Someday I’ll explain it.” Ryder nearly sighed aloud. He was hoping he was around for someday with them. And her.
Juliet looked lovely with her hair piled up on her head in a messy knot, wearing absolutely no makeup and dressed in dark purple sweats. When she caught his gaze she gave him a look of approval. It went straight to his belly. And below.
“For now,” he said, “pick which color you want, boys.”
Billy, of course, jumped right in. “I get red, Tommy gets green and you get blue. Ryder can be yellow.”
“Good manners would say you give Ryder first choice for hosting us.”
“’Kay.”
Ryder winked at the boys. “I pick yellow.”
She gave him a sideways glance. “Don’t encourage them!”
As Juliet watched from a chair off to the side, they had a rousing game of Monopoly. When they finished she said, “Time to play on your own for an hour.”
“Can we stay in the game room?”
“I guess.” She turned to Ryder. “Buy me a cup of coffee?”
He’d give her the moon, if she’d let him. He was still confounded by his attraction and…need for her after knowing her such a short time. But it was what it was. And Ryder always followed his instincts.
They walked out to the kitchen. “Sit, I’ll get it.”
He fixed Keurig cups for both of them then sat down. She gazed out the window. “This is a beautiful view. The whole house is impressive.”
“You haven’t even seen it all.”
“You can give me a tour before we leave.”
“You have some decisions to make.”
“I’ve been thinking about that. If I want to get a restraining order against Joey, how do they let him know about it?”
He got his laptop off the counter and sat down next to her so she could see the screen. They touched shoulders. “It’ll be good to know the exact steps.”
“I agree.”
He clicked on keys. “Here we go. Identify the appropriate court, file the petition, fill out forms, attend the scheduled court hearing, then you get the final order of protection.”
“Wow. That’s a lot. But I don’t know what else to do. We can’t keep staying here and the boys have to go to school. Does it say I’ll be able get one for me and my kids?”
He read further. “It says here family court issues orders of protection as part of a civil, non-criminal case. You start the case by filing a family offense petition.”
“I understand.”
“There’s more.” He pointed at some specific lines. “If you need to file for an order of protection outside of family court business hours, local town and city courts can issue temporary orders. You will still need to go to family court when it is open.”
“That means I can get one today, doesn’t it?”
“I think so. Rockford’s big enough to have a city court open today even though it’s Saturday. Maybe more than one.”
“I can go, if you stay with the kids.”
“I’m not letting you out of my sight. You’re going to have to stay here until Joey’s served.”
“I feel safe here.”
He couldn’t help it. He leaned over and kissed her on the lips. Then he said, “I’ll call someone to come and stay with the kids while we go.”
“Who?”
“I have two bodyguards on my staff at all times. One’s a woman. They’d probably feel more comfortable with her. She can come over.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
He picked up the phone.
“Wait a sec.” She smiled at him. “I want you to know how much I appreciate you.”
He felt something twist in his heart. “That’s nice to hear.”