Chapter Thirty-Two
“That went far better than expected,” I stated as I turned on the treadmill. Beckett was next to me, doing the same. I placed an earbud in, giving him my attention as we both started our workout.
We’d met Melody and Parker with our lawyers this morning. She’d made the smart decision not to allow Parker to speak during the meeting; he’d sat there with his arms crossed as his lawyer went over the contract. They’d agreed to all terms without argument.
It seemed like Melody had wanted this all to just go away, and the easiest way to do that was to make sure Parker signed and stayed away.
She didn’t even give him the option to object, just handed him the pin to sign, and pushed the papers in front of him.
His career was essentially over with the flick of his wrist.
Once signed, he stormed out of the office.
We’d left shortly afterwards and were now at the gym, letting off some much-needed steam.
“In, out, and done,” Beckett said as he upped his speed, beginning to jog.
“I was also thinking about what Jemma said last week about Odette’s birthday.
” Along with the conversation, we had talked about Parker coming to her house and me outing myself.
Jemma had also given us some insight about Parker and Odette’s relationship that I hadn’t even known.
She was worried about all of this happening so close to Odette’s birthday and how it would affect her, and while I would have preferred Odette to tell me about what had happened, I was grateful for Jemma.
I knew a lot about Parker because of what Odette had told me, but not about her birthday; the sheer fact that it was next month boggled me since she hadn’t brought it up at all.
I wanted to do something for her, but Jemma was worried.
She also wanted to do something big for Odette, but with the whole Parker situation, she was on pins and needles with what to do.
“I think something small would be nice.” Beckett chimed in.
“Yeah,” I clicked my speed up a few notches. “But I also thought of inviting her team, and maybe some other friends she has. Make it really special for her; let her know that she has people here for her.”
“Do you think that’s a good idea for her first big birthday after a catastrophe?”
“I don’t know, man, you sound like Jemma.
” I ran a hand over my face and through my beard.
Beckett wasn’t wrong, mimicking Jemma’s words, but fuck, I wanted to give Odette the world.
I wanted her to know just how much people actually cared about her.
Not just me, but friends and those involved in her life.
“I wanted to give her the world. Give her happiness.”
“I say, think on that one a little bit more before you start planning it out.”
I sighed because I knew he was right. I needed to really think about this because what if I set up a whole elaborate thing and she hated it? What if I didn’t really know what she wanted when it came to something like this?
My phone rang in my earbud, and I looked down at my watch to see my mom’s name bright on my screen.
“Shit.” I picked up the call. “Hey, Mom.”
I could see Beckett’s head whip toward me from my periphery.
“Cash,” she said in a clipped tone.
Shit.
“The only time you call me that is when you’re upset with me.”
“Considering I have to hear you are seeing someone from Charlie, I’m a little disappointed.
” I shot a look over to Beckett, who was already slowing down on his treadmill.
His eyes were wide as he tried to quickly leave me to fend for myself, when he was the one who’d talked to his mother about Odette.
We both knew his mother couldn’t keep quiet around mine.
Traitor.
“I’m seeing someone, Mom,” I tell her.
“Tell me about her.”
“Is this the only reason you called?” I let out a little laugh and slowed my pace. This wasn’t going to be a quick call with this woman.
“You bet your ass it is, son, I know nothing about her, and you’ve never really been one for dating.” I heard her let out a heavy sigh. “I want to know more about her than just the basics.”
“What do you know?” I questioned. Curious to know just how much Beckett told his mom.
“Apparently, she’s very pretty, she writes books, and lives close to where you are.” She paused and then spoke again. “Oh, and she has a really hot best friend who Beckett really likes.”
I let out a loud laugh, which caused a few head turns. It sounded like Beckett had only given his mom the highlights, which made sense since I was pretty sure he hadn’t told anyone from home he’d reconnected with Jemma.
I mouthed ‘sorry’ to a few people before responding.
“Well, she is very beautiful, and she does write books.” I let out a heavy sigh myself this time. “Before I tell you anymore, you have to promise you won’t say a word to anyone, not even Charlie. Not yet, at least.”
“You know I’m not as much of a gossip as she is.”
“Yeah, sure, Mom.” I rolled my eyes. “But this is serious.”
“Don’t be rolling your eyes over there; I know you too well, boy. And if you say it’s serious, I won’t tell a soul.”
She did know me. She was my mom, and I told her everything. We talked weekly, but I had kept this from her. I had told her since we’d been figuring out what we were together, and then things snowballed before I could even talk to my mom about it all. But now was the chance to tell her it all.
In the middle of the freaking gym.
“I’m dating Odette Reign.”
There was silence on the other side of the phone. Not a peep. I looked down at my watch to make sure the call hadn’t dropped. It hadn’t; my mom was still connected.
“Please say something.” I pleaded, knowing she was there on the other side of the phone, probably sitting on her pristine couch, looking over to the bookshelf that housed all of Odette’s books.
“All those years that you claimed to want to see what it is your mom likes to do for fun and driving me to signings, that was all for her, wasn’t it?” She questioned me.
“It was.”
There was silence again.
I’d slowed my treadmill, anxiety starting to fill me. My palms itched, and I was restless while walking. I needed to change the scenery.
I stopped the machine and hopped off, grabbing my stuff before making my way to a bench off to the side. What if she didn’t think this was a good idea? What if she decided not to support Odette anymore?
I downed almost my entire bottle of water just waiting. Waiting for my mom to say something.
Anything.
“Do you think when the next book releases, you can get me an advance copy?”
I had to stop myself from laughing this time.
“Minnie Ryker.” I admonished my mom.
“Do not use my name, son.” Her voice turned stern, and I let out another laugh.
“Of everything I thought you might say, it was not that.” I let my head drop in my hands, body shaking from the laughs that wouldn’t stop coming.
“Were you that worried?” Her tone changed again. My laughs turned to taking deep breaths. I wished she were here. But she wasn’t. She was states away, and I missed her dearly.
“Yeah,” I admitted.
“Oh, son,” she let out a sigh. “I had no idea you felt that way about her. But it sounds like you have very strong feelings for her.”
“I love her,” I blurted out. “It started with liking her, and once we met a few months ago, it was like we were on a fast track, and all the feelings I had before just amplified.”
“Love,” she said only the one word.
“Yeah, love.” I sat there, silence hanging between us once more, before speaking up again. “I’ve been supporting her for years, not just taking you to signings, but playing her games since the beginning. I’ve also invested in them. I’ve put all of my heart into her.”
“Does she know this?”
“Yes,” I lifted my head quickly in response, as if she were here. “I told her everything, the signings, backing her, investing, everything.”
“Everything?” my mom asked, and I knew what she was asking.
“She knows who I am.”
“Oh,” I could hear the quick intake of breath through my earbud. “This is serious, then.”
“I’m going to do a face reveal.” The words came out. I hadn’t prepared to tell my mom this way about how I was going to announce who I was to the world, but this felt like an open session with her. Tell her all of it.
I was met with silence again, though.
“Mom, I’m going to need you to respond faster because I’m kind of dying over here in the gym.” My foot was tapping as I waited for her to say something.
“I’m trying to process, Ry. I didn’t expect you to say that. You’ve lived this life for so many years and have loved being able to just be you when you go out, but you’ve never said anything about wanting to give that up. What’s changed?”
“You and Dad mentioned selling the café, and I started to really think about it then.”
“That was earlier this summer, Ry. If this were something you really wanted to do, why wouldn’t you have talked to me about it before now?”
“Because we had no idea if that sale was going to go through, or when, and I wasn’t even sure it was something I wanted to do.
It was just something I’d been toying with the thought of since, for me, there wouldn’t be much to hide from anymore with the café not being in our name.
” I hadn’t ever really talked to my parents about why I’d gone into gaming with a pseudonym and a disguise.
“I didn’t realize you felt like that about the café.”
“It was hard growing up in that shadow sometimes, Mom. So, when I got the chance to have something that was just mine, it just made sense.”
I ran a hand over my face and looked over to where Beckett was working on weights. He caught my reflection in the mirror and gave me a weary smile.
“Has anything else possibly made you want to reveal yourself, as you would say?”
I pulled out my phone, glancing down at a photo of myself and Odette sitting on her swing on her front lawn. It was from last week, and the look on her face as she stared at me made it seem like we’d known each other for ages. Been in love for decades.
“We had a threat of exposure last week that we handled,” I took a deep breath before explaining to my mom.
“Odette’s ex came into the picture and caused a scene.
However, I need you to know that I’m doing this just for her and us, to make sure we are kept safe.
I finally feel that it’s time to be me in life.
With the café sold and being with Odette, I finally feel that I can have things in life for myself that no one else can take away from me. ”
“I had no idea you felt this way, Ry. You’ve always seemed like you were happy with being around the café, helping, and when you started gaming, it seemed like that was the best thing you could have ever done for yourself.
I know you and your father have had your differences about your career, but you always seemed so happy with the success you’d made.
Is this something you have to do, or is it—”
“I want to do this.” I cut my mom off. “I want this not just for Odette, but for us. For me.”
For the world we were building, the life we wanted to live, in peace from others, even if it meant being public with the world. No one would be able to hold anything over us; we’d be able to be just Odette and Ryker.
“This is big, Ry.”
“I know, Mom, but she’s the one I want to spend the rest of my life with, and I’m done hiding it. I’m done hiding behind the Ryker name, behind a screen, hiding how I feel and who I am to the world.”
“You seem like you’ve really made up your mind.”
I sat up on the gym bench, smiling to myself.
“I have.”
“I only have one question then.”
“Yeah?” I asked wearily, having no idea what was about to come out of my mom’s mouth.
“When do I get to meet her, not as my favorite author, but as your girlfriend?”
“I hope soon.” I was smiling ear to ear now. She wanted to meet her. Our lives were going to merge.
“I’m proud of you.”
“Thank you, Mom. I love you.”
“I love you, too, but don’t ever let me catch wind of something this important from someone else again.
” Her voice turned stern again as she warned me.
I laughed, not trying to hide it this time.
Beckett was walking over to me with timid steps, clearly trying to gauge how upset with him I still was.
“Yes, ma’am.” I finally responded.
“You have a good day, son.”
The line went dead, and I pulled out my earbud. I looked up to Beckett, who was standing in front of me now.
“I’m going to do this.”
“You are.” He was smiling back at me, knowing exactly what I was talking about.
“Now.”
“Now?” Beckett’s eyes went wide as I quickly got up and left him running behind me to catch up. We were going to head back to my house and set up a game plan. There was no more if this was going to happen, but when it would happen.
And it was going to happen now.