Chapter 38
RYDER
I checked my phone for the fifth time, waiting for the update I was told Jeff would send me. They’d been on the road an hour, and I’d yet to hear from him.
Bastard.
“Um…sir?” Lily asked hesitantly from the doorway.
“What is it?” I snapped, letting my anger take over.
She visibly shrank back, which only made me feel like an asshole. I had to be gentler, and I fucking knew that, but the way Ellie played me only pissed me off.
“Sorry, Lily. What is it?”
“Um…you have a call from someone in New York about an apartment?”
What the hell would anyone be calling me for? I’d already sold my apartment.
“Are you sure it’s the right name?”
“They asked for you specifically.”
I didn’t really have time for this, but hopefully, it would be a quick call to clear up any confusion. “Sure, put it through.”
She nodded and hustled back to her desk. Grabbing the phone, I hit the blinking button.
“This is Ryder Lawson.”
“Ryder,” Bianca breathed, her voice sending me into a swirling vortex I did not need right now.
“Bianca, why are you calling me?”
“Ryder, I need your help.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose, holding back the urge to yell at her for contacting me. We’d already settled everything. There was nothing more to say.
But I’d spent years with this woman. I couldn’t walk away as easily as I wanted.
“What is it?”
“I’m having trouble getting home.”
“What do you mean? You said you were leaving months ago.”
“I know, but my passport is expired, and I…I don’t have any money.”
“Why the hell didn’t you renew it?”
“Because I didn’t think I would need it,” she snapped. “I thought I would be married by now.”
“That doesn’t mean you should neglect basic paperwork,” I argued. “What about your papers? Is everything in order?”
“I’m still waiting on something from the consulate. I can’t apply for a new passport without the proper documentation.”
“I thought you handled all this,” I bit out angrily. “You said you took care of all this.”
“I know, Ryder!” she cried. “I waited, though.”
“Why?”
“Because I thought I would be getting a marriage visa,” she snapped. “It seemed silly to apply for a residency card when we were going to get married. It’s so much paperwork and it takes forever to go through. I thought it would be easier just to wait.”
Getting pissed at her would not help anything right now, and even though I didn’t owe her a damn thing, I couldn’t just walk away either.
“Alright, when did you apply for the passport?”
“Two months ago.”
“What did your lawyer say?”
“He said it could take another few weeks. The embassy is asking for all this paperwork that I don’t have. I’m waiting for my parents to send it over, but it has to be the original documents, and all of that takes time.”
This was turning out to be worse than I thought. “What do you need?”
“Someone to vouch for me. I need a permanent address.”
I barked out a laugh at the thought of her staying out here in Montana. “You’re joking, right?”
“Ryder, I don’t have anyone else.”
I was going to kill her. Literally, wrap my hands around her throat and squeeze. “Where are you staying right now?”
“At a hotel.”
Gritting my teeth, I did my best not to shout at her. “You’ve been wasting your money on a hotel this whole time?”
“I didn’t want to tell you I was having problems with all this,” she sniffled. “I was trying to handle it on my own.”
“Well, you did a bang-up job of that,” I snapped. “Can’t you just put down that you’re living with your parents and trying to return home?”
“I’ve been gone too long. They won’t accept that address since I’ve been living in the United States.”
I was going to have to help her, no matter how much I wanted to wring her neck and tell her it wasn’t my problem.
I’d spent years with this woman, had loved her and planned to marry her.
And even though all that was gone, I just couldn’t turn her away and tell her not to bother me with it. That just wasn’t the type of man I was.
I just didn’t know how I was going to explain any of this to Ellie.
“Fine. You can come out here. I’ll find you someplace to stay, but it won’t be with me.”
“That’s fine,” she said, breathing a sigh of relief. “Thank you so much. Honestly—”
“This isn’t going to change anything between us,” I snapped. “Don’t get any ideas in your head.”
“I know, and I swear, I’ll stay out of your hair. I just need the address.”
New York was expensive as hell, and without a job, there was no way she’d be able to afford anything anyway. At least out here, I could rent something for her that wouldn’t cost an arm and a leg, and it would get her out of my hair faster.
“Do you have money for a plane ticket?”
“I have enough.”
“I’ll send you some anyway. When you book the flight, let me know when you’re getting in.”
“Okay.”
“How much stuff are you bringing with you?”
“Um…I’ll sell what I can. I can’t take it all back to England, anyway.”
“Good.”
“Thank you, Ryder. I really appreciate this.”
“Remind me you said that when winter hits out here. It’s nothing like you’ve experienced in New York.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Give me a few minutes, and I’ll make the transfer. Talk to you soon.”
I hung up without another word, then cursed myself for getting into such a shitty situation. Ellie didn’t deserve any of this after what I’d already put her through, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she threw me out on my ass.
I just had to pray that she loved me enough to look past what was about to happen.
I picked up my cell and stared at the blank screen. If I was smart, I’d call her now and warn her of what was coming. Then again, it might ruin her trip, and that was something I definitely didn’t want to be responsible for.
I briefly considered that I could keep this all hidden from her, but then I remembered where I lived and how quickly news traveled. There was no way in hell I’d be able to keep this secret.
And frankly, Ellie deserved better than that.
I almost dialed her number, but chickened out at the last second. Jeff was supposed to check in soon. I’d wait until then.