Chapter Fifty-Three - Elise #2
“She meant me, dumbass.” Alec unceremoniously pushes Don out of the way and sits on the bed beside me. “I come bearing gifts,” he announces, holding the tray out as an offering.
“Don’t be a prick, Tonis,” Kade says. “It’s from Jay.”
I eye the selection of cupcakes, pie slices, cookies, and brownies. It’s an overwhelming gesture.
“If you think I can eat all of this, you’re insane. Please, take some.”
“Thought you’d never ask.” Alec leans in to grab a cookie, but his hand is smacked away by Kade.
“No way. These are yours, Elli.”
“I don’t need all of these,” I assure them. “I didn’t do anything more than anyone else here.”
The three share a look.
“I didn’t fake an affair on the spot to save a child’s life,” Don says.
“I didn’t kill three trained fighters with nothing but a knife,” Kade adds.
“I didn’t convince two enemy families not to kill each other in less than five minutes,” Alec finishes.
“Don’t forget how she assaulted me on the side of the highway after pretending to be carsick.”
My eyes flit to the owner of the honey-smooth voice at the door.
“Ryder!”
He stands in the doorway, and though my view is partially blocked by Kade, I assess his injuries. Other than a bandage covering a large part of his forehead and a few stitches on his lip, he looks perfectly healthy, but he doesn’t make a move to come inside.
“What wouldn’t I give to have watched Elli kick your ass?” Alec clutches his chest dramatically.
“If you don’t come hug me, I’ll have to do it again,” I threaten.
I don’t miss Ryder’s eyes flitting to Joshua or Joshua’s subtle nod of allowance, but the others don’t seem to notice.
Kade steps aside for Ryder to come through, giving me a full view of the stunning woman with a small child in her arms. She must’ve been hiding in the hall because the others don’t seem to notice her until now, too. She captures the attention of the whole room as soon as she steps inside.
Her silky black hair is pulled into a slick ponytail, and even though she wears leggings and a sweatshirt, she looks runway-ready.
Flawless, dark skin and softened features give her no need to wear makeup since everything about her is already naturally beautiful.
Even the bruising along her cheeks and throat has lightened to a barely noticeable degree.
This must be Rachel.
The little girl she holds has tiny arms wrapped so tightly around her neck that it’s a miracle Rachel can breathe. Her tightly coiled hair is pulled into two buns on the top of her head, and a pink, Barbie-themed bandage peeks out from the sleeve of her T-shirt.
“Elli, this is Rachel and Lyla,” Ryder says, gesturing between us before coming to give me the hug I demanded.
Alec moves off the bed as soon as Rachel enters the room, and I think he’s going to hug her, but he holds out his arms to the little girl.
“Uncle Alec!” The shy look melts away as Lyla’s features soften with a smile.
Rachel releases her into Alec’s arms, accepting a chaste kiss on the cheek from him as she does.
“I thought you and Lyla were going back home today,” Donovan says, standing to mimic Alec’s greeting, then moving aside for Kade to do the same.
Her kind eyes look to Joshua, then back to Don. “We were, but I decided to push it back when I heard Elli had woken up.”
He nods, but then all three capos focus their attention on Lyla. They fawn over the girl, asking her about school and her best friend, Dominic. Her laughter breaks any remaining tension in the room.
Ryder stays at Alec’s back, as close as he can be to Lyla without taking her out of his arms. I don’t miss how her eyes flit to her father’s every few seconds, making sure he doesn’t go anywhere.
Joshua watches the group but makes no move to participate—and he doesn’t acknowledge Ryder.
I don’t have the chance to attempt easing them into interacting because Rachel sits on the bed beside me, taking both my hands in her own.
“It is so nice to finally meet you,” she says in a low, smoky voice.
“You too. Ryder speaks so highly of you.”
Her eyes drift to where Lyla is trying to grab a brownie from Donovan’s hand, but he keeps pulling it out of her reach at the last minute. Kade suddenly snatches it from him and gives it to the girl, who smiles at him like he’s lassoed the moon for her.
“I can’t thank you enough for what you did for my daughter and me. It couldn’t have been easy, but I’m so grateful.”
I shake my head, ignoring the pain it inspires. “There’s no need to thank me. I’m so sorry for what my brother put you both through.”
“That’s not your fault,” she assures me, but the guilt in the pit of my stomach is unmoving.
She looks to where Joshua leans against the wall across the room. He’s too far away to hear us, but his eyes watch me warmly. “I’ve known Mr. Moreno for years, and I have never seen him like this. I’ve only been at the base for two days, but it’s impossible to miss. He’s crazy about you.”
If I blush anymore, I’ll permanently turn red.
“The feeling is mutual,” I admit. “It’s so good to talk to another girl. I’ve been surrounded by guys for way too long.”
“Try doing it for nine months when your hormones are already out of control,” she mutters.
My eyes nearly pop out of my head. “What?”
“Ryder never told you? I stayed here during my whole pregnancy. Mr. Moreno was traveling back here for the year and needed Ryder to come, but he refused to let me out of his sight, so I was brought along.”
I try to imagine it—nine months surrounded by nonstop testosterone while pregnant.
“You’re kidding, right?”
She shakes her head. “Once Lyla was born, I put my foot down and moved back home. So, I know a little bit of what you’ve been through. Of course, I wasn’t kidnapped, but I do get what it’s like to crave girl time.”
“Rachel,” Joshua calls from across the room. When we look up, he’s inspecting his phone with a furrowed brow.
She stands but doesn’t go to him right away. “I had Moreno put my number in your phone. If you ever need anything or just want to talk, don’t hesitate to call, okay?”
I nod, and she squeezes my hands gently before going to Joshua, stopping to pick up a brownie-covered Lyla on her way.
I expect Lyla to resist being taken from Alec’s arms, but she eagerly accepts her mother’s embrace. In fact, it’s the boys who look disappointed. Each of their faces falls as they wave to the girl being carried away.
“Have you looked at it yet?” I’d been so focused on the capos that I didn’t see Ryder’s approach. His eyes are fixated on my bandaged arm.
“Not yet.”
Ryder is excellent at hiding his emotions, so I’m shocked to see pain openly creasing his face.
“I don’t blame you for anything,” I tell him.
“You should. If I hadn’t been so rattled, I could’ve come up with a better plan. I could’ve—”
I pull on his hand until he sits on the bed beside me, and he finally meets my gaze. “Ryder, I’m fine. I’m safe, and so is your family, which means you did everything right.”
His lip twitches up, and it’s such a relief to see his smile again, even if it is a small one.
Ryder glances over his shoulder, and I follow his gaze to where Joshua and Rachel are huddled, deep in conversation. “It’ll take a long time to get back to normal.”
“A price worth paying for your family,” I remind him, and he nods. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
His smile is natural now. “You too, Elli.”