Somee #2
I nodded and we both headed upstairs, separating when we reached the landing.
Ryland went right and I went left. Since I had been snacking on homemade cheese straws that Joy prepared as a snack for Rylee, I did a quick run into the bathroom to brush my teeth and run a brush through my hair before I grabbed my platform Dr. Martens, slipped my feet in, and laced them up.
I grabbed a leather coat since my clothes were already layered and headed back downstairs to wait for Ryland.
Not long after, Ryland joined me downstairs, dressed in dark jeans and a cream crewneck sweatshirt that looked really good against his caramel skin. He paired his fit with a matching skully pulled low on his head and a dark gray, hooded puffer vest. God, he looked so damn good.
When he neared me and I was blessed with the light scent of sandalwood and bergamot that now was forever branded in my mind as undeniably Ryland Parks, my stomach tightened.
“Ready?” His gaze moved over me dangerously slow and heat crawled up my chest from the approval glinting in his eyes.
“Ready,” I signed, giving him permission to lead the way. We navigated to the garage where he selected the black Range Rover we drove to take Rylee to school. The smell of new leather and his cologne lingered, branding everything that belonged to him.
“We winging it or do you have our day mapped out?”
Ryland grinned sexily and backed out of the garage, signing to me after he hit the remote overhead to bring the door down.
“Lunch first, then we’re going to do a crash course of the city since we’re limited on time.”
“Do I get a tour of the stadium? I would like to see what six point eight billion ooks like, especially considering your team can’t even make it past the playoffs.”
I figured the mourning period for the abrupt end to his season was done, so I could gut punch and gloat a little. Ryland threw his head back and laughed before cutting me a glare. When we made it to the security gate, there were two other vehicles leaving ahead of us, so he was able to respond.
“You really don’t give a damn about my feelings.”
“I mean… you lost to my team, so I’m not wrong.”
He grinned. “You got that but also we won three Super Bowls back to back. When was the last time Tigers got a ring?”
I frowned because it had been a while. “It’s been a minute but that’s not the point. We kicked your ass.”
“Ten years is more than a minute and the refs won that game for you, not your team. You also only made it in as a wild card. Or did you forget how that went down?”
“Okay, fine. Do I get the tour or not?”
He smirked and nodded. “I can take you to the stadium, but pending who’s onsite, I might not be able to get you inside. The season’s over though, so security isn’t that tight right now.”
The rest of the drive I enjoyed the city view, mentally cataloging what we passed just in case I wanted to get out and explore on my own.
The area where Ryland lived was more suburban, making it noticeable when we made it to the city.
When we pulled up to a free standing building with Redmond’s on the front, I got giddy as hell.
I had seen a pregame activity with them donating a scholarship to a high school senior during a Sharks game.
The contestants had to kick a field goal from the thirty yard line and a girl won.
She was a soccer player and sent the ball straight down the center of the goal posts.
The funny thing was, she was more excited about the year of free lemonade from Redmond’s than she was about the ten thousand dollar check. So I needed that lemonade.
“Look at you picking the perfect spot,” I signed after I unlatched my seat belt.
“What you know about Redmond’s?”
“Enough.” I smiled and got out, waiting for Ryland to do the same. I explained how I knew about Redmond’s on the way to the door.
The building was crowded with barely any empty tables, which I attributed to the lunch rush.
God, the food smelled good. On the way to the counter where we stopped at a short line, a woman walked up to Ryland, smiling big as she greeted him.
Based on the way she hugged him, they were familiar.
Considering how he quickly peeled her arms from his body and gently nudged her away, whatever familiarity they had, he no longer wanted.
They knew each other intimately.
She frowned when Ryland grabbed my hand and pulled me to his side, which brought me into her line of sight. The scowl on her face deepened and I caught her words when she glared at him.
“Who is this?”
“Excuse me, we’re trying to order,” he said, ignoring her question. She stepped in front of him, not letting up.
My eyes bounced between them, trying to catch what I could of their conversation because the tension between them was thick.
“Mia, get the fuck away from me.”
“Because of her?”
“Because your husband’s trying to ruin my fucking career.”
“He won’t if you stop avoiding me.”
“Yo, you’re a gotdamn lunatic. Please get the fuck out of my face.”
She smiled and glanced at me before telling him, “She’s cute. Maybe she won’t mind helping you pack.”
Her eyes were on me again before she walked off.
Ryland stepped to the counter, grabbing a menu, which he handed to me, then speaking to the woman at the register.
She nodded and waited with her eyes on me.
I assumed he knew his order and handed it over, waiting for me to decide on mine.
Once I had my selection locked down, I signed to him so he could relay the message instead of me pointing to the items on the menu or using my phone to type a message for her.
“Beef tips, yellow rice, greens, and yams.”
He delivered my order to her, then turned to me, signing, “Lemonade?”
I nodded and he spoke to the woman again. After he paid and we found a table someone vacated that one of the staff members cleaned, we took our seats and his hands were moving again.
“Sorry about that.”
I arched a brow. “One of your exes?”
His body tensed when he stiffly shook his head. “Someone who wants attention I won’t give.”
“Ended badly?” I probably didn’t have the right to question him, but the jealousy pooling in the pit of my stomach wouldn’t allow me not to.
His eyes locked on me and his jaw flexed under his beard. “She’s married; so there was no start to end badly. When I found out, I shut it down and she got pissed.”
“Is her husband one of the team owners and the reason they’re considering trading you?”
His brows slammed in, then he laughed dryly. “I forgot you can read lips.”
I smirked. “You shouldn’t if you don’t want me knowing your personal business.”
Ryland chuckled and signed, “Yes, she’s married to Karl Bashay. Sharks’ owner, and it’s really fucked up too because his wife has pretty much gone through half the roster.”
“Well, that’s a new spin on team bonding.”
He snorted. “Cute but not funny.”
“It’s a little funny.”
He hit me with a glare and I smiled. “The trade is not about your poor timing coming off the line. It’s because the owner’s wife wants to have sex with you.”
“As fucked up as it is, yeah. And to be perfectly honest, I wasn’t interested. I respect people’s marriages, even if they don’t. I’m not that reckless.”
I didn’t know whether he was telling the truth, but based on the frustration in his expression and tension in his body, I believed him.
Ryland was an attractive and very wealthy pro athlete.
I wouldn’t criticize or judge him for doing exactly what rich athletes were notorious for.
A part of me still felt a knot of jealousy twisting in my stomach.
“Can they really do that? Trade you for personal reasons? Don’t they, like, have to adhere to contractual obligations or standards the same as you?”
“They do but they can spin shit however they want. I’ve had a lot of fuck ups that brought bad press to the team.
Even if it was about me, I’m a reflection of the franchise.
They’re telling my agent it’s about the ethics clause, but someone gave her a heads up on what was really going on behind the scenes.
Truthfully, they can do whatever they want without explaining or receiving consequences, but Sovoya is working on it.
She goes to war for her clients, so I’m gonna be straight. ”
“You have a female agent?” My eyes rolled.
“And publicist. Shit, my media consultant is a woman too. Makari, actually, but I have not and will never cross lines with any of them. I don’t shit where I eat.”
“That’s not the truth though, is it? You almost had sex with the owner’s wife.”
“Not almost because I never would have agreed. She propositioned me, I turned her down.” He frowned hard.
“Same difference. That’s pretty much shitting where you sleep, buddy.”
Ryland snorted and looked up. I glanced over my shoulder, noticing a woman wearing a Redmond’s T-shirt heading our way with two large glasses of lemonade.
I signed thank you and Ryland interpreted, also telling her thank you. She turned her eyes on me, offering a smile with a nod before she told him she would be right back with our food.
“Okay, let me see what all the hype is about,” I signed before lifting the straw she left next to my drink. After I had it out the wrapper and in my glass, my mouth did a happy dance when the flavor hit my tongue.
“Oh, this is for sure worth the hype.”
He nodded. “You’re official now. You can’t pull up in Crescent Falls and not have Redmond’s lemonade.”
I grinned, taking another sip before signing, “This is dangerous.”
“Wait till you get them beef tips in front of you.” He leaned back in his chair. The ease of his relaxed posture and the sexy, lazy way he smiled at me made my stomach tense.
“What did you order?”