Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
Beni and Stevie’s cars were both in the driveway when Ryan arrived at Jasper’s. It forced him to park and walk five minutes uphill to the house, an irritating start to what was sure to be a challenging two weeks where Ryan was forced to be in close, cozy, domestic proximity with Jasper.
Not that it was a hardship under normal circumstances. He wanted to spend time with Jasper. A lot of time.
After the party, Ryan had been sure things were over for good. Even if they hadn’t been, he was sure he couldn’t handle the uncertainty of Jasper’s feelings towards him. The sex they had that night, if one could call it that, did nothing but cloud Ryan’s mind with horny, desperate longing.
But then, Jasper brought him that bag of items he could have thrown in the trash. Ryan never would have known. That had to mean something.
Despite Ryan’s optimism, he knew winning Jasper over was going to take a lot of effort.
But, if the sisters’ vacation was going to be anything other but awkward for everyone, not putting in the effort wasn’t an option.
This felt like the perfect chance to convince Jasper they belonged together and this breakup had been a terrible mistake.
Fortunately, he had a plan. Well, he had part of a plan. Bits of one, like, if a plan was a human body, he’d have the whole skeleton and maybe the appendix, or gall bladder. But that was enough to get going, and he would just wing the rest.
The front door was unlocked, so Ryan let himself in. It wasn't trespassing if he technically owned the house, and besides, knocking felt weird. Knocking would make him a guest, and he wasn't ready for that. This house was still his home.
Stepping through the doorway with his suitcase in hand sent an unexpected feeling of familiarity through him.
How many times had he done this exact thing?
It was like he’d been out of town for two months, finally back home.
His feet itched to carry him right to the home office or the bedroom, to drop a big kiss on Jasper before falling into bed together.
Stevie and Beni left for Blue Ridge in the morning, where they’d stay for a few nights visiting his parents before leaving for Australia for the bulk of their trip.
He was trying not to be jealous. He missed home.
He missed his folks. But if a little homesickness bought Beni some freedom—and left Ryan and Jasper alone together for more than two weeks—it was a trade he'd happily make.
The house was chaotic. Lists taped to cabinets and suitcases half-packed in the living room, an enormous pile of clean laundry in the middle of the couch.
It was eerily quiet, though, until the sound of footsteps drew Ryan’s attention towards the hallway and Jasper emerged holding a coffee mug.
He slowed when their eyes met, both staring at each other, silently.
"Hey," Jasper finally said.
Ryan took a deep breath. "Hey."
“Ready for this?”
“I am,” Ryan said, giving Jasper half a grin to prove how relaxed he was. “Are you?”
Jasper huffed a laugh into his cup. “I don’t think so. Two and a half weeks is a long time.”
“To be with the girls?”
Jasper shrugged. “Yeah. And other reasons.”
“We’ll be fine. I’m guessing we’ll barely see Winnie, and I brought plenty to entertain Nina.”
A tornado of activity barreled through the side door. Nina ran towards Ryan with a basket of muddy chicken eggs.
“Hi, Uncle Ryan!” Nina said. “I got eggs!”
The hens would have stopped laying weeks ago, and he was a little concerned about where the eggs had come from, but she looked so pleased he decided to go with it. “Oh, hell yeah, sister. Let me see.”
She held up the basket and grinned. “They pecked me when I looked under them.”
“Yeah, they’ll do that,” Ryan said, smiling back at her.
“I found these behind the coop.”
“Ah. Yum. You can help me cook those up in the morning if you want.”
“Okay!”
After thrusting the basket into Ryan’s hands, she took off towards the guest room where the girls were staying, much to the chagrin of Winnie, who was not looking forward to sharing a room with a five-year-old for two and a half weeks.
If Jasper would just let Ryan stay in their bedroom, it wouldn’t be an issue, but he’d put his foot down.
“Go get washed up for dinner!” Beni called down the hall. “Use a lot of soap!”
“Hi,” Beni said, washing her hands in the kitchen. “Can you make a green salad?”
“Sure. Let me just, uh…” He peered down the hall before unceremoniously cracking the eggs into the compost bin. “She’s too short to see in there.”
Beni laughed. “I won’t tell.”
By the time everyone had gathered around the table, Ryan could almost pretend things were normal.
Like they used to be. Beni talked enough for three people, filling the room with their trip plans and flight information.
It gave him something to focus on besides Jasper.
Besides the terrifying possibility that this was his one chance to win him back, and that he could still screw it up. That he would probably screw it up.
“Stevie says we have to be at the airport two hours early,” Beni said.
“Because we do! That’s what the airport website says,” Stevie replied.
“I don’t care what the website says. I’m not getting up at three o’clock in the morning just to have more time to sit before the flight.”
“I will drive myself if you’re going to play games.”
“These aren’t games! It’s just not necessary, Stevie. I promise,” Beni said, patting Stevie’s hand.
“Do you guys need a ride?” Ryan asked.
“No, we’re just gonna leave Stevie’s car in long term parking. We don’t feel like dealing with a ride and everything when we get home.”
“Fair enough.”
“I can drive you. Then I can keep the car,” Winnie said.
“No. You’re not driving around these hills alone,” Stevie said.
Winnie rolled her eyes, but then a small smirk crossed her mouth. “Well, if I don’t have a car, I won’t be able to drive Nina around, which means Ryan will have to do it all.”
“Oh, hmm…” Ryan’s plan was to spend Nina’s school days at the park getting everything done.
They were so close, but the carousel was still out of commission.
Fixing the carousel was top secret, so it really would be better to have an extra car around.
“You know, according to the forecast, it’s not supposed to snow much the next few weeks. I think she’ll be okay.”
Beni snorted. “Did you guys plan that together?”
“No!” Winnie said. “I’m just thinking of my favorite uncle, and how I want his life to be as easy as possible.”
“Hey!” Jasper said, his mouth full of salad.
“One of my favorite uncles, I mean.”
Ryan risked a grin in Jasper’s direction, surprised when Jasper smiled back.
“Fine. But Jasper. Ryan. Both of you. Please don’t let her do anything stupid. Okay?” Stevie said. “She’s only had her license nine months. No friends in the car, that’s a law.”
“I can have friends in the car if they’re over twenty-one.”
“Excuse me, what friends over twenty-one do you have?” Jasper asked.
At the same time, Ryan shouted, “You better not have friends over twenty-one, in the car or not,” and Stevie and Beni immediately started talking over each other, their voices climbing higher and louder with every word.
“I’m kidding! Oh my God, you guys. I know the rules. I’m the one who had to study for the test.”
Ryan rubbed at his chest and looked over to Jasper, whose face was pale from fading anxiety.
He was beautiful, but right now, almost agonizing to look at.
The flush in his cheeks and the sheen of sweat along his brow stirred memories Ryan had no business revisiting at the dinner table—memories of tangled sheets, sleepy smiles, and mornings when Jasper had looked at him like he was exactly where he wanted to be.
Memories he had no business dwelling on, because he needed to stay focused.
He cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. “But just to be clear, you don’t have twenty-one-year-old friends, right?”
“No! God.”
“Risky joke to make when the car was on the line,” Jasper whispered to Winnie.
“Seriously,” she said, smirking at him.
“Anyway,” Jasper said. “Back to making fun of Stevie.”
“You’re one to talk,” Ryan said. It was a risk, teasing someone who maybe didn’t like him much. “Remember the first time we went to Mexico and you brought your birth certificate and passport?”
Jasper glared at him. “I only did that because I spilled tea on my passport and the corner got stained. I was worried they wouldn’t let me fly!”
“I remember. It was cute.” Ryan tapped his foot against Jasper’s, but Jasper moved his foot back without acknowledging it.
Everybody finished their meals with much less chatter, which Ryan was blaming on the sisters thinking about their trip and the kids losing interest in adult conversations, and not his comment calling Jasper cute.
“May I be excused?” Nina asked.
Winnie wiped her mouth and placed her napkin on her plate. “Me too?”
“Go ahead,” Beni said. “Winnie, can you make sure the bedroom is set up with everything you two might need?”
“Sure. Let’s go, Nina.”
“I need to finish packing,” Beni said.
Stevie scoffed. “I can’t believe you’re not finished yet. I’ve been packed for a week.”
“I know. You’ve texted me about a dozen times this week letting me know you need something that’s already packed away.”
“Sorry for keeping you up to date on my life,” Stevie said.
“I love hearing about your life, babe. Just not panicked texts about how you think someone stole your underwear.”
“It really happened once!”
“Yeah, when we lived in an apartment with a public laundry room.”
“Ladies,” Ryan said, laughing. “Go ahead. I’ll handle the dishes.”
“Thank you. Jasper, come with me. I’ll show you where I posted the kids’ schedules.”
Jasper nodded and followed Stevie out of the room, leaving Beni and Ryan alone at the table.
“You’re sure about this?” she asked.
Ryan shrugged. “What choice do I have?”
“You could have split up the days, like I suggested.”
“That’s more work than necessary. Plus,” he said, leaning towards her, grinning. “I have a plan.”
“A plan?” she said, leaning in closer. “What kind of plan?”
Ryan lowered his voice. “I’m going to convince Jasper he made a mistake. I’m going to make his life so good the next two weeks, he’ll wonder what he was thinking.”
Beni’s face fell. “Ry, no.”
“Beni, yes.”
She stood from the table. “I can’t support this. You’re going to get hurt.”
“No, I’m not. How can I even get hurt worse than before?”
“He’s made it clear he doesn’t think he made a mistake. I’ve talked to Stevie about this. It’s not going to happen. He’s not… he doesn’t want that.”
“He might.”
“He doesn’t, Ry.”
Ryan crossed his arms. “He brought me a pill organizer I haven’t used in six months.”
“He felt bad about your eye. That’s what Stevie told me.”
“Agree to disagree.” Ryan stood and gathered the dishes, carrying them to the kitchen without another word to Beni. She followed him and touched his shoulder.
“I have to go say bye to Nina and head home to finish packing. I’m sorry if I upset you.”
“Lucky for me, I have enough hope for the both of us,” he said. “Have a great trip. I love you.”
“Love you. I’ll be in touch,” she said, hugging him awkwardly to avoid his soapy arms.
Ryan worked his way through the stacks of dishes in silence. About ten minutes passed before he felt Jasper approach, sidling up next to him at the sink, grabbing a towel, and drying the next round, all without a word.