“You just met her.”
“I know, but haven’t you ever felt a connection with someone so strongly that you’d do whatever it takes to see them?” I lean forward, waiting for her answer. She must’ve felt something for my dad at one time. He couldn’t have always been like this.
She shakes her head. I wonder why she married a man she doesn’t love.
“Do you love Dad?”
“Of course.”
“But he doesn’t make you smile.”
“Things…” she takes a deep breath. “Things change after a while.”
“If you love someone, your love should only grow stronger. Isn’t that what you used to whisper to me at night?”
Mom looks out the window and back at me. “Love is foolish, but I have a feeling you aren’t going to listen to me, so you need to be careful, Ryan. You can’t let your father find out about this girl or what you’ve been doing at night.”
I sit back, shocked at what she just said. “You’ll let me see Hadley?”
She nods, biting her lower lip. “Please don’t do anything stupid. I can’t protect you.”
“I won’t, I promise. Would you like to meet her? Again, I mean.” I hope that she says yes. I don’t want to keep Hadley shut out of my life. I’d like for us to have a normal relationship. Well, as much as one is allowed.
“Your dad isn’t going to church tomorrow. I’ll meet her then.” Mom gets up and walks away, leaving me to think about what she just said. She’s willing to meet Hadley and invited her back to church.
I hear the pots and pans clinking together and figure I should help. I roll up her puzzle and put it away, along with her folding table. I have a few minutes before I’m due to leave for work and there’s only one thing I want to do.
I walk into the kitchen and wrap my arms around my mom, hugging her tightly. “I love you, Mom.” I kiss her cheek quickly, but it was enough to know she’s been crying.
CHAPTER 20
Hadley
“We should get up and do something. We could go shopping.” I say this with no intention of moving. I’m comfortable. My head is resting on his chest as he plays with my hair. I picked him up at work and we came back to my hotel. When he suggested we go to bed, I admit that I froze. I’m walking a fine line between right and wrong and one slip up and I’m in deep. I have to be careful. When I said we could sit on the couch, he whispered that he’d keep his hands to himself. Something I wanted to tell him wasn’t necessary, but knew it was.
Now the sun is shining through the large picture window of my hotel, warming the room. I could stay here all day, locked in his arms. We slept, but not very much. Once I got over the shock of him actually being here, I couldn’t keep my lips off of him. He held true to his word though and his hands didn’t roam, even if I wanted them to.
Ryan sits up on his elbow, effectively pushing my back onto the bed. His hand trails down the curve of my face. His fingers ghost over my lips. His eyes roam over my face, before his lips touch mine briefly.
I reach for him instinctively when he pulls away, but he shakes his head. He’s toying with me and it makes me wonder how he learned to act like this or if this is just natural.
“Would you like to meet my mom?”
I move away slightly, staring at him with shock. I know I heard him correctly, but for some reason I’m having a bit of trouble comprehending what exactly he just said.
“Say what?”
“You heard me.” He pulls me back into his arms, nestling against my neck. His lips press against my skin ever so lightly, sending chills down my arms.
“You want me to meet your mom?”
He nods against my neck.
“Does she want to meet me?”
“Yes,” he whispers against my skin.
This time I sit up, breaking the connection between us. I can’t take him seriously when all I want to do his rip off his clothes. I sit cross-legged in front of him. His hand immediately finds mine. He, too, needs to touch me. It’s like we need each other to breathe and that’s something I haven’t felt for a very long time.
“What’s going on, Ryan?”
He sits back up on his elbow. “We talked yesterday before I went to work. I told her that you’re important to me.”
“Does she know you’re here?”
“Yes, she does. I guess she’s helping me in a way. She doesn’t approve of me sneaking around, but she’s not going to tell my dad.”
“That’s a good thing, right?”
Ryan chuckles. “Very good.”
“Where am I supposed to meet her?”
“Church,” he says as he looks at the bedside clock. “That gives you two hours to do whatever girls do before we have to leave.”
I punch him lightly with my free hand.
“How long does it take you to get ready?”
“I can be ready in forty-five minutes. Why?”
“Because I want to kiss you some more.”
“You do?”