Fit for Love (A Stand By Me Novel Book 3) (14 page)

“Yes baby.”

“Nap. OK? Nap.”

I sit on his bed and tug his napping blanket over him. Within minutes, he snores, a light and sweet sound to my ears. My cell phone dings with a text.

Sliding out of Ryder’s bed, I tiptoe out and pad to the living room. The phone dings again before I reach it. I scrabble the last yard with my heart thwacking against my rib cage. I swipe the screen to access the text.

Aiden: I miss you already.

Sigh. The man does know how to begin a text message.

Me: I was just going to text you.

Aiden: Good. I had to hold back from texting while with clients. A first for me.

Me: Do you want to come to dinner?

Aiden: Yes.

Me: 7?

Aiden: Want me to bring something? Wine?

Me: A smile and whipped cream.

The screen displays tiny dots along the bottom as he takes a million years to respond.

Aiden: Canceling my afternoon clients. Be right there.

Me: ??

I check the number I entered in my message to make sure I said the correct time.

Aiden: Whipped cream…

So? It dawns on me slowly. He’s such a dirty boy.

Me: FOR THE PIE

Another million years of flashing dots on the screen indicating the start of a response.

Aiden: o_O

Me: Sorry to disappoint.

Aiden: Never. Now I am definitely coming over early. PIE.

Me: Very funny.

Aiden: Maybe there will be some left over…

…

…

…Pie

I laugh loudly, then cover my mouth and listen for Ryder.

Me: Ryder will be eating dinner with us.
Pause.
He’s excited. Also, he has a surprise for you.

Aiden: Can’t wait. PIE and Ryder. I must be living right.

A
iden

M
akenna’s lips
quirk at the corner as I bring the grocery bag into her kitchen. I pass by her and breathe in the delicious scent of her. It’s not the smell of heavy perfume. It’s lighter and natural and mixes with the scents of baking. My mouth waters at all the delectable things in her kitchen.

“You are lucky Ryder’s here. I have a strong urge to make use of that kitchen table before dinner is ready,” I grumble in a teasing tone.

Makenna laughs as I empty the contents of the grocery bag onto her kitchen counter. “When you bring whipped cream, you really bring it.”

I wiggle my eyebrows. “I feel like being prepared for anything. And you can never, ever, have too much whipped cream.”

“Obviously.” Ryder runs into the room and she picks him up to balance him on her hip. He’s gone shy for the moment, placing his head on her shoulder and turned away from me.

Lining up the canisters, I announce the labels. “We have fat-free, chocolate-flavored, and extra-rich…for your dining pleasure.”

“I’ve never seen it in chocolate flavor.” She tilts her head so she can make eye contact with Ryder. “Did you hear that? Chocolate. Like chocolate milk but it’s whipped cream.”

He barely turns his head so he can peer at it, then turns his head again so I can’t see his face.

Makenna winks at me. “Ryder, did you have a present for Aiden?”

I resist the urge to ask him what he has for me. He’s a funny kid. Sometimes I’m positive he likes me. Other times, I wonder if he wishes I’d be decimated by his toy T-Rex.

Ryder wiggles his legs and she puts him down. He streaks off in a flurry of movement out of the kitchen.

She grabs the whipped cream bottles and places them inside the refrigerator. Turning, she gives me a rueful smile. “He needs a minute to warm up to you. He doesn’t get to be around people much, except for Mama or Jared.”

“Hm. You should come to Evolutions sometime. There’s a kid’s club where he could play with some other kids while we work out.”

Furrows appear on her brow. “I don’t think so.”

“He’d like it. If you want to try—”

“I’m very protective of him. You never know about people and he’d be with strangers. Ah, there’s my little Rembrandt!” Her eyes dart somewhere past me.

Ryder holds out a paper to me. “Ade.”

“What’s that, big man?” I take it from him and look at the purple and orange scribbles.

“Ade.” He points at one of the largest scribbles. It resembles a dust cloud.

“Cool. Is that you?” I point to the smaller scribble beside me.

“Mommy,” he says and grins as if he’s saying something particularly telling. He points at a vertical stick on the left of the drawing. Then he points to his chest.

Yes. Very cool. He’s drawn a family portrait. Holy shit. A family portrait.

And it feels so right. So meant to be. My hands shake for a second and my fingers tighten on this little nod of approval from Ryder.

I attempt to give him the drawing, but he shakes his head and gives me a disgruntled look. “No,” he says, his mouth dropping open.

“He drew it for you. You can take it home,” Makenna says. “Right Ry?”

Ryder nods. In a split second, he turns and runs toward his bedroom.

Makenna shoos me out of the kitchen. “Why don’t you and Ryder do something while I finish dinner? We have about ten minutes until it’s ready.”

I love that she is giving me this tiny gift of time with him. Perhaps she doesn’t even intend to do it and only needs me out of her hair so she can get finished with the meal prep. Ryder and I need some bonding time, especially after the picture he’s drawn for me.

I follow him to his room and linger in the doorway. A soft glow lights every corner from two lamps, one with an airplane base on his nightstand and the other on a dresser at the far end of the room. Toys litter the floor in happy disarray—soldiers ready to march off the war. One rides a plastic dinosaur and holds a sword.

Ryder watches me from the side of his bed with quiet speculation lighting his gaze. Waiting. Maybe he doesn’t have adults in his haven often.

“I like this guy,” I say and squat to pick up a Tyrannosaurus Rex, one carrying a pink stuffed bunny on his back.

Ryder inches closer. “Hi,” he says in a soft voice as if I’ve just arrived at his house.

“Hi big man.” I stay crouched near the floor, then decide to sit cross-legged and examine the rest of the toys. Studying them, I now see that there’s a pattern to the setup. The dinosaurs are lined up an inch apart, each one partnered with a stuffed animal or soldier.

Ryder sits across from me and picks up a dinosaur. “He goes ‘Grrrrrrr.’”

“He’s a cool dinosaur.”

Ryder shakes his head. “Horse.” He holds out the dinosaur to make his point. “Horse goes ‘Grrrrr.’”

I grin at him. “Yeah, sure does.” I grab the dinosaur with a pink bunny balanced precariously on his back.

Ryder sets his dinosaur on the floor and scoots him forward. “Go, horse.”

“Giddy up,” I say and position my horse behind his as if he’s following the leader.

He laughs, the sound a little kid one ending on a squeal. “Giddy up,” he repeats. “Go!”

Ryder crawls on the floor pushing his dinosaur along and turns to me. “Giddy up.”

“Oh. OK.” I get on my knees and push my dinosaur along.

Makenna yells something from the kitchen. I suspect dinner’s ready and glance toward the bedroom door, wishing I had a couple extra minutes with Ryder.

When I turn back to my little partner, he grins and stands. “Giddy up,” he screams happily and jumps onto my back. He throws his arms around my neck. “Giiiiiddddy up!”

I grab his spindly legs. “Hang on.”

I’m on my feet in seconds and galloping toward the smells of oregano and yeasty bread. His tiny arms tighten across the front of my neck. It’d take a crowbar to remove his hold.

Makenna meets us in the hallway. “Hey you two. What’s going on?”

Her smile—the relaxed one I don’t see all the time—reminds me of why I like her so much. She doesn’t reveal too much about what she feels unless she absolutely can’t help it and that happens so many times when Ryder’s around.

“Just some male bonding.”

“Dinner. You guys hungry?’ She turns before I can answer and leads the way to the kitchen.

“Ade my horse, Mommy.” Ryder kicks his feet against my sides. I carry him all the way to the dining room.

The table is set with a large casserole dish of lasagna in the center, a basket of buttery rolls calling my name to the left of it, and a dish of green beans. The girl can cook. My mouth waters in appreciation and then my gaze flicks to meet hers.

I shake my head. “I’m never leaving. If I’d known it would be like this around here, I’d have brought my suitcase with me.”

Ryder sits in a small yellow booster seat next to me. It’s not his usual spot, which is obvious when Makenna attempts to place him on her side of the table. He touches my arm several times like I’m a sort of touchstone. When I look over at him, he simply stares at me, eliciting my grin.

The piggyback ride through the house evidently makes me his best bud for the night.

“Eat your green beans,” Makenna says with a grin on her face as well. She looks away, as if embarrassed to be seen so happy. We look like a couple of lunatics. Deliriously happy lunatics.

“No,” he says and sticks a green bean in his mouth, using his fingers instead of a fork.

“Yes, Ma’am,” I answer and give a sidelong glance at Ryder. “We have to eat our vegetables.” I nod at his plate and fork a hearty helping of green beans into my mouth. “Mmm.” I lick my lips.

Her gaze rests on my mouth and heat flares deep in my chest. My mouth goes dry. Oh, to shove these dishes off the table and take her right here. Now.

I realize my sex drive doesn’t care if there’s a little one beside me at the table. Something pokes my shoulder. I suspect it’s my brain tapping my libido to take a time out.

“Yes, Momma,” Ryder yells and shovels another one into his mouth.

I can’t break my gaze from Makenna, and when I finally look to my left, it’s because Ryder flutters his small fingers against my arm. He leaves smears of wetness on my skin.

“Here,” he says and holds out his bread to me.

“Ryder.” Makenna scrunches her eyebrows down. “You love rolls. Eat it. Aiden has his own.”

I stare into Ryder’s dark eyes, crinkling into cute dips at the corners and glowing with affection. A knot—the kind you can’t swallow down—lodges in my throat.

This kid likes me. He does.

He still holds the roll an inch from my arm and so I take it and put mine on his plate. He nods, thoroughly pleased with the exchange.

We both stuff huge bites of bread into our mouths in some brotherhood of bread-eaters ritual. It’s tasty, but I’d honestly eat cardboard at this moment. The bread replaces the hard knot of emotion in my stomach that’s making me feel like a big wuss.

“You are both so weird,” Makenna says and ends with a playful laugh. She takes an extra-large bite of roll, one so big it puffs out her cheeks. Her attitude fills me with something else—a feeling of belonging. A promise of a future.

This woman and this boy could ask anything of me.

Anything.

Did I know I could fall this hard and fast for her? For both of them? Is it crazy and foolish?

No,
I answer myself…which is the true mark of craziness, right?

We finish the meal with Ryder periodically sharing food with me, whether I really want it or not. I return the favor. At the end of the meal, he points to my rather large piece of chocolate pie. “Ade?”

“Yep, big man?” I’ve eaten so much that I’ll be working out hard to burn this calorie binge. I reach for the whipped cream can that Makenna placed center of the table.

“Mine.” He holds out a hand for my dessert plate.

I frown and glance at the sliver on his plate. “You have a piece.”

“Want that one,” he says.

It doesn’t slip by me that he’s said it in a complete sentence, which is more talking than he usually does.

Makenna smirks. “Ry, no. That’s big enough. You won’t even eat that piece I gave you.”

He grows silent, looking from me to his mom and back. Then his gaze sticks to my face, as if he’s decided I’ll give the final verdict.

“Your mom is right.”

His eyebrows pull to the center. He didn’t expect me to be on his mom’s side. I fight back a smile. Even a three-year-old would get pissed over my amusement.

“No,” he mumbles and stares at me hard. So hard I’m glad he’s not a grown man, because I’d have to whoop his ass.

“Ryder. I need to talk to you man to man.”

More of the unwavering stare. His dark eyes flash. He’s a passionate little guy. He thinks he can make me give.

Think again.

“Your mom means a lot to me. I would never go against her wishes. She loves you most in the world. Everything she says or does is because of that. You have to do what she says, because you love her, too. Understand?”

He drops his gaze, then looks at her, the center of his little world. “I love you, Mommy.”

Then, he picks up his fork and shovels bites of chocolate pie into his mouth. Turns to me and grins with a perfect circle of chocolate around his lips.

I take a bite of my own pie and notice Makenna’s silence. It fills the room despite the clang of Ryder’s fork against his plate. Did something steal her attention?

She grabs her plate and gets to her feet. “Aiden?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m going to clean up the kitchen a bit. Can you stay with him until he’s finished?”

Her voice gives her away.

I attempt to catch her eye, but she’s already escaping whatever I said that caused the silence. I let her go and find the space she needs. Her house is only so big and she can’t hide in the kitchen all night.

Ryder doesn’t finish his pie, exactly as Makenna predicted. I, on the other hand, eat all mine. I’ll regret my sugar hangover in the morning. Ever since I started training, I’ve steered clear of empty calories and serious relationships—both things I thought would result in losing my focus on my goals for this year.

So much for good intentions.

I gather my plate and motion toward his. “Come on. Let’s clear the table. Okie dokie?” Ah man. I’m talking like a Sesame Street character now.

He gives me a nod. “Okie dokie,” he repeats. He holds the table edge as he slides to his feet. “Ai-den.”

I blink hard and a feeling of immense pride fills my chest.
Damn. Get a grip.
The kid simply learned how to say my name. It’s not like he’s won a Nobel Peace Prize.

Leading the way, I stroll toward the kitchen with my dinner plate in one hand and the empty bread basket in the other. I reach the kitchen entrance when I see her, bent over the sink.

“Makenna?” I take several swift steps in her direction.

“Oh. I was a little dizzy. Just turned around too fast and…” She falters and won’t meet my eyes. I know she’s lying, but I can’t question her in front of her son.

She takes a deep breath. “Um, Ryder? Want to watch a movie? You can watch it on the portable DVD player in bed. What do you say?” Ryder’s eyes go moon-round as if this is a real treat for him.

He gives a little delighted hop. “Yes, yes, yes,” he yells as he pogos on one foot in a circle. Not waiting to hear more, he pivots and gallops from the room.

She’s going to break up with me for some reason I can’t imagine or tell me I’m getting too serious too fast. It was the dinner conversation. It was that stupid comment I made about bringing a suitcase. It was a joke. Sort of…

We walk together toward the hallway and then single file to Ryder’s bedroom. He’s piles several stuffed animals and plastic ones onto his bed. Then, jumping neatly into the middle, he waits.

Makenna cocks her head. “Did you pick out a movie?”

“Mommy,” he says with a sigh. “You know the movie.”

She rolls her eyes heavenward and one corner of her mouth hitches. “Let me guess. It’s
That Silly Dog Pickles
.”

“Pee-ckles,” Ryder throws himself back against the pillow with a squeal.