Rylan's Heart (2 page)

She closed her eyes, this time drifting off into a dreamless sleep.

There was a knock as Vick’s voice seeped through the door.

“Are you up?”

Aviana opened an eye, looked at the clock, and jumped up from bed.

“She’s getting ready now, Vick, she’ll be down shortly.”

“Ok.” The sound of his muffled feet retreated from the door.

“Mckayla, Baby, get up. You need to get ready for school.”

“I don’t wanna go, Mommy. I’m sleepy and want to stay with you.”

“I know, Baby.” Aviana reached down and picked her up giving her a tight squeeze. “You have to go to school, but I will be waiting when you get out.”

She carried her to the bathroom and helped her get ready for the day. Soon Mckayla was running down the stairs followed by her mother at a much slower pace.

“Hard night?” Selma asked, giving her a hug in greeting.

Aviana nodded. She followed Mckayla to the table and sat. She offered to help with meal preparation numerous times. Both Victor and Selma loved to cook. It was one of the reasons they opened a bed and breakfast. Since it was rarely full, they were enjoying cooking and didn’t want to turn the responsibility over. They did let her help keep the place spotless, although she swore the bed and breakfast cleaned itself.

Rylan and his brother came into the room just as Victor finished setting out the food. With a grunt “hello” Rylan sat. Gabe looked at him shaking his head and greeted everyone in the room.

“How’s everyone doing?” Gabe asked as he sat, causing Rylan to look at him with eyes a good deal lighter than his natural color.

Aviana reached for a piece of bacon, her hand coming into contact with Rylan’s. She stared at their touching hands as everyone else in the room disappeared. His eyes caught her as she looked up. The beat of her heart increased as she felt the moisture of her mouth disappear, not that it mattered because between her legs was a pool begging her to let him come for a swim.

Her breath caught in the back of her throat as he half rose from his chair as if he would cross the table to reach her. Her tongue shot out in nervousness to lick her lips. She wanted him to cross the table, touch her, kiss her. It didn’t matter who might see them. All that mattered was his hands on her.

She snatched her hand back before glancing at Mckayla.

“Hi Uncle Rylan and Uncle Gabe.” Vick chimed in with a smile and Mckayla chimed in behind him.

“What have you two been up to?” Gabe asked.

There was always a look of joy on Gabe’s face whenever he talked to Vick or Mckayla.

“We are getting ready to go to school.”

“I loved school when I was your age. You have to remember to show the teacher how smart you are.”

“We’re super smart,” Mckayla told everyone.

“You’ll be even smarter if you eat your breakfast,” Aviana told them both, directing them towards their breakfast plates.

This was ridiculous. Aviana stood, she was tired of sitting. She paced in front of her bed. She was tired of pacing also. She flipped her wrist to look at her watch for what felt like the millionth time in the space of an hour. Mckayla wouldn’t be out of school for hours and she didn’t have anything to keep her occupied.

She worked temporary jobs ever since Mckayla was born. It made taking care of her easier. Now that she was in school fulltime, this was the perfect opportunity to find a job with good hours and pay.

Grabbing her boots, hat, and coat, she prepared herself and walked out of her room. The trek through the hallway and down the stairs showed the space to be empty. She headed for the front door when a voice from the living room caught her attention.

“Where are you going?”

She jumped. What was Rylan doing sitting in the dark all by himself? If she didn’t know better she would think he was waiting for her. The lights were off and the curtains were drawn making it hard to see him.

“Out.”

She lengthened her stride heading towards the door.

“Great, where are we going?”

She turned around to find him following behind her while shrugging into the jacket she gave him for Christmas. She should have never given into the impulse to buy that jacket. Selma had tempted her and she fell for it. Why? Because she knew that damn jacket would look good sitting on those impossibly wide shoulders and hugging the chest she imagined kissing. As impossible as it seemed, she was jealous of a jacket.

“We’re not going anywhere. I am going out.” She touched the handle of the door opening it with a jerk of her hand. Darn man, trying to follow her.

She stood on the porch and looked over into the yard. The snow woman Vick made was still standing. He told her one evening he made it to watch over all the people in the house. That included her and Mckayla now. She smiled at the memory. He was such a sweet little boy.

The snow was starting to melt even though it was only February. She could almost smell spring in the air. Stepping off the porch, she ignored the desire to make snowballs and aim them at Rylan’s head.

She trudged through the snow to the street, aware that Rylan was following her.

“You’re not invited.” She hated to sound so bitter, but she knew what happened when she let her guard down and trusted.

“I don’t remember asking for an invitation. I’m walking. I didn’t know I needed permission to do that.”

“Please, just leave me alone.” Couldn’t he see she needed time to herself?

It was more than that; she needed to figure out her future and Mckayla’s.

“No, you’re in danger and I don’t want you walking alone.”

“No one wants me, believe me.” She had been thrown away by the people who should have cared for her. If they didn’t want her, no one else would.

She turned the corner at the end of the street eyeing him. She was headed for town but that wasn’t hard to figure out.

They walked side by side as she aimed for the small diner. She stopped, and took a big breath before walking in.

There was a wall of booths and a long counter with backless stools for customers in front of it. Aviana walked up to the counter giving the woman behind it a friendly smile.

“Hi, I’m Aviana and I saw your help wanted sign. Is this position still available?”

“Hi Aviana, I’m Molly. We have been trying to start a new evening/night shift and we are looking for waitresses and cooks to fill it. The hours would be from seven pm till one am. Are you interested?

She shook her head no. “Unfortunately, I am not available those hours. I need a daylight shift; if something were to come available please keep me in mind. Right now I am staying with Victor and Selma at their bed and breakfast.”

Molly nodded. “I will keep you in mind as well as telling the big boss.”

“Thanks.” Aviana turned away paying no attention to Rylan who had taken a seat in the corner.

“Why are you looking for a job?” Rylan asked her when they left the diner.

Rylan didn’t work and from what Aviana could tell he also never worried about money.

“A job provides me with that elusive stuff called money. I pay all my pesky bills with it. I also use it to take care of Mckayla.”

“Do you need money?”

“No! Yes! I mean my savings will only take us so far and soon I will have to replenish it.”

“I will give you what you need.”

She stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and turned to face him.

“No. No, you will not just give me money that I will then have to struggle to pay back. I am not a charity case, and I won’t take it.”

“I know exactly who and what you are, Aviana. You’re definitely not a charity case, but you’re also not supposed to be working. I don’t care if it’s in a diner or being the president of a huge company.”

She opened her mouth to argue but decided to walk instead. His simple words made her feel better and the last part about being president of a company made her feel important. She used to have dreams like that when she was younger. She would go to New York and take it by storm. She had been on her way until her life had changed on a long walk home after school one day.

“You can’t just give people money because you feel sad for them. They need to pay you back or you won’t have any money.

“I’ll always have money, more than I know what to do with.” He pulled his phone out of his coat pocket and turned on some music.

“Because Newburg is where the rich and famous come to play.” She gave him a blank smile.

“Do you recognize that song?”

“Of course I do, it’s the hottest song out right now.”

“Thank you.”

“What?”

“Gabe and I wrote the song, both lyrics and music.”

Her mouth dropped open. They were famous songwriters? Well didn’t that put him out of her league. So she could continue to dream on because a man who could have anything wasn’t wasting his time on her and Mckayla.

“I thought a woman wrote that song.”

“We have more than one alter ego, both male and female. It’s how we stay anonymous.”

She understood how he had money to give away, but not to her. She wasn’t his responsibility and wasn’t trying to get anything from him.

“Rylan, I don’t want your money.”

“Then what do you want?”

Now wasn’t that the million dollar question. Ever since she met him in the Principal’s office at Mckayla’s school she had been aware of him. Her body ran warm around him and the desire to touch him was great. Seemed reasonable that she wanted a one-night stand, so why couldn’t she get the image of just lying in his arms out of her head?

“I don’t want anything. Maybe we can just be friends.”

He gave a rusty laugh. “Even I know better than that, Aviana. You’re like paper and I am definitely a match. Together we’ll go up in flames.”

“Paper and matches get along every day. Unless the match is lit, all is ok.”

“Aviana, this match was lit a long time ago. Now I’m just looking for the kindling so I can explode. I won’t let it be you.”

“Guess that’s a no to my offer of friendship.” She moved further down the street.

“Already we are so much more than friends.” Rylan spoke low before catching up with her.

She walked into a new hotel that would soon be opening its doors. It would give the small bed and breakfast a run for its money. Rylan followed her in.

“Hi, can I help you?” A young woman asked, stopping at the lobby desk.

“Yes, I was looking to put in an application for a job.”

“All job applications go through the owner who happens to be the hotel’s manager as well. He is in the back, I will call him. Peter,” she called over her shoulder. “Someone wants to put in an application.”

A Sudir walked out from an office behind the lobby desk.

Rylan stiffened as the color drained from Aviana’s face leaving her pale.

Whatever was standing before her wasn’t a man. The desire to run was overwhelming but she held it together because Rylan was assuring her with his body language that he was in charge. The thing in front of her had a multitude of eyes and stood on floor legs.

The receptionist gave him her best flirtatious smile not being able to see through the glamour. She turned and gave Aviana an ‘isn’t he handsome smile’ before going back to her work.

Aviana was stuck. Her body wouldn’t move even as her brain begged her to turn and run. The only thing that made sense was Rylan standing in front of her. He shielded her without her asking or turning pleading eyes his way. It was a natural response, one she appreciated

“Who was interested in the application?”

Whatever it was knew she no longer wanted to work here around him.

“My fiancée was looking for a part time job but I seem to have talked her out of it,” Rylan said.

His fiancée? Later, she would have to examine the extra beats of her heart that didn’t come from the terror standing before them.

“I would love to have some part time help. What does your fiancée do? She looks so…strong.”

“She is and when I am done with her she will be stronger. Peter, you have a lovely receptionist; I would hate to find out anything happened to her.”

Aviana’s heart sped up with pain before she pushed it to the side. So what if Rylan went for the unnaturally skinny kind, she wasn’t upset. She already knew he wasn’t for her. She knew he could have any of the women in Hollywood, why would he look at her?

“Peter,” Rylan spit out his human name, “we’ll be leaving now.” Carefully, he built a shield around Aviana before taking her hand and urging her to turn around.

Her legs walked woodenly as she made it towards the door.

“What is their problem?”

Aviana heard the receptionist ask the monster.

“Some people see more than they should,” he replied.

Aviana walked out of the hotel, finally able to breathe in deep clean, cold air.

“What was that?” Her voice was soft, on the edge of hysteria but held together with determination.

“We shouldn’t talk about it here. Let’s go back home.”

Home. Something she hadn’t had in a long time. Her parents’ bright smiles and love filled eyes winked at her for a moment before they were filled with disgust for her.

Disappointment sat on her parents’ faces when they found out she was pregnant. Not only was she pregnant but she refused to have an abortion. Her dreams of an Ivy League school and taking New York by storm went out the window that day.

They made it clear they wouldn’t pay for her to go to school with a child in her belly. She even told them the truth about what happened. Weak was the word her mother used. You must have asked for it came from her father. She had been devastated. The final blow came when they kicked her out of the house when Mckayla was only six months old.

They told her they couldn’t stand looking at that child. Either she gave her up for adoption or left. Aviana left with her daughter it broke her heart but she refused to let it break her. She had almost two years of community college under her belt when she walked out of her parents’ house. She never looked back, not even when she heard a rumor they were looking for her.

They were right, something was wrong with her and now she was seeing monsters.