Unlikely (19 page)

His lips met hers and it was like striking a match near tinder. She was aflame with arousal and need within seconds. From her prone position, she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him ever closer. His right hand unerringly zeroed in on her breast. He brushed his thumb across her nipple—already beaded with desire. Despite the layers of clothing between his hand and her body, a wave of desire had her closing her legs around his in a vice-like grip.

She heard a throat clear by the open door. “Dinner’s ready, dears,” she heard Bridget chirp. The door closed softly.

Sophie threw her arm across her face. “I can’t believe you started this at your mom’s house. I’m going to die of mortification out there.”

Ryan eased back next to her on the narrow bed, waiting for his erection to subside. “I think she knows about the birds and the bees.” He chuckled.

“That’s not funny. I’m going out there before this gets any worse.” Sophie pulled herself from the bed, opened the door, and stalked down the short hall back into the living area. Bridget had covered her dark wood table with a lacy tablecloth. Four places were set with what looked to be her best china and silverware.

“I know you probably ate a little something at your friend’s house, but I couldn’t resist making a few of the boys’ favorites.”

Sophie looked at the heavily laden table and hated to think what
all
of the boys' favorites would be. There was a turkey, of course, some kind of green bean casserole, and a few other sides. Then she looked at the buffet where more platters rested and she spotted two pies. Good thing she’d eaten lightly at Holly’s.

“Are you sure there isn’t anything I can do to help?” Sophie said, watching Bridget bustle about. Cameron hadn’t budged from his spot on the couch.

“Why don’t you come into the kitchen with me for a minute?” Bridget said, putting down a platter and beckoning Sophie. “I think there’s something I could use help with.”

Sophie followed her into the small kitchen, the swinging door closing behind them. “What can I
—”

Bridget held up a hand. “Don’t get me wrong, dear, I think you’re a lovely girl.” Bridget’s tone did not bode well for the rest of this conversation. “And I think you make my son happy, but I need to know: are you serious about him?”

“Ah…” Sophie faltered. “We-we’re just friends, ma’am,” she began, stumbling over the words as she tried to be polite while masking her insecurity. “I-I’m not sure what you’re asking.”

“
I think you understand me perfectly, hon.” Bridget grabbed a fraying green and yellow flowered dishtowel from the oven handle and wiped some crumbs from the green tiled counter into the sink. “Let me say this, then. Ryan may not have said so, but he’s a man who believes in marriage and family and lifelong commitment. He was engaged once before to a woman named Jocelyn. She was like you—pretty, rich, smart—but I think Ryan wasn’t enough for her. He couldn’t fit into her country club world of Bel Air.”

A wave of emotions crashed into Sophie. She was sorry for Ryan if
that woman had left him for such superficial reasons, but she was also jealous that she was obviously not the first woman he’d loved. Though it was irrational to think she would be at his age. She also wanted to howl in protest. They weren’t giving her a chance. She wasn’t like this Jocelyn. No matter what her upbringing had been like, she was down to earth and real. Her issues with Ryan—or relationships, for that matter—had nothing to do with him or his family or hers or Reseda or San Marino.

Mrs. Becker continued
, “I just want what’s best for my boys, and if you’re not serious about settling down with him, please don’t drag it out unnecessarily.”

“I don’t know what to say
…” Sophie trailed off.

Bridget patted her bare arm. “There’s nothing to say. I just wanted to get that off my chest.” She placed a boat of gravy in Sophie’s empty hands. “Let’s get out there before the food gets cold.”

Sophie made it through her second meal, taking decidedly tiny portions of food where she could. Ryan must have had a hollow leg the way he packed away his mother’s cooking. Cameron ate heartily as well, contributing only monosyllabic answers to his mother’s questions. Ryan’s brother watched Sophie closely, though, making her uncomfortable with his scrutiny.

Ryan’s family loved him and wanted to protect him. That was obvious. She wanted to declare that she wasn’t the enemy. Nevertheless, the questions that plagued them nagged at her as well. What exactly was she doing here
? With him? What had started out as a little sex play had gone too far. It would be best for everyone if she broke it off now before anyone got hurt. It was already too late for her. She could handle one broken heart, but not the guilt of two.

She was jarred from her reverie when Cameron and Ryan raised their voices over their dessert of sour cherry pie.

“Bro, I can’t believe you’re hashing over this ground again. What’s done is done,” Cameron said with finality. Turning away from Ryan, he addressed their mother. “Mom, do you need help with the roof?”

Bridget pulled herself up rigidly. “I think I can handle that just fine on my own,” she said stiffly.

“Just because it’s in the past doesn’t make it any less fair, Cameron.” To his mother, Ryan said, “Mom, if you would just let me look into it, maybe something can be done, legally.”

“We’ve been over this a dozen times, Ryan. Sometimes things just don’t go your way. I have the house. It’s paid for. And I can always pick up some work if something happens.”

Sophie watched Ryan practically grind his teeth in frustration. The thought of his mother scrubbing one more toilet or mopping one more floor must be twisting his gut. “The statute of limitations will come up soon, and I don’t feel comfortable just letting them get away with what they did to you and all the other people relying on them.”

She cringed inwardly. Conversations about money were for family only, and she was anything but family. “I can see this is a private conversation. Why don’t I step outside for a bit
…” She placed her paper napkin on the table and started to rise.

Bridget rose instead. “It’s okay, dear. The topic is closed. Ryan just gets a little carried away sometimes.”

“Mom, the topic is
not
closed.” Ryan grabbed his mother’s small, rough hand, holding it close to his heart. “You wouldn’t be struggling and still pinching pennies if Dad’s union hadn’t stolen his pension money. You were counting on that, and you don’t let Cameron and me give you much.”

“I do just fine,” she said proudly, disappearing into the small kitchen.

Sophie looked from brother to brother, their eyes locked in a battle of wills. She stood and gathered their empty plates and stacked them on the buffet. What in the hell was this about his father’s union and a pension? In all her talk about the good things that unions do, he’d never mentioned this. It explained a lot about his questions about her total allegiance to the Local.

Bridget brought out cups and saucers. Sophie was glad that coffee passed quickly and uneventfully. She needed to go home and think about how she was going to quit her addiction to Ryan. They represented everything the other hated. He was never going to be something
other than a lawyer, and she was never going to be anything less than a card carrying union member and totally free spirit. In spite of his pedigree, she loved him. He may be the right guy for her, but she was the wrong woman for him. Bridget thrust several Tupperware containers full of food at them. After they said good-bye, they finally made their exit and he pulled away from the curb.

“I’m sorry about the scene in there. I just want my mom to stand up for herself.”

Pensions and unions were a sore topic between them, but Sophie couldn’t help herself. “What happened to your mom’s pension?”

Ryan sighed. “When my dad died, the shop steward, a good friend of my dad’s, assured us that Mom would get death benefits and that she could count on
Dad’s pension when she came of age. She worked and waited, looking forward to a comfortable retirement, but when she applied for the annuity, we found out the union had gone bust.”

“Isn’t there some kind of government assistance for her
, at least?”

“The government’s Pension Benefit Guaranty only steps in if the union had paid the premium. Crooks don’t pay for insurance.”

“So…” Sophie paused, the import of his revelations sinking in. “Your mom has no retirement—at all?”

Ryan stopped short when a yellow light turned to red at Woodman Avenue. “Nothing, nada, zilch, zero. It’ll be up to Cameron and me to supplement what little she’ll get from Social Security.”

“I’m sorry that your dad’s union lost the money, but that doesn’t mean all unions are bad and that all union leaders are crooks.” It was the wrong thing to say at the wrong time, but she couldn’t help herself.

All too quickly, Ryan turned up her driveway. He shut off the car and looked like he planned to come in. But before he could open his door, she put her hand on his arm, halting his movements. “I need to be alone right now.”

“Sophie, we need to talk…about us.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” she said, trying to appease him. “Just not now.”

“Then when?”

She
pushed open the door and stepped out, turning only to grab her small jacket from the seat. “I’ll call you.” She slammed the door. The only call she planned to make was one saying good-bye. She practically ran to her house, afraid if she turned around, she’d lose her resolve and invite her lover into her bed and her life forever.

Ryan pushed the car door as hard as he could, but the finely tuned foreign machine closed with a quiet snick. The garage door was the same. It lowered with quiet precision. Damn the handyman for fixing the kitchen door as well. It closed slowly, quietly, and securely. He looked at his pristine kitchen and spotless living room. There was nothing in this damn place he could take his frustration out on. Nothing punchable or kickable or even breakable.

Shame on him for making the same mistake twice. He was so sure that Sophie loved him, so sure that his background made no dents into her feelings for him. But reality was slapping him in the face right now. He’d taken her to his mother’s house, told her the truth about his father, and he was alone again. He was crazy to have expected something different with Sophie. He just…had.

H
e dropped to the couch and threw his hands over his eyes. From the beginning, he’d known this whole thing with Sophie was temporary. She was cute and funny and sexy, but he’d never expected to fall in love with her. He got up and paced around the house, walking into each room, restless.

The ringing doorbell startled Ryan. His heart lifted, inflated with hope. Sophie had come to talk. First, he would make slow, sweet love to her
—then they would smooth out the differences between them. Opening the door and finding a buzz cut, stockier copy of himself was a disappointment.

“What in the hell are you doing here?”

“Ah, the Becker family welcome,” Cameron said, pushing past Ryan into the living room and flopping on the couch. He picked up the remote from the table and put another football game on the TV.

“Is your butt attracted to soft surfaces?” Ryan sat down at the other end of the black leather sectional. “I’m surprised to see you unglued from Mom’s couch.”

“I’m just taking a load off.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes watching the game, though the sound was muted.

“Look, I’m for family closeness and all that,” Ryan said, “but what in the hell are you doing here? I could have been in the middle of something.”

Cameron made a show of eyeing the empty rooms. “Nah, I knew you’d be alone. Ma spooked that girl good.”

Ryan stopped feeling sorry for himself for a minute. “What did she say?”

“Ma told
Sophie that if she wasn’t serious, she should leave you alone.”

“Damn.”

“She gave Yesenia the same talk. Sophie looked as shell-shocked as my ex. But Jessie was serious about getting married, so she was fine. I’m gathering that Sophie’s not. She doesn’t exactly seem like the marrying type.”

Ryan buried his head in his hands. They were quiet for another moment.

“I think Ma feels bad. Before I left, she said to me that she thinks you’re in love with her.”

Ryan only nodded slightly.

Cameron turned up the game and they watched Alabama State pull out a last minute victory against Tuskegee with a successful onside kick. He muted the television a second time, only half watching busty models in the beer commercial.

“So?” Cameron asked.

“So what?” Ryan retorted, annoyed.

“What are you doing here and what is she doing
—well, wherever she’s doing it?”

The doorbell rang before Ryan could answer.
What in the hell?
Then he heard the neighbor’s dog bark and an answering yelp from another dog. Sasha?

Sophie stood there sans makeup and jewelry in a tight little t-shirt and jeans. He wanted to pull a jacket from his hall closet and cover her. He vowed to buy her a bra.

She looked oddly unsure of herself. “Can I come in? Talk to you?”

He nodded and she brought the dog in. Spotting Cameron on the couch, she hesitated. “Oh, if you have company, I can
…”

Cameron, more animated than he’d been all night, picked himself up from the couch.

“The game was over anyway. I’m outta here, bro.” He stalked to the door, acknowledging Sophie with a wink and a nod.

Sophie stood awkwardly next to the small stone fireplace. When she and the dog had gotten in the car, she’d resolved to settle things between them once and for all—no matter how it ended. She couldn’t live in limbo anymore.

While she hesitated, gathering her thoughts, Ryan spoke
. “You came here to break up.”

Unexpected tears flooded her eyes and she closed them when they threatened to brim over. She nodded.

Ryan came to her, gently grabbing her chin and tilting her head up. She took a shuddered breath when he wiped her tears away with his thumb.

“You know where I stand, Sophie.”

“I don’t know,” she said quietly.

“I think you do know. What are you afraid of? Love shouldn’t be this hard.” His voice was rough.

Her stomach erupted in a flurry of nerves at the mention of love. She wanted to believe with all her heart that he loved her.

“I’m not going to change,” she said.

“I’m not trying to change you.”

“I don’t want to get rid of my tattoo or my earrings or my jewelry or
—”

Ryan put a single finger to her lips. “I’m not asking you to change a thing, Sophie. I love you no matter what color your hair is and no matter how much silver you wear. I’ll love you no matter what.”

“You say that now, but you’re a lawyer and you need to entertain, go to events, wear normal clothes. I don’t want to be that beauty pageant wife.”

Ryan laughed. “You’re beautiful to me, but I don’t think anyone is going to mistake you for Miss Alabama.”

She batted his hand away, annoyed. “It’s not funny, Ryan. You met my mom. She’s always beautifully dressed and well-mannered—she’s been whatever my father needs.”

“I’m not asking
—”

“And he’s been really successful. Whenever he invited other judges or politicians or whoever over, she did it all.”

“Sophie. Stop. I’m not asking this of you. I fell in love with you the way you are. Just you. With blue or pink hair. With all ten earrings and the tattoo. I love all of it. Don’t ever change for me. If you want to change—and
I
think you
do
—do it for yourself.”

This was better than she could have hoped. Maybe she
could
keep Ryan and stay true to herself. “Are you sure?”

“Well,” he said, smiling, “I do have one little quibble.”

Instantly wary, her eyes widened. “What?”

“You could wear a bra.”

“Um, I don’t think you’re paying attention. I don’t exactly need…”

He brushed a thumb unerringly across a nipple. She shuddered with need. “I’m not blind, hon.”

“Be serious,” she said, though a small smile graced her mouth.

“Seriously, Sophie.” He bent on one knee before her and took her hands in his. “I love you. I will always love you. Please trust me and trust yourself enough to give us a chance.”

Sophie looked at his earnest expression and saw the love shining through his eyes. Her nod was almost imperceptible.

He seemed to hold his breath. “Is that a yes?”

She nodded, more emphatically this time. He stood and picked her up unceremoniously.

“Ryan!
What are you doing?”

“Sealing the deal.”

He carried her to his large bed, put her down. She tingled with anticipation as the weight of his body rested on hers. “I have to make sure you don’t change your mind.”

He
placed his lips on hers, starting with a slow slide then building into more. The kiss went on for a long time. When they came up for air, she looked directly at him, her eyes meeting his.

“I won’t.” She smirked. “There’s an innocent dog to protect.”