“Then, what’s the problem?” my mom asks, sounding irritated.
“You need to open your eyes. None of this has anything to do with you. You were a piece in my game. Your husband has been getting all the recognition for his work, so I thought I would take something from him since I’m getting nothing. With your ambition to move up in the world, you were an easy target. If you tell your husband, you get nothing, he gets nothing, and Bailey can go work in the tunnels for all I care.”
“Ha! Dale is important to your work. You’ll get nothing if you push him out because you need to ride his coattails.”
“Foolish woman. I have enough of his notes that I can recreate what he’s been doing. Don’t test me. I should thank him, because he trained you well. Most women aren’t that giving to their partners. I’ll call on you again if I need a good fuck.”
A sharp slap rings through the mudroom. My hand flies to my mouth as I turn to run from the area only to slam into Ryker. His hands try to steady me, but I push past him to run upstairs to my room.
Tears flow down my face as I stop in the middle of my room, lost as to what to do or where to go. My mind reels from the conversation I overheard.
Strong arms wrap around me, turning me so my head rests on Ryker’s chest. “I only heard the end of that conversation. Do you want to talk about it?”
Words catch in my throat, so I shake my head. My hands cling to his back, holding onto him as my lifeline.
Ryker kicks the door shut before scooping me into his arms and sitting on the bed, me on his lap. “Shh… I’m here. What can I do?”
The desperation in his voices breaks me more, and I sob harder, warm tears staining his tan shirt. “This. This is what I need. It’s what I’ve always needed, wanted.”
“Crying in my arms?”
When I look up, confusion clouds his eyes. “No. To be able to lean on you when I need extra strength. To know that when I’m at my weakest, you will be there for me. Even though we spend so much time together, not just you but all of us, I feel alone because I have to carry all my burdens. I’ve never had one of you as a confidant, but you three tend to tell me some of your problems.” I wipe the tears from my face and sit up so I’m face-to-face with him.
“I’m sorry about that, but I wasn’t ready. I knew if I cracked that wall we would end up dating. I couldn’t live with myself if I screwed that up, not that I didn’t almost screw it up by dating others. You deserve so much better. I’m surprised you’re sitting with me right now after how horrible I’ve been to you in the past, trying to make you jealous so you would pick me.” His head droops as he avoids my blue eyes.
“Deep down, I knew that, but at the time, I was jealous, hurt, and full of self-doubt as I wondered what made those girls so much more special than me. It helped that Kace and Dev were around. I missed your friendship, though. But you’re here, now. A part of me clicks in place when you’re with me, and I feel stronger.”
His head snaps up while his hands cup my face. “I will always be here for you going forward. I promise you that. I love you, Bailey Deaton.”
His head dips as his lips brush mine, waiting for permission to descend farther. Heart racing, I lean into him, feeling the softness of his lips caress mine. Strong arms wrap around me, pulling me to straddle him while my arms wrap around his neck; my hands move to his hair, running through the long locks.
Instinct guides me as I follow Ryker’s movement, trying to keep up as he tilts my head so he can deepen the kiss. Wrapping my legs around his waist, I tighten my grip on him, maximizing the amount of skin exposure between the two of us. He gently bites my lips as he trails kisses across my cheek and down my neck. All thought gone, my head tilts back, exposing my neck, urging him on while my body melts from the heat between us.
Brushing against the soft skin of my neck, Ryker’s touch sends sparks along my skin. As he works his way back up to my swollen lips, his hands glide along my sides. His lips meet mine again, desire pooling inside of me as he deepens the kiss.
He pulls away slightly and takes a deep breath. His forehead rests against mine, eyes closed.
My hands skim down his cheeks. “I love you, too, Ryker. I think I always have, but you’re right, the timing was wrong before. I’m glad we waited.”
I settle back into him, and we sit like that for a few minutes to give each of us a chance to calm down. With my head against this chest, I listen to his heartbeat slow and match my breathing pattern to his.
“Can we leave for the camping trip, now?” Facing my mother would make me sick. I need to say goodbye to my dad. Somehow, I’ll need to find a way to do it without telling him about what I overheard. Telling the guys about the conversation first is a better idea, but not something I can do in this house.
“Yes, but are you sure? You still have a party going on.”
“I’ve said hi and thank you to everyone here. There are a few people from school here, but most are adults here to mingle with my dad”—I refuse to include my mom—”so I don’t think they’ll miss me.” I squeeze my hands together in a silent prayer that he’ll agree for us to leave.
“I’m only here for you, so if you want to leave, let’s go. I’ll grab your bag and then find Kace and Devon. We’ll meet you over at Kace’s once you’ve said your goodbyes.”
“It shouldn’t take me long. I only need to tell my dad what I’m doing.” I kiss his cheek and hop up before one of us asks for more.
After standing, Ryker picks up my bag and slings it over his shoulder. “Do you want one of us to stay with you?”
“No. I’ll be quick. If I’m not there in fifteen minutes, come back.” The clothes that I was going to change into are still on my dresser. I grab them and hold them out to Ryker. “I’m going to change over at Kace’s, or when we get to the campsite.”
Concern crosses his face, but he takes my clothes and shoes for me. “Fifteen minutes.”
I check myself in the mirror and fix a couple of lose hairs before leaving my room, Ryker at my heels. Soft crying comes from my parents’ bedroom. My mom must have had the same idea as me. Anger spikes through me. How dare she be upset about something that she caused? She’s not the victim here.
Racing down the steps, I glance over at Ryker to see him heading for the kitchen. Hopefully, the guys are still waiting in there for us to return. I head the other direction in search of my dad. After finding him leaning against one of the patio posts, I motion for him to join me. We walk to his office and shut his door.
“Doodle, is everything all right?” My dad places his hands on my shoulders as he searches my face.
Refusing to lie to him, but not willing to tell him the whole truth, I say, “There’s just a lot going on here, and I’m a little overwhelmed. I told the guys that I’m ready to leave, now. Are you okay with that? I’ve greeted and thanked everyone.”
“You do what you need to do. I’ll take care of the party.” Dad pulls me into a quick hug. “Have fun and be careful.”
Returning the hug, I bite my lip from the guilt of leaving him with this mess to deal with, but I need distance from my mom right now. “I will. See you in a couple of days.”
Camping
Leaning my head against the window of Kace’s silver pick-up truck, my mind races through the conversations I’ve heard or had today: Herman laughing at my mom’s ignorance, Devon’s odd reaction about tonight, and my kiss—first kiss ever—with Ryker. One of the reasons I never pressed for a relationship with one of them was because I refused to pick. Each one of them bring something different to my life with Ryker’s strength, Devon’s humor, and Kace’s quiet support.
My head throbs as a stress headache invades my temples. I’ve chosen, now. How do I break it to the others? Will they hate me? Going on this trip is a bad idea because Ryker and I need time to figure out what this means before we let the others know. Other than losing Kace and Devon, I worry about losing all of them. I’m not sure I can dedicate myself just to Ryker.
&n
bsp; Pine and maple trees rush past us as Kace drives down the empty highway. The movement nauseates me. “Kace, pull over.” My hands cover my mouth to hold in the bile churning in my stomach.
Kace slows and parks the truck on the side of the road. I hop out and dry heave into the grass. Ryker kneels next to me. “Are you okay? I think we have some water in the back.”
“I don’t know if I am or not. Water would be good,” I tell him as I collapse to the ground.
“Bailey!” Devon yells.
“I’m fine. Please just give me a minute.” I rub my eyes and scrub my face, giving myself a chance to calm down.
Devon massages small circles into my back. “Take a slow deep breath, and let it out easy.”
“Here’s your water.” Kace sets it down in front of me. “Do you want to go back?”
“No!” I say with more vehemence than needed. “I’m ready. Let’s keep going.”
I try to stand, but Kace puts his hand on my shoulder. “We aren’t in any hurry. Sit here for a minute. What happened?”
Am I ready to talk about this? No. I need to discuss it with Ryker first and figure out what to tell them, not just about the kiss but also about what I heard from my mom. “Too much going on. I’m a little overwhelmed. I’ll be better when we’re at the campsite and relaxing around a campfire.”
“Did you eat anything? We snagged some food from your house. I don’t think half of it was set out, so your dad told us to use it for the trip.” Kace starts to stand, but I grab his hand.
“Food is not a good idea. The water’s helping.” Taking another sip, I close my eyes and let the cool liquid run down my dry throat.
“You’re a little flushed, so don’t drink too fast.” Kace sits back down in front of me, studying my face, his eyes pinched together.
I clear my head by closing my eyes and concentrating on nature. Birds chirp, and the winds swooshes through the trees, causing the leaves to rustle. Pine scent is carried on the breeze that helps cool my heated face. After a few minutes, my refreshed body feels prepared to leave. Kace helps me up and back into the truck, touching me like I might break if he isn’t careful.
After another hour on the road, Kace turns down a rocky embankment and down toward an old gully. Luckily, my stomach has settled or the bumps would have me sick again. As we travel, the forest becomes denser and the gully narrows. Once it ends, Kace parks and climbs out of the truck.
“Where are we? How did you find this place?” I ask, but no one answers because they already climbed out of the truck.
“We have some hiking to do before we get to the site. Devon packed your backpack for you. If it gets too heavy, we can redistribute some of the weight around. Are you feeling up to walking? This isn’t going to be the easiest trip.” Ryker helps me into the hunter green pack. It rests comfortably on my back. If I get the chance, I’ll have to see how heavy their packs are because there’s no way this is one-fourth of the weight. It doesn’t feel much heavier than the clothes bag I gave Ryker this afternoon.
“I’m good. The fresh air and walk will be good.” I glance around, but don’t see any trails. “How far are we going?”
“Depending on how fast you walk, it’ll probably take about forty-five to sixty minutes.” Devon adjusts the pack on Kace’s back, tying some cord to the bottom of it.
“That doesn’t sound too bad.” I test walking with the pack by making a lap around the truck. The dense woods have only a few patches of weeds near where we are. Once we get into the tree line, pine needles, dried sticks, and leaves cover the ground in patchy spots, leaving us room to step.
“I don’t want to sound bossy, but you have to stay with us. It can be dangerous out on your own.” Devon’s hands rest on my biceps, turning me to focus on him. “There are lots of wild animals in the area, including copperheads, coyotes, bobcats, and black bears. They’re less likely to attack if there are multiple people together. Not just the animals, though. You can easily step in a hole and twist an ankle or hit your head. We would have a hard time finding you.”
“Sounds good. I’m out here to be with you guys. I have no plans to venture out on my own.” I pinch his cheeks in an effort to get him to smile. Most of the time, he’s happy, but when serious Devon appears, he flips to being moody. “Are we ready?” I clap my hands to add some enthusiasm to our hike.
“Yep. Last chance to back out,” Devon warns me.
Pushing Devon in front of me, I answer, “Not a chance.”
With no way to gauge time, the walk passes quickly. Toward the end, the pack starts to weigh me down, but I don’t mention it because I know one of them will take it from me.
When we reach our destination, the spot seems large based on what we’ve walked through. Since there’s a fire circle made up of softball size rocks just off center to the area, I’m guessing they’ve camped here before, which is clear by the way they move. Each of them moves with confidence around the logs, cleared of their bark and used as a seating area around the fire pit, or through the trees to grab supplies they left here the last time.
Patiently, I stand off to the side, waiting for one of them to give me instructions. They each set their packs on the pine needle covered ground, so I do the same. Devon sweeps off an area and picks up sticks to stack them by the pit. I mimic his actions and straighten up the other half of the area, making the stick pile more orderly.
The boys’ quiet harmony distracts me. I watch in amazement as they pull items out of their bags in the order they’re needed, having packed them for maximum efficiency. They pull nothing from my bag, so I leave it closed and continue to try to make order of the site. Nature took back part of it with weeds and wildflowers growing in random patches throughout the space. I like the flowers so I leave them, taking in the fresh fragrances mixed with the heavy pine scent.
“Bai-ley. Bailey!” Kace waves his hands in front of my face. “Wake up, daydreamer. Do you want to learn how to put up a tent?”
“Sure…” Hesitantly, I follow Kace over to the pack with the tent poles. “Are we planning on camping a lot?” I don’t want to slow things down or screw things up if they never plan on taking me camping again.
“It’s always good to learn new things.” Kace hands me some of the poles, while he cradles the rest in his arms.
Ryker and Devon straighten out a large tarp a few feet from the fire pit. The trees block the sun from hitting this area, so it should be somewhat protected if it starts to rain. I didn’t bother to check the weather. We would be sleeping in a mud pit if I had planned anything.
“Bai, bring those to me, so I can show you how they fit together.” Devon takes two of the poles from me and locks the pieces together. He does the next one and points out a button that has to be pushed in and then slid into place, locking that button into a hole.
With the tent so large, each of us takes a spot and connects the pieces together. Ryker assembles the top of the tent, bringing all the straight pieces together to an x-shaped hub. “We normally have smaller tents with plastic poles, but we thought you would be more comfortable with all of us in one big tent versus your own smaller tent. My dad had this lying in the attic, wrapped in the tarp. He said it would be large enough for all of us to lie down and even stand in it.”
“Umm… I hadn’t really thought about it. It’s a good thing I’m not planning this because I also didn’t look at the weather. We would end up with my clothes and then no food, no place to sleep, and rain pouring down on us. I’m glad we’re going to be together, though, especially after talk of bears, cats, and snakes.” Shuddering, I finish connecting the top pieces together.
“It’s not supposed to rain, silly.” Kace bops me on the head. “We’ve got you covered. If we were letting you organize this, we would have talked to you about it more, but we wanted you to be our guest. We do this every couple of weeks and thought it was time you joined us.”
“Every couple of weeks? Where I have been?” Most of the significant events in my life have
been with the guys there. The times they aren’t seem like a blur as I focus on my time with them.
“Sometimes it’s just two of us that go. You were probably with the one that didn’t go on those days. You went with your dad to that conference in Boston. We all went then. You’ve been sick a couple of times.” Kace shrugs his shoulders.
“Huh. Wow. Okay. I probably thought you were on a date.” The word brings bile back up. I don’t like to think about them on dates even though I know they’ve been on several.
“Probably not. We didn’t go out as much as you seem to think. Most of it was just at school,” Devon informs me.
I nod, hoping to end this conversation. “What do we do next?” The basic frame is up. The poles seem solid, if not a little rusty.
Devon pulls a large wad of canvas from my pack. It appears to be the only thing in there because it just keeps sliding out, leaving the pack to droop on the ground. “Now, we have to put the sleeping part out. At the bottom of your pack, you should find some spikes, a hammer, and some twine. Can you get those out, and bring those over here, Bai?”
Well, at least I was allowed to carry more than just the tent. I rummage through the bottom of my bag, pulling out what Devon requested and setting aside unneeded items like a medical kit and some scissors. Once I have what he needs, I place the other tools back in the bag so they don’t get lost.
While I was getting Devon’s materials, the guys stretched out the tent under the metal frame and looped the poles though it.
“We’ve not put this one together before, but it looks like we have to hook the top of it into the middle of the X. I’m going to put you on Ryker’s shoulders to make it easier to reach.” Devon grabs my waist as Ryker kneels. Once my legs are round Ryker’s neck, he stands while Devon helps support me.
I squeal softly and grab Ryker’s head to help steady myself once he stands at his full height. “Wouldn’t this have been easier for Kace to do?”
“Probably, but this is more fun.” Ryker taps my legs to get me to hook them behind his back.
Falling For Them Volume 2: Reverse Harem Collection Page 61
