by Amber Lynn
“I suppose I should’ve thought about bringing bail money on the trip. I think your one phone call better be to one of your hockey buddies. They’ll have to wire the money, because I don’t think I brought enough.”
Lisa shifted in her chair so she could check on Pepe. The dog had been obsessively yipping even before they got to the car. It was a wonder someone hadn’t come by and tried to break in to get him out.
“Shh. Pepe, calm down for just a few minutes. You’ll be able to run around and get it all out of your system soon enough.”
Ryan was pretty sure they were going to need to let the dog out before they left the parking lot, but as soon as Lisa told him to calm down, he did. All Ryan could do was smile, because he was pretty sure he’d have the same reaction to any command Lisa gave him.
Chapter Twelve
Lisa stretched awake, very reminiscent of the previous morning. The big difference in the two mornings was that the bed in her childhood bedroom wasn’t as comfortable as Ryan’s. Sleeping in his bed just one night had spoiled her.
Ryan’s arm held her close to his body, with his shallow breathing telling her he was still sleeping. Lisa didn’t remember falling asleep, or even making it up to her bedroom. Ryan had gotten her home after stopping for some food, which Lisa remembered eating, but the rest of the night was a bit of a blur.
Not wanting to wake Ryan up, she carefully lifted his arm. When he groaned softly she froze. When he didn’t move, she rolled out from under his arm and put it down softly on the bed.
Sitting up on the bed, she looked over at the man resting peacefully beside her. She rubbed her eyes for a second, trying to clear sleep from them to make sure she wasn’t dreaming he was there. Lisa had heard her sister question whether Ryan was really Lisa’s boyfriend, and Lisa couldn’t blame her. It didn’t seem real that Ryan actually thought they were dating.
It seemed impossible he even gave her the time of day, yet he’d rearranged his life to be with her. Lisa knew he was a fighter, and she was starting to wonder if maybe he’d been hit a few too many times in the head. She felt almost like she was wrapped up in some kind of fairy tale. He sure looked the part of Prince Charming.
Sighing as she tried to figure out what was going on with her life, Lisa got out of the bed. She was in the dress she’d been wearing since she showed up at Ryan’s for their date, which meant a shower was soon to be in her future. Before she got to cleaning up for the day, she wanted to see if her mother was home and see if there had been any update on her father.
Pepe was surprisingly not in the room, so she had to track him down and make sure he hadn’t gotten into trouble while she was sleeping. He’d never been to her parents’ house, so the likelihood of issues cropping up were high.
Tiptoeing out of the room, she looked back at Ryan one more time. He hadn’t moved, but Lisa felt like she was being watched, so she focused on his eyes. There were small movements as his eyes moved under the lids, but they didn’t open.
Lisa opened the door and found Pepe curled up in a ball on the other side of it. Not remembering anything from the night before, it was unclear why the door was closed without him on the other side, but that was a question she could ask later.
“There you are,” she whispered as she scooped up the dog. The motion reminded her a little of the effortless way Ryan had picked her up at the hospital. The man was powerful, yet she felt totally at ease in his arms.
The sounds of movement from downstairs took Lisa in that direction. It sounded like someone was in the kitchen either cooking or cleaning up after themselves. Lisa didn’t know what time it was, but she assumed it was morning. Her bedroom had blackout windows, but once she left the room the sun shone brightly throughout the house.
As she got closer to the kitchen, having made it through the living room, she could pick up at least two voices having a conversation. Like most of the whispered conversations she’d come across in the house, Lisa wasn’t being painted in the best light.
“I bet she hired him to pretend to be her boyfriend,” Olive said in a harsh whisper.
“Hush now,” her mother replied a second before Mel jumped in.
“Well she can’t be pregnant with his kid. He’s so far out of her league that paying him seems like the only reason he’d show up with her, but I searched for him on the internet last night and he makes almost two million dollars a year. Unless he’s blown it all on drugs and hookers, he shouldn’t need whatever money she could spare on her salary.”
If it wasn’t questioning Ryan being her boyfriend, it would’ve been something else. Lisa was used to the pain that came along with everyone thinking she wasn’t good enough. She hadn’t gotten straight A’s like everyone else in school and she’d skipped college. As the eldest daughter it was supposed to be her duty to lead a life her other siblings had to live up to, but she hadn’t lived up to what everyone else thought was her potential.
Not wanting to break up the fun time the other women of her family were having, Lisa took Pepe and headed towards the front door. She was hungry, but food would wait until the hens had vacated the kitchen. Lisa opened the door and stepped out onto the wrap-around porch. The cool air was a welcome improvement over the hot air coming out of the kitchen.
Lisa let Pepe down, so he could do his business while she settled onto the porch swing that had seen better days. Her father had put it up when she was three, and apparently was still against painting the fading white paint. He liked things to look used on the farm, and the porch swing wasn’t any different than his various tractors.
The swing creaked, and like usual, Lisa worried about her weight causing the swing to collapse. She liked to think she was happy in her skin, but being home always seemed to change how she felt about herself. Her parents usually didn’t jump in on the teasing she felt from her siblings, but they rarely told her the other kids were wrong.
“Hey, I thought you’d notice me following you out here, but your mind seems a thousand miles away.”
Lisa had gotten so lost in her little pity party that she hadn’t heard or seen Ryan standing in front of her. Her mind was clearly a million miles away if he could be anywhere in the vicinity without her noticing.
“Sorry, I thought you were still asleep.”
Ryan didn’t seem to mind she hadn’t seen hot water in a couple days and smelled like her deodorant had given up the good fight. He walked over, tilted her head up a little and kissed her deeply on the lips. They’d had moments where he went the passionate route, but he mostly kept their kisses on the chaste side. The feel of his tongue sliding into her mouth was anything but chaste.
His arms wrapped around Lisa and lifted her up off the swing. Ryan was wearing a t-shirt and a pair of jeans, so he’d at least changed his clothes at some point since the beginning of their journey. He seemed to always be a step ahead of her.
“So, are you going to shower here or at the hotel?” Ryan asked when he came up for air.
Lisa had to slow down her breathing and rapid pulse before she could even think about coming up with an answer. When she started to think about the question, she realized she was missing something.
“What hotel are you talking about?”
Ryan took Lisa’s hand and led her over to the steps leading up to the porch. After he took a seat, he pulled her down so she could sit between his legs.
“Well, we’re not staying here another night. I was hesitant to stay yesterday, but you barely finished dinner before falling asleep, so I thought it’d be easier than carrying an unconscious woman into a hotel. I know you told me you were used to the way they acted, but I’m not, and it took about everything I have to not punch your sisters just now.”
Lisa smiled sadly. Ryan couldn’t see it from his point of view, which was probably for the best.
“How much did you hear?”
Mel and Olive probably weren’t done talking when she’d left, but she didn’t think it could get much worse than what she’d overheard. Lisa k
new showing up with a boyfriend would cause some ripples, but showing up with Ryan had been worse than what she expected. She wasn’t worried about what they said about her, but when they started assuming things about Ryan, it infuriated her. Not barging in to tell them off was a weird way to show it, but Lisa had always been a passive person and she really didn’t want to see the looks of doubt on their faces.
“I heard quite a bit, including the fact that I apparently have an affinity for paying for sex and drugs.” Lisa groaned and covered her face. She was ready to apologize, but Ryan wasn’t done talking. “I’m used to people talking bad about me. I sort of have a bad boy persona in the circles I travel in, but it’s not right for them to treat their own sister that way. Just because their lives are miserable, doesn’t mean they can rain on our parade.”
Ryan parted Lisa’s hair away from her neck and leaned down to kiss it. Her family hadn’t seen all his intimate touches, but if they had, they would’ve assumed he was an actor instead of a hockey player.
“I’m pretty sure they aren’t miserable, Ryan. Both of my sisters are doing something with their lives. They aren’t taking orders and bringing people their food, while they try to get someone to notice them.”
Lisa could feel Ryan’s head shake from side to side next to hers. “Only a miserable person would treat someone like you the way they are. They may pretend to have perfect lives, but they aren’t chasing their dreams like you are. They wouldn’t make it a day out in the world we live every day. They can’t see it, but you are stronger than all of them.”
The conviction in Ryan’s voice made it hard to question his logic, but Lisa knew from years of experience what he was saying couldn’t be true. Lisa came home for holidays sometimes and all her siblings went on and on about how perfect their lives were.
“I don’t think you’ve spent enough time with them to be an expert on what their lives are like.”
Lisa stared at Pepe as he went around marking every blade of grass as his. There were usually a few dogs and a whole bunch of cats wandering around, so Pepe had a lot of ground to cover if he wanted to get rid of all the other scents.
“You told me Olive had a boyfriend she’s been dating for a few years now, right?”
It felt like Lisa had told Ryan her whole life story, but she was surprised Ryan seemed to remember so much of it. It had to be boring for him to just sit there and listen to her drone on and on, but he’d only asked more questions to keep her talking.
“I’m guessing she didn’t introduce him to you yesterday, but he was there in the waiting room.” Along with Olive’s boyfriend, Liam, Mel’s husband, Pete and Justin’s girlfriend, Kate were there with the family. Henry’s wife apparently was busy doing something else.
“Oh, well that’s even better. He clearly isn’t very good at satisfying her if she spent the whole time I was in the same room with her undressing me with her eyes. I’ve learned over the years that the people who claim they’re the happiest, usually aren’t.”
Lisa had to laugh. “I hate to you tell you this, but it’s impossible for someone who’s attracted to males and capable of seeing, not to undress you with their eyes. Based on our general talks about religious beliefs, I’m guessing you’ve never walked into a nunnery, but I’d wager you could even turn a few of the nuns’ heads.”
Ryan scoffed at the thought. “That doesn’t mean I’m wrong about your sisters. I know you told me how they were, but I didn’t expect them to be like this. What are they going to do when we tell them we’re getting married?”
Lisa hadn’t missed that he used the word fiancé the day before. It was odder to her ears than boyfriend, but she didn’t hear a punchline coming when Ryan had said it. That meant he was actually thinking that far ahead in their relationship, which she hadn’t had a chance to do.
“Before or after they stop rolling around on the ground laughing?” There was no question in Lisa’s mind that’s how at least Olive would take the news. Lisa had strained relationships with all of her siblings, but for some reason it had always been worse with the youngest of the group.
There was a decade between them, so Lisa never really understood how things had gone sour. She didn’t think she’d ever done anything to offend any of her brothers or sisters, but she had to have missed something over the years.
“Then I guess we’re going to have to elope. I would’ve enjoyed having a big wedding, maybe just to prove I haven’t wasted all my money on hookers.”
“I really can’t believe she said that. The idea of you needing to pay to get someone to sleep with you is preposterous.” Lisa thought the word was a little mild for how ridiculous the idea really was.
“So is the notion that you’d have to pay me to be here with you. There’s nowhere I’d rather be right now.” Ryan hummed for a second. “I take that back. You and me alone in a hotel room sounds a little more fun. What do you say I go grab our bags and we find somewhere that takes dogs?”
Lisa had been sidetracked from asking how things were going with her dad. If her mom wasn’t running off to be by his side, then the urgency of the situation had to have diminished quite a bit.
“I could use a shower before going back to the hospital. I’ll leave it up to you whether it’s here or somewhere else,” Lisa said.
“I’ll go grab our things then. I wouldn’t have brought them inside, but I was starting to get a little funky and I needed to at least have a bird bath.”
Lisa nodded her head. She wanted to tell him they could stay there and things would change, but she knew they wouldn’t. Ryan kissed her head one more time before his heat disappeared from her back.
“Why don’t you come over here, Pepe,” Lisa called out. The dog had wandered towards one of the many outbuildings the farm boasted. There was probably a cat or two playing around it that was drawing his attention.
Pepe looked back at Lisa, but he didn’t seem to think her idea was best. He was usually good about listening, but the new surroundings were confusing him just as much as they confused Lisa. She’d been there enough times that it shouldn’t feel like an alien environment every time she came home.
“From the look I just got from Ryan, I assume one or both of you wandered by the kitchen a little bit ago.” Her mother’s voice was quiet, but Lisa thought she picked up an apology somewhere buried in it.
“That we did. I was hoping things would be different this time. I mean, you called yesterday and I was so afraid Dad was going to die. You were too. I heard it in your voice. I thought if there was ever a time when things could be halfway civil around here, it would be now.”
Lisa wasn’t sure what emotion she put in her voice. She was angry and sad, but more than anything she was just tired. She was tired of being the odd man out in her family and how that made her feel every time she was around them.
“You’re right. I was terrified your father wouldn’t wake up. And I’m not fooling myself into thinking everything is going to go back to the way it was. I just got done telling your brothers and sisters that if they had plans of staying around here, the bickering has to stop. I’m sorry if it’s seemed like I was on their side over the years.”
“You call it bickering? Generally, I think that involves two sides arguing back and forth. I tend to just listen to them putting me down.”
Jean sighed loud enough Lisa could hear her from the approximately ten feet it sounded like she was away from her. Lisa hadn’t turned back to look at her mother, and she didn’t have plans to do so.
“And I wish you wouldn’t. Of course I wish they wouldn’t to begin with, but I think you not fighting back only makes them somehow think it’s okay.”
It always seemed to come back to something being Lisa’s fault. Her mother more than likely meant well, but it wasn’t coming across well.
“I’ll remember that the next time I’m attacked. I’m sure I can come up with some joke about how horrible it is to be a teacher or something when I hear Mel talking about how it’s impossible
for my boyfriend to be with me because he loves me.”
Lisa didn’t expect to feel her mother’s hand on her left shoulder, so she startled a little from the touch. “Henry’s getting a divorce and Mel and Pete are having issues with money because Pete has a gambling problem. I can’t say anything specific about Olive or Justin, but none of us are perfect.”
Lisa didn’t know what to say to that. Ryan had assumed the same thing her mother had confirmed. It didn’t make Lisa feel any better about her life not sucking as much as everyone else thought it did. It made her wonder why in the world she was so different from the rest of them.
Chapter Thirteen
It was only noon and it had already been a long day as far as Ryan was concerned. He’d come back from getting their stuff to find Jean talking to Lisa. Lisa didn’t seem particularly upset, so he bit his tongue when it came to telling her mother off. He couldn’t screw up first impressions anymore, so he was ready to speak his mind if the situation warranted it.
Whatever was said didn’t stop them from heading towards a hotel. There was one just down the block from hospital and Ryan was able to sweet talk the woman who checked them in into setting them up with a pet sitter while they were at the hospital. Ryan didn’t think it was really flirting or sweet talking, but Lisa had teased him about being able to get anything he wanted by just batting his eyelashes.
Ryan waited in agony as Lisa took her shower to clear her head and the stink she insisted was following her around. He wanted to join her in the shower, but sat on the bed keeping an eye on Pepe. When Lisa was done, Ryan had taken the coldest and quickest shower of his life, trying to get the pictures he’d painted of her in his mind out of his head.
