I smirked. “Just open it, babe.”
She rolled her eyes playfully and took the box over to the dining room table. She slipped the bow off and neatly laid it down before removing the top. I heard her gasp right before she squealed, “Oh my God, Ryker!”
I could see the puppy’s head bobbing as it tried to jump out of the box. Kaiya scooped her up and hugged her to her chest as she twirled around and faced me. “She’s precious!” The smile she had lit up her whole face, and caused a matching one to form on mine.
“You like her?” I asked.
Kaiya gave me a look of disbelief. “Like her? I love her!” She walked over to me and wrapped her free arm around my neck, squeezing me tightly to her. “She’s adorable. By far, the best birthday present ever!”
That’s what I was hoping for.
“What are you going to name her?” I asked as Kaiya pulled away.
Kaiya held the puppy out in front of her and looked her over for several seconds. “Brownie.”
I snorted. “Brownie?”
Kaiya hadn’t taken her eyes off the puppy. “Yes, Brownie. Look at her—her fur is the same color as a brownie.”
My chest rumbled with soft laughter. “Maybe we should call her Princess Brownie.”
Kaiya leveled me with an annoyed glare before turning her attention back to Brownie. “Aren’t you just the cutest thing ever? Yes, you are. Yes, you are.”
I chuckled before leaving the two divas to go to my closet. I grabbed everything I’d bought for Brownie and took it out to the living room. “I think I got everything we need for her, but we can always go back to the pet store and get more.”
Kaiya scanned over the pile of items with wide, shocked eyes. “Wow, I can’t believe you thought to get all of this.”
I grinned. “I had help.”
“That explains it,” Kaiya teasingly replied as she sat down on the couch with Brownie. “Especially since everything matches.”
All of the items that Becca had picked out had a pink leopard print design. “The girl that helped me said you would like it.”
Kaiya rubbed Brownie’s belly. “She was right. Now, all we need is to get some cute dresses. Isn’t that right, princess?”
I smiled as I took Brownie’s bowls and food out of the bed, then headed to the kitchen. I knew she would want to dress the dog up. “We need to leave in about forty-five minutes.”
Setting the bowls on the counter, I turned on the sink and filled one of the dishes with water.
“Why?” Kaiya asked.
I ripped open the bag of food and scooped some of the contents into the other bowl. “It’s a surprise.”
“Ryker, wh—”
I interrupted her. “No questions. Now go get ready.”
Her lips fought a smile as she bent over to put Brownie down on the floor. “Fine,” she huffed playfully before standing.
Once I set Brownie’s bowls on the tile in the kitchen, she scampered over to them and started eating.
“Babe, what should I wear?” Kaiya called from down the hall.
I left Brownie to finish her dinner and headed to my room. Kaiya was in the closet in only her bra and lace boy shorts with her back to me when I entered, causing my dick to twitch.
You don’t have time right now.
I cleared my throat and focused on her question. “Whatever you want. You look great in everything.”
That’s the right answer, right?
Kaiya turned to face me and the right corner of her mouth lifted. “I mean, how should I dress? Fancy? Casual? Something in between?”
Duh, dumb ass.
Her sexy smirk made my cock harden. I crossed my arms over my chest to keep from walking over there and taking her against the door frame.
Focus on the question.
“Something in between.”
Kaiya disappeared into the closet after I answered. I started to make my way back to the living room when a brown blur flew past my feet and into the bedroom.
I turned around to hear Kaiya giggling before speaking in a high pitched voice. “Hi, cutie. Is your belly full? Did you like your dinner?”
I entered the closet to see Kaiya squatting down and rubbing Brownie’s exposed stomach. She continued to baby talk the puppy. “Who’s the prettiest girl? Who’s the prettiest girl? You. Yes, you are. Yes, you are.”
I checked the time on my watch. “Babe, we have reservations.”
Kaiya glanced up at me, then back down at Brownie. “Daddy’s a party pooper, Brownie. He won’t let us play.”
A warm smile spread over my face as my stomach tightened from hearing Kaiya call me “daddy.”
God, I love her.
Brownie rolled off her back and stood. Her butt shook back and forth from how hard she was wagging her tail. Kaiya patted her on the head and smiled. “Go play with Daddy. Mommy has to get ready now.”
Kaiya rose back up. “Maybe you should take her outside before we leave,” she suggested as she resumed her search through her clothes on the rack.
“Okay.” I picked Brownie up and carried her to the bedroom door. “You better be ready by the time I get back,” I joked.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Kaiya shouted as I walked down the hall. I knew she wasn’t going to be anywhere near ready when I came back inside.
“Your momma is a smart ass,” I said as I scratched our new puppy’s neck. “But I wouldn’t want her any other way.”
I could hardly wait to see where Ryker planned to take me for my birthday. My family had never been big on parties growing up. As adults, Kam and I wouldn’t do anything extravagant when our birthdays came around, much to Nori’s displeasure. She’d always wanted to throw both of us a huge party, but we usually ended up just doing dinner and dancing for my birthday and barhopping for Kam’s.
“Just tell me where you’re taking me,” I pleaded for the fifth time since we started driving. The anticipation was killing me.
Ryker chuckled. “Nope. It’s called a surprise for a reason.”
“Damn it,” I mumbled under my breath before huffing like a bratty child.
Ryker placed his hand on my thigh, which was slightly exposed by my new dress. I couldn’t figure out what to wear so I ended up going to buy one for the special occasion. “You’ll like it, Warrior. Trust me.” He grinned with a wink.
My lips curved up at his sexy smile. “Yeah, you do know what I like.”
That was a big understatement—Ryker always knew how to please me. His smile morphed to a cocky smirk from my words as his fingers danced higher up my thigh. The tender skin tingled with pleasure until he reached the juncture between my legs and stilled.
His eyes were filled with lust as they locked on mine. My lips parted to release a small gasp as he started to rub his fingertips against my panties.
He moved to the edge of my lace boy shorts and snaked his hand underneath the fabric. His gaze left mine as he looked back at the road, but his fingers didn’t stop their course. They slowly continued, tracing their way along my skin until they found my heated core.
Ryker played within the sensitive folds, massaging my clit using his expert touch. “Guess I do know what you like—that sweet pussy is soaking wet for me,” he growled, his voice thick with lust.
Leaning my head back, I closed my eyes and bit down on my lower lip as Ryker slipped the tips of two of his fingers inside me and quickly dragged them out.
I squirmed as he toyed with my clit again, aching for him to sink his fingers deep in me again. A moan left me as he teased my entrance, knowing he was going to make me come completely undone before giving me release.
After several blissfully tortuous seconds, Ryker slowly pushed his fingers inside my pussy, causing me to cry out. I gripped the edge of my seat as he pulled them out again and groaned in protest, “Ryker, please.”
“Not yet, baby. I’m not ready for you to come yet.”
Damn it.
I hated and loved every second of Ryker’s pleasurabl
e torment. I wanted him to end it, yet didn’t want him to stop. I didn’t know how long he continued his heavenly ministrations, but after some time, he took his hand away and huskily spoke. “We’re here.”
My eyes snapped open and met his. “Don’t stop,” I whimpered as I writhed against the seat, wanting, no, needing release.
Ryker chuckled before sticking the fingers that had just been inside me into his mouth and sucking them.
Holy fuck. That’s one of the hottest things I’ve ever seen.
I licked my lips, then closed my mouth, which had parted as I watched Ryker savor my arousal.
His eyes darted to my lips and back as the right side of his mouth curved up into a sinful smirk. “We’ll be late if I don’t stop,” he said in a sensual rasp.
Sparks of lust flared in the silence that followed his statement, then our lips crashed together. Ryker gripped my hips as he lifted me over the center console of his truck and onto his lap. His hands roamed under my dress and grabbed my ass as I fumbled with his zipper.
A smack on the window broke us apart. “Hey! Quit that shit! You bitches have a party to attend!”
I turned my head to see Nori outside Ryker’s door. A mischievous grin lined her lips as she took a drag from her cigarette and blew out the smoke from the corner of her mouth.
I buried my face in Ryker’s chest, which moved up and down with his laughter. “Perfect timing,” I mumbled against his shirt.
Ryker rubbed his hands up and down my back. “Guess we better go. Don’t want to keep her waiting.”
I groaned in protest, still craving release, but raised my head and opened the door to the truck. Nori snickered as I climbed down. “Sorry, I hope I didn’t interrupt anything important,” she teased before taking another puff of her cigarette.
Narrowing my eyes, I glared at her. “Cock block.”
Nori laughed and flicked her cigarette to the asphalt. “Sorry, girl. You know how impatient I am, and I’ve already been waiting fifteen minutes for you.”
I heard the truck door close behind me, followed by the beep of the alarm locking. “Hey, Nori,” Ryker greeted once he reached us.
Nori smiled with amusement. “Hey. You were supposed to get her here on time, not be the reason she was late.”
Ryker shrugged. “Sometimes I just can’t help myself.” His eyes ran over my body and a smirk tipped his lips. “Look at her.”
I looked down at myself and scoffed. “I look like a fat cow.”
Nori snorted as Ryker draped an arm over my shoulder and pulled me into him. “No you don’t, Warrior. You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
A small smile curved my lips. “You have to say that.”
Ryker was about to reply when Nori interjected, “All right, lovebirds, let’s go.” She walked toward the restaurant, which I finally noticed was Luciano’s now that I wasn’t caught up in Ryker. I looked up at him and grinned widely. “Luciano’s?”
Ryker led me behind Nori, keeping his arm around me as we walked. “Your favorite for such a special occasion.”
I knew it wasn’t anything major, but all the little things that Ryker did to make me feel special meant the world to me. No one had ever done so much to make me happy. I squeezed him around his middle. “Thank you.”
Ryker kissed the top of my head. “Anything for you, Warrior.”
My phone chimed as we neared the entrance. I pulled away from Ryker and stopped to fish my cell out of my purse. “Let me grab my phone real quick.”
A text message popped up when I swiped my screen:
Unknown: Happy birthday hope you get everything your heart desires
My stomach clenched as fear rooted deep throughout my insides. My head darted frantically around the parking lot, searching for anyone suspicious.
Who the fuck is this?
Ryker placed his hand on the small of my back, causing me to startle and jerk away.
“Whoa, babe, it’s just me.” Ryker calmly spoke as if talking to a spooked animal. “What’s wrong?”
I gulped, then exhaled a shaky breath. “Nothing. I’m fine.”
Ryker gave me a knowing look. He wasn’t buying it. “Kaiya.” His tone was like that of a disapproving parent who caught their teenager in a lie.
“Hey, I’m starving here. Hurry the fuck up,” Nori interrupted.
Thank God.
I forced a smile. “I’m fine, really. Let’s get inside.”
He narrowed his eyes and reached out his hand. “Let me see your phone.”
No. He can’t find out. He’ll be upset and even more worried.
“Can we not do this right now?” I deflected and crossed my arms over my chest. “It’s my birthday.”
His features softened as he sighed in defeat, then quickly hardened again. “We will be talking about this later.” His tone left no room for argument.
Fuck. Shit. Damn.
“Okay,” I replied in resignation, then walked toward the door, hoping that he’d forget by the time the night was over.
Wishful thinking.
When we got inside, we followed Nori to a table in the back of the restaurant where Kamden sat with a bunch of pink balloons and cupcakes.
“Happy birthday!” Nori and Kam shouted in unison.
My mood shifted, even though a tiny sliver of dread lingered in my gut. I buried it down, determined not to let some psycho asshole ruin my birthday. I’d dealt with that enough in my life.
Tears welled in my eyes from the thoughtfulness that had been put into this surprise. I knew I’d be crying more than once before the night was over. “You guys.” My voice cracked as emotion clogged my throat.
“Geez, you’re like a faucet lately,” Nori joked as she hugged me. She pulled back and smiled. “It’s your party, and you can cry if you want to?”
I snorted with laughter and swiped the moisture from my lashes. “Yeah. Thank you for all this.” My eyes drifted from face to face of each of my loved ones. “All of you.”
The night was filled with laughs and joyful banter. No talk of Kaleb, no talk about Kamden’s drinking or rehab—just happiness. I prayed that we would have more times like this in the future, especially once Hayden was born.
Once we were almost finished eating, Kamden pulled out a small, wrapped box from under the table and presented it to me. “Happy Birthday, Ky.”
I took the gift from him. “Kam, you didn’t have to get me anything.” Everything he’d done for me was enough to last me a lifetime.
“I wanted to.” Motioning with his hands, he urged me to open the present. “Go on, open it.”
Ripping the paper off, I revealed a small cardboard box. Inside that was a black jewelry case. I opened the lid and stared down at a necklace with two hearts; a large heart that had the word “sorella” engraved on it dangled from a smaller, open heart.
My vision was clouded as I looked up at Kam. His lips curved up slightly as he grabbed my hand. “The little heart is you—holding me up when I need it most. Thank you for being there to support me through everything.”
I squeezed his hand back, unable to speak as tears trickled down my cheeks. After I wiped my face with my free hand and took a deep breath to compose myself, my words came out soft as cotton when I replied, “Thank you.”
Kamden smiled warmly. “You’re welcome. Let’s see how it looks.”
I took the thin, delicate chain out of the box and clasped it around my neck. I made sure it lay correctly against my skin before looking back up at my brother. “I love it, Kam.”
“Good, I’m glad. Shopping for you was hard.” He chuckled.
“It’s perfect. You made a great choice,” I replied genuinely.
“My turn!” Nori squealed as she handed me a card and a gift bag.
“Not you, too. You guys didn’t have to do all this for me.”
“Just shut up and open the damn gift,” Nori playfully demanded.
I smashed my lips together, fighting the smile trying to br
eak through. “Fine.” I huffed as I tore the envelope open and slipped out the card that was inside. A gift certificate to my favorite spa fell out as I opened the card and read what Nori had wrote inside:
“We may not be sisters by blood, but you’re the only sister I’ll ever need. I love you and can’t wait to be a part of this next chapter in your life. Happy birthday!”
My eyes watered again as they drifted up to Nori. She shook her head, fighting tears as well. “Cut it out, damn it. You’re going to make me cry.”
I chuckled and wiped my eyes before opening my arms to her. She leaned over and hugged me. “Happy Birthday, Ky.”
I pulled back and smiled. “Thank you.”
“Don’t forget the gift,” Nori reminded.
I took out the pink tissue paper and looked in the bag. I pulled the little baby outfit out and held it up. It had a bib, onesie, and pants; both the bib and onesie read “My aunt is cooler than your aunt.”
I laughed as I showed Ryker, who snorted. “I love it,” I said, hugging Nori again. “You’re more family to me than my real family ever was. Well, besides Kam, of course.”
She squeezed me tight. “I know, girl. Same here. I’ll always be there for you.”
When I pulled back, I looked around the table at the amazing people with me. My family. A smile spread over my face as I placed a hand on my bulging belly and gazed down.
I had everything I ever needed right there with me.
As soon as we set foot in Ryker’s apartment, he questioned me. “What happened earlier?”
I played dumb, even though I knew he wasn’t going to buy it. “When?”
He lowered his head to make eye contact with me, making me uneasy. My eyes flitted away, then back to his. “Don’t act stupid, Kaiya,” Ryker responded abrasively.
Shifting uncomfortably, I rubbed my hands up and down my bare arms. “It was nothing.”
“Bullshit,” he growled. His face was lined with anger. His jaw set, and his eyes burned with fury. “Don’t fucking lie to me.”
Damn it, how does he read me so well?
My brain raced as I held his gaze, trying to think of a believable lie. I’d lied to everyone about Kaleb for most of my life, so lying was a natural defense mechanism for me. I swallowed the lump in my throat as the perfect thing came to mind. “I just…” I started, then paused and sighed. “My mom text me.”
Mending Scars Page 16
