Ryder locked up his storage building. He gazed at the rising sun. He was tired after a long night of reading Cassie’s journal but rest would have to wait. There was some apologizing he had to do first.
If Mr. Strong hadn’t paid him a visit last night and shared with him Cassie’s old notebook, he would have been boneheaded enough to sue for custody of Lucas. He had a bad habit of acting first and thinking later. And suing would have killed any chances of building a future with the woman that he loved.
He laid the notebook on the seat beside him, started the car, and headed to Cassie’s. The early morning sun beamed across his windshield, casting beautiful colors on the dashboard. The birds flew in flocks over the small dirt road he traveled on.
The cows in the pasture on his left looked at him as if they knew what kind of idiot he had been the night before. They mocked him as though they knew that Cassie would never forgive him. His heart pounded in his chest. Was this the final straw? Could she forgive his bad temper and take him back? Well, he was about to find out.
It was still very early when he arrived at Cassie’s. Not wanting to bother her, he stayed in the car and waited for her to rise. He practiced his apologies, all of them sounding ridiculous to his own ears. I’m sorry just wasn’t enough. I was a fool didn’t even come close to describing his idiocy.
Movement drew his attention to the front window. The curtains opened. Cassie stood there with a coffee cup in hand. The instant she spotted him parked in her driveway she turned away, closing the curtain with a swift movement.
He exited his car. There was a good chance that she wouldn’t open the door for him but he continued toward her house in hopes that she would. He knocked on her front door. There was no answer. He knocked again. And again.
As he lifted his hand to knock for the fourth time the door opened, just a crack, revealing her shoulder and left ear. She didn’t say a word, didn’t even bother to look at him through the crack. A soft sniffling could be heard behind the door.
“Cass, can I come in? Please?” He heard her quiet footsteps as she moved away from the door. Pushing gently, the door opened with a little squeak. He strode in. A few feet away she stood with her back to him. “Turn around.” It was a simple command. One that she was quick to obey. Her eyes were puffy and red from a long night of crying. “I’ve spent all night thinking.”
Tears formed in her bloodshot eyes. “I really don’t want to do this,” she whispered. She had been up all night crying, worrying herself sick over the possibility of losing her son to this man. The man that she’d loved since high school.
He wasn’t sure where to begin. He wanted to say the right thing. “I spoke with your dad last night.” At the sight of Cassie’s cringe he quickly explained. “He stopped by my storage building to bring me something.”
Cassie gave him a confused look. What would her dad have that he’d need to give to Ryder? Unless it was her son. She fell to her knees, her tears flowing like a river. God, please do not let this happen. I’ll do anything you want. You want me in church? Done. Want me to pray? Done. Just please don’t let Ryder take off with my only son. She silently pleaded with God, hoping that he’d hear her and answer her prayers.
Ryder closed the distance between them, kneeling in front of her. “Hey,” he whispered and cupped her face in his large hands. “He brought me your notebook.”
She hiccuped. She thought she had that darned notebook packed away in her attic with all of the other ones. Every year she had documented their son’s life. It was her way of sharing their life with him.
“I read every single page.”
She buried her face in her hands. “Oh God, just shoot me now.” That first notebook contained passages from some of her darkest days. Some of the content was downright hateful. In the beginning, her language was a little more colorful than it should have been. At that time, she wrote mean things to him as some weird way of payback.
“I’m glad that he did. That notebook has opened my eyes. I feel like a fool for the hurt I put you through. I’m sorry for leaving you to raise our child on your own.” He leaned his head toward hers. “I love you.”
More tears slipped down her cheeks. “What?” she asked in disbelief.
He tilted her chin with a finger, looking into her baby blues. “I. Love. You.” He put emphasis on each word.
“But…” She looked at him in bewilderment. Just last night he wanted to sue for custody and this morning he comes waltzing in saying I love you? She shook her head, surly she misheard him.
His finger remained under her chin. “Forget about yesterday,” he said just above a whisper. “I love you.” He pressed his lips to hers. “I love you so much,” he murmured against her mouth.
Cassie didn’t dare move. If she did then this dream might end and she’d be transported back to that hellish nightmare she had been living in for the past few hours. Her tongue darted out to wet her dry lips.
At the brush of her tongue on his lips Ryder kissed her. She didn’t kiss him back. Instead, she sat stiffly. He pulled back just far enough to lock eyes with her. “Cass, I want nothing more than to spend my life with you. I experienced a moment of insanity. I acted like a numskull and I’m truly sorry.”
“It hurt Ryder. I didn’t think my heart could shatter into such tiny pieces but it did.” She bit the inside of her cheek to prevent a sob. The last thing she needed was for him to witness her blubbering foolishness.
He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her onto his lap. “If I could take it all back, I would.”
She leaned her forehead on his shoulder, hiding her face in his shirt. “I thought I’d die from the heartache.” No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stop the silent sobs that erupted from deep within and shook her entire body.
Ryder tightened his hold on her, rubbing soothing circles on her back. There was nothing else he could do. He had screwed up. Again. The trust he was finally gaining over the past few weeks, gone in just a moment of stupidity.
With nothing else to do, he hummed. Her body shook violently as she wept. Why did love have to be so dang hard? In the movies it looks so easy, guy likes girl, guy courts girl, guy sweeps girl off her feet. Nowhere in the movies does it show this heart wrenching sadness where the couple is fighting to survive a brutal betrayal. At least he hadn’t seen such a movie yet.
Her heartbroken cry ate at him, ripping a giant hole right through the center of his gut. If only he could go back in time. So much went wrong with their relationship. So much pain. It would take a lot of work but they could mend that broken fence.
Cassie still couldn’t believe the turn of events. Ryder forgave her for keeping their son from him. He was no longer suing for custody. Instead, he stood before her claiming his love for her and asking to be a permanent fixture in their lives.
She pinched her thigh just to be sure that she wasn’t sleeping. Nope, she was definitely awake. Now she had one very important question to ask. “What about your music? How will you manage a family while you tour for years at a time?” She hated herself for asking but she had to know exactly where she stood.
Reaching for her hands, he pulled her to her feet. “I’ll record locally.” Her shocked expression put a smile on his face. Unable to hold back any longer he cupped her face, kissing her lips with tiny feathering kisses.
“What about the world tours?” she asked between his kisses.
“What about them?” He wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her tight. “I don’t need any of that as long as I’ve got you.”
She pulled back to look him in eyes. “Won’t you miss it?”
“Maybe a little.” He squeezed her tighter around the waist. “I can always perform locally and keep the tours in the states. If I can keep the touring to the USA then I can spread them out so that I’d be home more than I’d be on the road.”
This was the best news Cassie had ever heard. Little butterflies danced in her belly. Ryder really did love her. He would not give u
p the world tours if he didn’t truly love her. She smiled widely. “You would do that for me?”
“No,” he said and her smile faded.
Her heart beat wildly with nervous anticipation. He wasn’t cruel enough to say all of that just to say something stupid like “just kidding,” was he?
The fear in her eyes stung his heart. Did she have no faith in him at all? That he’d come in here, proclaim his love for her only to spit in her face and walk away. If that’s what she thought, he really couldn’t blame her. He’d put her through hell. More than once.
She needed to be reassured of his love for her. She needed to know that his intentions were pure and his feelings for her were not fabricated or lust induced. “When I said no, what I meant was, I’m not doing this for you but I’m doing this for us.”
“You’re really going to stay?” He nodded in answer to her question. “Lucas will have a mom and a dad around?”
He smiled. “Yes, our boy will have a fully functional family.”
Cassie squealed, joy overflowing her heart. “You don’t know how many times I dreamed of this.” Ryder lifted her off of her feet. “Pinch me.”
“What?” he asked puzzled.
“Pinch me. I want to make sure that this isn’t some dream.” She flinched when he pinched the backside of her thigh, not because it was painful but because it startled her. “This is real, huh?”
“Yes, this is real.”
Ryder pulled his car into Cassie’s driveway. The previous night the two decided that it was definitely time for Lucas to officially meet his father. That thought both excited and frightened Ryder.
He was nervous about meeting his son. Sure, he’d met him the other day in the music store but today he was meeting his son. Would the boy still think he was the best thing on earth after he learned that he was not just some rock star but his absentee father?
Cassie pulled in beside him. She got out of the car balancing a pizza box, her purse, and her briefcase. Shutting her car door was a challenge and she dropped her keys in the process.
Ryder ran to her side, picking her keys up off of the ground. “Here, let me help you with that,” he said taking the pizza and briefcase off her hands. He glanced in the car. It was empty. “Where’s Lucas?”
“He’ll be here shortly. Daddy wanted to take him out for ice cream first.”
Ryder laughed. “I bet that drives you crazy, him feeding your son…I mean, our son.” It was taking some getting used to, referring to Lucas as their son. “I bet it drives you crazy that he’s feeding our son ice cream before dinner.”
“It does but today is a special day for him and quite honestly,” she peeked over her shoulder at him, “I’m so nervous.”
“Oh believe me, you’re not alone. I’ve been sweating bullets all day.” He held her door open and followed her to the kitchen.
The front door opened and Lucas came in, tossing his bags onto the couch. Upon seeing Ryder standing in the kitchen he froze. “Mom.” He looked around for his mother. “Momma, do you know we have a rock star standing in the kitchen?”
Cassie ran down the hallway, gathering Lucas up in her arms. “I missed you so much.”
“Momma, you talked to me every day.” He wormed his way out of her arms. “Do you know that a singer is in our house?” He pointed at Ryder. “Momma, he plays in a band.”
“Yes, baby. I know who Ryder is.” She took great joy out of the shocked expression on her son’s face. “Actually, I want to introduce you.”
Lucas shook his head. “I already know him. He plays guitar and sings. He’s famous.”
“Yes he is but that’s not all. Come into the kitchen and have a seat at the table.” She handed him a plate of pizza.
Lucas took a huge bit of cheese pizza, lifting his arm to wipe the grease away. Cassie cleared her throat and Lucas apologized. “Sorry mom.” He took the napkin she offered and cleaned his mouth, forgetting about his messy arm.
Cassie took a seat beside her son. Ryder stood behind her, his hands resting on her shoulders. Lucas eyed his hands but said nothing. When he was finished with his dinner, Cassie took him by the hand. “Baby, I want to talk to you about your father.”
Lucas beamed at his mother. “Will daddy finally get to come home?”
“Yes.”
“So daddy doesn’t have to work away anymore?” A look of pure joy radiated off of the boy.
“Not like before. Your daddy is coming home and he is so excited to meet you.” She looked up at Ryder, taking his hand in hers. “Lucas, Ryder is your daddy.”
“Awesome.” He stood on the chair, arms stretched up in the air. “My daddy is famous.”
Ryder laughed. This had gone much better than he had feared. All day he thought of ways this meeting could go wrong. Lucas could have hated him for picking music and fans over him and his mother.
Instead, the two of them watched as their son danced around the room singing about having a famous daddy. He stopped abruptly. “Does this mean that you’ll teach me how to play my new guitar?”
“Absolutely,” Ryder answered.
“Yippee.” The boy jumped into his father’s arms content and happy.
It had been a long day at the office. Cassie desperately wanted to stay home with Ryder today and catch up on the sleep she didn’t get last night. Unfortunately, her boss had called. She was needed ASAP to help train the new editor. Oh joy.
She tidied up her desk and packed up her briefcase. She was never so glad to see the end of the work day. Before exiting the building she said goodbye to Todd, the cover artist that worked for the publishing company. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Bye, Cassie. See you later.” Todd waved at her then turned his attention back to his computer screen. Todd was the first one at the office and the last to leave. With no wife or kids at home, he poured himself into his work.
“Try not to work too late. You’re young, go out and live a little.”
He faced her again, with a raised eyebrow. “Now you’re starting to sound like my mother.”
Smiling, she waved one last time and left.
The hot summer air stole her breath away the instant she stepped outside. It took her a couple of seconds to adjust to the scorching temperature. She walked around the building to the parking lot. Her car was parked toward the back of the building, at the very end of the lot.
Cassie stopped walking. Strange, there was a white van parked next to her. She looked back at the door she’d just exited. Todd was the only one still here and his car was at the other end of the lot. So, who could this van belong to?
She looked back at the van. It appeared to be vacant. Maybe it belonged to someone that worked in the building across the street. Or maybe it broke down and the owner left it there until they could have it towed.
Whatever the case, it wasn’t bothering anyone. Hopefully it’d be gone by morning. She shrugged her shoulders and continued walking toward her car. She stopped again and looked around to make sure no one else was around.
The lot was empty, just her and the vehicles parked here. Again, she headed toward her car. She couldn’t explain it but something wasn’t right. Alarm bells went off in her head. Instead of listening to them and running for the safety of the office, she continued her journey.
Those warning bells in her head increased the closer she got. She ignored her common sense in her hurry to see Ryder and Lucas. She was glad that the two of them were getting along so well. She pressed the unlock button, opened the back door, and put her briefcase on the seat.
The sliding door on the van opened while she was occupied with finding her cell phone in the bottom of her purse. The noise startled her but before she could turn around a cloth was placed over her nose and mouth.
There was no time to fight this person off. The sweet odor in the moist cloth filled her nostrils, the chemical flowing throughout her body. A tingling sensation started in her limbs, her body was quickly shutting down.
No matter h
ow hard she tried, she just couldn’t turn her head back enough to get a good look at her attacker. Her body was becoming extremely heavy now. The darkness was calling out to her, beckoning her with a flick of its evil little finger.
Her eyes drifted closed and her body fell limp.
Cassie woke up with a throbbing headache. She moved her arms so she could rub small circles on her temples to relieve some of the pain. One small problem, they felt heavy and she couldn’t get them to move properly.
She blinked her eyes several times to adjust to the dark room. Nothing. The room was still pitch black, not even moonlight from the window shone through. She sat up and for the first time, noticed that she wasn’t at home. Nor was she in bed. She felt the floor beneath her. Cold, hard, and mostly smooth. A concrete floor.
Was she in a basement, a warehouse, or somewhere else? If only she could see her surroundings then she’d know what type of building she was in. Or so she hoped she would.
Once again she tried to move her hands with no luck whatsoever. Though now her mind was becoming fully awake. This time she felt the tug on her wrists. Her hands were bound behind her back with rope.
She quickly discovered that her feet were also bound together and that stickiness on her mouth was a piece of tape. Great, she was tied up in only God knows where. This wasn’t good, not good at all.
She pulled against her restraints but only managed to bruise her wrists. How in the world was she going to get out of this mess? She braced her hands flat on the floor and maneuvered herself backwards and over them so that they were now under her bent knees. Then she easily pulled each leg back, bringing her bound hands to the front of her person.
A noise outside the building drew her attention. A speeding car was headed in her direction. With any luck the driver would feel compelled to stop and have a look around. Then she could go home to Ryder and Lucas.
Love Redeemed Page 8
