Ryan_A Contemporary Romance

by Giulia Lagomarsino

  “I remember being his age and just wishing that someone would talk to me like an adult instead of a kid. He’s at the age where he wants to know what’s going on.”

  “I am so lucky you came into our lives, Ryan.”

  “I got lucky the day I decided to ask you to be my wife. Best damn decision I ever made.”

  I smiled at him. “Is that why you had a panic attack in your office?”

  He laughed. “Okay, it freaked me out at first. How did you even know about that?”

  “Seriously? You and Logan couldn’t have been more obvious. Besides, I’ve had years of practice at sniffing out lies.”

  “Remind me to never lie to you again. I think that was the most terrifying moment of my life. You’re a real ball buster.”

  “Yeah? Maybe I could get a job with Sebastian as an interrogator for his company.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  Ryan and Cassandra

  RYAN

  “How’s the wifey treating you?” Sebastian asked.

  “Pretty good. I mean, we had a rough start, but we worked things out and now it’s pretty good.”

  “So, what happens after the custody battle?” Cole asked.

  “I don’t know. We haven’t talked about it, but I..” I looked around at the guys who were staring at me expectantly. Time to lay it all out there. “I think I love her. I don’t want a divorce when this is over.”

  “No shit?” Drew said grinning.

  “No shit. Even the kid’s pretty awesome. I take him to school most days and then at night, we read Harry Potter together. It’s pretty cool. He’s just this awesome little man to hang out with. I get to teach him stuff and watch football with him.”

  “And here I am, still in the diaper zone,” Drew grumbled.

  “Are you gonna have kids with her?” Sean asked.

  “I have no clue. We haven’t talked about it. I don’t know if she even wants more.”

  “Do you?” Jack asked as he handed me a beer.

  I took a drink and thought about it. Kids would be nice, but it was also pretty cool just as we were.

  “I guess I would be fine with it, but honestly, I really like how we are now. I don’t think I need more.”

  It was poker night, but instead of playing, we were all sitting around talking about marriage and kids like old biddies. We were at my house and we were playing downstairs while the girls were upstairs having a ladies night. The kids were all playing upstairs where the ladies could keep an eye on them.

  “So now you’re one of us,” Jack said with a grin. “Have you had your balls threatened yet?”

  “Cassie’s not like that. She’s amazing. I’m telling you, I was panicking when I first married her, but now? I’m telling you, she’s perfect.”

  “There’s no such thing. Just wait. It won’t be long before she’s nagging you to take out the garbage,” Cole said.

  “Or pick up your dirty laundry.”

  “Put away your dirty dishes.”

  “Make sure your boots are clean before you come in the house.”

  “Complain about shaving in the shower.”

  “Or tell you the bathroom smells.”

  Every one of the guys put in their own two cents about what to expect from her down the road. I just didn’t buy it. Cassandra wasn’t like that.

  “See, the difference between me and all of you is that I’m naturally a pretty clean person. I take care of all my stuff and I don’t need her to clean up after me.”

  “You say that now, but just wait. She’ll find something to pick at you about,” Jack said. “When Harper moved in with me, it was great for a while, but eventually she got on me about how dirty the shower always was and how she couldn’t take a bath because I never cleaned it. I’m a mechanic. Is the shower ever going to be clean?”

  I shrugged, knowing that wouldn’t be a problem for me. “I squeegee my shower every time I get out. I’ve been doing it for years, so it’s just a part of my routine.”

  “You go to constructions sites, I’m sure you trail dirt in the house and make a mess,” Logan said.

  “I always take my shoes off in the garage, especially if I’ve been out to a job site.”

  “Leaving dishes out on the counter?” Sean asked.

  “Can’t stand for the kitchen to be dirty. I always put my dishes in the dishwasher right away, and I wipe down the counters when I’m done cooking a meal.”

  “I’m sure you leave clothes laying around the bedroom. That’s a big one with Sarah,” Drew said.

  “Nope. I’m telling you guys. I’m a clean freak. I can guarantee that there’s not a single thing that I do that would irritate Cassandra. I’m the perfect husband,” I said with a smile.

  Cassandra

  “He’s so freaking irritating. Do you know, I have never walked into this house and seen any kind of mess? It’s always clean,” I growled as I took a drink of wine.

  “Does he have a maid?” Sarah asked.

  “No. He just always cleans up after himself.”

  “And you’re complaining about that?” Harper looked at me in disbelief.

  I put a hand on my hip as I faced the girls. “Do you know how annoying it is to feel like you always have to be perfect in your own home? If I’m running late and I don’t put my dishes in the dishwasher, he comes behind me and does it. When I’m done in the shower, he goes in there and takes a squeegee to the walls. There’s a button that I have to press that sprays cleaner on the walls when I’m done. I have never once seen a single hair in the sink or the shower. I’m a freaking cat over here shedding everywhere I go. There’s always hair coming out in the shower. He put a drain catcher in so that my hair doesn’t clog the drain and he cleans it every day!”

  “Can I trade mine for yours?” Lillian asked. “Sean is a dirty beast. He walks into the house and leaves a trail wherever he goes. The only thing he puts away regularly is his gun. Half the time, I have to go behind him and pick up all his stuff to put on the table by the door. Otherwise, he spends the whole morning trying to find everything.”

  “Cole uses the dryer as his personal dumping ground. He walks in the back door and everything from his pockets goes on top of the dryer,” Alex took a drink of her wine and rolled her eyes. “I wish sometimes that I had a job, but cleaning up after Cole is a full time job. When he comes home from working at VAS or helping his dad, I spend a good forty-five minutes vacuuming up wood shavings.”

  “Logan gets out of the shower and puts his wet towel on the bed, or the floor, or on a wood table. It’s like he doesn’t understand what mold is. I wish I could be upset with him, but he usually just mounts me to distract me from being upset.” Cece shrugged and went to grab another bottle of wine.

  “Do I sound like a spoiled brat?” I asked as I took another drink of wine.

  “That would drive me nuts. Luke can be like that too. He walks in the house sometimes and just shakes his head from the mess.” Anna sighed and slumped over the counter with her head resting in her palm. “It’s like he doesn’t realize that having a child is messy. Lila is constantly pulling out toys and no matter how many times I put them away, she has them back out five minutes later. I just give up by lunch time.”

  “Same in our house. Jack doesn’t understand that I’m taking care of two kids and I have to find time to write in all of that. I swear, I sweep the kitchen floor five times a day and then he walks in and traipses dirt all over the floor again. I think because I work from home, he thinks the house should be clean because I’m there.”

  “You guys are lucky. Since Sebastian and I aren’t married and I live in his house, I kind of feel like I’m not allowed to say anything,” Maggie said.

  “Have you talked about getting married?” I asked.

  “Well, I brought it up once and he got all wiggy about it. I swear, he just pretended that he didn’t even hear me.”

  “Ugh. Get used to it. If Logan doesn’t want to do something or talk about something, he distracts me wi
th sex.”

  “I’m used to being ignored. Drew still gets lost in his thoughts. I understand why and I know it happens to me too, but sometimes, I think he does it just to get out of doing stuff around the house,” Sarah said.

  “I was trying to write a scene for my book and I wanted to run it past Jack to see what he thought. I read five pages to him and when I was done, I asked him what he thought. He said about what? He didn’t hear a single thing I said.”

  “Have you ever gotten the ‘I can’t read minds’ line?” Alex asked. A round of groans and ‘oh yeahs’ filled the space. “Cole seems to want me to always know what he’s thinking. He’s even said to me that he expects people to use their brains and come to the right conclusions. Yet, I walk in the door and say I have groceries that need to be brought in and he just sits there. Then, when I give him the look, he says, ‘What? I can’t read minds. You have to tell me what you want.’ Umm, hello? Didn’t I just do that?”

  “Sometimes, I say really outrageous things just to see if Sebastian is paying attention, thinking that he’ll be embarrassed about not listening. He never is. Men just don’t care if they’re caught not listening.”

  “Ladies, you’re going about this all wrong. James pulls the same stuff. I use it against him later and keep the pressure on until he cracks. You just have to know the right thing to say.”

  Ryan

  We’d finally started the poker game, but then we heard the ladies getting really loud, so we decided to go check it out. We were just getting to the top of the stairs when I put a hand up to stop the guys. They were gathered in the kitchen talking about us and I was very interested in hearing what they had to say.

  “Logan does this thing where he swirls. Oh my God. Hands down. Best ever.” I looked at Logan who had a cocky grin on his face.

  “Cole’s a scooper. You should see that wrist action.” Alex was staring into space as she licked the ice cream from her spoon.

  “Ugh. I wish Jack was good. I swear he’s a swish and flick.” Harper made a scooping motion with her hand and then flicked her fingers.

  “What the-”

  I put my hand up to silence Jack and glared at him. He had a look of indignation on his face.

  “Drew always leaves a mess. I always end up wiping up after him.”

  “That’s bullshit,” Drew hissed. “I always lick her clean.”

  “Dude, we don’t need to know that,” Cole interjected.

  “What about Ryan?” Harper asked.

  “Eh. He’s too..clean.”

  “What do you mean?” Harper asked as she scooped ice cream into her mouth. I leaned over the banister to make sure I heard Cassie’s answer.

  “Sometimes, I just wish he would get really dirty. You know that kind of dirty where no amount of soap will ever clean up the mess?”

  I glanced at the guys who all had their brows raised.

  “I get dirty,” I whisper hissed.

  “Come on, Lillian. Don’t hold back. Tell us about Sean.”

  “I think that’s enough, boys.” Sean said as he tried to push past us. I blocked him. If we all had to hear how we measured up, so did he.

  “Well, obviously, I don’t have anyone to compare him to. He’s my first, but I’d like to say that he generally does a good job.”

  “Ouch. Not exactly a trophy moment there,” Sebastian whispered.

  “Just wait. We haven’t heard about you yet,” I said.

  “Okay, Maggie. Your turn,” Sarah said as she clapped her hands together.

  “Sebastian’s good, but Sinner? Whew!” Maggie started fanning herself and all the girls giggled. “Talk about licking the bowl clean, and he always has just the right flavors.”

  I looked at Sebastian. His jaw was ticking in rage. I caught Drew grabbing on to his arm to stop him from attacking.

  “And Sebastian’s okay with that?” Lillian asked.

  Maggie giggled and threw her head back. “He doesn’t know. We do it when he takes me to the gun range. It’s been a little tradition of ours since he started taking me.”

  That didn’t sound like Maggie, and furthermore, none of our girls would be laughing about something like that.

  “You’d better hope he doesn’t find out. No man wants his woman licking someone else’s spoon,” Cece said as she pointed her spoon at Maggie.

  “I don’t think he’d mind. The other night, I was doing this thing that he really likes and I asked him if he’d be okay doing a three way,” Maggie smiled and waggled her eyebrows.

  “And he agreed?” Lillian said with a squeak.

  Maggie nodded with a big smile. “Of course, I would be willing to share with you ladies if one of you is willing to give up your man for the night.”

  “Did she just say what I think she said?” Logan asked.

  “Sounds like Maggie and Sebastian are planning to have a three way with one of us,” Drew said with a raised eyebrow. “Dude. I don’t double up with other guys.”

  “I never agreed to that. That’s total bullshit,” Sebastian hissed.

  “I don’t mind sharing Drew. He’s really good, but now that I’m pregnant, I’m just not in the mood. He should get it somewhere,” Sarah said.

  “No. Not happening,” Drew said, shaking his head furiously. He turned to Sebastian with an accusatory finger. “You’re sick.”

  Sebastian held his hands up. “I didn’t suggest it! I don’t know where she’s getting this from.”

  “Apparently, you agreed when she did that thing you like.” Cole said with a raised brow. “Just don’t come to me. I saw my fair share of other guys junk in the military. Don’t need to see it now.”

  “What about Logan?” Maggie asked. “He’s adventurous in the bedroom. Do you think he’d do it?”

  “We’ve talked about three ways before. If I’m willing to do it for him, I don’t see why he wouldn’t do it for me.”

  “This is fucking crazy. They’re out there planning three ways for us. Someone needs to stop them,” Logan said as he struggled to push through the guys to get to the top.

  “You know, there was a time when I thought Ryan was gay.” Harper said thoughtfully. I held up my hands, shushing all of them so I could hear what was being said about me. “Until you came along, I really thought he was batting for the other team. Are you sure he doesn’t swing both ways?”

  “I guess I couldn’t be one hundred percent sure. It’s been a while, so maybe I’m just hoping that he’s really into me.”

  “He could be using you as a beard,” Alex replied. “I’ve seen it happen before. Let’s face it, you needed help and were the perfect excuse.”

  I noticed the guys stepped slightly away from me as if I would jump them any second.

  “I’m not fucking gay,” I snarled.

  “You’ve already got Sinner under your thumb. Why don’t you just ask him?” Harper asked.

  “Alright, alright. That’s enough,” Sebastian yelled as he stepped into the hallway where the girls could see him. “You’d better not be sleeping with Sinner. And more importantly, I never said that I would do a three way! And there’s no fucking way I would ever do one with another guy.”

  “Could you keep your voice down? James is upstairs and even though it’s fun watching Ryan try to explain sex to him, I don’t want to watch him explain a three way tonight,” Cassandra said as she crossed her arms over her chest.

  “I never said I was sleeping with Sinner,” Maggie replied.

  “Then what were you talking about?” Sebastian stepped toward Maggie and got in her face.

  “Ice cream, of course.”

  Sebastian was about to go off, but stopped at her reply and looked back at us. I thought back to the conversation and didn’t recall hearing anything about ice cream. I shook my head and narrowed my eyes at Maggie. She was lying. Sebastian turned back to her.

  “We heard all of you, out here discussing our performance in the bedroom.”

  The girls all started laughing. I didn’t s
ee how this was funny. None of us wanted our bedroom skills taken into question in front of everyone.

  “We knew you were standing there, so we purposely made it sound dirty,” Cassandra said, barely able to get the words out through her laughter.

  “Why would you do that?” Cole asked.

  “We were talking about how guys never listen to us and I suggested that we put it to the test,” Cassandra said with a smirk. “I do it to James all the time.”

  Jack walked toward Harper and pulled her into his arms. “So you do think I’m good in bed. I didn’t understand the whole swish and flick thing.”

  “We were referring to how you scoop ice cream and the mess you leave behind,” Harper grinned.

  “Told you guys I always lick her clean,” Drew muttered.

  “Drew, nobody needs to know what you do to me with your tongue in the bedroom.”

  “Wait, you knew we were there, so you weren’t serious about that three way thing, right?” Sebastian questioned Maggie.

  “And you don’t really think I’m gay, right Harper?” I asked. For some reason, this was really bothering me and I needed to know.

  “Just so all you ladies know, I may be adventurous in the bedroom, but I most definitely do not let my junk go near another guy’s, so don’t even think about it.” Logan pointed to all the girls, making sure they all heard. We all muttered in agreement with Logan, wanting them to be sure they understood there would be no sharing of any of us.

  “And I’ll have all you ladies know that I deserve a mother fucking trophy for my performance in the bedroom with Lillian,” Sean said. “She doesn’t need anyone to compare me to.”

  Lillian blushed bright red and ducked her head.

  “It’s true, though. I am a scooper. I have excellent wrist action,” Cole said as he walked over to Alex and pulled her in for a steamy kiss.

  “You guys can stop defending your manhood. We’ll just talk about you at our next girl’s night and it’ll have nothing to do with ice cream,” Cece grinned.

  Cassandra

  After everyone left for the night, Ryan and I got James off to bed and then cleaned up the kitchen. As expected, Ryan meticulously cleaned all the counters and made sure everything was put away before he came into the bedroom. I was just walking out of the bedroom when he walked in, pulling his shirt over his head.