Page 47 of I Did Before I Do
I bit my lower lip. “So, what happened, then? After I left?”
“I put her in a chair, told Bradley and Benny to keep an eye on her. I went after you, but you were already gone.” He shrugged. “I paid for my shit, left money for Emily to get a cab, and went home.”
“If I were to ask Bradley and Benny, would they tell me the same thing?”
He nodded. “Yeah. ’Cause it’s the truth. Anybody in the bar could tell you that I didn’t take Emily home. In fact, here.” He pulled his phone out, tapping the screen a few times, then handed it to me.
It was a text from Benny, dated from the night before.
Hey, man, hope you can catch up to Sydney. We got Emily in a cab home. Text if you need anything.
He couldn’t have staged that.
It had to be real.
And that meant he was telling the truth. He hadn’t done anything wrong.
But I wasn’t quite ready to let him in.
I wanted to know that he wantedme, not just to clear his own name.
I handed his phone back. “Okay. So you didn’t fuck her.”
I shrugged and moved past him, taking my burger and fries to the kitchen.
He nodded, looking at the bag he’d brought with him. It smelled like Mexican food, and I wanted it, but he had to work for it. “I was trying to do the right thing. Make sure she got home safe.”
And he had, and I’d reward him for it later. But not yet. I grabbed a plate, then glanced at him, sighed heavily, and grabbed another.
“Sydney. I’m sorry. I don’t want to hurt you like Mark did. You told me he fucked around and hurt you, and I don’t want to put you through that again. I know we’re not dating, but as long as we’re interested in each other, I won’t mess with anybody else.”
Interesting.
I brought the plates and a small heap of silverware to the table, putting them down. “You won’t?”
“No. I’ll stick around until you find somebody you’d rather settle down with, or…” He trailed off and shrugged.
What wasn’t he saying?
I didn’t ask. I didn’t want to open up anything I wasn’t ready to deal with tonight.
I handed him a plate. “Sit down. Eat.”
He took it and lowered himself into one of the chairs.
“What did you get me?” I asked.
“Um… I wasn’t sure what you liked, so…” He pulled out one container, setting it aside for himself, and pushed the bag toward me. “Chicken burrito, shrimp chimichanga, and an order of nachos. Whatever you don’t want, I’ll take home.”
I picked through the bag and settled on the chimichanga. I opened it. It was still crispy.
Ryker was watching me. I glanced up at him, then back down at my food.
“Sydney?” he asked.
“Yeah?”
He seemed hesitant.
