Ryland has never given me a reason to doubt us, but his reassurancemeans more to me than he’ll ever know. I reach up and run my fingers through his hair and tug him until our lips are against each other. It’s my silent way of promising him that I will never leave him.
His lips part, and I stifle a groan when his tongue trails across the seam of my mouth, parting it. The first taste of him is always sweet, like the whipped cream on top of a hot fudge sundae. I want to tilt his face for a better angle, but I let him lead.
He’s the first one to pull back, panting, and places his forehead on mine. I can feel the magnetic pull between us. This heated need for one another, to keep kissing, to want more from each other. However, we’ve done a good job at knowing when to pull back and not rush into things.
Ryland clears his throat, inhaling a deep breath, and takes a few steps away from me. I hate the distance between us, but I know it’s necessary. I give him a shy smile and motion for us to continue walking back to our vehicles.
“So, now that it’s officially summer break, are you staying with your grandparents?” he asks, the question catching me off guard.
Every summer vacation I spend with my grandparents. However, this will be the first summer Davis has lived with Mom. I predict that he’ll want to control the situation, especially since he’s been making me pay him rent. If I’m not at the house, I won’t have to pay him rent, and I know that will be an issue with him.
“Who knows what Davis will allow,” I say, and the worry quickly overwhelms me, as if it’s about to swallow me whole.
“He can’t keep you from staying with them during the summer. You’ve always spent the summers at the farm.” Ryland’s face pinches, a look of displeasure crossing his features before disappearing.
“I know, but he’s been relying on my rent money. I’m surprised he even listened to my Mom’s request of letting mekeep half my paycheck. What teenager has to pay rent to live in their own home?”
“He’d probably make Luke do the same if he was still coming around,” he adds, and I hum in agreement. Luke was lucky to get away when he did. He’s blessed with a mother who knows when not to take Davis’ crap. My mother, on the other hand, bends in fear.
“Like you said, one more year and we can get out of here.” That statement alone is all the hope that I need.
“Where am I taking you?” he asks.
We’ve had a few discussions of what colleges we want to apply to and agreed to pick one together. He’s been saving every dime he can and has been working extra lately to help his Pops keep his business afloat, which has been slowly falling apart since Nan passed away. I’ve tried to not allow that to worry me.
I’ve been saving everything I get from my paychecks too. Surely, between the two of us, we will have enough to help us move away from here. As we walk back toward our cars, we discuss our plans more, and the excitement of the future builds inside my chest. That excitement is ripped away at the sight of a dark form standing in front of my car. He takes a step forward into the light casting down from the pole in front of the parking lot. Matt smirks at us, clearly pleased to have caught us together.
“What are you doing here?” Ryland growls, moving me behind him, as if he has to shield me from Matt.
“Just taking a nightly stroll,” he says, his voice slithering with each word.
“It’s not a crime for me to take a walk downtown after my shift. Davis doesn’t have to send you here to spy on me.” I roll my eyes, anger lighting up every nerve in my body, and I move around my car until I’m standing by my driver's side door. Ryland never leaves my side or takes his hand off me. His eyes watch Matt’s every movement like a lion ready to pounce.
“No, but he’s not happy that every night after your shift you’ve been spending time withhim.”
Ryland tenses beside me. “Raine is allowed to do whatever she wants.”
“See, that’s where you’re confused, because Davis specifically told Raine to stay away from you. Now that he knows she’s been lying about her work hours to sneak off with you, he’s going to be making some changes.” Matt’s words sink into the pit of my stomach. “You better get on home, Raine.”
We stand in silence for a moment as Matt walks over to the black truck sitting a few parking spaces down. His truck turns on, and not until I see its red taillights disappear down the street do I release the breath I’m holding. Ryland pulls me to him, cradling me in his arms, as if I am something breakable, something fragile. Maybe I am.
He stays quiet, rubbing smooth circles onto my back, never moving to leave me. He doesn’t try to solve my problems or remove my pain with empty words. He knows how bad this situation is, and it’s out of our control until we can move away. Instead, he lets me fall apart without trying to put me back together.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Now
Ryland
It’s been a very productive week. Wednesday, I oversaw the construction happening over at the local apple farm. Thursday, I finished up the master bedroom at the Wiley farm, then Raine and I picked out the paint colors for each room and primed all the walls together. Friday, I took Earl out to dinner after work to fill him in on the renovations. After I finished up on Friday, I called and invited Raine to come with Annabelle and me to the Spring Festival that’s happening downtown today.
I place Annabelle on my shoulders once we reach the heart of downtown to help search for Raine. Taupe-colored two- and three-story buildings sit on both sides of the street, and in between them is a line of colorful food trucks, small businesses set up under canopies, and a stage that is standing at the end of the street.
I walk to where Enchanted Petals is located and see that they have a ‘build your own bouquet’ booth. I let Annabelle pick out her own bouquet, which is made of every pinkflower she can find. Then we work together to create a bouquet for Raine, choosing an array of wildflowers.
“Oh, she’s going to love it, Daddy!” Annabelle squeals as we pay the worker.
Annabelle begs to be lifted back onto my shoulders and I can already feel the soreness spreading into my muscles, but I want to enjoy this while I can before she is too grown. A mix of eighties country and rock is blasting from the speakers nearby, and I dance to the music, sending my daughter into a fit of laughter as I bounce her on my shoulders.
