“Don’t play with me, Lola. I’ll go down to the courthouse tomorrow and ask for a name change if that’ll make you happy.” His tone is serious as he settles me on my feet and reaches into the shower to turn the water on. Steam billows around us a few moments later, cloaking us in a shroud of safety I haven’t felt in weeks. Not since Lemmon Meringue decided to weasel her way into our lives, but she messed with the wrong woman. I protect what’s mine, and Ryder Lockhart certainly ismine.
But after seeing the look of what I fear was genuine surprise on her face tonight, I’m worried I’ve gotten it all wrong.
“Hey, Ry,” I whisper, water dripping down my body, his callused fingers gliding over my hips as he lathers his eucalyptus body wash into my skin.
“Yes, darlin’?” He peers down at me, dark clumps of his hair plastered to his forehead, water dripping into his eyes.
“What if we’re wrong and it hasn’t been Lemmon all along?”
His brows pinch, ocean eyes search my gaze. “What makes you think that, darlin’?”
I shake my head. “It’s just—” I glance down to where his hands are on me, gathering mine in his, our wedding bands glimmering beneath the bathroom lights.
He tugs one hand out of my grasp gently,pinching my chin between his forefinger and thumb to tilt my head back, and I find myself snared in his gaze.
“It’s just what?”
“She looked so shocked, Ry. And unless she’s been taking professional acting classes, I’m not sure it was all a ruse.”
He nods. “I trust your instincts, Lola. No matter what the truth is, we’ll figure it out.” The fierceness with which he says those words settles some of the unease swirling in my gut, and rather than focus on all the ways mygutcould have steered me wrong, I focus on Ryder, the man myhearthas always led me back to.
After a long, well-deserved shower, we crawl into bed together, our bodies sated and clean.
Ryder twists my wet curls, setting them above my head on my pillow, and I just know I’ll regret sleeping with wet hair when I’m forced to tame it in the morning, but after the night's events, I just can't be bothered to diffuse. Although he did his best, detangling, raking leave-in conditioner from the mids to ends and even applying my gel afterward, like he’s seen me do so many times before, it won’t matter in the morning.
He leans in close and wraps an arm around my waist. “Will you please consider a security guard? For me?” he asks, his voice small, but it sounds so loud in the calm silence of our dark room.
The last thing I want is to feel like some mob princess with a price over my head, but I have a feeling Ryder’s mental health could really use this, so I agree. “Sure, Ry. We can look into a security guard.”
He lets out a relieved breath, his body sagging against me. “Thank you, darlin’.”
“Whatever you need, Ry,” I say, repeating a version of his earlier words to him.
He falls asleep quickly, but he doesn’t stay asleep.
A half hour passes as I stare at the ceiling, my lids growing heavy while I wait for the inevitable to happen. When I hearhis whimpers and feel his body go rigid against me, I’m ready for it this time.
I roll over top of him, straddling his waist and hugging my body tightly against him, the same as I have every time panic threatens to strangle him in his sleep.
“It’s okay, Ry. It’s alright. I’ve got you. I’m here, and we’re safe,” I whisper the mantra over and over until his body stills, and I’m able to sleep.
That happens three more times before the sun rises.
Chapter Fifty-Five
COWBOY CROSSING
SATURDAY, JUNE 21
I knowshe’s not thrilled about having a security detail, and, if I’m honest, I have no idea how we’ll afford it or where we’d go to look for something like that, but I’ll figure it out.
I woke up to the first of what I’m sure will be many threatening text messages. This one was overtly so as opposed to the veiled warnings of some of Lola’s earlier messages.
It read:
Watch your back, cowboy. We know what you’re hiding.
The message was so cliché, I actually had to laugh, but the “we” has me worrying this problem might be bigger than either of us realized.
