“Nope. I wanted another piece, but Grandma told me no. One was the limit and she wasn’t going to get in trouble with you or Mom.”

  Ryder laughed. “I don’t know that your grandmother has ever said she was worried about getting in trouble with anyone before.”

  “I’ll bring over some chicken and pasta from this great place that I get takeout. Does that work?” Sam asked.

  “Tommy likes chicken and pasta. And thank you,” Marissa said. “For everything.”

  “Hey,” Sam said. “You’re family. No thanks needed.”

  He looked at Sam and caught his wink. Yeah, his older brother had his back.

  27

  Tough Genes

  “I wish I had some nicer clothes for tonight,” Marissa said to Ryder when they were getting dressed.

  “You look great. We aren’t going anywhere fancy even though Tommy said I need to take you out like that. Next time,” he said. “Bring something nicer than jeans. But you look great.”

  Her wardrobe was limited to jeans and shorts when she packed. She did have a pair of shoes with her and her sneakers. She’d had a few nicer shirts that she put with her shorts because she knew she’d be on web calls with work so she felt a little more put together at least.

  When the bell rang and then the door opened, Sam came in carrying a box. “That’s a lot of food for the two of you,” she said.

  “I got a few different things. Chicken and stuffed pork chops that looked good with pasta and veggie sides. Tommy can pick and choose and someone has leftovers.”

  “You can take them,” Ryder said. “I know you and Dani don’t cook much so I’m sure she’ll be hungry when she gets out of work. You need to feed my nephew better. Maybe I should give you some cooking lessons.”

  Sam laughed. “We do much better than we did earlier on. Not nearly as much takeout and we both share the cooking time.”

  Marissa thought that was sweet of Sam knowing that his job probably took him away from home a lot. Even Dani owning her own business had to be working more than just the normal forty-hour workweek along with nontraditional hours.

  “Unless you’ve got instructions for Sam, why don’t we leave?” Ryder said.

  “I think he has it covered,” she said, so they left. When they were in Ryder’s car she asked, “Who is going to watch Sam’s son when he’s born?”

  “Sam is taking a few weeks off but not all together. Dani will take a few months off but still stop in and run her business. When she’s ready to go back I think it’s only going to be part time. My mother is retiring at the end of the school year. She’ll be watching both Dani and Payton’s kids as needed.”

  “Oh, that’s great.” She knew it wasn’t a money issue on either of their families but more like a support system. “What is Payton doing about the deli?”

  “She has staff too and has grown a lot. I’m sure she’ll go back full time or full days and Bryce’s schedule changes all the time. He could take a night class and not work a few days, etc. Neither of them will need daycare full time and I’m sure there will be times my mother has both babies at one of the houses. She’ll be able to handle it no problem.”

  “Kind of like having multiples, but your mom never did,” she said.

  “No, but she watched my cousins a lot with us and vice versa. Trust me, she can handle it no problem. What did you do with Tommy?”

  “I had daycare costs. My parents both worked. I lived at home for the first year he was born and was able to put some money away. Then I moved out and budgeted like everyone else does.”

  “You won’t have that problem anymore,” he said.

  “I have after school care for Tommy, but that doesn’t cost all that much.”

  “I meant money.”

  “I know,” she said. “And I’m grateful even though I tell you all the time I don’t need it. The truth is, I have no one to blame but myself for the struggle, but I did it. Tommy doesn’t just get his tough genes from your side of the family.”

  “No one thinks otherwise in my family. And I don’t want to ruin our night talking about things to put our backs up. I’m just asking questions on a topic you mentioned.”

  She nodded her head. She knew that and had to remember that every conversation they had didn’t or shouldn’t result in a fight. “I’m starving too,” she said, changing the subject. “Where are we going?”

  “Just this Italian restaurant I love. My brothers and cousins and I come here a lot. We’ve crashed a lot of dates on people here.”

  “Crashed dates?” she asked.

  They parked and he noticed Drake’s car right away. It was hard not to notice the Audi A8 when there weren’t that many around. “Yep. Maybe we’ll do that tonight with my cousin.”

  She didn’t know what he was talking about, but when they walked into the lobby Drake and Kara, Noah and Paige were standing there. “Ryder,” Drake said. “Fancy seeing you here.”

  “Is it though?” Ryder asked. “I told you Sam was watching Tommy tonight so we could go out to eat.”

  “But you didn’t tell me where you were going. I just thought it’d be a nice night for us to go out too,” Drake said. The hostess came over to get Drake and he said, “Can you add two more chairs to it?”

  “Sure,” the hostess said. “Follow me.”

  Guess they were having dinner with his cousins tonight rather than just the two of them, but it might be fun. It’d been so long since she’d been on a double date with anyone. She didn’t even have that many friends anymore.

  No one her age had a child back then and it’s not like she had the time or money to go out and do the things many her age were.

  Then as Tommy got older and had friends in school, those parents were still older than her or married. Sure, she talked to the other mothers and she might have had lunch with people now and again. Coworkers or clients but they weren’t really friends.

  Once they were seated at the table, beer and wine ordered, she was checking the menu out and trying to decide what to get. “I heard Tommy’s appointment went well,” Kara said to her. Of all the women in the family, she did find she related to Kara the most when they talked. Maybe it was their quiet calm nature along with their finance background.

  “It did. We’ll be going home Sunday morning.”

  “Why so early?” Ryder asked. “Why not wait until he’s ready for his afternoon nap and then he can sleep in the car?”

  “I thought of it, but we’ve been gone and there are things I need to do at home. It’s probably full of dust and the lawn might look like my house is abandoned. I need to get Tommy’s bedroom set up and everything else comfortable for him and my parents who will be watching him. I don’t want to overstay our welcome and we need to get back to our lives too.”

  She could see Ryder was hurt by those words and didn’t want that to happen, so she reached her hand over and laid it on his. He smiled at her and she caught the look of his cousins at that move.

  There was no use hiding things at this point and she wasn’t going to. As close as the family was, she was positive they knew she and Ryder were trying to make things work and exploring a personal relationship again. They might be hiding it from Tommy, but there was no reason to do it when Tommy wasn’t around.

  “Are you going to let me come see you next weekend and stay?” he asked. “I know it’s probably too much for Tommy to take the trip again, but I want to see him.”

  “I think that would work out great if you don’t mind.”

  “I don’t,” he said. “Maybe I’ll come Thursday night after work and then I can go with you to Tommy’s appointment with his pediatrician on Friday. I can stay with him while you’re working.”

  She wanted to argue but had no reason to. She had to loosen up the reins on her control with her son. Ryder had been nothing but wonderful in terms of parenting and he was trying more than most.

  “If it works for you I’m sure Tommy would love it.”

  The rest of the dinner went well. There was more food ordered and eaten by the men than she’d ever seen before and she knew where Tommy got his appetite. Good grief, he was going to eat her out of house and home when he was older.

  When the bill came and was set in the middle of the table, Drake and Noah stood up and their wives followed, all of them laughing as they left.

  “What was that?” she asked. “Did your cousins just leave that massive bill with you?”

  “They did. I knew it was going to happen. I said I’d crash their dinner, but the asses turned it around on me. I knew right away what was happening when all of them started to pad their dinner orders.”

  “I’m so confused right now. You were going to have us eat with them and not pay?”

  “It’s a Fierce ritual. We all do it. We crash someone’s date, ring up the charges and then ditch them with the bill. Everyone has done it and everyone has had it done to them. Well, actually, I’m not sure anyone has done it to me. Shit.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yeah. I wonder why that is,” he said, frowning and then he flushed. Like he might know but didn’t want to share. “Anyway. I guess I had it coming.”

  She went to reach for the bill and he slapped her hand and snatched it up, putting his credit card in there and holding onto it until the waitress came back.

  “I suppose it is kind of funny and I had a great time. I was looking forward to us having dinner alone, but it was nice to learn so much about your family and get to know your cousins.”

  “I’m glad. My family means the world to me and anyone I’m with, I want them to get along with them.”

  “I want to think they like me, all things considered.” She did withhold Tommy’s presence from them for years, but it seemed the family was slowly forgiving her for it.

  28

  My Thoughts And Feelings

  Ryder knew his face filled with heat the minute he realized why none of his cousins ever crashed his dates before. They couldn’t stand to be around the women he was with.

  And when he said anyone he was with had to be liked by his family, it just reaffirmed what he’d done for years. He’d purposely set himself up with women no one would like or approve of, making it easier for him to walk away and not get attached.

  But he had no intention of walking away from Marissa and he was going to do everything in his power to make sure she was his.

  She would have his last name the same as their son if it was the last thing he did.

  He couldn’t forget what she did for nine years, but he could slowly work his way toward forgiving her. He had to or they’d never get ahead.

  “Are you ready to go home?” he asked.

  “I am. I’m stuffed. I wonder how Tommy is doing,” she said.

  “I’m sure he’s fine and I give you credit for not texting Sam to find out or asking me to do it. It will only be two hours by the time we get home.”

  “I know he’s in good hands.”

  “Hopefully he’s tired out and ready for bed,” he said. It was pushing eight at this point and Tommy had been sleeping by eight thirty all this week even with two naps during the day.

  He was thrilled the pain meds were less for his son and he was more alert and more comfortable, but he was pretty worn out even though he was getting stronger daily.

  When they walked in the door, Sam was on the couch with Tommy watching a movie, Tommy’s eyes popping open. “Did we wake you?” Marissa said, moving forward to sit next to Tommy.

  “No,” Tommy argued. “We were watching a movie.”

  “I see that. You’ve seen this one a few times already.”

  “It’s almost done,” Tommy said. “Sam hasn’t seen it yet. You’re going to finish it with me, right?”

  “I sure am,” Sam said.

  “I’ll get the food put together for you,” Ryder said to his brother.

  “Kicking me out already?” Sam asked, grinning.

  “Yeah,” he said back and looked at Marissa, her face turning a light shade of red.

  “Why did you say that to him?” Marissa whispered to him in the kitchen. “It’s rude.”

  “He’s not stupid. He knows why,” he said. “Besides, Tommy is barely awake and I find I can’t wait to get you in the bedroom. It’s hard not showing affection in front of people.”

  “You held my hand in the restaurant,” she said.

  “I did,” he said. She’d made the first move and he felt it gave him permission to do it back. He even put his arm around her waist when they left and pulled her close.

  Once the food was packed up and in a box, Sam was out the door the minute the movie ended and Marissa got Tommy ready for bed. He started to clean up the kitchen and pick up the rest of the house.

  “He’s out already,” she said. “He always fell asleep fast but now it’s even more so.”

  “Good,” he said, grabbing her hand and pulling her into his room. “Now it’s just the two of us again.”

  “It’s the two of us all the time at night.”

  “I wish it was more,” he said. She opened her mouth and he stopped her. “It’s just words and my thoughts and feelings. I’m not telling you to move here. I’m not asking you to make plans. I’m just talking. Nothing more than that.”

  “I know. There are so many things to work out but tonight isn’t the time for that conversation. Not even next week.”

  “Which is funny coming from the planner of the two of us.”

  “It is and I’m trying to compromise.”

  He was grateful for that. “Let’s start with now,” he said, moving her to the chair in his room. “I see you eying this for some reason. Care to tell me why?”

  She smiled. “It looks nice and comfy. Why not be there for a change.”

  “Ah, the bed is getting old for you already?” he asked, unbuttoning her shirt, then pushing it off her shoulders.

  “No. It’s just you used to be so much more fun than only the bed. Maybe I’m missing that and want it back.”

  He’d always loved sex and been adventurous, but after hearing what she’d said before about her dating life and knowing his, he hadn’t wanted to push it.

  “I can give you anything and everything you want. All you need to do is ask me for it.”

  She was wiggling out of her jeans, then her panties and bra. He undressed just as fast, standing in his boxer briefs.

  “Take them off too,” she said and go sit in the chair.

  He could do that...gladly. Dropping the rest of his clothing, he was already rock hard waiting to see what she had planned.

  He loved watching her walk around buckassed naked in front of him.

  With a condom in her hand from the bedside drawer, she got in front of him and covered him fast but rather than straddle him and climb on facing him, she turned around, lined herself up and lowered down.

  “Oh wow,” she said. “I’ve been thinking of this and how it’d feel from this angle.”

  “It feels pretty damn good to me,” he said, realizing how tight it was and the limited range of motion she might have. He moved up a bit and she gasped, knowing it was applying pressure in different areas.

  Her legs were spread wide on the outside of his and she was at a disadvantage to move, but she put her hands on the arms and lifted up and then down and gasped again.

  “I can take care of it,” he said. “Just hang on.”

  He put one hand on her breast, the other on her clit and started to work them both over with precision and care, then added some speed and a touch of pain.

  Her muscles were clenching around him and he wasn’t sure how long he was going to be able to hold off just having her sit there and enjoy it.

  When he thought she was close to the end he started to thrust up into her hard and in almost jerky motions.

  Her back arched, her hands came back and grabbed his head, threading her fingers in his hair and holding on while she took everything he had to give her.

  His heart, his soul, and his body were now hers whether she wanted them or not.

  And when he was done and exhausted, he picked her up and carried her to his bed to lay her down. Then he went to the bathroom to clean up and looked at himself in the mirror.

  What he saw was a man in love again. And what he hoped was she felt the same and she wouldn’t break his heart.

  29

  Paternal Instincts

  Marissa opened her eyes and looked at the clock to see it was five in the morning. She hadn’t planned on staying in Ryder’s bed this long, but he’d completely worn her out.

  She climbed out of bed and grabbed her clothes, covering herself and making her way to the guest room, then finding her tank top and shorts and climbing in bed for another hour of sleep.

  When she smelled coffee, she blinked her eyes open to see Ryder standing there with Tommy and a tray in his hand. “We made you breakfast in bed,” Tommy said.

  She sat up fast and looked at the clock on the nightstand to see it was eight. “Why didn’t you wake me, Tommy?”

  “I tried to, but you weren’t moving so I went to get Ryder. He said you were tired, that it’d been a long week for everyone. So he asked if I wanted to help him make you breakfast.”

  “That was very sweet of you two.”

  “Ryder said that you have to spoil people that you care for. That mean a lot to you, so that’s what we are doing.”

  If she thought she could hold her heart in check, she found out how completely wrong she was.

  “You two didn’t need to make me breakfast in bed,” she said again and sat up to rub her eyes.

  “I tried to wake you so we could look for the eggs,” Tommy said. “Then I went to get Ryder. He said we had to wait for you to get up.”

  “Oh my God.” She threw the covers back. How could she forget that she and Ryder ran around the house last night hiding eggs as the Bunny’s helpers since Tommy didn’t get to really celebrate Easter last Sunday? “I’m so sorry, Tommy. You should have shaken me to get me up.”