Chapter 22

(Aaron) 

As we landed at the airport in San Francisco, I could see the visible change in Rylan. She smiled for the first time since she woke up from whatever nightmare she had during the flight. I finally understand why she moved across the country from her mother.

It wasn’t just the job we offered her at Mercy General. Now, after meeting her mother for the first time, I understand that it was to get as far away from her as possible. If that woman was my mother, I think I would do the same. 

Speaking of mothers, I need to call mine just to tell her that I love her. I don’t do that often enough. It is time to change that, along with quite a few other things about how I deal with life. 

I have been running and hiding from all the shit that fucks with my head or heart. Rylan was a big issue for both, but since I am facing that head-on, I don’t foresee any other issues there. However, like all relationships, we never know what the future holds. 

I have hope for the first time in years because of her. 

As soon as she gets her sister settled in and is back to work, I think it is time for our first official date. It is time to be romantic with my girlfriend. I could wine and dine with her at her favorite restaurant, or I could surprise her with dinner on the beach. I have a quiet spot in mind for that.

Two hours after we land, we are pulling into her driveway. I get out of the car so I can grab their bags from the trunk, then I follow them to the door. I give Rylan a soft kiss before I go to leave her so she can try to get some more sleep. She clings to me, and I am reluctant to let her go. 

“Come, lay down with me; we both need sleep. I would sleep better with you beside me.” 

The sad look in her eye is still there from whatever she dreamed about while we were on the plane. I will do anything she asks to chase that sad look away. I nodded my head and let her lead me toward her room.

“Rosalie, my car keys are on the table by the door if you need to go anywhere. I am going to try for a few hours of sleep.” She tells her before we leave the living room. 

“Thank you, Rylan. I think I’m just going to go for a walk. Get the layout of the neighborhood down.” 

“Take the keys with you anyway, in case you decide to do more.” 

“Okay.” 

Rylan smiles at her sister, and then we keep walking to the bedroom. I close the door softly after we enter the room. I watch as she walks straight to the end of her bed, strips out of her jeans, and takes her bra off before crawling up the bed until she is at her pillows.

My cock twitches, but I ignore it. I want her to go to sleep for a while. This trip took more out of her than she wants me to believe.

She holds her hand out to me as she yawns. “Come here.” 

When I reach the end of the bed, I take my shirt off but leave my pants on. She frowns at me, then laughs as she shakes her head. I climb onto the bed, then pull her against my side. She cuddles close to me, and soon I feel her body relaxing. 

Sleep takes us both under its velvety blanket and cocoons us away from the world.

I am jolted out of sleep sometime later by the sound of heavy sobbing. Rylan is not in the bed beside me, and the sound of her crying is coming from the bathroom. I look at the clock on her bedside table, and it shows that it is eight at night. I slept for three hours. 

Getting up from the bed, I walk swiftly to the bathroom. The shower is running, but it barely muffles her sobbing. Her shirt and panties are in a heap outside the shower stall. I strip out of my pants but leave my boxers on, then open the frosted glass shower door. 

Rylan is sitting on the floor with her knees up to her chest. The water from the shower is beating down on her head. I slip in behind her as her head comes up off her knees. Her crying doesn’t stop while I sit down and pull her back against my chest.

This is how I soothed her just a few days ago after that bastard attacked her in the supply closet.  

“I always knew she resented my birth. Hearing it was more heartbreaking than knowing it. Hearing her voice it out loud…” She broke off with a sob.

I stroke her wet hair off her face as she turns her head to the side to look at me. Her beautiful blue eyes are red from her crying. I rub my thumb across her cheek to wipe her tears away, but more slip free as I do.  

“Baby, you are an amazing woman. It isn’t your fault; you were born due to her actions. It is her fault for not getting past her issues to see that, despite her, you became the woman you are today. Strong, independent, intelligent, and one of the most fiercely loyal people I have ever met.” I kiss her forehead softly, then just hold her for a few minutes while her crying slows down. 

“How do I move on from this, Aaron? My own mother wishes she would have aborted me. How do I get over knowing that?” 

That is a tough question to answer. I have no experience with what she is going through. This is something that is better suited to Quinn. My best friend, who has only wanted to be loved by his father.  

We are all broken in our own ways.

“One day at a time, baby. You have a great support system here. Your sister is here with you, and you can help each other. I will be here for you whenever you need me. You are not alone.” 

“Promise? Promise me that we won’t go backwards in this relationship. I have wanted this for so long, and now that we are finally doing it, I am scared that we won’t last.” 

“I am scared too, Rylan. We both have our battles to overcome. I want this to work too, so let’s make it work. Go on a date with me after you get your sister all settled in and you get back to work.” 

Her eyes widened in surprise. “A date? Like our first date?” 

“It occurred to me that we went from zero to a hundred fast. We have known each other for years, but now that we are a couple, date nights are important. So, what do you say?” 

She smiles at me, happiness shining in her beautiful eyes. I will take that over the sad look that her bitch of a mother put there. She turns in my arms so she can wrap hers around my neck.

“Yes, a date with my very hot boyfriend sounds amazing to me.” 

“Hot boyfriend, huh?” 

“Oh, hell yeah, you are. Kind too.” 

“Well, I do what I can to please my woman.” 

She laughs, then leans forward to kiss me. I kiss her back softly, lean around her to turn the water off, then scoop her up in my arms so we can get out of the shower. After sitting her on her feet, I wrap a towel around her body.

“I am going to get dressed, then go check on my sister and find us some food.” 

“I will meet you out there after I get dressed and make a few phone calls. I want to check in with Quinn, call my realtor to get the ball rolling on furnishing that house for my parents.” I tell her as I peel off my wet boxers and grab a towel for myself. 

She gives me a quick kiss, then rushes into the bedroom with me right behind her. My eyes never leave her while she rushes to her dresser to grab clothes. When she finds what she is looking for, she walks to the end of the bed, tosses her clothes on the end of the bed, and then drops her towel on the floor.

The tattoo on her back draws me in more than it ever has before. It goes up the left side of her back and slightly over onto her ribs. A weeping cherry tree in all black except for the pale pink flowers. It is beautiful, just like she is. 

I walk up behind her after she pulls her panties on, and then I plant a soft kiss on her shoulder. I can’t seem to get enough of touching or kissing her. After years of denying myself the bounty she has offered me countless times, I just don’t want to resist her anymore. 

“You are so fucking beautiful, Rylan. I am sorry for denying us both the chance at happiness for so long.” 

She spins around as I wrap my arms around her waist. “We are here now; let’s focus on that. You think I am beautiful?” 

“You take my breath away every time you smile at me or give me one of those sultry, sexy smirks, like you are doing right now. I fought it for too long, but no more. I am all yours, baby.” 

“About fucking time. Now, if you don’t let me go, I am going to starve.” 

I laugh, then give her a quick kiss before stepping away from her. I grab my pants and shirt off the floor so I can get dressed, too. My eyes follow her as we both go about getting ready to leave her room.

I just can’t believe this is real yet. 

Before she leaves, I pull her to me once more for another kiss. She molds her body to mine as she kisses me back. I stop myself from taking the kiss deeper, like I want to. She gives me a happy sigh when I step back and walk to the bedroom door.

“Let’s go find something to eat.” 

“What about your phone calls?” 

“I will make them tomorrow. Let’s eat, then I will leave so you can have some time with your sister.” 

“Okay.” 

I open the door for her, then follow behind her. The tantalizing aroma of lasagna leads us straight to the kitchen. Rosalie is pulling the dish out of the oven when we walk in. Talk about timing.

“Hey, I was going to come knock on your door after I pulled this out.” Rosalie says with a smile when she sees us. 

“You are amazing, sis. We were just coming out to find food.” 

“Did you sleep well?” 

We share a look, but we just nod at her. Rylan walks to a cabinet to grab plates, then she reaches into a drawer for silverware. I walk to the fridge to see if she has a bottle of wine. When I find what I am looking for, I pull it out and grab three glasses. 

I then walk to the small kitchen table she has so that I can open the wine and pour us all a glass. Rylan follows me to the table so she can set out the plates and silverware. Rosalie joins us a few moments later and sets the steaming casserole dish on a trivet that is already in the center of the table.

“This smells divine, Rosalie,” I tell her as I hand her a glass of wine. 

“Thank you. I drove to the store while you two were sleeping and just walked around until I decided what I wanted to cook. I don’t know many recipes, but this one I actually learned from my soon-to-be ex-mother-in-law.” 

“Well, sit down and let me plate you two some of this home-cooked meal.” I tell them both as I reach for the knife to cut into the lasagna. 

Rylan hands me Rosalie’s plate so I can serve her first. Once I have a serving on plates for each of us, I sit down to join them. This is surprisingly relaxing. I don’t do this enough; I just sit down to eat with people I care about. 

This right here is what I think my life has been missing. Simplicity, relaxation, and good company other than myself or Quinn. 

“I know that look,” Rylan says as she puts her glass down. 

“What look?” I ask her. 

“That look you get when you have an idea, like your aha moment.” 

I take her word for it. We have all been sitting in silence as we enjoy our meal and wine. My thoughts must have shown on my face to make her comment. 

“I was just thinking that I don’t do this enough.” 

“Eat?” 

I laugh, “No, this sitting down with friends or family for a meal and conversation. I know why I haven’t in the past with a lot of people, but I think it would be nice to make it a weekly or monthly thing.” 

Rylan looks at me thoughtfully, then smiles. “I think that would be great to do. We could talk to Quinn and Annie about it once your parents are back here. Between her parents and yours, there are bound to be requests for that stuff soon, anyway.” 

That is a very valid point, and one I hadn’t thought of until now. My mother will want weekly dinners at her place so she can cook. I think we can pacify her by having monthly dinners if we alternate locations.

“Annie, is the woman I met the other night, the pregnant one?” Rosalie asks. 

“Yes, she is my best friend’s wife. They have a daughter, Grace, and soon twins.” 

“They look so happy together.” She gets a sad look in her eyes after she says this.

Rylan spent the rest of dinner telling her sister about her job. I know she changed the subject to get Rosalie’s mind off her marriage. I don’t really blame her; what her sister is going through is rough, and I have a feeling that it will get worse before it gets better. 

Men like Grant don’t let go easily.

So, I will make sure he can’t get to her again. Just one more phone call on my list of calls to make tomorrow. It will be a busy day for me. Now I have to decide if I will be staying here with my lovely lady tonight or if I should go home to give them space.

I think it may be better if I go home, even if I would rather sleep with Rylan in my arms again tonight. These last few nights have been nightmare-free, and I want to believe it is her that is helping keep them at bay. I will test that theory tonight when I go home.