Chapter 167: Just Like a Dad
Evelyn pulled Ryan inside and shut the door behind them, blocking out the wind and rain.
She grabbed a dry towel and tossed it onto his head. Her movements weren't exactly gentle. "Do you even know what you're doing? Ryan, you're not a child. Once that report goes public, how are you supposed to stay in the Lawrence family?"
Ryan let her dry his hair. Through his wet strands, his deep eyes watched her with an almost hungry intensity.
"Stay?" He let out a low laugh, casually loosening his tie and undoing the top two buttons of his shirt, revealing his sculpted collarbone. "From the moment I made that decision, I stopped caring about keeping up appearances for those old bastards."
He caught Evelyn's busy hands and pulled her down onto the couch beside him, their knees touching.
"Evelyn, listen to me."
Ryan's voice was low and serious. "The Lawrence family has strict rules. The heir must be able to produce offspring to ensure the family fortune continues. My uncle Marcus has had his eye on my position for years."
Evelyn's fingers curled slightly in his palm, worry flickering across her face. "Then why would you still..."
"Because losing you scares me more than losing power."
Ryan cut her off, his gaze burning with near-desperate intensity. "Four years ago, I hesitated because of so-called interests, and I lost you. This time, even if I have to bet the entire Nova Group, I'm keeping you by my side."
He leaned forward, pressing his forehead against hers, their breath mingling. "Those shares, that status, the inheritance rights... the old men treat them like their lifelines. But to me, none of it is worth a single smile from you."
Evelyn looked at the man so close to her.
Without his mask of the shrewd businessman, he was so raw and sincere it made her want to cry.
The contract, the PR arrangement... it all became a joke in this moment.
Who in the world would risk a fortune worth hundreds of billions as some kind of joke?
"You're absolutely insane." Evelyn's eyes stung with tears, but she gripped his cold hands tightly. "What if Marcus attacks? What if they throw you off the board?"
"Then I'll start over from nothing." Ryan's lips curved as his thumb stroked the back of her hand. "As long as you don't push me away. As long as you don't mind being with a broke nobody."
"I won't." The words escaped Evelyn before she could stop them.
As soon as she said it, they both froze.
The air seemed to solidify. The living room filled with a charged, intimate tension.
Ryan cupped the back of her head, seeing his own reflection in those amber eyes... and the desire she no longer tried to hide.
He slowly lowered his gaze, his nose brushing against her cheek, his hot breath spilling across her lips.
"Evelyn..."
Just as their lips were about to touch.
"Mommy?"
A soft, sleepy voice shattered the moment.
Evelyn shoved Ryan away and frantically straightened her clothes, even though they weren't messed up at all.
Elias stood in the bedroom doorway, clutching a stuffed brown bear bigger than himself. He rubbed his sleepy eyes with one hand, his little curls sticking up everywhere from sleep.
"I'm hungry..." The little guy pouted pitifully at the two adults acting weird in the living room. "My tummy is growling."
Ryan stayed frozen in the position she'd pushed him into for two seconds, then let out a helpless sigh, running a hand over his face.
He turned to look at the little "culprit" who'd ruined his moment. But there was no anger in his eyes. Instead, there was a hint of indulgence.
"Alright, little man." Ryan stood up and shrugged off his wet suit jacket, casually rolling up his shirt sleeves to reveal his toned forearms. "What do you want? Pasta or a sandwich?"
Elias's eyes lit up instantly, all traces of sleepiness gone. "Meat sauce pasta! Extra cheese!"
"You got it."
Ryan headed to the kitchen, opening the fridge like he'd lived here for years.
Evelyn watched his back, her heart still racing out of control.
She took a deep breath, patted her flushed cheeks, and followed him in. "Let me help."
The kitchen was small, and with two people, it felt cramped.
Ryan was chopping onions with practiced skill, showing none of the helplessness you'd expect from someone born into privilege.
"You can cook?" Evelyn leaned against the counter, surprised, as she helped wash tomatoes.
"When I was studying abroad, I couldn't stand restaurant food, so I had to figure it out myself." Ryan glanced at her, a smile playing on his lips. "I thought to myself, someday when I have a wife and kids, I can show off my skills."
"Wife and kids." Those words made Evelyn's barely-steady heartbeat skip again.
Water rushed over the ripe tomatoes, and her hand accidentally touched his as he reached for the salt.
Their damp skin met, sending an electric jolt through her.
Ryan paused but didn't pull away. Instead, he leaned in closer, trapping her between himself and the counter as he reached up for the spice rack.
His masculine scent mixed with the faint smell of rain and the sharpness of onion filled the tiny space.
"Can you hand me the black pepper?"
Evelyn felt like she was on fire. She fumbled to hand it to him, her fingertips grazing his palm, where he gave them a deliberate little hook.
"Uncle Ryan! How much longer?!" Elias's voice came from the living room, along with the sound of him banging a spoon. "I'm starving!"
Ryan chuckled softly and stepped back with obvious reluctance. "Almost done, little boss."
Twenty minutes later.
The three of them sat around the table under the warm light.
Steam rose from the delicious meat sauce pasta. Elias ate with gusto, red sauce smeared all around his mouth.
Ryan hadn't touched his fork. Instead, he kept a napkin ready, occasionally wiping the little boy's mouth with practiced ease, as if he'd done it a thousand times.
Evelyn watched this scene, her heart melting.
If only time could freeze right here.
No family feuds. No Damian's harassment. No suffocating past.
"Uncle Ryan."
Elias suddenly stopped eating and set down his fork. Those big eyes so like Evelyn's blinked twice, his expression turning unusually serious.
"Hmm?" Ryan raised an eyebrow. "Doesn't taste good?"
"No." Elias shook his head. He looked at Evelyn, then back at Ryan, and asked the question that made both adults freeze.
"Are you going to stay with us forever? Like a dad? Come home every day and never leave?"
Evelyn instinctively looked up at the man across from her.
Ryan slowly set down the napkin in his hand.
He didn't dodge the child's question or use some meaningless brush-off.
He lifted his gaze, looking straight past the table at Evelyn.
His eyes churned with deep emotion, carrying an all-or-nothing resolve and a hint of careful hope.
"That depends," Ryan's throat bobbed as he spoke, his voice low, "on whether your mom is willing to take in a homeless guy like me."