Chapter 12—Hannah

I paced the living room, my stomach in one tight knot. Ryan and Kennedy had been gone for almost two hours now, and I hadn’t heard from either of them. I prayed things were going well and that Kennedy wasn’t freaking out about me and her dad. What if she didn’t approve? Would she hate me and refuse to be my friend? I wouldn’t survive losing her or our friendship. And what would Ryan do? Would he end things and ask me to leave? I didn’t have anywhere else to go, and we all knew that. But I couldn’t deny the truth that stared me in the face—I was an outsider here. I wasn’t their family, and that meant they could dispose of me if they wanted to.

Headlights shone through the front window, and I froze. My heart stopped. Oh, God. They were home. Fear clutched me, and I suddenly couldn’t handle anything that was about to happen. I raced upstairs and into my room, slamming the door. At least now, when they entered the house, I’d be able to hear if they were shouting at each other—if they were, I’d know things didn’t go well. It was cowardly, but I needed some type of warning.

The front door opened, then closed. No shouting. I released a pent-up breath. Okay, maybe things hadn’t blown up. My hands shook, but I knew I couldn’t hide in here forever. I reached for the doorknob, but before I could get my hand around it, there was a knock.

“It’s Kennedy. We need to talk.”

Shit. I squeezed my eyes shut and willed my heart to slow. “Come in,” I said, my voice trembling.

She stepped into my room and closed the door. Then she leaned against it, effectively blocking my only means of escape. “So, my dad, huh?”

I clenched my hands behind my back and nodded, unsure if I could speak or not.

“Look, I know what Brendan did to you. I was there when you broke down. And I was there when you messed up with his uncle.”

I cringed at the reminder of all my fuck ups.

“It was me who comforted you, Hannah.” She pointed at herself.

“I know,” I whispered, wondering where she was going with all of this and what it had to do with her father.

“We’re best friends,” she said forcefully.

“Still?” I asked, unable to keep the desperate hope from my tone.

“Always.” She pushed off the door and approached me. I stood perfectly still—the utter fear coursing through my veins wouldn’t let me move even if I had wanted to. “But I know you better than anyone, Hannah, and I know you’re still hurting.”

I hung my head. She was right. Brendan’s betrayal still stung like a bitch, and the shame of what I’d done with his uncle hung over me like a storm that wouldn’t pass.

“So, you’d better hear me when I say this… If this thing with my dad is just some rebound for you, or something to make you feel better, we’re going to have problems.”

I jerked my head up, eyes wide. “What? No.” I shook my head adamantly. “I love him, Kennedy. I always have. I swear to you. This is not another mistake waiting to happen.”

“Good.” She crossed her arms. “Because I swear to God if you hurt him…”

“I won’t. I promise.” My heart took off erratically. Was this really happening? Was Kennedy giving me her blessing to be with her dad?

“All I want is for him to be happy, and if you’re the person who does that…” She shrugged.

“Thank you.” My voice cracked.

She dropped her arms to her sides. “I want you to be happy, too, Hannah.”

Tears welled up in my eyes, and my attempts to blink them away were futile. They blazed a hot path down my cheeks.

“But I can’t stick around and watch you two together. Not yet. So, I’m headed back to campus until Thanksgiving.”

My jaw dropped. “Kennedy… You don’t have to go. This is your home.”

“I know, but I need some time to deal, okay?”

I nodded and wiped my tears. But they continued to fall. “I can’t lose you.” I shook my head. Hysteria started to bubble up. “You’re my best friend. I love you.”

She gave me a sad smile. “I love you, too, but please understand. I need time. I promise I’ll come home for Thanksgiving, and we’ll talk then, okay?”

I nodded again, because what else could I do? Begging her to stay would only make things worse. She was giving me the gift of her blessing to be with her dad; I had to give her the time she needed. I took a deep breath. “Does your dad know you’re leaving?”

“Yes. He’s not happy, but he understands.”

Of course he did, because that’s the kind of man and father he was. We were silent for several moments. I didn’t want to say goodbye to her, not like this, but I was in no position to ask her for anything.

“Okay, well, I guess we’ll talk soon.” Kennedy turned to leave.

“Thank you,” I said.

She smiled at me over her shoulder, and then she left my room. I remained in the same spot, staring at my closed door, willing her to walk back in here. Even though she said we’d talk soon, I couldn’t help but feel like I’d just lost my best friend. I prayed that wasn’t the case, but only time would tell.

I climbed into bed and pulled the covers over my head. I couldn’t stand to watch Kennedy leave, and I was positive she didn’t want me to. But more than that, Ryan needed the time alone with his daughter. Hopefully, he’d come up here when she left. I had no idea how he was handling all of this, but I attempted to prepare myself for the worst case scenario. A fresh wave of tears poured down my face at the thought he might ask me to leave.

I had no idea how long I laid in bed crying, but at some point, I heard Ryan slip into my room. He silently climbed into my bed and pulled me to him. I placed my hand over his and laced our fingers, and he buried his face against my neck. We lay in silence for a while, but I couldn’t take it. I needed to know what was going on.

“Are you okay?” I whispered.

“Mmm. As good as I can be, I guess.” He nuzzled the back of my ear, and a shiver snaked down my back.

I wanted to ask what he meant by that, but based on his cryptic answer, I got the feeling he really didn’t want to talk about it. So, instead, I said, “If you want me to leave, I will.”

“What?” His voice was much too loud for the quiet of my room. He rolled me onto my back and leaned over me. “Why would you say that?”

I shrugged and bit on my bottom lip.

“Do you really think I want you to leave?”

“I don’t know,” I whispered. And that was the truth. I had no idea what he wanted because he hadn’t told me.

“Do you want to leave?”

“If you want me to.” My voice caught on those words, and the sting of tears burned my throat.

“Hannah.” His voice was tormented. He trailed his fingers tenderly down the side of my face. “No, I don’t want you to leave.” Ryan brushed his lips over mine, and my eyes fluttered closed. “I never want you to leave.”

I took a deep breath but didn’t open my eyes. Instead, I reached for him and brought his mouth back to mine. He rewarded me with a long, passionate kiss that erased my ability to think coherently.

He broke the kiss, and I whimpered in protest. “Look at me, sweetheart.”

I forced my eyes open and gazed up into his face. He smiled softly. “Kennedy took the news of us better than I expected. She’s a bit shocked, which is to be expected, and she needs some time.”

“I know.”

“But she’s okay with this.” He ran this thumb across my bottom lip. “With us.”

My heart raced.

“So, I’ll say it again—I do not want you to leave. I want you here. With me. Forever.”

“W-what?” I stammered. Surely I’d misheard him.

“I love you, Hannah, and I want you in my life.”

I was powerless to stop the tears that fell. Ryan wiped them away, kissing me each time he did. “I love you, too,” I mumbled against his lips, and he smiled.

“Good.” The lust in his tone and expression had my body humming to life. I shifted onto my side, bringing my body flush to his. He slid his arm around me, drawing me even closer, and there was no mistaking what he wanted. “Now that you’re officially mine…” He gave me a small smile a second before he pressed his lips to mine. Like a woman who’d been starved for attention far too long, I welcomed his kiss, needing it like I needed oxygen.

“I’ve always been yours, Ryan.”

“Thank fucking God.” He rolled onto his back and pulled me over on top of him. I gasped at the feel of his hard cock. “Now get your ass over here and let me show you how much I want you.”

I smiled, content to let him spend the rest of our lives showing me how much he wanted me.

###

Kennedy had come home for Thanksgiving, exactly like she’d promised. It wasn’t the warm and fuzzy reunion I had hoped for, but it wasn’t horrible, either. We weren’t as close as we used to be, and I missed her every single day, but at least she hadn’t completely turned her back on me. For that, I was grateful.

Ryan’s parents weren’t too thrilled when we’d told them about our relationship. His father had shaken his head, his displeasure evident. His mother had several choice words to say to him. She didn’t know I’d heard, and I hadn’t told Ryan I knew how she really felt. But it would be hard to face her later today. Not that I could back out—it was Christmas, after all.

Things with Ryan, though…they couldn’t be better. We’d quickly and easily adjusted to our new relationship status. There was nothing more satisfying than going to bed with him every night and waking up with him every morning. I’d never been happier.

I’d enrolled at the local community college and would be completing my degree in finance. Ryan said he’d hire me to do the books for his electrical company, so I had a guaranteed job upon graduation. I wasn’t sure I’d take it, but it was nice to know he had that much confidence in me.

“Ready?” Ryan peeked his head into our room.

“No.” I laughed.

He walked in and wrapped me in a hug. “Well, I suppose we could stall a little bit longer.” His eyes twinkled with mischief.

“Oh yeah?” I raised a brow. “What do you have in mind?”

He kissed me deeply, and I melted into him. “I have a gift for you,” he said, breaking the kiss much too soon.

I groaned—not exactly what I had in mind, but we’d agreed to cool it when Kennedy was in the house. We didn’t want her hearing us having sex, or worse, walking in on us. “Another one?” He’d given me way more than I could have ever asked for.

He nodded, a sexy grin pulling at his lips. Then, he retrieved a small velvet box from the top of the closet. Turning, he dropped to one knee and opened the box. My heart stopped, and I was frozen in place. Was this real, or was I simply fantasizing again?

“Hannah Chase, I love you with all of my heart, and I cannot imagine my life without you in it. Will you marry me?”

“Oh, my God,” I mumbled, shocked. Blinking, I stared at the solitary diamond ring that sparkled beneath the overhead light. “Yes.”

He stood, slipped the ring onto my finger, and then kissed me again. This time when he tried to pull away, I held on tighter, refusing to let him go. He laughed against my lips. “Hannah, baby, we can’t do this right now.”

“Are you sure?” I dragged my hand down his torso and cupped his cock, which was semi-hard.

Groaning, he yanked my hand away. “Yes, but tonight.” He winked. “You’re not going to be able to get out of that bed.”

My face heated at his promise. Tonight couldn’t come fast enough.

“C’mon.” He took my hand. “We really have to go.” Ryan led me out of the room and downstairs.

Kennedy stood there, waiting. “Well? Did you say yes?” she asked, her face bright with excitement.

“You knew?” It was impossible to keep the shock from my tone.

She nodded. “Who do you think helped him pick out the ring?” Kennedy laughed.

I shook my head, disbelief clouding my thoughts. “Yeah, I said yes.”

She squealed and gave me a big hug. “Congratulations.”

“Thanks.” Tears pooled in my eyes. Today was a happy day, though, and I refused to cry—even if they were joyful tears.

“I’m not calling you Mom, though.” Kennedy giggled.

“I’d kill you if you did.”

Ryan placed a kiss to the top of my head and whispered, “I love you.”

I glanced up at him, unable to stop smiling. Kennedy gave my hand a squeeze, and in that moment, I knew everything was going to be okay.