CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Ryanne
I wake up the next morning to the smell of coffee wafting through the air, missing the body heat that surrounded me when I fell asleep. Cuddling deeper into the warmth of the blankets, memories from last night come flooding back and I bolt upright, bringing the sheet with me when I realize I’m still naked.
Oh god! Did Hannah walk in and see us together this morning?
The thought is horrifying. I meant to wake up early enough to send Justice on his way, or at the very least send him to the couch. The last thing I want is to confuse Hannah and give her any false hope. I carry more than enough of that for the both of us.
Being at the receiving end of Justice’s touch again after all these years was even better than I remembered but the best part was sleeping in his arms, feeling protected and cherished. It’s dangerous for my wounded heart. I should regret what happened, every second of it, but I can’t. I can’t regret a single moment ever spent with him, even if it brings me nothing but heartache.
Sighing, I climb out of bed, feeling my body beautifully ache in places that I haven’t felt in years. Grabbing my robe, I drape my arms through it then head downstairs. In the kitchen, I find a shirtless Justice standing at the stove, holding our daughter as they cook eggs. I’ve imagined this moment countless times but not even my imagination pictured something as precious as this.
Hannah’s head turns when I hit a creaky floorboard, her smile lighting up my heart. “Morning, Mama.”
“Mornin’,” I croak then clear the sleep from my throat when I hear how gruff I sound.
Justice turns to the side, his heated eyes drifting down my body, my skin tingling with the memory of his hands and all we shared last night.
“We’re makin’ breakfast together,” Hannah informs me excitedly.
“I see that. Smells delicious.”
“We were gonna save some for you but now that you’re up we can eat together. Just like real families do.”
My smile slips as I’m slapped in the face with a major reality check. “That sounds nice but first why don’t you go on and get dressed. I need to talk to Daddy for a minute.”
“Okay.”
When Justice places her on her feet, she moves to run past me but stops to give me a hug first, her arms wrapping around my waist. “Thanks for letting Daddy sleep over. You’re the best.” After a brief squeeze she continues out of the room, leaving my heart in shambles.
My attention reverts back to Justice who is looking more amused than horrified like I am at the moment. “Yeah, thanks for letting me sleep over.”
“Please tell me you were up before her?” I rush out.
His easy demeanor slips. “Does it matter?”
“Of course it does.”
“Why?”
I gape at him, wondering how he could ask me that. “She can’t see us together like that, Justice. It will confuse her.”
After a tense second, he shuts off the burner and moves the pan aside before turning to face me completely. He leans casually against the counter, crossing his powerful arms over his chest. I try not to let my eyes wander but it proves impossible, there’s too much not to admire, especially that deep V peeking out from his low-rise jeans. Every hard angle of his body is a reminder of what it felt like against mine.
“I was up before her,” he finally says, yanking my gaze back up to his face and easing the worry in my heart.
A breath of relief escapes my lungs. “Thank god.”
His scowl deepens. “What’s the problem, Ryanne?”
“We have to be more careful. Especially around Hannah. It would be wrong to give her false hope. Look at what she just said about being a ‘real family.’”
“Why would it be giving her false hope?”
I open my mouth then close it. My mind spins as I try to figure out what the hell he means by that. My heart scared to hope. “It’s too early in the morning for mind games, Justice.”
“I don’t play games and you damn well know it.”
“Then what’s going on here? Why are you acting like this?”
Instead of answering the question, he asks one of his own. “Who’s Chuffman?”
“Excuse me?” I ask, baffled by the sudden topic change.
“Who is Chuffman?”
“You mean Tom? He’s an accountant at the bank in town. Why?”
“Because last night the asshole approached Hannah and me at the diner asking questions that were none of his business. He acted like he has some sort of claim to you.”
“That’s crazy,” I tell him. “He’s asked me out a few times but that was in the past.”
“Well, I don’t think he got the fucking memo.”
Staring back at him, it all becomes achingly clear, my heart shattering when I realize what last night was all about. “So that’s what last night was? You pissing on me so no one else can have me.”
He pushes away from the counter, that steady gait of his calm and cool but his eyes portray something else entirely. His large body crowds me, dominating my personal space. “Last night was about taking what belongs to me.”
“Hannah is yours. I am not. I never have been.”
A smirk tilts his perfect lips. “Now that’s a bunch of bullshit and we both know it. Last night proves it.”
My fists clench at my sides, hating the way he throws my weakness back in my face.
“No more scheduled visits, Ryanne,” he says. “Nor will I be leaving the two of you here unprotected anymore. You can also quit that job of yours. I’ll be taking over the bills from here on out.”
His audacity has my blood rising to a dangerous temperature. “You have lost your damn mind, you know that?”
The only response I get is an infuriating grunt.
“Just because we slept together doesn’t give you the right to bark orders about how it’s going to be. It doesn’t work like that.” My finger jabs in his chest as I feel my anger climb. “If you think I’m going to roll over and take it then you never knew me at all.”
He grabs my wrist, yanking me against his hard body. “I’ve always known what a stubborn pain in the ass you are. You’re the one who is forgetting how I work. You and Hannah are my family to take care of and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”
“There’s more to a family than just taking care of them. It’s about loving them too, and we both know you don’t love me.”
It’s hard to say that out loud. Because the truth is, my love for him since I was a young girl has never faded, no matter how hard I’ve tried. It’s ingrained into me forever but that doesn’t make me a fool when it comes to his feelings.
“We have a strong connection,” he says. “We always have. No one is denying that.”
“So do you and your brothers,” I challenge.
His shoulders turn rigid, jaw flexing. “This has nothing to do with them. So leave them out of it.”
“It has everything to do with them,” I argue back. “What happens when it comes time for them to need you, huh? What happens then? Because I don’t share, Justice Creed. I never have and I never will.”
His hand cups the back of my neck, gently at first until he grips my hair, pulling my head back so his face hovers over mine. “Good, because I don’t share either, not when it comes to you.”
His mouth descends possessively, capturing mine like a thief in the night. My traitorous heart jump-starts, catapulting me into another realm and making me forget why this is such a bad idea.
By the time we break apart I’m breathless, gasping for air, his arms banded tightly around me.
“I want my family, Ryanne,” he says, the admission doing all sorts of things to my tortured heart. “We owe it to ourselves and our daughter to at least try.”
“Does that mean you forgive me?” The question is out before I can stop it, my breath stalling, fearing to know the answer.
The silence that fills the air sends my heart sinking. He doesn’t have to say anything, the answer is in his gaze.
His thumb strokes my cheek in an intimate gesture, soothing the ache in my chest. “I’m getting there.”
I swallow thickly, tears building behind my eyes. “I don’t want Hannah to get hurt from this.”
Or me.
“I’d never let that happen,” he promises. “Trust me enough to make things right for us all. Give me the chance you didn’t give me six years ago.”
When he puts it like that I find myself unable to deny him, because as terrified as I am for my fragile heart, he deserves this chance and so do Hannah and I.