CHAPTER SIX

RYDER

I stand at one end of the long conference table with the Manhattan view to my left. Men fill the seats, and my father sits at the other end.

I lean over it, my hands flat on the black surface. My hair is washed and fixed, I actually shaved this morning, and I didn’t pick my clothes up off the floor. I look well put together for once, but I feel like shit inside. I love you, too. I knew the moment the elevator came to a stop on her floor that it would be her standing there, but nothing could have prepared me for what I saw. Or what I felt.

She looked so gorgeous, and the thought of him having her made me want to punch a fucking wall. Or myself. I knew the moment I saw her dressed in his shirt and the way she called him baby, I had lost her. But I love you? Nothing and I mean fucking nothing could have prepared me for that punch to the gut. I’m still having trouble breathing. I can’t get it out of my head. I love you too …

“Ryder?” my father calls out, clearing his throat.

I look up at him and stand up straight when he arches a brow in question. What the fuck are you doing, Ry? You’re supposed to be working. You had the weekend to drink yourself into a stupor, but now, it’s time to man up.

“Gentlemen,” I say, straightening my black suit jacket as if it wasn’t already in place. “Let’s get started, shall we?” I sound so unaffected. As if I haven’t had a major loss. As if I came to work prepared when all I wanna do is hide under my desk and drown in a bottle of Jack.

They all nod as they look up at me. I open my mouth to speak when I hear Kelly speaking loudly outside the conference door. “Miss … he’s in a meeting … you can’t.”

“One sec, gentlemen,” I say, already making my way over to the door. It swings open and about hits me in the face.

“Mr. O’Kane, I’m so sorry. I’ve called security …” Kelly begins, storming in behind the last person I expected to see.

My heart races, and my eyes widen when I see the beautiful blonde standing before me as if my mind summoned her. “Ashlyn?” I ask in a high pitch voice.

She narrows her blue eyes up at me, and she pulls her shoulders back. My eyes run up and down her in a way that I should be ashamed of, but I’m not. “We need to talk, Ryder,” she demands.

My father clears his throat, and I realize I’m standing in a room full of men who see me as a professional running a billion-dollar company. I pull my shoulders back as well and clear my throat. “I’m busy,” I say, trying to sound like a boss, but my eyes drop to her chest, and I lick my lips at the way her tight black blouse hugs her tits.

Why would she think I want to talk to her? Did she not get that hint when I shut the elevator door on her this morning? It was a little low of me, but I couldn’t chance being in there with her alone. I’m trying to keep from falling to my knees to beg her to pick me. I don’t have much confidence in myself right now either.

She places her hands on her hips. “This won’t take long.”

“Ash—”

“I’m tired of you acting like a child!” she snaps, interrupting me.

I snort. “Me acting like a child?”

“Yes!” she shouts, and I ignore the men shuffling uncomfortably in their seats behind me. “Not only have you been ignoring me but you’ve also been ignoring your sister.”

I run a hand through my hair as my jaw clenches. I can’t deny that. But all she wants to discuss is Ashlyn. Hell, that’s what everyone wants to discuss. I’ve even been ignoring Jaycent.

“I’ve come to tell you that Bradley and I—”

“Are what? In love? Getting married?” I snap, interrupting her. “Well, I wish you the best …”

She jams a fist in my chest that I wasn’t prepared for, and it actually knocks me back a step. “Quit interrupting me,” she shouts.

I regain my footing and step up into her, my chest bumping hers, and I can feel her heart pounding against mine. My eyes narrow as I look down at her.

Kelly’s eyes go back and forth frantically, no doubt wishing security would hurry their asses up.

“I didn’t fuck Bradley,” she growls.

My father clears his throat. “I think we need to—”

I snort and interrupt him. “I know what I saw.”

“You know nothing.” She stabs her finger in my chest this time, but I don’t budge. “All you know is what you think you saw. And you’re wrong, Ryder.” Her voice softens for a moment, and she lowers her hand to her side. “Bradley is long gone. He walked out right after you did. The only difference is that I didn’t chase him out the door.”

I stand before her breathing heavy with narrowed eyes. But they soften at that statement. Could I really have been wrong? “No!” This is a trick. “I heard you telling him you loved him this morning.”

She throws her head back laughing, and it’s like a knife in my chest. That sound, I’ve missed it this past week. She straightens and looks me in the eyes, that laughter now gone. “That was my mother,” she replies flatly. “I was on the phone with my mother.” She huffs. “I would have told you that had you given me the chance to speak. And not run like a little boy!”

Just then, the door opens quickly and two men dressed in blue security uniforms enter panting as if they took the stairs. “Mr. O’Kane, is there a problem?” the bald man asks, his hand on his wide hips.

I just shake my head as I stare at her, trying to make sense of what she just told me. “But you—”

“I tried to tell you when I followed you out,” she interrupts me this time. “But you couldn’t give me two seconds of your precious time to explain myself.”

I open my mouth, but the security guard speaks. “Mr. O’Kane?”

All I can do is shake my head. Could I have been wrong all this time? Jaycent has told me so many times just to call her. Talk to her. Could it have been that simple?

“I’m leaving,” she says and then looks down as she starts digging in her purse. Moments later, she pulls something out. “Here. In your haste, you forgot to take what belongs to you.” She drops the bracelet in my hand and then spins around, and I follow her without even thinking twice.

“Wait …” I run to the elevator where she stands. “Ashlyn …” I don’t know what to say ‘cause no words can express what I’m feeling right now.

She steps into the elevator and turns to face me. And I hate she has no tears in her eyes. No sign of sadness. Just satisfaction that she finally got to tell me what really happened. That I had been wrong all along. “It’s over, Ryder. It’s been over. But at least now you know I never betrayed you,” she says flatly. “That is what hurts the most.” She tilts her head to the side as if in thought. “That you could possibly think I thought so little of you.” She licks her lips. “At least now we don’t have to wait to see how it ends.” And with those words, the elevator closes.

ASHLYN

I walk into work with a big smile on my face, and my head held high.

“Whoa, someone looks great,” Thomas says, looking me up and down. “What did you do?” he asks skeptically.

My smile widens. “Something completely irrational and borderline psychotic,” I tell him. And then my smile falls as I realize what I did. In front of his dad and complete strangers.

He takes a step closer to me. “Giiirrrrllll, what did you do?” he asks with worry now in his voice.

I look up at him. “I made a complete ass of myself in the middle of Ryder’s business meeting.”

“What?” he asks wide-eyed. “Why?”

“‘Cause I was tired of feeling bad over something I didn’t do,” I growl. “He has been treating everyone like shit!”

He crosses his arms over his chest, and I sigh. I was wrong. I did it mainly for myself. I wanted him to know I hadn’t betrayed him, but it was also because I put all my cards on the table that night I called him, and he never said anything back to me. That hurt more than him walking out on me when he found Bradley at my apartment. I wanted to hurt him too. And the look on his face after I told him the truth just made it worse. He had felt bad.

“I just need to work,” I tell Thomas. “Get my mind off him.”

An hour later, I’m still sitting at my desk when a man walks through the front door. A glass vase in his hand with beautiful red roses and a clipboard in the other.

“Miss Whitaker?”

“That’s me,” I say as I stand, wondering who could have sent me flowers. My first thought is my mother. The second is Nick. We do have a date tonight, after all.

“Oh, so pretty,” Thomas says, coming up beside me. He takes the flowers as I sign my name on the clipboard.

“Thank you. You have a great day,” the man says as he turns to leave.

“Who are they from?” I ask, turning to face Thomas. He already set the flowers down on the desk and is reading the card.

He looks up at me, and he gives me a big smile. “The king.”

“What are you talking about?” I yank the card from his hand and read it.

I’m so sorry for everything. Please accept these roses and forgive me for my childlike behavior.

Yours, Ryder

I growl as I slam the card down on the desk and pick up the roses. I throw them in the trash can that sits beside it.

“What are you doing?” Thomas gasps.

“I don’t want them!” I snap.

He runs over to them and pulls the vase out, but the flowers fall to the bottom of the trash. “This is a Waterford crystal vase,” he says in disbelief as he hugs the vase to him tightly.

I wave him off. “Then keep it.”

I’m more pissed that he sent me flowers than anything else. We have both decided it was over. Can’t we just leave it at that? Can’t we both just take our broken hearts and move on?

My phone rings, and I pick it up without looking at it. I bet it’s Ryder. “What?” I snap.

“Oh, uh …” a male’s voice stumbles. “I … is this a bad time?”

“Who is this?” I demand.

“Oh, so sorry. It’s Nick.”

I sigh and run a hand through my hair. “I’m sorry, Nick. It’s just one of those days,” I say, falling down into my chair. I look up to see Thomas still cradling the vase like it’s his firstborn.

“Typical Monday, huh?”

Not really but I say, “Yeah.”

He clears his throat. “I just wanted to make sure we were still on for tonight?”

I roll my eyes. “Yes.” The man sounds so nervous. Not sure why since it’s just dinner. I’m not gonna blow him under the table or take him back to my apartment. I think I need to close my legs for a little while. Obviously, I don’t know what I’m doing.

“Okay. And you said you liked Chinese food, right?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. Great.” He laughs nervously. “I just want it to be perfect.”

I let my head fall forward and close my eyes. “Nick, I don’t know what you’re thinking, but it’s just dinner—”

“Oh, I know.” He interrupts me with another uneasy laugh. “Please don’t think I have any expectations.”

“I hope not because I don’t,” I say truthfully.

I’m gonna kill Becca and Thomas for making me say yes to this date!

“What time should I pick you up?” he asks quickly. “Reservations are for seven.”

“I’ll meet you there,” I tell him.

“Are you sure? I don’t mind ….”

“I’m sure,” I say before he can keep talking. “I’ll see you then,” I assure him and then hang up.

I look up at Thomas, and he smiles down at me from the other side of the desk. “I’m gonna kill you.”

His smile widens. “Make sure to bury me with this vase.” Then he turns around and all but bounces out of the room with the vase in his hands.

“What the fuck are you doing, Ash?” I can’t help but ask myself. But even I don’t know what I’m thinking.