Chapter Eighteen
Ryder
Turkey in the oven; check. Side dishes prepared; check. Called mom to wish her a Happy Thanksgiving; check. Called Quito to wake him up and start cooking the food he was bringing; check. Called Mercedes so she could wake Quito up a second time because I know his lazy ass didn’t get up the first time; check. I go over the mental list I made in my head over and over again. I feel like I’m missing something, but I can’t figure out what it is. I’m fucking stressing out. This is the first time I’ll be hosting a family dinner on my own. Not that I can’t do it, because I can. Between my mother and Mrs. Perez I’ve learned more than any culinary school could ever teach me. I’m just so damn nervous about Madison meeting my friends. They can be a little...rambunctious at times. I don’t want her day to be chaotic. Being a single mom worrying about her boys is hard enough on her already. I want her to have a nice, quiet day. Yeah, like that was going to happen with Tyler, Quito, Mercedes, and Raven being here under one roof. I slam my hand to my forehead. “Fuck! Raven.” I completely forgot I offered to pick her up at the airport so Quito and Mercedes could go see their mom for a quick visit.
I pick up my phone from the counter looking at the time and Raven’s plane lands in thirty minutes. “Shit!” It’s going to take twice as long to get there, especially with all the holiday traffic. I slide my thumb across the screen and search for Raven’s name in the contact list.
“Hey Ryder. I was just going to call you.”
“I know I’m late. I’m leaving now. Just wait there for me when you land. Hopefully the traffic…”
“Ryder slow down, I’m here already.”
“You are? I thought your plane landed in a half hour.”
“Originally it did, but I took an earlier flight. I wanted to go see mommy with Quito and Mercedes before we left for your house.”
I smile when she calls Quito’s mother mommy. We both do. Mrs. Perez is like a second mother to us. Well, since Raven has been estranged from her own parents, the Perez family has become her own. “Oh good. I thought I was gonna need a police escort to pick you up in time.”
She giggles. “Take a deep breath brother. We have everything covered. I even bought your girlfriend’s kids an early Christmas present.”
“You didn’t have to do that Raven.”
“C’mon Ryder, you never introduced us to any of your girlfriends before, so I’m thinking she must pretty special if you’re inviting us over to meet her and her family.”
I smile and though Raven can’t see me over the phone, I quickly right myself, wiping the smile off my face. I hadn’t thought about that until Raven brought it up. She’s right. I’ve never introduced them or my mom and brothers to any of the women I’ve dated. Fuck, who was I kidding. I’ve never dated anyone in my life. Fucking sure doesn’t count as a serious relationship. I let that sink in a second. I am serious about Madison. I may even love her. If that’s what you call the constant ache in my chest when we’re not together or the chaotic bolts of electricity surging in my gut like a lightning storm when we are, then I guess I am. Trouble is, I’ve never told any woman I loved them before. Not once. What do you do? Do you sit down and have a discussion about it? Or do you just blurt it out during a casual conversation? Someone should really write a book for this kind of shit called Love for the Completely Clueless Handbook.
“Ryder? You still there?”
I clear my throat, realizing I blanked out with Raven still on the phone. “Yeah, sorry.”
“You sound nervous.”
“I’m not nervous.”
“You’re nervous.”
I drag in a ragged breath, letting it out in a rush. “I’m nervous.”
“Why?”
“I have no fucking idea.”
“Everything will be fine. I’ll be sure to buy a muzzle for Mercedes on the way there so she doesn’t embarrass us.”
Even with Raven not being in front of me I can see her smiling. Her naturally ruby colored lips forming a playful smirk as her emerald eyes twinkle with glee. I swear if I had a sister, I’d want her to be just like Raven. In a way I guess I could call her my sister. I do consider Mercedes my family and I’ve known Raven for years now. I chuckle. “I don’t think they make a muzzle strong enough to hold Mercedes’ mouth shut.”
She laughs. “Don’t worry. Everything will turn out fine. Unless you forgot the cranberry sauce. You didn’t forget the cranberry sauce, did you?”
“No, I did not forget the cranberry sauce.” I say in a teasing brotherly tone.
“In the can?”
“Yes Raven in the can.”
“Good, ‘cause otherwise I wasn’t coming.”
I laugh. “I’ll see you later.”
“Later.”
“Need help with anything?” Madison asks from the doorway.
I snap my head in her direction, startled by her question. I hadn’t heard her come into the room while I was on the phone and wonder how long she was standing there? “Practicing your ninja skills?”
She laughs. “No. I didn’t want to disturb your phone call. Everything okay?”
“Yeah, everything's fine.” I point to my phone on the island. “That was Raven. I was supposed to pick her up at the airport, but she took an earlier flight, so now I’m all yours this morning.” I saunter over to her, slowly pushing her back against the counter and untie the cotton belt holding her robe closed. “The boys still sleeping?” She nods. I kiss her full lips, running my finger down the middle of her chest to her naval. “What are we wearing under here?”
With her hands splayed on the counter, she flashes me a mischievous grin. “I don’t know. Why don’t you find out.”
Without hesitation I tug the thick cotton fabric open, putting her perfect breasts on display. My greedy eyes roam over her naked body and I’m instantly hard. I rub my palm over her pebbled nipple before cupping the perfect globe in my hand. “You’re so beautiful Madison. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of looking at you, touching you…” I glide my nose up her neck and bite her lobe. “Fucking you.”
She spears her hands in my hair, pulling at the roots. “Ryder.”
“C’mon, let’s take this party to the room.”
“The boys will be up soon.”
“Then we’d better hurry.”
******
Madison
The heavenly aroma floating into my room is making my stomach grumble. It’s begging, pleading me for sustenance, only I have been officially banned from the kitchen. I can’t help prepare any food, nor can I taste anything that is ready. Okay, I may have snuck in a few bites of the apple pie, but in my defense, I hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast. Ryder didn’t have to throw me out of the kitchen. Alright, maybe he did. Maybe he knows me a little too well in the short amount of time we’ve known each other. I smile, peering at myself in the bathroom mirror. It’s been so long since I’ve genuinely been happy. The boys are definitely the sunniest parts of my life, but there are some days where I’m so overwhelmed I have to plaster on a smile for them even if I don’t want to. They’ve been through enough and don’t need to see their mother in a state of disarray every day.
Ryder has changed my outlook on life dramatically. Seeing the world through his eyes has made realize how much I’ve been missing out. I’ve been so concerned with trying to make everything perfect for the boys that I missed out on some great moments with them. Ryder’s taught me that it’s okay to relax and let go, enjoy the little things, live life to the fullest and just have fun.
“Mommy?”
“Yeah buddy?”
“Do you need help putting on your earrings?”
I smile and sit on the edge of the bathtub. “I sure do.” I hand Aiden the earring and turn my head.
After helping he reaches into his pocket. “Here.”
I laugh, staring at the cookie in his hand. “Where did you get this from?”
“I took it when Ryder wasn’t looking.”
“I love you, do you know that?”
“Yes I do.”
“Mom?”
“Yeah?”
“Are you going to marry Ryder? Because it’s okay if you do.”
“Well, thank you for your approval, but I’m not going to marry Ryder.”
“Why not?”
I inhale a deep breath. “Well, before two people get married they should love each other.”
“Don’t you love Ryder? I think he pretty cool.”
“I think he’s pretty cool too, but do you think we can talk about this later please?”
“Okay.”
Hearing footsteps nearing the bedroom, I snatch the cookie from Aiden’s hand. I shove the whole thing in my mouth and frantically chew as I put my finger over my lips. He returns the gesture and now the cookie is our little secret, only I don’t have a chance to finish it before Ryder steps into the bathroom, giving me a skeptical look.
“What’s going on in here?” He looks at me, then at Aiden.
Aiden shrugs with the biggest smile on his face and lets out a small giggle. “Nothing.”
I shrug as well, but I don’t say anything. I can’t say anything because I still have a mouth full of cookie I haven’t swallowed yet.
Ryder cocks an eyebrow at both of us. “Hmm.” He saunters over to me and takes my chin in his hand, tilting my head back. “You’re awfully quiet Peaches.”
I shrug my shoulders again and clear my throat of the crumbs sliding down my trachea before I choke to death. I smash my lips together, trying to prevent the now mushy dough from spilling out. He squishes my cheeks together and I clench my jaw tight.
He leans in close to my face. “Why does your breath smell like cinnamon?” Squeezing my cheeks together more firmly, he forces my mouth open. “Uh huh, that’s what I thought.” He clicks his tongue at me, shaking his head. “So sad. Having the boy do your dirty work.”
I chew the rest of the cookie in my mouth and swallow. “Well, I wouldn’t have to sneak food if you’d just let me have a taste.”
He laughs. “You had more than a taste earlier. That’s why you were kicked out of the kitchen in the first place.” He tickles Aiden's stomach. “And you. Sneaking your mom food, I’m surprised.” Aiden laughs hysterically, falling to the floor. Ryder picks him up and throws him over his shoulder. “Let’s go you little thief.”
I follow them into the hallway and by the time I reach the foyer Tyler is already walking through the door with a couple of shopping bags in hand. “Merry Christmas everyone.”
Aiden barrels into Tyler, giving him a hug and giggles. “It’s not Christmas Uncle Tyler, it’s Thanksgiving.”
Tyler sets the bags on the floor and picks Aiden up, flipping him upside down. “Then I guess we should start cooking this turkey up.” He hands Aiden over to Ryder. “Here you go. Put the oven on high because I’m starving.”
Aiden laughs, kicking his legs as he tries to break free of Ryder’s grasp. “No, don’t cook me!” Ryder puts him down and he runs into the living room and sits next to Caleb in front of the T.V.
“You guys need any help?” Tyler asks, picking up the bags from the floor.
Ryder glances at the counter then at Tyler. “Nah, I think we’re good.”
I empty the bags Tyler brought, placing the sparkling apple cider on the table. “Some of us were not allowed to help.”
“Well, if some people didn’t try and eat up all the food, they might not have been banned from the kitchen.” Ryder says playfully.
Tyler chuckles. “This place is a regular three-ring circus, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, and you’re the ring leader.” I say snidely, sticking my tongue out at him.
Ryder shakes his head. “What did I get myself into?” A knock sounds followed by the bell and loud chattering on the other side of the front door. “I’ll get it.”
When the door opens, a tornado in the form of three people enter the foyer. There’s a lot of hugging, a few kisses then it all suddenly stops. All eyes are now on me. I’m getting stares from all directions, but one person in particular is making me feel even more self-conscious than I already do meeting these strangers.
A man with skin the color of golden caramel makes his way toward me. He’s carrying a ceramic bowl in one hand and extends his free one out to me. An inky lock of hair falls over one eye and he quickly combs it back with his fingers. His rugged appearance is intimidating. He licks his bottom lip, his tongue sweeping over the closely shaven beard he’s sporting. His chestnut gaze raking over me makes him look menacing, but when he speaks, a cocky grin tugs at the corner of his mouth. “So, you’re the woman who’s been keeping my best friend from me? Can’t say I blame him though.”
He gives me a once over, looking me up and down. Suddenly I feel very exposed and cross my arms over my chest. “I…”
“Quito!” A young woman yells from across the room. She’s got the same skin and eye color, only her hair is blond, which is much darker than mine. Her long tight curls fall to her waist as she brushes the thick mass off her shoulder. She holds her hand out and elbows the man in front of me in the stomach. “I’m sorry for my brother’s rudeness. I’m Mercedes. And this is Raven.” She says, pulling her fair-skinned friend to her side.
I shake her hand. “It’s nice to meet you all. This is my best friend Tyler.”
Mercedes bats her eyelashes flirtatiously. “Oh, you’re cute.”
Tyler smiles and winks. “You’re pretty cute yourself. But your brother...is gorgeous.”
“Tyler!” I scream, hitting him in the chest. I run my hand down my face, trying to rub away the embarrassment. “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. Hey Ray, didn’t you say your boss's friend...what’s his name…”
“Josh?”
“Yeah, Josh. Didn’t you say he was gay? Maybe we can hook Tyler up.”
Raven grabs Mercedes by the arm and yanks her back. “Since when did we open a matchmaking agency?” She smiles and grits her teeth as she looks at me, but addresses her friend. “I’m sorry. Some people just don’t know how to behave in mixed company.”
I laugh, pointing at Tyler. “Don’t give it a second thought. You see what I have to put up with, don’t you?”
Quito clears his throat, interrupting our laughter. “Where can I put this? It probably needs to be heated.”
I take the bowl out of his hand. “You didn’t have to bring food. We have so much already.”
“Oh yes I did. If my mother knew I was invited to someone’s house and didn’t bring anything, ay bendito, the lecture I would get.”
I furrow my brows. “How would she find out?” Quito, Raven, and Ryder look in Mercedes’ direction.
She flashes them a dumbfounded look. “What?”
“You’re a tattle-tale, that’s what.” Raven says, pushing Mercedes toward the kitchen. “Why don’t you and Quito help Ryder.” She shakes her head and turns to me. “I hear you have two little boys.”
“Yeah they’re in the living room.”
“They’re really quiet. My friend Phoenix has triplets and there is always some kind of ruckus going on in her house.”
“Oh, don’t let them fool you. Right now their favorite cartoon is on, but once that’s over, all Hell will break loose.”
She walks over to the front door, grabbing two boxes from the floor and brings them over to me. “I bought them an early Christmas present if that’s okay?”
A warm feeling floods my chest. I’ve never met these people before, and here they are bringing food and giving my boys presents. I can see why they mean so much to Ryder. “That’s so nice of you. You didn’t have to do that.”
“Nonsense. I love kids. Besides, it’s the least I could do for having us here today.”
I lead Raven over to the living room where Aiden and Caleb are resting on both ends of the sofa. Standing in front of the T.V., I turn it off then introduce her to the boys. “Aiden, this is Ryder’s friend Raven. She wanted to give you something.”
Aiden sits up and shakes Raven’s hand. “You have pretty eyes.”
She giggles. “I see Ryder is teaching you well. It’s very nice to meet you Aiden. And who is this little one here?” She asks, tickling the baby.
“That’s my little brother. His name is Caleb.”
“Ryder said you like to play video games.” She says handing Aiden one of the boxes. “And Caleb likes cars, right?”
The boys rip through the wrapping paper like hungry wolves digging for their last meal. I swear sometimes these boys behave like wild animals. Now that the paper has become confetti on the floor and the smoke has cleared, there’s no denying the happiness on their faces.
Aiden’s eyes light up as he holds the brand-new game system in his hands. “Look Mom!”
“I see!” I sit in between the boys. “Raven, this is too much.”
“No it isn’t.” She whispers so only I can hear. “Technically they're not really games. Ryder said Aiden has ADHD, so I picked up every learning game I could find for him, and one fun game as a reward. I’m a nurse at an after-school program and we have quite a few of special needs children that attend. I figured it would be good for him. I hope this is okay. If I overstepped my…”
Tears begin to well in my eyes, making my vision blurry and I can’t blink them away. Not only did she buy Aiden a present, she went above and beyond to give him something fun and educational as well. I clear my throat. “No. It’s a very thoughtful gift. I don’t know what to say.”
A strong hand squeezes my shoulder. “I invite you over for a nice dinner and you make my girl cry.” Ryder rounds the sofa, handing me a tissue. Now, more tears are falling. The sound of hearing Ryder call me his girl in front of his friends makes my heart swell and butterflies flutter in my belly. He isn’t ashamed of me or the boys. In fact, he’s talked about Aiden to his friends and they are just as caring and compassionate as he is.
Raven smiles. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know she was going to cry.”
“Cars!” Caleb tugs at my shirt. “Open it!”
Raven takes the box from Caleb. “I know this looks insane, but I promise you it’s easy to put together. The track pieces just snap together and they’re very durable.” She begins to assemble it and has the whole thing set up in less than two minutes. “See, easy.” She flips the switch on a small police car and hands it over to Caleb. “And the cars light up and everything.”
Caleb jumps off the couch and onto the floor to play with his new race track as Raven helps me pick up the shredded pieces of paper on the floor. “Oh Madison, the cars are rechargeable, so you don’t have to go crazy worrying about buying batteries.”
I stop cleaning up and straighten to give Raven a hug. “Thank you so much for everything.” I look up at Ryder who’s standing behind Raven and he gives me a wink, melting my heart even further.
Twenty minutes later we’re all sitting around the kitchen table, talking, telling each other embarrassing stories about our friends, while stuffing ourselves full of delicious food. All the dishes Ryder made were of course absolute perfection, but I was pleasantly surprised at what a great cook Quito was. His Cuban recipes were like none I’ve ever tasted. If Ryder and Quito opened a restaurant together, they would make a killing. Hmm. I may have to suggest this to Ryder later.
“Mmm, this is good.” Aiden is practically dancing in his seat as he puts another spoonful of what Quito made in his mouth. “What is this?”
“It’s rabo encendido.” Quito says.
Aiden scrunches his eyebrows together. “What does that mean?”
“It’s…”
Ryder clears his throat to grab Quito’s attention. When Quito looks up, Ryder makes a quick slashing motion to his neck, telling Quito not to say anything else. “It’s stew, now finish eating.”
I look down at the bowl in front me because I’m eating the same thing Aiden is and seeing Ryder make it a point not to tell Aiden what this is, I really don’t want to eat anymore. It obviously isn’t something that sounds appetizing, otherwise he wouldn’t have made an issue out of it. Now, I’m going to have to go the rest of the night worrying about what I just put in my mouth. Maybe I can distract myself and wash it down with something else. “Should we have dessert?” When everyone agrees, I attempt to stand, but Mercedes puts her hand on my shoulder.
“I’ll get it.” She takes the dirty dinner dishes to the sink and brings the flan she made to the table as well as clean plates, and the apple pie Ryder made earlier this afternoon. She looks at the pie and cocks an eyebrow before setting it on the table. “It looks like a rat has gotten to this one.”
Ryder chuckles. “Yeah, a rat named Madison.”
“Hey! I was hungry and you wouldn’t let me eat anything. I had to take matters into my own hands.”
Standing at the sink drying the dishes as Ryder washes them is the most relaxing moment of the day. Everyone has gone home, the boys are finally asleep in their beds, and Tyler is snuggled up on the couch, dead to the world and completely knocked out due to the food coma he put himself in.
“Ryder?”
“Yeah?”
When Aiden asked Quito what he was eating, the...rabo…?”
“Rabo encendido.”
“Yeah that. What were we eating?”
“Do you really want to know?”
I contemplate whether I want to know or not, but my curiosity is killing me. “Yes, I think.”
“It’s oxtail stew.”
My stomach turns at the thought of eating an animal’s tail and I moan. “Why didn’t you tell me what it was ahead of time?”
“Because then you wouldn’t have eaten it.”
“You’re darn tootin’ I wouldn't have.”
He chuckles. “It was good, wasn’t it?”
“I guess. Let’s just make a deal right now. I’ll eat whatever you put in front of me, just don’t tell me what it is.”
“Deal.”
We work in the kitchen for the next few minutes to get it clean before we head to bed and pass out ourselves. I know he’s exhausted after cooking, helping me busy the kids all day, and entertaining his friends. Yet, his happy disposition is shining through as always. He never complains about anything. Unlike my ex-husband who complained about everything. Ryder deserves the rest of the night off. Hell, he deserves the rest of his life off for everything he’s done for me and my boys. “Why don’t you go to bed. I’ll do the rest.”
He smiles, placing a warm, tender kiss on my cheek. “I’m good.”
“You look tired.”
“I am. But so are you. We’ll get done faster if we work together. Then I won’t have to fall asleep alone.”
“I had a good time today.”
Handing me a dish to dry, he chuckles softly. “Yeah, they are a bunch, aren’t they.”
“I think they’re amazing. I can see why they’re your friends.”
“They’re more than friends. They’re my family. I never feel out of place when they’re around. Kind of like the same way I feel so comfortable here.”
“Are you saying we’re your family?”
He turns the faucet off and takes the dish rag from me to wipes his hands. “I’d like you to be.”
Taken aback by what he said, I drop my hands to my sides; my heart racing at his words. “What are you saying Ryder?”
Leaning against the counter, he pulls me close to him. His long finger brushing a wayward curl away from my face. “I’m saying…”
He takes my face in his hands, gently gliding his bottom lip over mine and inhales a breath so ragged it causes my chest to vibrate. My lids slowly close, savoring this moment. “You’re saying what?” I say on a whisper.
“I’m saying I love you Madison.”
His warm breath fanning over my heated skin sends a chill through my body before I can register what he said. Although I’m almost positive he said he loved me, I think it would be best to double check. It could very well be my hopeful imagination running wild. “What?”