Chapter 29
Emma
"I'm afraid my daughter conspired with Stacy, her best friend, to stay at her house tonight. We need to swing by Stacy's and drop Melissa off before going to my apartment." Moistening his lips, Ryan's eyes gave away his own intentions for the night.
Melissa piped up from the back seat of the car. "I thought maybe you and Dad should spend some time without me."
I turned around and winked at her.
"Well, thank you, but you know I want to spend as much time with you as I can too."
"It's okay, Em. We'll still have lots of time together.”
It suddenly dawned on me Jenna was Stacy's mom. We were on our way to Jenna's house to drop off Melissa. I was silent and played with my necklace the rest of the drive.
When we arrived at Stacy's house, Ryan looked at me. "Yes, she is who you think she is, but don't worry. I'll be in and out in a jiff … unless you would like to come?"
The woman in me needed to see her. I guess to stake my territory or compare myself to her. I wasn't sure which.
"Sure, I'll come in." Getting out of the car, I shut the door harder than intended.
Melissa grabbed my hand and ran me toward the house.
"I can't wait for you to meet Stacy!" She was so excited. Meeting Stacy was one thing; I wasn't quite so excited about meeting Stacy's mom.
I looked back at Ryan, who smiled and shrugged his shoulders. Jenna greeted us at the door.
"Come in, come in. Ryan, happy to see you again." She locked eyes with me, her smile unwavering.
I started feeling insecure and thought about retreating back to wait in the car. She was a little older than me but very attractive.
"Hi, Ms. Jenna," Melissa said. "This is my dad's girlfriend, Emma," she declared proudly. Ryan twitched, and I realized that my meeting Jenna was not the best idea. What if it got back to Lindsey?
"Nice to meet you." She shook my hand, and her eyes swept over me. Turning toward Melissa, she motioned upstairs. "Stacy is in her room. I'm sure her headphones are on, and she probably doesn't know you are here."
I was uncomfortable around Jenna and relieved when Melissa grabbed my hand. "Come on, Em. Come meet Stacy." Melissa pulled me the rest of the way up the stairs, leaving Jenna and Ryan alone downstairs.
The jury was still out on my feelings for her mom, but I liked Stacy right away. The bond between Melissa and Stacy reminded me of Char and I when we were kids.
Back in the car, Ryan reached for my hand. "I swear, you have nothing to worry about."
"Shh, let's not ruin tonight. I believe you." Though the insecure part of me wished I could keep him from ever seeing her again.
"I love you," he whispered.
"And I love hearing you tell me you love me." I laughed.
Ryan's apartment was much bigger than my house. Much like his home in Colorado, it was missing any of the frilly touches of a woman. He gave me a quick tour of the apartment, ending in the kitchen. "I'm torn between tearing off your clothes and spending the night talking. I missed you so much!"
"Really?" I bent over the countertop in front of him exposing my cleavage. "You're torn?"
"No, not really," he said, allowing a cocky half-smile to spread across his face. He pulled his signature move and tossed me over his shoulder as he took me back to his room. I felt like a teenager, excited that I was in Chicago, in his apartment, and about to make love to him in his room.
He had my clothes off within seconds. Leaning over me, kissing my neck, he worked his way down to my nipples. Circling my right nipple, he surprised me by biting down lightly. I wasn't into pain, but that tiny bit was erotic, sending pleasure directly between my legs. His erection, pushed against the material of his boxers, teasing my abdomen. He moved to my left nipple and licked around the edges, pulling his boxers off with his other hand. He held my arms together above my head as he thrust his tongue into my mouth, exploring every inch. God, I had missed him. My body arched to join his, and my legs spread to allow him access.
"You're so wet," he whispered, his breath tickling my ear. "I love that you're so wet." My body moved of its own volition in perfect rhythm with his, seeking him, devouring him, needing him inside me.
A few hours later, exhausted and ready for a break, we crawled out of bed in search of refreshments. I opened his freezer and spotted the ice cream. "Want some?" I held the carton up in the air.
Ryan nodded and disappeared as I dished out some Rocky Road.
He came into the kitchen. "Grab the ice cream and follow me."
He led me back to his oversized bathroom, where he had filled his spa-sized tub with bubbles. He dimmed the lights, and we sunk into the tub. The jets pounded against our skin, soothing and relaxing us. We soaked in the tub for over an hour talking and laughing. It was midnight by the time we got ready to settle into bed.
"Em, this is going to seem strange, given the amount of time we've known each other, but there is something I want to give you." Ryan sat down next to me on the edge of the bed and reached into his nightstand. I half expected him to pull out a vibrator, but instead, he held an exquisite ring. I gasped. The six-carat diamond pear-shaped ring set in a delicate platinum band with smaller diamonds circling it. I had never given an engagement ring much thought in the past, but if I had, this would have been what I dreamed about. It was perfect.
"Ryan, what about Lindsey. I thought you couldn't?"
"I can't … not yet. But it's important to me for you to know that I want to marry you, and I need to know that you want to marry me. You mean everything to me." Ryan's gaze had not left my eyes, which were starting to tear up. He slipped the ring on my finger without waiting for my answer.
"I love you. Yes, yes of course!" I was a little stunned, even as the words spilled out of me. I was willing to commit to Ryan and couldn't be happier about it! So maybe my commitment issues were only because I hadn't met the right guy.
"What about Melissa? Have you told her?"
"She helped me choose the ring."
"Well then, you both have exquisite taste! Because it is beautiful!"
"We do have exceptional taste. We chose you."
It was a fairy-tale ending to an already perfect day.
Early the next morning, Jenna called to say she would drop the girls off at their piano lessons and then we could pick them up afterward. I hated that she had Ryan's number but did my best to act like a grown-up.
We arrived a little early and sat outside the classroom, listening while Melissa rehearsed. "She is talented. How long has she been playing?"
"Less than a year." His face exploded into a big smile.
When their session ended, Melissa barged out of the door and looked at my hand. When she saw the ring, she started jumping up and down hugging me.
"You said yes! See, Stacy, I told you she would say yes!"
Melissa's enthusiasm was contagious, and we all shared one big group hug; even Stacy joined in.
Back at the apartment, everyone got ready to go to the pool. This time I chose a modest one-piece suit with only a hint of suggestiveness to it. Ryan and I lay on lounge chairs under an umbrella, holding hands and sipping iced tea, each of us submerged in our own books while the girls played and swam.
I sensed her presence before I noticed the looming shadow standing over me. The hairs on the back of my neck started to rise, and a strange sensation of dread swept over my entire body, making me shiver even in the hot sun. In front of me stood an angry, beautiful, tall woman with long brown hair.
Ryan was napping next to me, still holding my hand—which happened to have a gorgeous engagement ring on it.
"Can I help you?" I asked.
Ryan started to wake up. Still groggy, he looked at me sleepy eyed and adorable, and then he finally became cognizant of the woman hovering above us.
"Lindsey, what are you doing here? I thought you were in Iowa?"
"And I assumed you were watching my daughter, not entertaining this whore!" she said, looking down at my left hand. The unforgiving shrill of her angry voice grated across my brain.
Too shocked to speak, I glimpsed over at Melissa and Stacy, who were watching us. I shook my head "no" at her, hoping she would not walk over to us.
"You can't talk like that," Ryan began.
My shock was wearing off and the anger set in.
"Stop! This is not the place. Both of you need to go upstairs. I will be along in a minute." I said firmly.
"The hell I will," Lindsey countered. "Who do you think you are?"
I cut her off. "Lindsey, please go inside. You don't want to embarrass your daughter out here with our issues."
She turned her attention to Melissa, who sat at the edge of the pool, pale and frightened.
"Fine!" Lindsey said as she stormed off.
I focused on Ryan narrowing my eyes. "You too," I stated in a voice exuding more confidence than I was feeling.
"Are you coming?"
"In a minute. I want to check on Melissa."
"Fuck, Em, I'm sorry about this. I knew it was a bad idea. I don't know …"
"Just go talk to her, Ryan. Would you prefer if I stayed down here?"
"No, she already knows now. We might as well face it together."
"Go on. I'll be up in a minute."
After they both left, I called Melissa over.
"I think it is best if you and Stacy got a bite to eat and stayed under the awning for a little while."
The building housed a small restaurant for drinks and sandwiches. "Charge some lunch to your dad's apartment. We'll be back down in a little while. Promise me you will stay at the table and eat lunch until we return."
Looking scared and alarmed, Melissa glanced at Stacy, and they both nodded.
"You've got my number in your phone. Call me if you need anything."
Standing outside Ryan's apartment door, I heard them screaming at each other. How much fun was this going to be? I thought sarcastically as I turned the doorknob to let myself in.
Lindsey scowled at me with apparent disdain.
"I warned you!" she yelled, looking at the magnificent diamond I was still wearing. "If you think I am going to divorce you so you can marry this little bitch, you're crazy! You won't be spending time with Melissa anytime soon either!" She snorted.
"My name is Emma, not 'little bitch,' and I would appreciate it if you would refer to me by name."
Lindsey stared at me. "Okay, Emma, you do realize that you're fucking a married man and whatever bullshit promises he has made you are just that. He can't marry you.”
"That's enough, Lindsey," Ryan piped in.
"Yes, Lindsey, I do realize Ryan is married. But neither one of you are in a marriage. How can you have so much anger and hate inside you? You can pretend that I'm "the other woman," but you know it isn't true. You're not in love with Ryan. That's obvious. Why don't you want a divorce?”
"What I do and what I want are none of your fucking business. Now either you need to leave or I am. Whether Ryan gets to continue a relationship with his daughter depends on your next move."
"Goddammit, Lindsey!" Ryan's face was red with anger. He jumped out of his chair and put his arm around me.
"Calm down, Ryan. It's okay. We'll figure it out, remember?"
I turned toward Lindsey.
"Who hurt you? I don't believe it was Ryan. But for you to treat your daughter as if she was nothing more than a chess piece to use strategically so you can win at whatever game you're playing is sick. Well, Lindsey, you win, I'm leaving. But, Lindsey, get the psychological help you need, for your daughter’s sake."
I walked back to Ryan's room, slipped my jeans and tee shirt over my bathing suit, and put on my sandals.
"Em, you don't need to leave." Ryan grabbed my arm.
"It's okay, Ryan. Promise me you will stay calm and be rational. I don't want to be the cause of you not seeing your daughter. Melissa and Stacy are downstairs eating lunch by the pool. Tell her I'm sorry. She has my number and can call me if she wants too." I kissed Ryan's cheek and whispered into his ear, "We will figure it out, but my staying right now won't help anything."
The cab I called from the bedroom pulled up in front of the apartment a few seconds later.
"Just drive please," I said to the driver as the tears I had been holding back made their way down my face. I was grateful that I had at least held it together until I collapsed in the back of the cab. I asked the driver to take me to the airport.
Exhausted, I stood in line, ready to purchase a ticket home. Was going home the right thing to do? Fuck, I had no idea. I sat at the airport for three hours trying to decide. If Lindsey really did keep Ryan from seeing Melissa, Ryan would resent me. I couldn't be happy being with Ryan, knowing he couldn't see Melissa.
In an instant, things had changed. Hiding our relationship was no longer an option. Was there still an us? Fuck! I couldn't come up with a win-win scenario for Ryan and me, no matter how hard I tried. I told him we would figure it out, but I couldn't see how we could.
I wasn't feeling very hopeful, but I knew I owed it to Ryan to go back to his house so we could at least talk.