After everything she’d already been through, she wasn’t setting herself up to get burned again. Especially not by a man like Ryan Harrison.
She stepped past him and headed out into the backyard.
Chapter Eleven
“Don’t worry.” Mitch squeezed Kate’s knee as she leaned against the side of his desk in his home office. “They’re not going to freak out.”
She raised her brow and crossed her arms.
A sly smirk tugged at his mouth. “Okay, they’ll freak a little. But not that much.”
“I still don’t know why I have to be here,” Kate said.
“Moral support.” He picked up the phone and dialed. “I’ve had to deal with them by myself for five years. It’s time you started pulling your weight again.”
He swiveled away and began speaking into the phone.
Kate glanced at Ryan, who was leaning against the doorjamb. She wanted to be outside with Simone and the kids, not shut up in here with Ryan and Mitch. “Is he always this pushy?”
“Pretty much,” Ryan said, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Did I used to like it?”
One side of his lips quirked up in a winsome smile. The first inkling of smile she’d seen on his face. “Not a bit. You pushed right back. Just like you did with me in the kitchen.”
She turned away from the way Ryan held her gaze, looked back to Mitch and tried to tamp down the thrill Ryan’s words sent through her body. Mitch was doing his best to explain the situation to his mother. A frown tugged at Kate’s mouth. “It doesn’t sound like it’s going well.”
“Mom,” Mitch said into the receiver, “I’m putting you on speaker.”
Kate’s eyes grew wide, and she nudged him with her knee and shook her head, but it didn’t stop him.
“Okay, Mom,” Mitch said, “we’re all here.”
The line was quiet. Then Kathy Mathews’s voice chirped through. “Is Ryan there?”
“I’m here, Kathy,” Ryan said, stepping into the room.
“Ryan, is he telling the truth, or is this one of his jokes? Because if he’s kidding on this one, he’s definitely out of the will. You got that, Mitch?”
Ryan glanced at Kate. “No, Kathy. He’s not kidding. She’s real.”
There was silence again. “Is…is she there?”
Kate glared at Mitch. Oh, he was in so much trouble for this. “I’m here, too. He’s not lying.”
The line seemed to go dead. Then they heard sobbing. Followed by Roger’s voice. Mitch picked up the handset, turned off the speakerphone, and patted Kate’s knee. He went through the story with his father a second time.
When Mitch hung up, he let out a deep breath. “They’re coming down tomorrow. I managed to convince them to give you a day instead of jumping on the first plane out of Sea-Tac.”
“Fabulous,” Kate muttered. “That was really sweet of you, by the way, throwing me under the bus like that. Remind me to return the favor.”
“You’ll feel better once you have some food. You always were a grump when your blood sugars dropped.” He pushed out of his chair and headed toward the kitchen.
Kate knew Ryan was still behind her. How, she wasn’t sure. She just sensed him. “How do you think they’re going to react to all of this when they get here?”
“They’ll be fine,” Ryan said. “They’re good people. I’d be sure Reed’s with you tomorrow when you see them, though. That’ll give you a buffer.”
“Good idea.” She looked his way. “Will you be there?”
“I think I’ll sit this one out. Mitch will be with you.”
She nodded. But why did that bother her?
“I guess this is the last big shocker for awhile,” she said quietly.
Ryan looked down at his feet. “Yeah, I guess so. I told my parents this morning. They’re coming down later in the week, but you don’t have to worry. They’ll want to see you, but they’re mostly coming down to see me and Julia, and to meet Reed.”
“Okay.” The whole conversation was just awkward. Meeting her parents, meeting her in-laws, it was bizarre. “Just let me know when they get here. I’ll bring Reed over.” She tried to read his thoughts. Couldn’t. Doubted she ever would. “Did they not like me?”
“What?”
“Your parents, did they not like me? It doesn’t sound like they’re overjoyed at the thought of seeing me again. Not like Mitch’s parents.” She frowned. “My parents.” It was still a hard idea to get used to. She actually had parents.
“Yeah, they liked you.” His voice turned soft, the tenderness in it tugging on her. “They loved you.” He shook his head. “They know