Healing Hearts (New Hope Falls #6) - Kimberly Rae Jordan Page 0,13

it would require Ryker’s cooperation, and she didn’t know if he would be on board for that. For all she knew, he might not be interested in helping Bryson. Not every man would be.

Normally, she wouldn’t have had the guts to ask him for his help, but this was for Bryson’s sake. She’d do almost anything to help her son adjust to their new life.

It ended up taking her well over a week to work up the nerve to speak to Ryker about her plan. She’d hoped that Bryson would get better on his own, that his anxiety over Ryker taking Vivianne would lessen, especially after Lani brought her back each morning. But for some reason, that hadn’t made any difference.

Despite all evidence to the contrary, he was still convinced that Ryker meant harm toward the little girl. Each night, he’d ask again about Vivianne and if Sophia was certain that she was safe. He just refused to believe that Ryker wouldn’t hurt the baby, and he continued to view the man with an abnormally high level of distrust and fear each time he showed up.

When Sophia finally decided that she needed to carry out her plan, she suffered through her own bouts of anxiety over speaking to Ryker. He seemed like a perfectly nice man—just like she’d told Bryson.

But what would he say to her request? What if he thought she was nuts for what she wanted him to do? Maybe he’d tell Michael she was crazy and that he needed to find someone else to take care of Vivianne? Then what would she do to provide financially for herself and Bryson?

Apparently, just like her son, she had her own set of anxieties…

She spent the next few days praying about the situation, hoping God would help Bryson move beyond his fear of Ryker. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, it didn’t appear to be God’s will for Bryson to move on from his fear on his own. So then she began praying that God would prepare Ryker’s heart for her request.

On the day she finally bit the bullet, Sophia met him on the porch, leaving Vivianne’s car seat just inside the door. Ryker gave her a curious look, his brows drawing down over his light gray eyes.

“I was wondering if I could ask a favor of you,” she said, bracing herself for his rejection even as she said the words.

“You can certainly ask,” Ryker replied. “But I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to help you out.”

Now that she was face to face with this man, she felt wobbly inside. Maybe she should have thought this through for a bit longer. Like, maybe if Bryson was still worried in a month’s time, she could broach the idea with Ryker then.

But no…

Already Bryson spent his waking hours from the time Ryker picked Vivianne up until Lani dropped her off, worried about the baby. She needed to try and alleviate the anxiety he was feeling if she could. She would do anything for him, even if it meant dealing with this aloof man whose steely gaze made her feel like he could see right through her.

She wrapped her arms across her waist, trying to contain the nerves that fluttered wildly inside her. In that moment, she was as fearful of Ryker as Bryson had been. She had to remind herself that Michael wouldn’t send someone to pick up his daughter who was capable of hurting her or Bryson.

But she also knew better than anyone how someone’s looks and demeanor could be deceiving. However, she was placing her trust in Michael being a decent judge of character.

“I’m sure you noticed that Bryson has had a…not so great reaction to you.”

“Yes, I did notice that,” Ryker said with a nod.

“He’s not super comfortable around men, and he’s also gotten quite protective of Vivianne. Each time you take her away, he’s worried that she won’t come back.”

Ryker’s brows lifted slightly. “Really?”

“Yes. I’ve tried to reassure him that Michael trusts you and that you’d never do anything to hurt her.”

“I wouldn’t.”

“I know that because I’m sure if there was any chance you would, Michael wouldn’t have trusted you with her.”

He nodded then said, “So what do you need from me?”

“Would you be willing to come in and hold Vivianne sometime, maybe talk to Bryson for a few minutes?”

Something flickered in his gaze, and for a moment, she thought that he’d reject her request outright. “Does he think I’ll hurt him?”

She knew he noticed her brief hesitation because he