Ryan's Love - C.A. Harms Page 0,14

gripped the bottle a little tighter, fighting the urge to chase after them just for the chance to see Amber again. A strong desire raked through me to get one more glimpse of her shy smile. That smile had haunted me every passing moment since this morning. I wouldn’t mind seeing that ass of hers once more too.

Just before they entered the front door of Heavenly Temptations, Liv turned around and offered me one last glare. She was a little spitfire, and her attempt at pushing my buttons only made me chuckle along with my father.

“Ryan, you do understand what keeping such a tight hold on that girl will end up causing, don’t you?” he asked.

“Don’t lecture, Dad. If I’m able to hold on to my little girl, keep her safe and out of the hands of some horny-ass teenage boy, then I’m gonna do it.” I was pretty lenient with Olivia, but I drew the line at Charlie. After the things I heard about that kid, thinking of Liv alone with him made me crazy.

After about fifteen minutes, my mother and Olivia exited the bakery and walked back in our direction. Once they were close enough, Liv held out a small baggie, still attempting to glare. “Here,” she grunted. She wanted to relay the message that she was still upset with me, even though she had brought me back a treat.

“Stop acting like you hate me. One day, you’ll thank me.” I took the pink paper bag from her hands. I could smell the contents before I even opened it. The cookies inside smelled like pure heaven. The first one I pulled out was still warm. I took a bite, and my eyes rolled back. I couldn’t remember the last time I had a good old-fashioned peanut butter cookie.

“It’s good, right?” my mom asked.

“Damn good,” I stated before shoving the rest of the cookie in my mouth.

***

I spent the day with family and friends as people around us grilled and got set up for the fireworks that would take place at dusk. Mom had assigned Jackson, Noah, and me to keep our area secure. She and my father were a couple of busybodies, roaming the area as they talked with old friends. I caught sight of Olivia sitting off to the side, staring at nothing in particular. She seemed sad and lonely, and the idea of that made me feel sick.

I leaned forward in my chair and tapped Jackson on the knee as he talked to Uncle Greg.

“Hey, I need to cut out for a minute,” I said. His eyes grew suspicious. “My little girl over there has somewhere to be, and her ass of a dad needs to make up for being a knucklehead.”

Without explaining any further, I stood up and walked in her direction. The scuff of my boots along the gravel caught her attention, and she looked up at me with a blank stare. The look she gave me made me feel as if someone had just squeezed my heart. Swallowing past the lump in my throat, I held my hand out to her, and she just stared at it.

“Come on, Liv.” I motioned for her to stand and wrapped my arms over her shoulders as I pulled her alongside me toward my truck. “It’s not that I don’t trust you. I just worry something may happen and I won’t be there to stop it,” I assured her. “You’re growing up too fast, Liv. I don’t like that.”

She laughed and wrapped her arm around my waist. “Dad, I’m not some dumb girl. Have you forgotten who I’ve had to look up to?”

I stopped at the side of my truck and opened the passenger door.

“You can trust that nothing is gonna happen, Dad. You’ve raised me right.”

I had to trust that the decisions she’d make would be the right ones.

Chapter Eight

Amber

“Come on, the fireworks are about to start,” Bailey hollered through the open front door. She was bouncing around excitedly like a kid in a candy store.

I shook my head and laughed at her giddiness. I flipped the switch to shut the Open sign off and grabbed my keys from the counter before walking to the front of the bakery.

After I locked the front door, we began walking across the street toward the park. The streets were lined with townspeople, and lawn chairs were set up everywhere along the route the parade would take tomorrow. Blankets and strollers filled the empty spaces in between.

As we walked by