Ryan's Love - C.A. Harms Page 0,15
the residents of Livingston, they would nod or offer us a kind, welcoming smile. We were now recognized as part of the community, and that felt humbling. You would never see something like this in Chicago. Everyone here was so relaxed and friendly.
Bailey found a seat on the edge of a parking block and patted the space beside her. I lowered myself to sit next to her.
The sun had set, and the only light was from the streetlights shining down on the group that had gathered for the festivities. I slowly scanned the area around us, and my stomach fluttered when my gaze stopped on Ryan. A deep chuckle erupted from him as he listened to what the guy to his left was saying, and he ran his hand through his hair before scratching at the base of his neck as he lounged back in a lawn chair.
A woman who had come to the bakery a total of three times today sat at his other side. I remembered her from the conversation we’d had about the loss of her daughter-in-law. She talked about her sudden death and told me that my grandmother had baked something for their family every day for two weeks following the funeral. The idea of the woman I barely knew offering a family her condolences in the best way she knew how made me proud to call her my grandmother.
My breath hitched when Ryan’s eyes caught mine, and his expression changed. The smile that had brightened his face had now become an intense stare. One that made my stomach lurch with excitement.
Bailey nudged my shoulder with hers in an attempt to gain my attention, yet I couldn’t look away from him. The first crack of the fireworks above vibrated the ground beneath my feet, which only managed to make my heart race even faster.
Lifting his beer to his lips, Ryan leaned back in his chair, continuing to watch me. There was so much commotion around me with people gasping as the fireworks went off one after another, yet my eyes remained drawn to his.
I recognized the younger guy sitting near him. He was one of the first men I’d met in town, one who’d helped me move my bedroom furniture into my apartment. I was pretty sure his name was Jarod, or maybe it was Jack. He looked between me and Ryan, aware of how we were studying one another. He leaned in toward Ryan and said something that caused Ryan to suddenly shift in his seat and look away from me.
“What the hell are you looking at?” Bailey asked, shifting her gaze around as if she was trying to figure out what was so interesting. Her expression changed when she found the person who had gained my full attention.
“Oh I see.” She smirked. “He’s much better than these fireworks. You wanna go talk to him?” She didn’t even wait for my answer before she began to stand up.
I grabbed her shirt and yanked her back down. “No,” I choked out. “I’m not going over there. He’s with his family. It’d be rude to invite ourselves.”
I refused to look back in his direction. I had to pull myself together. I was coming across as some awestruck girl, and my behavior was even beginning to freak me out.
After the fireworks had ended, we wandered back to our place. I could tell Bailey was hoping I would say something more about Ryan, which would give her the chance to lecture me for being shy, so I remained silent. I didn’t need to know what she thought I should do. Her choices for approaching guys weren’t always the best.
I had trouble sleeping that night. My mind wouldn’t shut off. Continuous images of a tall man with dark hair haunted me. I hadn’t felt even a small tinge of interest in a man for a very long time. Yet Ryan made me so tangled up inside I didn’t know how to handle it. Maybe it was the way he stood with such pride, confidence exuding from every inch of his body. It could have been his intense stare and how I felt like he could see right through me and even read my thoughts.
All I knew for sure was that whenever he was near, I was a bundle of nerves, unable to breathe or even form complete sentences.
***
I woke up with one hell of a headache from the lack of sleep. Throwing the alarm clock through the window as it