Ryan's Love - C.A. Harms Page 0,33
a long, exhausted breath.
“Is everything okay?”
“Um…” He ran his hand through his hair once again. “Yeah, everything’s good. Come in.” He motioned with his hand as he stepped aside.
Taking a step past him, I took in the room slowly. The house had a large open-floor plan with the living room, kitchen, and dining room completely exposed from the front entrance. Huge windows opened up the entire back wall of the home, providing a gorgeous view that complimented the room perfectly.
“Your home is beautiful,” I whispered as I looked around. When I saw Olivia standing in an open doorway to what appeared to be a bedroom, my eyes immediately locked on hers. She had her arms crossed over her chest and a glare on her face.
Ryan’s hand on my lower back made me jump in surprise. “Sorry, baby,” he said. Olivia flinched at his endearment, and my stomach bottomed out even further. “I didn’t mean to scare you. Whatchya got there?” he asked, pointing at the dish in my hand.
“I thought since you both offered me dinner, I would bring dessert.” I held the plate out to him. My hands were shaking, but I did everything I could to maintain control. “We’ll have to warm it right before we eat it. Hot fudge brownie cake tastes so much better warm.”
Ryan’s eyes lit up, and before I knew what hit me, he leaned in and placed a kiss just to the side of my mouth. “Thank you, gorgeous. That was sweet of you.”
I was momentarily awestruck. He had the ability to overtake my train of thought. I jumped when I heard a door slam and looked back to find the bedroom door was now shut.
When I turned back to face Ryan, I saw the hurt in his eyes. “She’s uh…” He let out a long sigh, gripping the back of his neck in frustration.
“If this isn’t okay, I can—”
“No, you’re not leaving.” He stepped around me and guided me toward the kitchen. “This was her idea.” My stomach fell. Didn’t he want me here? “I agreed, of course, but…” He dropped into a chair at the table and reached for my hand. “I thought this was the turning point. Ya know, that she’d accepted us dating. She woke up this morning and said she thought I didn’t care about her feelings. She said I didn’t even offer to introduce the two of you, and how is she supposed to understand our relationship if she never gets a chance to get to know you too?”
“So she decided having me over for dinner was the best way?” I asked.
He pulled me into his lap, and I tried to brace myself but fell ungracefully against him. He wrapped his arms around me and held me close. “She wanted to spend time with you, so I thought what better way than having you over for dinner?”
I stared at him, my mouth hanging open slightly. Had he not thought about what me invading her home, her mother’s home, would do to her?
I pushed against him and stood. “Ryan, this is her home. Having another woman come to the home her mother and father made together really isn’t the best idea for our first real introduction. She obviously isn’t ready for something like that.” I suddenly felt even more out of place. “I should go,” I said as I turned toward the front door.
Ryan stood and wrapped his arms around my waist before pulling me back against him. “Don’t go,” he pleaded. “I don’t know what to do anymore. I don’t know how to make this work.” He truly sounded lost, and it broke my heart. He buried his face in my hair, inhaling deeply.
“Maybe she just needs more time.”
“I don’t know if she’ll ever be ready.” Carefully he turned me in his arms and looked down at me. He finally seemed to be exhausted from the struggle. “It took me so long to be able to look at another woman without feeling like I was deceiving Claire.” He cupped the side of my face with his hand and tipped my head back. His eyes locked on mine before he continued. “I was always too scared to move on, to take a chance. But the night Noah and I pulled up behind you when you were kicking and cussing your flat tire…” He smiled, and I closed my eyes tightly, remembering my embarrassment. “It was the first time in a long time I felt attracted to someone. At