Ryan's Love - C.A. Harms Page 0,62

truly become a best friend and someone I was happy to have in my life. She made my father happy, and I adored her for it. He’s the most amazing man I know, and he should feel the love Amber gives him. He deserves it.

When I told my dad I was okay with his proposal, he insisted I help pick out the ring. I’ll never forget the experience. He had no idea what kind to get, but with the help of me and Gran, we chose the perfect setting.

Amber was in the shower, and with Bailey carrying on in the kitchen I had no hope of going back to sleep. What teenage girl woke up on a Tuesday morning during summer break at five thirty?

I did, apparently.

After the girls were up and ready to roll, we made our way downstairs. Amber had been teaching me how to bake, and she said I was a natural in the kitchen. It made me feel closer to my mom. We used to always bake together.

Just after we unlocked the front doors, Uncle Noah and my father came in. The long, sleepless night at work had left them in desperate need of coffee. They both sat down on the opposite side of the bar, and Amber began filling two coffee cups.

“Long night, boys?” she asked.

“Slow night,” Noah grumbled.

“Well, that’s good, right?” I replied.

Before they could answer, the bell on the door jingled, and we all looked up at the newest customer.

Amber froze and Bailey groaned in irritation. The clinking of heels against the tiled floor was the only sound before the woman stopped and shook out the umbrella that had been shielding her from the light rainfall outside. When she had finally succeeded in righting herself, she looked up and forced a smile.

“Amber,” she cooed. The fakeness in her voice made my lip curl in disgust.

“Mother,” Amber replied. “What are you doing here?”

“Can’t I visit my daughter?”

“I spent twenty-five years in the same city as you, and for the last fifteen I rarely saw you. So why the hell did you travel thousands of miles to Montana? I know it wasn’t because you missed me.” Amber obviously wasn’t excited to see her mother, and I didn’t blame her. The woman had an attitude.

“Can we talk alone?” her mother asked, placing her hand on her hip.

“No, these people are my family. Whatever you need, you can say right here,” Amber said.

“Family?” she questioned

Amber only nodded as her mother looked around the room, noting each of us.

“I was hoping you could help me out with a little mess I found myself in.” The woman smiled and rolled her eyes.

“I’m not giving you any money.”

The entire exchange felt odd. What kind of mother rarely visits her daughter and only does when she needs something? The woman was nothing like Amber. She wore a tight red dress and heels that appeared to be six or more inches tall. Her hair was bleach-blonde, and she’d clearly spent too much time in a tanning bed. She did not pull off the look well. She just looked cheap.

Before she could say anything more, the door chimed once again, and Uncle Jackson appeared just over the woman’s shoulder. His eyes widened in a way that made me laugh. I couldn’t stop it from spilling out in the silence of the room. The thing about my Uncle Jack is that he’s a man on the outside, but he’s such a kid at heart. He finds the humor in just about everything, and right now it looked like he found Amber’s mom pretty dang humorous. Well, at least her getup was funny.

My dad shot me a warning look, creasing his brows. I guess my laughter may have come off as rude, but I couldn’t stop it.

“Um.” Jackson stumbled over his words. “Excuse me, ma’am.” He squeezed past her, and her face lit up with interest.

“Don’t mind me, Cowboy.” The woman bit her lower lip and scanned him appreciatively. Ew. Poor Uncle Jackson just caught the eye of a cougar.

“Oh hell no,” Bailey said to my left. “Back off, Carla.”

Everyone turned to face Bailey, who was glaring at Amber’s mother. Uncle Noah chuckled, whispering the words “cat fight” just low enough that you could barely make it out.

Bailey and Uncle Jackson had been skirting around each other for months, ever since the cookout. I was still young, but I knew what it looked like when two people were attracted to one another. I was just wondering when they were gonna stop playing games and admit it to each other.

I wasn’t sure what caused their games to begin anyway, but right now it looked like Bailey was about to murder Amber’s mom.

“I’m not playing, Carla. I said back off.” She took a step in the woman’s direction, and Carla smirked back at her.

“What’s wrong Bailey, you afraid your man might like a round with a more experienced woman instead?”

Uncle Jackson stepped between them, but even with his size I wasn’t sure he would stand a chance against them. There was definitely a story there; the hatred between Bailey and Carla was more than obvious.

“Okay, ladies, let’s simmer down,” he said as he looked back and forth between them.

Amber looked embarrassed, and Bailey was still glaring at Carla, who looked completely unaffected.

Uncle Noah and Dad were enjoying the show entirely too much. Their eyes were lit up as if they were watching some reality TV show.

I had a feeling things were about to get a whole lot more interesting.