Page 40 of Crazy for You

“No, not enough.” Ryan couldn’t sugarcoat the truth. “Losing her, and then losing you…it was pretty bad for me. I did a lot of stupid shit, but I’ve never touched drugs. Not once. Not after seeing what they did to her.”

“I’m sorry,” Trent said, his voice gone quiet. “It’s not fair that you had to grow up in foster care. I had, like, a pretty average childhood. I mean, I thought it sucked plenty, but getting grounded for breaking curfew doesn’t compare to what you went through.”

“Life’s not fair, Trent. I did okay, and things have turned out good for me. Not to be all mushy and shit, but I just want you to know how much it means to me having you here. Soon as I could after I turned eighteen and aged out of the system, I left Haven and moved around, looking for you. Hoped maybe you were somewhere nearby so that I could track you down.”

“Really?” Trent turned to look at him.

“Yeah, man. Family’s everything, right? Whatever happens, when you go back home or back to school or whatever, we’re family now. You’re never getting rid of me.” He gave his brother a slap on the back.

A smile creased his brother’s cheeks. “That’s totally cool with me.”

“Good. Maybe I’m hard on you sometimes because I don’t want you to make the mistakes I did. Just punch me if I start to sound too annoying, okay?”

Trent laughed a little at that, shaking his head.

“You know they have those ancestry kits now. You send them a cheek swab or whatever, they test your DNA and tell you about your ancestry. If you really want to know.”

“I never thought of that.” Trent sounded thoughtful. “People tell me I look Korean, but I’ve always wondered.”

“Mark’s biracial, too, if you wanted someone else to talk to. His mom was white, and his dad was Black. He and I went through a lot of white foster homes, so I reckon he might relate to how you’re feeling disconnected from your culture.”

“Not that he’s much of a talker,” Trent said with a grin. “But yeah, I might do that. Thanks.”

By the time they had finished checking over the ropes course and noted all the repairs that needed to be made, Ryan felt really bonded with Trent for the first time.

Emma finished up at Off-the-Grid a little past four thirty. The guys were all out on the property doing who-knew-what, and her seasonal employees had already gone home so she went inside to wash up. She scrubbed up in the bathroom then went into the kitchen for a glass of water. Yeah, she was dawdling, hoping she might get to see Ryan again before she left.

Because…well, now that they’d started kissing, she couldn’t seem to get enough. But she had no idea where he was, and she couldn’t think of another reason to hang around so she headed for her car, trying not to feel disappointed.

“Hey,” Ryan called to her from across the yard, waving as he stepped out of the woods.

She felt herself grinning like a fool and didn’t even care. “Hey yourself.”

“You heading out?” he asked as he walked toward her.

“Landscaping’s all finished,” she said.

He glanced over at the daisies and begonias she’d spent the afternoon planting. “Looks great. You have time to go for a ride?”

“Yes.” She stepped in close, not quite touching him since they were in the parking lot where anyone could see, but close enough that her whole body sizzled with awareness. “What did you have in mind?”

A hot glint came into his brown eyes. “A whole lot more than I have time for. Unfortunately, I have to be back here in an hour or so for another appointment.”

Her heart thumped against her ribs. “We could have a lot of fun in an hour.”

With a wicked smile, he motioned for her to follow him to his bike. He unclipped both helmets and handed her the spare.

“You don’t usually carry both, do you?” she asked as she settled it on her head.

He gave her another heated look. “Never let it be said that I don’t plan ahead.”

He was thinking about me when he left for work this morning. Her insides turned into a mushy mess as she melted for him all over again. Oh, this man… She watched while he got the bike started then she slid into place behind him. She wrapped her arms around him and hung on as he pulled out onto the road.

Today the Harley seemed to rumble beneath them with increased urgency, or maybe that was just the hum of anticipation burning in her blood because she and Ryan had officially agreed to become “friends with benefits” this morning, and she was going crazy thinking about all the possibilities.

He turned down a road that led out of town, winding up into the mountains. A few minutes later, he pulled off at a spot labeled as a scenic overlook. This particular pull-off was hidden from view of the road, and if she wasn’t mistaken…

“Isn’t this the place all the local teenagers come to make out?” she asked once he’d turned off the engine.

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