Page 53 of Caffeine & Chaos

Nadia’s heart softened at the sight of him, and she leaned over to plant a kiss on his forehead. That split lip looked incredibly painful.

“Do you think you need stitches?” Nadia asked.

“Nah, it looks worse than it is. The split’s not too deep, I actually think Justin might have been holding back a bit. He landed that one pretty clean, and if it was full force, it should have done more damage,” Ryan said.

“You’re not missing any teeth, are you?” Nadia teased, already knowing he wasn’t.

“Not even a chip!” Ryan announced triumphantly, cracking a smile too wide for his injured lip.

Nadia dabbed at the droplet of fresh blood forming on Ryan’s lip. Looking at him in this state, made Nadia wonder if her mother was perhaps right about a few things when it came to men. They definitely could be idiots.

Ryan stood up abruptly, making a half-hearted attempt to dust off his jeans. “I should clean up. Justin mentioned on our way back from the field that dad’s changed his mind and is coming home for dinner tonight to check on the ranch. And us, I guess.”

“Dinner? Who’s making it?” Nadia asked, her panic rising at the thought of Daniel expecting her to have a plan for supper.

“Relax, no one’s expecting you to cook,” Ryan chuckled. “Melanie’s in the kitchen. She’s going to whip up something easy.”

Melanie. Ryan’s ex was cooking dinner for the family, and presumably, she would stay to eat with them. Nadia cringed inwardly, anticipating the uncomfortable evening she would have to endure.

“It’s not that I can’t cook, Ryan, I’m just not prepared,” Nadia protested. It wasn’t entirely untrue; she could manage boiling an egg and cooking noodles.

Ryan wrapped his arm around her shoulders, leaning his head against hers. “I’m sure you can,” he reassured her. “But Melanie knows this kitchen, she knows Dad, and she knows what Montanans like to eat.”

Nadia felt her skin prickling with discomfort. Melanie’s proximity to the family was obviously an issue. Screw it, she couldn’t stay silent on it any longer.

“Ryan-” Nadia began, but he cut her off, turning to face her directly and taking her hands in his.

“Listen,” Ryan interrupted, his voice gentle yet firm. “I can’t imagine how tough it must be for you, having her here. But I need you to understand something—I’m not interested in rekindling things with Melanie. Our time together is in the past. I’m here with you, and we’re here together because my mom is ill,” he finished, sincerity shining in his eyes.

“It is hard,” Nadia admitted quietly. If she wanted to move forward with Ryan, she knew she had to start being more honest about her feelings, no matter how daunting it seemed.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t even consider that she might be here. I know I could’ve handled seeing her better, but it caught me off guard,” Ryan offered, his expression filled with genuine remorse.

“Well, I guess we’re stuck with this now,” Nadia sighed, resignation lacing her words. “What time’s dinner?”

“Probably around six. Nadia, I need you to trust me when I say I’m not interested in Melanie,” Ryan insisted, his tone firm and earnest.

“I do believe you,” Nadia replied, her voice soft. And she truly wanted to believe him, more than anything.

Ryan pressed his lips gently against hers, mindful of his split lip, and pulled her in for a tight hug.

“Wanna join me in the shower?” Ryan asked, a playful grin tugging at his lips.

“As tempting as that sounds, you should go ahead. I’ve got some freshening up to do myself,” Nadia replied. With only an hour until dinner, she needed that time to gather her thoughts before facing Ryan’s tense family dynamics and his former flame.

After just over an hour, they emerged from their room, prepared to head to dinner. Nadia had opted to forgo the cowgirl attire, instead choosing something that felt truer to herself; a simple summer dress paired with a headband. She knew she couldn’t compete with Melanie’s ranch girl aesthetic anyway.

Nadia looked Ryan over, he had done his best to make himself look presentable, but it was a losing battle. He had a fat lip, and a sizeable bruise forming on his cheek. There would be no concealing the fact that he had been in a fight.

“Never looked better, right?” He gave Nadia a quick grin and winked at her.

Nadia slowed her pace down the hallway to fall behind him, eyeing up his perfectly toned buttocks “from this perspective, yeah,” she teased.

Unfortunately, Ryan’s family was already seated at the dinner table when they arrived. Daniel stood up as Nadia entered the room, and Justin reluctantly followed suit.

“Hello again,” Daniel greeted, nodding in her direction.

Nadia couldn’t help but notice the improvement in Daniel’s appearance since she last saw him at the hospital. There was more vitality in his face, and he seemed noticeably more at ease.

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