Page 20 of Fighting for You

“Hey, are you up?” I hear Kirsten shout through my bedroom door.

“No!” I yell back.

“Great!” she says, as I hear my bedroom door burst open.

I don’t need to look up to know that both Kirsten and Ashely have bombarded into my room.

Knowing they won’t leave me alone until they hear about last night's date, I sit up and give them both the stink eye. “Look, I will answer your questions if you promise to leave me alone the rest of the day,” I sneer.

They both smile and agree.

I begin to replay the events of the night before. I don’t bother to leave anything out, especially my fight with Ryder, which ultimately led to us having a mind-blowing kiss on the street. Once I finish giving every sordid detail, I see both of their jaws hanging down to the floor.

“Why do you look so sullen after sharing your steamy night with Ryder?” Kirsten asks me, forcing my eyes back up to hers.

“I’m not sullen, I just can’t help but feel that this is all happening so fast. I mean, I was with Wade forever, and I haven’t dated anyone since his death. Now, after just a few dates, I’m willing to jump into a relationship with Ryder. And, Ryder has a dangerous job-- possibly more dangerous than Wades was,” I finish.

“No, but they are two different people. Just go with it and have fun,” Ashley adds in.

I know she’s right. It’s going to be difficult, but I know it’s best that I attempt to move on. Who would have thought that the guy who I would fall for after Wade would be a former military man?

Three days later, I was sitting at my desk when I saw a text alert on my phone. I had been busy approving edits for a twisted fairy tale series our company recently added.

Looking down at my phone, I felt a wide smile grow on my face.

Ryder: So, I thought it would be fun to go to a movie in the park tomorrow night.

Me: Movie in a park?

Ryder: Sure. We could sit on a blanket, get something to eat from one of those food trucks you love, and watch a movie under the stars.

I thought over his proposition and I had to admit, it really did sound fantastic. Days had gone by and all I could think about was Ryder. His smile. His charm. And more than anything, how he made me feel so alive again. He had a way to make me laugh and cry and still want more.

Me: Sure. I think that sounds great.

Ryder: Awesome. I will come by and pick you up tomorrow at six. Text me your address.

I sent him my address and then put my phone away. If I allowed myself, I could get carried away and lost in a world of only Ryder. Having my phone out of sight would hopefully mean out of mind.

I hear a tap on my office door and I look up to see Melanie standing in front of me. Her hair is pulled back in a tight bun and her knee-length black dress is casual, yet professional.

“Meghan, do you have a moment?” she asks, walking in.

“Of course, come in,” I say, waving her in.

I feel a bit ashamed that she caught me putting my phone away. I took my job very seriously and the last thing I would want is to seem distracted or unprofessional. Hence, why I steered clear of dating. Well, one of the reasons at least.

“I wanted to go over some notes for our feature article. I would like to have the article edited and then sent to the printer in two weeks,” she began, sitting down. Recently, Melanie had announced that she was pregnant with her and Cole’s third child. She was barely sporting a baby bump, but I could see she was exhausted.

“Sounds great, let me pull up my folder with my information,” I say, as I turn to my computer screen and begin clicking. I get the information I gathered from her emails with Ryder and the three other guys who we would be featuring. Of course, Lance Salvatore would be highlighted, too.

“I want this article to be edgy,” Melanie begins.

I nod in agreement as I begin to take notes to add to my portion of the article. Our plan is to combine what we have and then format it.

“I think edgy will be great. The feature on Lance Salvatore really showcased his time as a SEAL. Readers really enjoyed it,” I comment.

“Exactly,” she gushes, pointing her pen at me. “From what I had gathered so far, these guys really saw some dangerous moments in their time at war. They lost brothers in combat and were all honorably discharged. I want to interview each one and get a raw image of what life was like during war and how that compares to their lives now working for Cole Security,” she finishes.

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