Page 14 of Surprise Baby for the Billionaire Rockstar

Just because Ryker and I had a very small kiss, doesn’t mean I don’t still have a job to do – which means I can’t leave until I do an exercise with him today.

Unfortunately, I’m not counting on him participating much.

Since we’re going to be outside this morning, doing more yoga, I forgo the shower and head straight for my closet instead. When I get my yoga clothes pulled on, I quickly search through my things for something to wear to my parents house.

A horseback ride sounds great, something to really get the stress of this job off my back, so I grab a folded pair of loose-fitting jeans and t-shirt.

I exit the guest room slowly and keep my ears open for any obvious signs that Ryker is in the kitchen cooking, but I come up empty.

Good, maybe he decided to ignore the request I made before we went our separate ways.

My steps become more eager, until I round the corner and find Ryker hunched over the island while scooping a large spoonful of cereal into his mouth. I plaster the best smile I can manage onto my face and step into the kitchen, trying not to flinch that he doesn’t bother looking at me – not even a simple glance.

To my surprise, though, there’s a plate sitting on the counter with eggs, bacon, and hashbrowns with steam still billowing from it. “This mine?”

Ryker grunts. “I owed you breakfast, and that’s the best you get.”

“Uh, thanks,” I whisper while pouring myself a decent cup of coffee.

He only hums in response and when I turn around he’s scrolling through his phone with a frown on his face. “Dammit.”

“Everything okay?”

“Now’s not the time to be getting into my head, teach.”

I sigh, then lean against the counter while holding my plate with one hand and scooping food into my mouth with the other.

When I swallow the first bite, I shrug my shoulders. “And if it’s as a friend?”

Ryker rolls his eyes and glares at me. “I highly doubt anything I tell you will go off the record, so I’ll pass.”

“Suit yourself,” I mumble.

As much as I’m here to do a job, I’m also here to make sure Ryker makes it out of this place in a better mental state. I can’t exactly do that if he doesn’t trust me to get him there, which means getting onto his good side.

“You know, I used to get bullied as a kid.”

He snaps his attention to me with a raised brown, then looks me up and down.

“You? Seriously?” Ryker frowns and shakes his head. “You’re beautiful, why would anyone want to make fun of you?”

“As much as I believe what you’re saying now, that wasn’t always the case.”

I push away from the counter and slip onto the empty stool next to him. “I was called brace face for most of my high school years, and it didn’t help that I was a farm girl through and through. They loved the country jokes.”

“That’s it? All because you had braces and liked to work on the farm?” He shrugs his shoulders. “I don’t see the problem here, Wren.”

I sigh. “Yeah, I didn’t see it either. It wasn’t just about that, though. It was everything – I was a straight A student who loved to read, was president of the drama club, and it took me a while to figure out the kind of clothes that made me look the best.”

“Did anything ever get better for you?”

“In high school? No. Once I got to college, though, I swore to myself that I wouldn’t let others get to me like that again. It was smooth sailing after that – and it was helpful that I went to a therapist in the middle of it all, she gave me tons of information to cope with my emotions.”

He hums in response and nods, then goes back to shoveling the food in mouth while I stare at him in silence.

As if sensing my eyes on him, Ryker glances at me from the corner of his eye and groans. “I really hope you aren’t expecting me to go next now that you’ve shared something with me.”

“It would be nice,” I say with a small smile. “But, no. The only way me being here will work is if you trust me, and I can’t expect that to happen when you barely know me.”

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