Page 59 of Hart Breaker

I look around our suite and find Mom looking at me. I push up from my seat and head to her.

“Do you think it would be okay to ask the Harts and their guests to join us?”

“Absolutely.”

I ask Dad, who’s acting totally suspicious, to come with me to invite them up, and he simply lifts his chin and follows me.

I stop in front of Lucas. “I’m airdropping you a link I’d love you to watch.”

“Sure thing, kiddo.” He smiles.

As Dad and I make our way to the Harts, I tell him that this kid deserves a shot and ask that he look into it.

When he asks how I found him, I just look at him.

“Have anything to do with number thirteen?”

“Dad, I?—”

He raises his hand to stop me. “We’ll discuss this another time. Kick-off is in two minutes.”

“Are you mad?”

“You welcomed him to the family, Riley; I should have known then.”

“Um, how would you when I didn’t know, and I still don’t. I just ended things with Brett. And I’m not even committed to seeing what happens. If things were to go bad, this is his home now; he, you, we built his mother’s house. And his career.” I shake my head. “I’m not messing that up for him.”

“You’re incapable of messing anything up; you’re perfect.”

I roll my eyes. “As if.”

“Love all my kids, but you and I have a different bond; if I say you’re perfect, you are. And if he fucks up, he’s getting what he and the two dipshits before him deserved.”

“That’s unfair.”

“So.”

So, just so.

To say that Ryder Maverick was overwhelmed is an understatement. Beth was so sweet when she squeezed my hand and whispered, “Your secrets are safe with me, but sweetheart, that young man, he adores you.”

When we walk into the box, Lucas and Tessa walk over and greet Ryder.

“Riley sent me a link.” He holds up his phone. “This you?”

He nods. “Yeah.”

“You been out of high school for three years?”

He scrubs a hand over his head. “Yeah. Got my GED.”

“And then went to UNLV?”

“He’s kind of a genius,” his stepsister gushes, and he shakes his head. “You scored a one-sixty on an IQ test; you’re a genius.”

He shrugs.

“What are you doing over winter break?”

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