Page 9 of Baller's Surprise Baby

“Yeah, that might have slipped my mind.”

She looks around the cabin. There are a couple of nice TVs and the staff will begin serving refreshments shortly, but the reality is there’s just the two of us and this is going to be a three-hour flight. I watch her open her laptop and try to ignore me, but I can’t deal with this. I’m too tired and I give up.

“Everly.” I wait until she turns questioning eyes on me, and then hold out a hand for a shake.

“Truce?”

7

Ryder

She raises a brow and forms a perfect moue on her lips while pondering the offer.

“Let’s start fresh and enjoy the flight,” I add.

“Just like that?” She seems willing but sceptical, and I smile at that. Who wouldn’t? I’ve been the asshole side of myself of late, but she’s about to see my good side tonight.

“Yeah, we’ve been driving each other crazy. But we’re stuck together tonight, so let’s call a truce. No more bickering, no more arguing, just friends.”

“Okay then…I think I can handle that.” She warily raises her hand to mine, and I wrap long fingers around her palm. Her skin is so soft. I brush my thumb over the back of her hand before releasing it gently. Then we settle back with small smiles on our face only to fall into an increasingly awkward silence. What now?

I watch as her dimples deepen, and her mouth widens out into a broad grin. It’s charming.

“What?” I ask, utterly puzzled.

“You wanted to be nice and start fresh, but you don’t know how to do it, do you?” She lets out a small chuckle and shakes her head at me.

“Hey now, I’ll have you know that I’m a very charming guy.” I place a hand on my chest in mock affront. Her chuckle switches to a full-on snort at that, as she raises her brow.

“Well, you could have fooled me!”

But I shake my finger at her when I answer, “Tsk! Tsk! Don’t be breaking the terms of our truce before it even starts.”

She gives me one more ‘look’ and then mimes zipping and locking her mouth with a key.

“Okay, we’re in for the long haul. Did you eat dinner?” I watch her nod her head in the affirmative. “Great, so now it’s on to better things,” I say with a grin and signal the stewardess who comes out with an initial set of beverages and refreshment options. I turn to see Everly’s reaction. I myself am used to private flight dining but I’m curious to see what she’ll have.

“Pick your poison.”

A moment later she’s settled with a glass of red wine while the stewardess hands me my go-to rum and Coke, and I lean back into one of the few airplane chairs in which I can comfortably relax.

“You remember that big Fourth of July party my family used to host when we were kids?” I break the silence, and Everly turns interested eyes on me. Inside my chest my heart starts to pound a little harder. Wow, for years she was just a family friend. How did I not notice how attractive she’s gotten? Curves in all the right places… I shake it off and keep talking.

“When I was thirteen, all of my dad’s friends were chilling in the game room until the fireworks started, and then everyone went out on the lawn.”

Everly cocks her head to the side, squinting her eyes in thought before she speaks. “Rachel and I must have been nine? I think that had to be a ten-year tradition at least. They made a good run of it.” I nod my head and take a sip of my drink.

“Yup, ten years. The year I was thirteen was when I figured out that most of those adults left unfinished drinks in the game room and then completely forgot about them during the firework show.” I waggle my eyebrows at Everly and relish her gasp.

“No! Thirteen?! You were stealing drinks when you were only thirteen?! That’s so bad!” Her eyes are wide in shock, and her cheeks pinken as she laughs.

“Come on, don’t pretend you never did it. All kids like to explore a little.”

“Not at thirteen! I had to be fifteen before I tried alcohol for the first time, and even then, it was just a taste. I wasn’t sneaking multiple drinks. What a delinquent, Ryder Jones.” She shakes her head at me in faux superiority. I’m not gonna lie, the whole snooty teacher look on her is pretty hot.

“Me and Lincoln Palmer. He used to come to those parties, and we’d play Xbox most of the afternoon, then take a break to stare at girls before sneaking off to light homemade fireworks in the driveway. Then we’d finish the night pilfering for leftover drinks. I even found a couple cigars once.”

“Ryder, Ryder, Ryder.” She’s wagging her head at me, but I can see the dimples hiding her smirk. Something about them that make me a little wild, and I throw caution to the wind with my next comment.

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