Page 24 of Ryder

“Give him time. He cares about you. A lot. He tries to hide it but I see it, and so does everyone else.” Her words gave me comfort, something I very much needed after the day I’d had. Twisting her black hair up into a messy bun on top of her head, she threw her arms over her head and stretched, a yawn coming out of nowhere. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry. It’s not you, I promise.” She chuckled. “It’s just that I haven’t been getting much sleep lately.

“Because of everything with the club?”

“No. Sadly I’m used to that. It’s because of Kaden.”

“Who?” I didn’t remember Ryder mentioning anyone named Kaden.

“The little boy Cole and I have been caring for. Tripp’s ex dropped him off out of the blue, claiming he was his when in fact he wasn’t. When she didn’t get what she wanted from Tripp—although who knows what that even was—she took off and left her baby here. He hasn’t been able to locate her as of yet.” A mixed look of hope and sorrow took over Sully’s expression, and I couldn’t help but feel bad for her.

“So he’s been keeping you up late?” I wanted to take her mind off whatever plagued her, and the mere mention of the baby had her smiling once again.

“Yes, but I’m not complaining. I’ve always wanted children. I know he’s not really mine, but I can’t help feeling an attachment to him. It’s one of the reasons Cole was hesitant to take him while Tripp searched for his ex. He knew how hard it would be for me to give him back when he finds her.” She let out a hefty sigh. “But I can’t think of that right now, can I?” Her question was rhetorical. A brief moment of silence lingered between us before she asked, “Do you want kids someday?”

“Do I want kids?” I repeated. “Well, it’s not like I’ve never thought about it, but I guess I just never settled on an answer. I guess . . . I don’t know. With the right guy, I suppose I’d be open to the idea.”

She bumped my shoulder with hers. “Could that be Ryder?” She wiggled her brows and I laughed.

“I’m not sure.”Better to be neutral, right?

“I wonder if he wants any more. Then again, I doubted Cole would come around to the idea of Kaden, but when I see him with the little boy now, my heart swells. He’s fallen in love with him as much as I have.”

I stopped listening after she uttered the first sentence.

“Wait. Go back. What did you mean by ‘anymore’? Does Ryder have kids?” My voice rose higher than intended, drawing the attention of Hawke, who was busy drinking at the bar.

Sully’s eyes widened before she mumbled, “Shit.” Turning fully toward me, she continued with, “Sorry, Braylen. I thought you knew. He has a daughter. I think she’s around ten.”

Tears of anger flooded my vision, but I refused to cry. Pulling in a deep breath, I exhaled before speaking again. “No. I didn’t know. I guess he didn’t want to share that with me.” What did that say about his feelings toward me, that he wouldn’t tell me he had a child? Just when I thought he might be coming around to the idea of us being more than a casual thing—in his eyes, at least—he abolished all of those crazy notions with his secret. One of many, apparently.

“I’m so sorry. Truly. Maybe he just wanted to make sure you were it for him before he told you?” I knew Sully was only trying to help, but she was inadvertently making it worse.

I rose from the couch while trying to keep my composure, and it was at that exact moment that Ryder walked through the door, amused at something Stone had said.

His eyes instantly found mine. He muttered something to the club’s VP before advancing toward me, but when he saw the irate and hurt look on my face, he stopped midstride.

“Braylen?”

“Don’t come near me,” I shouted. I hadn’t meant to cause a scene, but my temper escaped before I could rein it in. I clamped my mouth shut before hurrying off toward the back of the club, heading straight for his room. I prayed there was a lock on the door; otherwise, I couldn’t be held accountable for my actions if he came after me.

I heard Sully apologizing to him as I slammed the bedroom door with such ferocity I swore it shook the entire clubhouse.

Ryder

“Goddamnit, Sully. What were you thinking?” I paced back and forth. “This is why I keep my shit private,” I gritted, flashing everyone a pissed-off look even though I knew none of them deserved it. This was all on me.

“You better watch how you’re talkin’ to my wife,” Marek growled, appearing out of nowhere. “It’s not her fault you didn’t tell Braylen about your kid.”

Not acknowledging him or his truthful spewing, I hauled off toward the back of the club, knowing damn well I was the last person Braylen wanted to see. I had to deal with the issue before it escalated. Part of me wanted to leave it alone and get drunk, but the other part, the one that had developed feelings for the feisty woman, wanted to apologize and see if I could make things right between us. We’d been at odds for weeks, and I wanted the stress to stop. I had enough on my mind with the threat against the club; I needed to check her forgiveness off the ever-growing list.

Without knocking, I flung open the door to my assigned room and found her. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, the bag she’d packed resting on her lap.

“Where do you think you’re going?” I hadn’t meant to sound so gruff, but there was no way in hell she was leaving. Not until we’d eliminated the threat, which could take days.

“I’m not staying here.”

“You’re not leaving.”

She raised her head and glared at me. Clutching her bag tightly, she said, “You can’t keep me here against my will. That’s called kidnapping, Ryder. Look it up.”

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