Page 18 of Ryker

“Hi, Laken.”

“You’re here,” she said softly.

“Yeah.Thought I’d join you for dinner, if that’s okay?”I asked.If she didn’t want me here, I wouldn’t stay.As much as it would kill me to walk away, that’s what I’d do.

Her gaze shot over to Flicker, then back to me.“You can stay.”

I smiled a little and took a seat.Flicker took the spot across from me, leaving Laken between us.She finished what she was doing, then joined us.She cast nervous glances my way as she fixed our plates, loading mine with meatloaf, mashed potatoes, carrots, and rolls.There was a pitcher of lemonade in the middle of the table, and she filled all our glasses.I didn’t like her waiting on me, but she seemed to be doing it out of habit so I left her alone.If she ever came home with me, that shit would stop, though.I was quite capable of fixing my own plate and getting my own drink.She’d cooked the damn meal, so I didn’t understand why she had to serve everyone too.Had Flicker asked her to do that shit or was it something she’d just always done on her own?If she tried to wash the dishes when we were finished, I was going to put my foot down.This wasn’t 1950, and I was a little pissed that Flicker just sat there while she did all this work.

When Flicker dug into his food, I took a bite.And damn near had my eyes roll into the back of my head.It.Was.Awesome.I couldn’t remember ever tasting anything so wonderful before.The flavors just burst on my tongue, and I’d eaten three bites before I even remembered to breathe.

“This is really good, Laken.Like beyond amazing,” I told her before shoveling more food into my mouth.

Her cheeks flushed, and she smiled at me.“Thank you.”

“You cook like this all the time?”I asked.

I’d never really been around a woman who cooked.My mom, not that she’d been with us long, had never mastered anything beyond boxed meals, and this shit tasted like it was made from scratch.Even some of the nicer restaurants I’d been to couldn’t compare.If she moved in and cooked on a regular basis, I’d turn into a butterball if I didn’t work out every damn day.

She shrugged.“I know how to make a few things, but I bought a cookbook the other day.I figured now that I’m going to be a mom, I should learn to cook more things.I want my son or daughter to have nice dinners, at a table with the family.I never had that growing up.”

“Neither did I,” I said.“Mom tried for a while, and then she just didn’t care anymore.I think being with Dad kind of broke her.”

Flicker watched us but didn’t say anything.I wished that I could talk to Laken alone, but it seemed her guard dog wasn’t going anywhere.I couldn’t really blame him.I didn’t have a stellar record when it came to Laken.First I took her virginity in a bathroom and knocked her up, then I yelled at her and she was hit by a car, then I abandoned her when she was in the hospital.Yeah, I was a fuck-up, but I wanted to make things work with her.If that’s what she wanted.

I’d give her anything.All she had to was ask.

The woman already had my heart.

Chapter Eight

Laken

He was here.Ryker was really here, sitting next to me, eating a meal that I had cooked.Part of me was panicking, and the other half was just thrilled to see him again.But why had he returned?I still didn’t know for certain why he’d left.Had he been called back to Hades Abyss?Or had he left because of me?I had so many questions, and I wasn’t sure I was brave enough to ask.Mostly because I didn’t know if I wanted to hear the answers.If I was the reason he’d left, my heart would likely break a little more, and I wasn’t certain there was much left of it.When I’d found out he was gone, had left without saying goodbye, I’d felt completely shattered.

The way Flicker was watching us didn’t help matters any.I wanted some alone time with Ryker.I needed answers, and I didn’t think Ryker would be very forthcoming with Flicker hovering.I didn’t think big brother was going to let that happen, though.He’d made it no secret that he didn’t care for Ryker, and I doubted that had changed in the past month.If anything, he probably hated him even more, with the way Ryker had taken off and left me.

“I guess we don’t know much about each other,” Ryker said.“You’re a good cook.I’m going to assume the flowers and gnomes out front were your doing.Do you enjoy gardening?”

“I do,” I said, smiling.“I like mixing different colors of flowers and finding cute things to accent the garden and yard.Makes the place feel more like a home and not just a house.”

“Maybe you can do something with my place,” Ryker said.

I set my fork down and stared at him.“Your place?”

He nodded.“A little house down the road a bit from here.Torch is letting me use it.I’m now the liaison between Hades Abyss and the Dixie Reapers.”

My mouth dropped open a little.Did that mean he was here to stay?Torch wouldn’t have given him a house if this wasn’t a long-term thing, right?But the question was whether or not Ryker had been forced to come, or was he here for me and the baby?Did he actually want us in his life?

“You have a house here?”I asked, not sure I’d heard him correctly.

He nodded.“It’s a three-bedroom, two-bath.Not as big as this place, but I think it has potential.I’m shit when it comes to decorating and gardening, though.Think you might want to come check the place out?Give me some pointers?”

“You want me to decorate your house?”I asked softly.

“I want you to make it a home,” he said.“Maybe a home you’d like to live in one day.”

I swallowed hard, and my hand shook as I reached for my fork.I couldn’t look at him, not without giving away all of my feelings.I wanted that, so very much.But I was afraid that if I reached for that dream, he’d change his mind.I didn’t just want a father for my baby, I wanted Ryker.No one had ever made me feel the way he did, and yeah, we might not know a lot about each other, but there was a spark between us.

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