Page 49 of Promised Summer
I chuckled and replied truthfully, “I thought I’d picked up a little crybaby back then. Who knew I’d actually picked up a treasure?”
Something inside Ryan’s eyes softened, and he leaned over to kiss me. “If it weren’t for you finding me and bringing me back to Grandma’s winery, I might still be lost and crying by the river. You saved me.”
I laughed at the exaggeration, but I wasn’t going to reject the sweet kisses he sent my way as reward. All the while, his hands sent shivers through my body as he followed the ridges of my muscles down my chest.
I was panting, cock straining with need and leaking precum for his touch, but when his hand brushed over my pelvis, I stopped him from moving lower. As much as I wanted him, my worries prevented me from fully enjoying this moment.
“What’s wrong?” Ryan asked when I stopped him.
I pulled him down and rolled us to our sides, so we were facing each other. “You said you had some exciting news?” I prompted.
Please don’t say you found a place outside of town. Please!
I chanted in my head as Ryan’s eyes lit up at the mention of thisnews.
“That’s right! I went to the city today?—”
“You went to the city?” I asked, panicking now. I thought they said he was looking at places in the next town over, not in the freaking city. The city was over an hour away.
Sure, Ryan might take Karla there every weekend for her therapy sessions, but was that what our relationship would turn into? Weekly appointments to visit each other for a few measly hours?
Completely oblivious to my inner turmoil, Ryan happily nodded and continued, “Yeah. Since I didn’t have Karla with me today, I figured I’d sneak away and take care of something very important.”
“And what’s that?” I asked, impatient for an answer.
“Are you very curious?” His eyes glinted under the artificial light. He was definitely teasing me, but with how anxious I was, I wasn’t in the mood to play along.
I just wanted him to put me out of my misery as quickly as possible. If he was going to leave, then the sooner he told me, the sooner I could prepare my heart.
“Tell me?” I half-said, half-begged. I was so anxious I wasn’t even hard anymore.
Ryan continued smiling and cupped my cheek. “You know how you told me you got checked after you broke up with your ex?”
“Yeah?” I frowned, confused why he was bringing that up. I naturally went to get tested after finding out Deke had been cheating on me. Who knew how long he’d been messing around with other people, andalthough he and I always used protection, it never hurt to be extra careful. I was relieved when all the tests came back negative.
Ryan smoothed the wrinkle my frown caused. “I thought I’d get checked as well,” he said with a mischievous smirk.
“You did? Wait—does that mean you’re not moving to the city?” I asked, heart still pounding.
It was his turn to be confused. “Why would I move to the city?”
“I dunno. I thought maybe you’d want to be closer to Karla’s therapist or something,” I muttered.
Ryan scooted closer and pressed our foreheads together. “Jones, I’m not leaving. Kither Springs is my home. It’s Karla’s home, too.”
“Okay,” I murmured, but his words didn’t settle the worry that’d carved its way deep into my heart. I trusted Ryan, I really did, but the evil voice inside my head kept telling me that if he was able to leave me once, he could do it again. It didn’t matter if the first time was because of extenuating circumstances—his dad was dying, and adding on the confusing emotions he was feeling after I kissed him, I understood now why he ran. I didn’t like that he did, but I understood.
Logically, unless there were more extenuating circumstances, he wouldn’t run again, but I still couldn’t escape the fear that he would.
“If you leave?—”
“I’m not,” Ryan insisted. He sounded so sure.
“But if you do, will you tell me first? Don’t just disappear on me, okay?” I pleaded, hoping I didn’t sound like I was blaming him for ghosting me ten years ago.
Ryan searched my eyes, looking for something. I didn’t know if he found whatever it was, but he pressed a soft kiss to my lips, then said, “If I plan on leaving again, I’ll take you with me.”
“Yeah?” I replied with a small smile, the knot inside me loosening a bit.
