Page 29 of Unbreak Me
“If I didn’t have my daughter in my arms right now and my nephew two feet away, I would have a few choice words for you.Keep your comments and your eyes to yourself,” Ryder says in a low voice.
“I’m just glad it’s not my wife for a change,” Travis laughs.
“Oh, I still think she’s hot as hell, too,” Miles grins and hides behind Jake before Travis can splash him.
I take in the scene before me and can’t help but smile. They are exactly how I remember them together, and it’s like no time has passed. Besides the fact that I don’t have Ryder’s arms wrapped around me right now, it would be just like the many pool days we all had together.
I set my mimosas next to the pool and sink into the water. I walk over to Ryland, and she grins at me.
“Momma.”
“Hi Rybug. Are you having fun in the pool?”
“Ducky.” She shows me the yellow rubber duck in her hands.
“Ducky,” I laugh. I lift my eyes and finally meet Ryder’s. His eyes dip lower as he takes in my swimsuit top before the molten greys meet mine.
“Nice suit,” he says quietly, not showing any emotion on his face.
“Thanks. Sophia gave it to me since I didn’t have one. Do you need me to take Ryland so you can have a break?”
“No, I’ve got her.” His jaw is tense as he stares me down before looking away. He immediately softens when he looks at Ryland.
“Okay,” I sigh. “Just let me know if you need me to relieve you.” He nods his head without looking at me, and I swim back over to my drink and take a long sip.
Sophia comes up to my side and laughs under her breath. “Well, that was interesting. I thought Ryder was going to have a stroke when he saw you. Miles is lucky he had Ryland in his arms. Actually,” she says, thinking, “that’s why he pushedRyder’s buttons because he knew he was safe with Ryland in his arms,” she laughs.
“I think I only succeeded in making him more angry with me. I’m going to need a lot more of these to get through this afternoon.” I take another long sip.
“I’ve got you, babe. The fridge is stocked, and we have four hot pool boys, the hottest being my husband,” she grins, “at our disposal to bring us drinks all afternoon. Speaking of one, said pool boy,” she stops Jake as he walks to the house. “Can you get us a refill, Jake, while you are in there?”
“Sure thing, ladies. Need anything else?” He takes our empty glasses, and she shakes her head. “No, just a refill. Thank you.”
“No problem, sis.”
I watch him walk away and turn to Sophia. “I’m really surprised he’s still single. Out of all of them, I thought Jake would have been the one who was married when I came back. No offense,” I say, laughing.
“None taken,” she grins. “Travis and I literally ran into each other one night, and trust me, getting married was the last thing on his mind. He wanted a one-night stand, and I couldn’t resist the temptation. We both quickly realized there was no keeping us apart. He was my person, and I was his. Jake just hasn’t found his person yet. And Miles…” We both laugh at the thought of Miles settling down. “Miles is having way too much fun, but one day, it’s going to be funny as hell when he finds his person because I think two of his brothers are going to have fun paying him back.”
“They so are,” I laugh.
Jake comes back out with a small cooler and sits it down next to us. “I brought the bar to you,” he grins, opening it up and refilling our drinks.
“Oh, this is going to be so much fun,” Sophia laughs as Travis grabs her from behind.
“Yes, it is. I know how you get on mimosas. Jake, you are babysitting later this afternoon for an hour.” Sophia giggles into her drink.
“An hour? More like fifteen minutes,” Jake laughs.
“That’s Miles you are thinking of,” Travis grins.
“I heard that!” Miles yells out from behind us, causing us to laugh.
I glance at Ryder playing with Ryland by the steps. She’s sitting on the top one, floating her rubber ducky. He must feel my eyes on him because he looks my way. I wish I could tell what he’s thinking. He finally breaks away and goes back to Ryland.
What I wouldn’t do for just fifteen minutes. Hell, I would take five at this point. I take another long sip. I haven’t drank since I found out I was pregnant, so I can already feel the effects of the alcohol. I didn’t trust my parents enough to let down my guard. I had Ryland to protect, and I didn’t want anything to dull my senses. I think part of me was also afraid I would like it too much and would want to stay numb like my mother always did. It would have been the easier way out, but Ryland had already lost her dad. She didn’t need to lose her mom too.
“Hey, Max! Do you know what time it is?” Miles yells across the pool, pulling me out of my thoughts.
