Least Likely to Fall in Love (16 page)

“Maddie might need me.” He watched her nod like of course she knew that all along. “But I’m not ready to go.
I
need to be cuddled.” She rolled her eyes and then snorted, but she eased down next to him and rested her chin on his chest as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

“So, now, let’s talk.” He ran his hands over her back, enjoying the feel of her skin and the way she relaxed against him. “All this experience. That’s what you expect? I totally rock your world and then wave on my way out the door?”

She shrugged, and the ripple sent a few shocks to his system. “Pretty much. Four guys. One of them a fiancé. None of them were all that anxious to sleep over, and none of them had the reason you do to hit the road.”

Uneasy at how easily she let him off the hook, Ryan dragged his hands through his hair. Maddie was an easy excuse, but this time he didn’t want to use it. “But you wanted them to stay?” He tried
not
to imagine punching four fashion model lookalikes in the face.

She shifted again and he was starting to think he could sleep after the
next
time he rocked her world; it wasn’t going to be much longer now.

“A woman with an uppercut like yours ought to demand what she wants.” That was the Lindy he was falling for, the one who knew just how lucky any man would be to have her.

“Using my boxing skills against me. That’s low.” She twisted to smile up at him and then leaned on one elbow.

“So tell me what you want. Should I go?” He ran a hand up her side and traced one thumb over her nipple. “Or make you forget those other guys?”

“Who?” Her voice was weak and she glanced down to watch him tease her nipple.

Ryan urged her onto her back. “Exactly.” As he slipped down between her thighs, her eyes had gone hazy. Satisfied that she gasped when he ran his fingers through the curls between her legs, he settled in to make sure he was the guy she’d never forget.

For a man who’d had one of the best nights he could remember in a very long time, Ryan was too annoyed as he pulled into his mother’s driveway. First, Lindy made him feel invincible, and then she’d knocked his feet out from under him. He still hadn’t recovered.

When his phone had chimed to tell him he better hit the road, she’d stirred beside him, sitting up in a wild tumble of curls, the sheet tight under her arms again. He’d eased it slowly down. She was naked. In bed. That sheet was an insult.

Kissing away her wicked smile had been priority one. Until she’d started talking.

“They don’t look much like your drawing, do they?” She’d glanced down at her breasts, giving him the only clue to what she meant.

“Huh?” He never had been good without coffee.

“Don’t you even remember? The note you put in my locker? That said everyone was talking about my breasts, and you included a cow-faced drawing just in case I missed the point.” She blinked at him and then her smile disappeared.

“I need coffee.” He’d eased up against the headboard and wracked his brain. “I don’t follow.”

She frowned and the sleepy satisfaction that had made him feel like a god was gone. “High school. Your note. My locker.”

“Not me.”

She snorted and yanked the sheet back up. “Really.”

Now he realized he should have just kissed her. Disaster could have been averted so easily. Negotiating history without caffeine was treacherous. “Not me.” He’d held her stare until she turned away. Then he eased from the bed and yanked on his boxers and pants. “And this is always going to be between us. I mean…” He scrubbed his hands over his face. “How do we do this if we can’t make it through the best night I’ve had…in ever, without stupid shit you think I did ruining it? And yes, I know there’s plenty of stupid shit I
actually
did to mess up everything.”

“Wait. Okay. I believe you.” She’d scooted forward to grab the waist of his pants. “I’m sorry. I started out all wrong. No caffeine.”

He’d finished dressing. And she’d still been so beautiful that it was easy enough to ignore the hot anger and embarrassment and disappointment all roiling around in his stomach. This morning could have been fairy-tale good with a sweet ending. Instead, it was just a reminder that their past would always be lurking.

He’d kissed her good morning like he should have, whispered, “No problem, I’ve gotta go anyway, pick up Maddie” even though he hadn’t meant it, and watched her dress as though it might be his last chance to memorize her skin and curves and wild hair.

She’d held his hand down the stairs and trailed him out to the truck. In the pink sunrise, she’d kissed him sweetly and said, “Call me later.” She was still waving when he drove off.

After a long shower, he’d picked up his phone to read a text from Maddie. Two words: COME NOW. And the familiar panic that he was going to fail Maddie by being too distracted washed over him again.

Then he took a breath. Whatever it was, Maddie was strong. She’d already proven that.

Lindy was a problem with no solution. Maddie he could handle. He ran the usual lecture through his head about how his mother was old, set in her ways, would never change, but still a part of his family and one his daughter needed to know.

He arrived at the house and walked into the kitchen where they were staring daggers at each other.

“I’d say ‘good morning’ but that ship has sailed already.” He kissed his mother’s cheek and then squeezed Maddie’s shoulders before he took a seat at the table. His mother was perfect as always, not a single hair out of place and makeup perfectly accenting her fine features. Nothing would convince his mother to relax those standards, not even a lazy Sunday morning with her granddaughter.

Maddie was dressed to annoy. She was wearing her favorite tie-dye shirt, the one that was three sizes too big, her beret, and so much black eyeliner that he wondered if she’d switched to a paintbrush to apply it. She was also slouched on the table, something he knew for a fact his mother hated. After enough smacks from his father, he’d learned not to do that. Since the enforcer was gone, Maddie didn’t have the same incentive.

“So…what’s new?”

His mother sniffed. “Well, it isn’t
new
, but your daughter has no respect for her elders. She’s spoken
disrespectfully
to me this morning.”

He turned to Maddie, his eyebrows raised. She might be too comfortable sometimes, but he’d never seen her speak disrespectfully to anyone.

Maddie shook an accusing finger. “She insulted our hard work. Said it looked like a five-year-old had done the photography and laughed at a typo after I told her we were still working on it.” She sniffed. “A good grandmother would be more supportive than that.”

When his mother jerked upright in her chair, Ryan had to bite back a smile.

“At least we’re trying, Grandmother.” Maddie shoved back her chair and picked up the papers that had been pinned under her elbow. “We see something that needs to change and we’re trying to help.”

Ready to call for a time-out, Ryan raised his hands but his mother said, “You should put your best foot forward, Madeline. People will judge your efforts, you know.”

Maddie snorted. “If they aren’t trying to help, what do I care about their judgment?”

His mother straightened her collar. “You make a solid point. You have every right to be proud of the job you’ve done.”

Maddie must have been preparing another shot. She opened her mouth and closed it, then looked at him like he could explain what was going on.

“But you should definitely rethink your eye makeup.”

Maddie’s shoulders slumped, and she gave him a “you see what I have to deal with here?” look. “Right. I hear you.” Then she walked out of the room. “Grabbing my stuff, Dad.”

Ryan twisted the salt shaker on the table and waited.

“She’s got a bit of a mouth on her, Ryan. You should address that.” His mother tapped the table for punctuation, and he thought about her advice.

“I’ve raised her to speak her mind. She’s a sweet kid, but she’s smart, too. I like to hear what she thinks.”

“You’ve done a good job.” She didn’t look at him while she dropped the bombshell.

He wasn’t sure he’d ever heard her say anything like that before, and he might not again so he wanted to enjoy it.

Maddie blew back through the kitchen and dropped a kiss on her grandmother’s cheek. “Let’s go, Dad. I’ve got a
typo
to fix. Grandmother, if you can keep from insulting my friends again, I’ll show you the final before we print. You can proofread it for me.” Maddie raised both eyebrows and waited.

Ryan stood and then had to rest his hands on the back of the chair when his mother nodded serenely. “I’d like that, Bebop. Let’s go to dinner this week, all right?”

Maddie gave her a thumbs-up and then said, “You bet. Dad can get another date.”

Then they both turned to look at him and the temperature in the kitchen skyrocketed.

Be cool. Nobody knows what time you got in or what you were doing. Just be cool.

“Sounds great to me.” He yanked the collar of his T-shirt and rounded the table.

He bent to kiss his mother’s cheek, prepared to make a clean getaway, but she said, “Madeline tells me you’re dating the principal.” She pleated her napkin. “Is that wise?”

And he was ten all over again, scared to death of disappointing her or pissing off his father. While he was frozen, trying to come up with the right answer, his daughter had no such problems. “Oh, come on. They’re both single. I’m cool with it. People are gonna love who they love, you know?” She shook her head at them both. “I’ll be in the truck.”

“Leave my radio alone!” he yelled as she slammed through the door, high energy and completely unfazed by the night with his mother. Thank God.

His mother expected him to do something about the way his daughter exited the room.

“Everything else go okay?”

“Yes, her friends were loud and rambunctious, but still obedient. We didn’t have trouble until I asked to read her brochure. I’m not sure I understand her commitment to this bullying thing, but it’s pretty good.” She shook her head. “Especially four kids working on their own. I shouldn’t have said what I did.”

Ryan pressed his fingers over his eyes as he tried to figure out what to say to that. “At least Maddie knows better than to listen. That’s what raising her to speak her mind has given us. When we mess up, she calls us on it and it’s handled.”
Instead of being shoved down and turned into fear or taking it out on other people.

“If your father were alive, he and Madeline would be bitter enemies.” She sniffed. “I’m not certain which one I would bet my money on.”

Ryan nodded once, certain that leaving was the best option. With one hand on the door, he stopped. “If Father was still alive, we wouldn’t be here.” He met her stare and waited for her to say something. When she didn’t, he added, “I wouldn’t put Maddie through that.”

He walked out into the sunny afternoon and yanked open the truck door, certain that he was on the right track with Maddie. She didn’t back down. She didn’t hold a grudge. She was going to be happy and healthy and secure, and if he never did another thing right, he could point to her and say she was his.

Then he slid into the truck and glanced at her as she seat danced to some god-awful boy band. He was on the verge of telling her what he thought, but she smiled at him. Her eyes in all the black eyeliner were hard to see but still gleamed with mischief. Then she punched his preset button and country music filled the cab.

He couldn’t help it. He had to laugh. She was a step ahead of him all the time, but that made him even prouder.

“Either I’ve exceeded maximum eyeliner capacity or it’s harder to wear now that I’m out of the habit.” She grinned. “I want to rub my eyes. So, how much trouble am I in?” She yanked off the beret and rolled the window down so the wind ruffled her hair before she glanced at her dad.

He shook his head and rolled down his own window. The fall sunshine was nice. “None. I know she’s not easy. I appreciate that you keep trying.”

“What did you guys have to fight about? Senior class president, honor roll, captain of the football team, and half of the couple voted ‘Most Likely to Succeed.’ Plus, in every picture, you look like you just stepped out of a catalog.” Maddie rolled her eyes because she understood that Grandmother was never satisfied.

He reached over to turn down the radio. “Listen…” He stopped at a stoplight and tightened his hands on the wheel. “I don’t talk about my dad or growing up much, but just know that there was always something more I should have been doing. Grandmother… Well, she might have been proud but she never said so. Doing that would have annoyed my father.” When the light changed, he looked away. “But I love that you keep trying with her. Now that he’s gone, you stand a chance. And I love that you aren’t afraid to take a shot.”

Maddie was blinking back tears, and he wished he’d just kept his mouth shut. “I guess you did a lot of things to try to make them happy.”

He glanced in her direction. “Yep, everything except be a nice guy. That was never on the list of things to do at my house. Be number one, yes. Dress better. Win at all costs and make sure everyone knew you were in charge. Never take crap from anyone. Those were the important things.” He reached over and grabbed her hand. “I’m glad you have your priorities straight, kid. Grandmother loves you, even if she’s a mess at trying to show it.”

“Do you know the same thing? That she loves you even if
she’s
a mess?”

He smiled at her. but it was less than convincing.

“Just keep working on her, but don’t let her change you. You’re great, typos and all.”

She laughed like he wanted her to. “Glad I can get that fixed before I show it to Principal Mason.” Ryan didn’t answer and the silence stretched out awkwardly until Maddie said, “Aren’t you going to tell me how the date went?”

Ryan wished he’d had time to figure out the answer to that before he was under Maddie’s too smart scrutiny. But he hadn’t. “Fine. We had a great dinner.”

Maddie frowned. “When’s the next date?”

He pulled into the garage. “Uh, we didn’t make any set plans.”

“So,” Maddie said, “if it went well, why wouldn’t you make a new date? Unless you were still at her house when I texted and you had to run. Dad! You didn’t spend the night, did you?” Her eyes were huge and horrified.

“I thought”—he shook his head at her, willing a hot blush to disappear—“I’d get your opinion on something the three of us could do together. Unless you’re still opposed to us dating.” He was ashamed at how quickly he’d pounce on her excuse to get a little distance from this relationship that was heating up too fast. Burn out could be coming.

Unconvinced, Maddie narrowed her eyes at her father and he returned the favor. “Together? Why? Is it that serious already?”

To buy time, he slid out of the truck. He didn’t know the answer. He’d thought so last night, but after this morning, the train wreck was looming again. “Maybe. Maybe not.” All he knew was that he wanted time with Lindy. “You know you’re still number one with me. Right?”