Ryder wasn't big on the idea of Bree not moving in with him, not really, but he was playing it down for now and not raising hell because they just got back together and he didn't want to do something rash and ruin this perfect second chance.
He wanted her around him, every fucking time because they've lost so much time already and most importantly, he couldn't trust her safety with anyone else, especially since they have a baby on the way.
A baby, their baby.
He has a child on the way that he'd had absolutely no idea about, that didn't make him feel any good when he thought of it.
While he'd been acting like it's cool and all, he was totally flipping out on the inside.
Somehow, he'd even fucked up more than he'd realised initially, and he'd left Bree all alone and pregnant.
Pregnant!!
It was a sin he'd have to live with for the rest of his life or maybe someday he'd find it in him to forgive himself, but till then, he'd have to
The car ride back to Bree's place was quiet and rather too tense for Bree's liking but there was nothing she could do about it. The problem wasn't one she had any solution to at the moment and Ryder was just sulking and not necessarily beefing with her about it so it wasn't really a biggie. Even the man knew it can't be helped and this was for the best, he'd called the shots and she'd agreed and his suggestion had never even been in the books for her - yes, moving in with Ryder hadn't. This was a chance encounter, a chance that should be treated so carefully so they don't fuck it up like they did the last time. How long can a couple weeks be anyways, they'd done months before this and look, they both survived it. Bree had her own fears about this whole situation to start with. It scared her to consider that she was moving too fast with him after e
Bree's been having a rough week and seriously, it was beginning to get to her. First, she'd woken up to having her face plastered on every available tabloid in New York with nasty captions attached to them and they had all been from the night of the ball. Of course they had all been about her fight with her ex boss Margo and for some reason she'd been painted as the bad egg and the villain of the story. She was the devil that had broken up the budding couple and done questionable things to steal the all mighty Ryder Steele from Margo, or so they'd said. It had been difficult to deal with and she'd spent her days in bed unproductive and crying herself to sleep. She had seen it coming, that in itself should have cushioned the blow but the harsh reality of it was what had plummeted her harder than she'd thought was possible. Going out of her apartment had been difficult because there was always a pair of eyes staring at her with disdain,
The first thing that came to Ryder's mind at the ringing of his phone on the nightstand at exactly forty five minutes past two in the morning the baby. Especially since it was Bree's name splashed across his screen while the device wailed him awake from sleep. He cursed as he swiped across his screen to take the call, his heart beating him to death. It'd kill him if anything happened to any of the two most important people to him even though he was yet to meet one of them. There's no manual for this first time dad thingy and he was doing his best even if that involves the constant paranoia that's taken permanent residence in his head. "Baby girl..." He said into the phone with a calming, tentative voice that his the panic and turmoil building in the pit of his belly, hoping for the best but unconsciously expecting the worst. It did come, the latte
The ride back to Ryder's place was silent except for the slow song playing on the radio, the text and the whole event of the night hanging thick in the air between them. The memory of it made Bree's skin crawl, it filled her with so much disgust and nausea and for Ryder, it irked him to hell and back that the bastard hadn't hung around long enough to be caught by him. He'd have pounded his face beyond recognition and made sure he got even worse treatment after. It was worse that there had been no fucking security camera footage to show who the corporate was, not even one. Another reason he hated these old apartments, which fucking building dosen't have one of those for security purposes. He drove them back to his house, his security details following discretely behind them for protection purposes. This might be some jobless, perverted, idiot playi
His scent, the warmth of his body behind hers, and the sure safety of his arms wrapped around her, these were the things that had finally cuddled Bree back to sleep, even though she'd dreamt about tonight while at it and had woken up again in a fright. It had been there, l the constant fear that it could all somehow repeat itself and this time she'd be conscious watching it, the loath, the disgust..... But sometime, much later in the morning, she'd succumbed to the beckoning arms of oblivion and had fallen asleep again, amd this time she'd had a long dreamless sleep that had lasted hours. She woke up much later to an empty, cold space next to her in the bed and a text from Rider that was checking to see that she was fine and not still traumatized from what had happened last night. She missed him almost immediately, it was like her morning had gone sour and lost its colors after she realised he was gone, but then again he had to work and she understood. It was just that she'd hope
Spending the morning with Karen was therapeutic for Brianna, taking her mind off of last night. She spent most of it in the kitchen with the older woman, making breakfast and cleaning up and she'd been so excited when she found out Ryder had offered Karen a full time, live in job instead of her usual three days a week housekeeping and that she had accepted. She had wondered what his motive was and what prompted the offer, but she didn't get to worry for long because her answer came sooner than later in the form of a knock on the door. She been busy cleaning out Ryder's room when Karen had come knocking to inform her that the movers were here and that she could come tell them where she wanted her things to be placed. It had come as a big surprise since Ryder hadn't mentioned anything about moving her things to his place. She had followed the older woman out to the front
The kiss wasn't supposed to be anything serious, because they were still taking baby steps with this, but it did, escalating quickly and getting deeper so easily like always, building an engulfing flame that burned so bright in them. Kissing the soft rosy buds that were Bree's lips was always like this for Ryder and in this particular moment, it was like coming alive again after a long time, he was home in her arms. This part of his life had been dead and buried the day he'd taken the irrevocably stupid decision to walk away from her life and what they'd had. But tasting the undiluted headiness of her kiss again, getting lost in the sweet intoxication that was her lips, wrapped in the mixture of both their scents.....that was everything he's dream of and prayed for. Cupping her face gently in his palm, he kissed her even deeper, familiarizing himself with her taste all over again.
It's been so long since anybody had looked at Bree with eyes so dark and so hungry for her it excited her to watch Ryder. She'd lost hope on ever experiencing the out of this world kinda magic she and Ryder always made in between the sheets the day she'd found out that he'd left her without any goodbye, reason or explanation. Her life had gone bleak from that moment on as he'd taken all the colors and hope from it with him. And yet here she was, with the only man that can have her soaking wet with only the intensity of his eyes or the kisses of his lips. The universe had intervened and given them this second chance and sometimes she wondered if they were one of those matches made in heaven or this was a reward for some good either of them had done in a past life. "Stay with me, baby girl." He whispered in her, his voice so velvety yet so husky, as