Ryan (Members From Money Book 16)

by Katie Dowe

  Danny glanced at Jamie, who was shaking his head. He had known the man for years since his sister and Jamie’s daughter started middle school together. Natalie was one of the few girls who had stuck with Abi throughout her whole time living with her mother. They had seen Georgina’s crazy but Danny doubted they had seen anything like this.

  He turned back to Jacob.

  “Any chance you can get her evaluated? Her behavior’s gone downhill very fast lately.”

  “What?” Georgina screeched. She stared at her son. “You can’t do that to me!”

  “You named me as power of attorney if you started losing your mental capacities, Mom.” Danny folded his arms. “So yes, I can do that.”

  Georgina looked horrified. She bucked against the two officers holding her, screaming enough to make Danny’s ears ring. She started saying things in Chinese very fast, spitting at Jacob.

  “Get her out of here!” Jacob snarled. Then, as Georgina was almost carried away, he turned to Danny: “What did she just say?”

  Danny glanced at Amanda. She looked grim.

  “She said she’s going to kill me and Abi for ruining her life and then she’s going to kill herself because nobody cares.”

  Danny blinked.

  “I didn’t know you spoke Chinese.”

  “You never asked.”

  Jacob coughed.

  “Danny, as you said you’re her power of attorney, you’ll need to go to the hospital. There will be things the doctors will want to discuss with you.”

  Danny didn’t want to go. He wanted to check on Abi and then go home with Amanda. But, from the look on Amanda’s face, sex was the last thing on her mind. He sighed and held out his hand to his new girlfriend.

  “Will you come with me?”

  Amanda gave him a smile and linked her fingers with his.

  “Of course.”

  *****

  After checking on Abi, who was determined to stay the night, and making sure Jamie and his family were okay, Amanda and Danny made their way over to the hospital. They were told when they went in that Georgina had been kicking up a fuss and screaming in Chinese since she arrived and they’d had to sedate her enough to calm her down.

  That didn’t bode well.

  Danny tried to make out he didn’t care what was happening but as Amanda sat in the waiting room watching him pace, she knew he was upset. Even after everything, this was his mother. It wasn’t his fault she had gone off the deep end and it wasn’t his fault that he had been raised to be a substitute parent for his sister.

  He had turned out all right. He had a top education, graduated with top honors and managed his own billion-dollar business. Danny Chao had turned out well. And Amanda was proud of him.

  There was no way she couldn’t be.

  Danny glanced at his watch and let out a heavy sigh, dropping into the chair beside Amanda.

  “They shouldn’t be much longer.”

  “I hope not.” Amanda slumped in her chair. She was exhausted. “I hate waiting.”

  “Same.” Danny touched her hand. “You okay.”

  Amanda wasn’t sure. She didn’t like Georgina and probably never would but she didn’t want anything like this to happen to anyone. It was upsetting that it had come to this and Amanda knew Danny hadn’t enjoyed getting his mother involuntary committed. But it was probably the best place for her for now.

  “It’s nice to know I’m still getting the blame for everything.” She grunted.

  “You’re not getting the blame. Mom’s just gone even more crazy.” Danny linked his fingers through hers and brought her hand to his mouth, kissing the tips of her fingers. “She’s losing grip on controlling Abi and now she’s slipping out of reality. She’s to blame for all of this and she will never accept responsibility.”

  “What a way with words.” Amanda said dryly. She gave Danny a wry smile. “Not exactly the way to start off our relationship, is it?”

  Danny chuckled.

  “I’ll make it up to you. Promise.”

  He leaned over and kissed her. This wasn’t the best place to act lovey-dovey but Amanda just wanted a taste. Just his mere presence, even after a short amount of time, made her feel better.

  “Amanda!”

  Amanda jerked back. Lucy was standing in the doorway of the waiting room. She looked like she had been dragged away from a business meeting in her navy skirt and white blouse with high-heeled pumps. Her hair was loose about her shoulders and her make-up was immaculate. Probably a late night at the office.

  But why was she here?

  “What the hell, Amanda?” Lucy shouted as she advanced into the room.

  “Lucy?” Amanda stood. Danny stood with her and took half a step back as if he knew Amanda wanted to deal with this mess herself. “What are you doing here?”

  “I heard that Georgina had been involuntarily committed.”

  “How the hell did you find that out?” Danny demanded.

  “Georgina called me before they sedated her.” Lucy glared at both of them, focusing more on Danny. “She told me what you two had done and that my sister had poisoned you enough to have her committed.”

  Danny looked confused. So did Amanda.

  “She’s not allowed to make calls at this time.” Danny’s jaw tightened. “And you leave Amanda out of this.”

  “She’s the cause of all this, Danny! Georgina was nothing but a loving mother until she came along and messed it all up.”

  Danny threw back his head and laughed. Amanda wasn’t sure what was so funny. She was still trying to figure out why Lucy was there when she wasn’t a blood relative or even extended family.

  Danny finally stopped laughing and shook his head.

  “Oh, Lucy, you naïve little thing.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “If Georgina Chao is the definition of a loving mother before Amanda was in my life, you’ve got a deluded sense of loving. This has been a long time coming and I will not have my girlfriend abused by my mother. I won’t have it.”

  Hearing him call her his girlfriend made Amanda warm inside. It felt good to have that title. Lucy also heard it because she was staring in stunned amazement at Danny.

  “Wait, did you say girlfriend?”

  “Nice to know you heard that above me describing my mother as a terrible person.” Danny looked at Amanda and placed a hand on her back, his expression softening. “And Amanda is my girlfriend. It’s been official for a few hours now.”

  Lucy’s face went white. Amanda thought she was going to faint and stepped towards her but Danny grabbed the back of her shirt and tugged her back. Lucy swayed and then she staggered over to a nearby chair and sagged into it. She looked like she was shaking.

  Amanda wanted to go to her. She was her sister, after all. But then she remembered all the things Lucy had done to her, past and present. That was enough to steel her spine and she stepped closer to Danny, who slipped an arm around her waist and kissed her head.

  “Mr Chao?”

  A doctor was in the doorway, a clipboard in his hand. Danny nodded.

  “That’s me.”

  The doctor, a tall lean man with graying hair and glasses, shook his hand and glanced at his clipboard.

  “We’ve done the initial observations with your mother. We need to run a few more tests on her as a few things have come back abnormal.”

  Amanda exchanged looks with Danny. He looked as confused as she felt.

  “Do you mean there’s actually something wrong with her?”

  The doctor nodded.

  “She had an overactive thyroid. Now, there could be a number of things but judging from her medical history and the way she’s been acting and how you’ve described her actions recently confirms she has bipolar disorder. And it’s unmedicated.”

  Chapter 10

  “You mean we have bipolar disorder in the family?” Danny looked stunned. “I never knew that.”

  But Amanda had heard something else. Unmedicated?

  �
�When you say ‘unmedicated’ do you mean she knows she’s bipolar and she’s not taking any meds for it?”

  “Her records show she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder seventeen years ago.”

  Danny had gone pale. Amanda felt him sway and helped him to sit. She couldn’t imagine how he was feeling to know his mother had been bipolar for years and not only had she not told anyone but she didn’t have it under control.

  “She had a child eighteen years ago.” She said, looking up at the doctor. “Danny’s sister.”

  “That sounds about right.” The doctor glanced through his notes again. “I called her doctor who said she had been to an appointment eighteen years ago because she was showing signs that she had post-partum depression. But she never went back for a follow-up or even picked up her prescriptions.” He paused. “She also hasn’t been to a doctor since she was diagnosed. Hasn’t even turned up to her appointments with the psychiatrist.”

  Amanda felt like the rug had been pulled out from under her feet. She ended up needing to sit down herself. Knowing all this about her bipolar made everything click into place. It explained her behavior. But she couldn’t get past the fact this woman was willingly not taking medication for a condition that could go out of control at any time.

  It had hurt her many times already and Abi was a victim herself of this.

  This was too much to take in.

  “We’re going to keep her and run some more tests.” The doctor said, “But I suggest someone’s around to make sure she takes her medication once she gets out.”

  Danny nodded. He was staring at the wall opposite.

  “I’ll sort it out.” He said faintly.

  The doctor patted his shoulder and left. As he closed the door, Lucy stood up, adjusting her blouse and smoothing her skirt.

  “You’d better go, Amanda.” She said briskly. “You can’t get in the way of Danny looking after his mother.”

  Amanda gritted her teeth. She wanted to lay into her sister again but not here. She wasn’t that disrespectful. Danny looked up and glared at Lucy.

  “I said I’d sort it out.” He said tightly. “I never said I’d do it personally.” He stood and took Amanda’s hand, tugging her to her feet, all the while looking at Lucy with barely disguised contempt. “Come near me again, Lucy, or try to control things around me and I’ll call the police on you.”

  Lucy’s mouth dropped open. Even with the rejections to her face she didn’t seem to get it.

  “You don’t mean that.” She whined.

  “Try me.”

  Danny tugged Amanda towards the door. The last thing Amanda saw before the door closed was Lucy snarling at her.

  *****

  There was no chance of getting to sleep that night. Danny and Amanda ended up going home and sitting on the couch talking about the surprise diagnosis. Danny was stunned that he hadn’t known about this at all. Amanda was just as stunned Georgina had managed to keep it quiet for so long.

  For the rest of the night they sat and talked or tried to watch some saved stuff on Danny’s skybox but neither could concentrate. Danny seemed to have more than his mother’s admission into hospital on his mind and Amanda didn’t want to pry. He was taking on a lot right now and she didn’t want to barge in and disrupt things.

  She could wait. Her patience was a lot better than she gave it credit.

  But with small naps during the night and her own head spinning with the revelations from the night before, Amanda snuck into the kitchen and called her school. She explained the situation and that she was going to stay home to make sure Abi was okay. Judy’s receptionist took the call and offered to put it down as sick pay so she wouldn’t be out of pocket, which Amanda was appreciative about.

  Danny came in as Amanda hung up. He looked bleary eyes, his hair in a mess. He had unbuttoned his shirt all the way down so his torso was on display.

  “Amanda?”

  Amanda gave him a small smile and put her cell phone on the counter.

  “I’ve just called in sick.” She walked into his arms and rested her head on his shoulder. “There’s no way I can go to work when I’ve got a mess up in my head.”

  Danny sighed and hugged her tightly.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “What are you sorry for?”

  “That I’ve brought you into all of this.” Danny rested his chin on her head. “You didn’t ask to be saddled with a load of crazy.”

  “Neither did you.” Amanda raised her head, playing with the edge of Danny’s collar. “I wish I knew what I’d done wrong.”

  Danny shook his head. He cupped her head in his hands and kissed her firmly.

  “You’ve done absolutely nothing wrong.” He said softly, his eyes never blinking. “Mom wanted a specific someone to marry me so she can control me through my wife. Her ideal woman was Lucy and I turned away from that. She also wanted to control Abi because she hates her daughter and wants her to fail. You’ve come along and made our lives so much better. Mom doesn’t like her control being diminished.”

  “I made her go crazy.”

  Danny shook his head and gave her a slight shake.

  “Did you hear the doctor? She went crazy a long time ago. It’s just manifested badly very recently. Nothing you did caused this.”

  Amanda wanted to believe that. She closed her eyes and fisted her hands into his shirt.

  “The rational part of me knows what you’re saying is true but I’m struggling to let it sink in.”

  “Then don’t think.” Danny tugged her towards him. “Just feel.”

  He kissed her, his tongue parting her lips easily before sweeping inside her mouth. Amanda knew what he was doing. He was trying to distract her from what had happened and he was using seduction as his method.

  Amanda should have pushed him away. But she didn’t care. It was more of a distraction for Danny as well as herself. And she was more than happy to take his mind off the crazy for a while.

  Danny kept kissing her but turned Amanda around, making her face the counter. He stripped off her shirt and unsnapped her bra, her breasts spilling into his hands. Then he laid her hands on the counter, kicking her legs apart. Amanda heard a rustle of clothing and then Danny was pressed up against her back, his bare chest smooth and warm against her skin. Amanda moaned as he cupped her breasts, rolling her nipples in his fingers. He kissed her neck, nipping at the bit of her neck behind his ear that he knew would make Amanda putty in his hands.

  Amanda shuddered. She had goosebumps all over her body. Danny just knew how to turn her on. One touch and she was up in flames.

  “I have to tell you something, Amanda.” Danny hugged her from behind, his fingers dancing across her waistband as he kissed her jaw. “I’m falling for you.”

  Amanda smiled. That was the best thing she had heard all night.

  “I’m falling for you, too.” She thrust her backside against him, feeling his cock through his jeans and her trousers. “I’m willing to stick it out for you.”

  Danny let out a shuddering breath.

  “Thank God for that.”

  His hands tugged at her trousers and pulled them down, her panties going with them. Amanda kicked them away and spread her legs further as she heard Danny shuck his jeans. His fingers were then between her legs, probing her pussy with two thick fingers. He groaned.

  “God, you’re so wet.”

  Amanda was already panting. She couldn’t believe how responsive her body was for him.

  “Stop teasing me.” She growled.

  “No, ma’am.”

  Danny took his fingers away and replaced them with his cock. He thrust, almost knocking Amanda forward onto the counter. His hands on her hips, Danny fucked her furiously, his thrusts making Amanda’s breasts rub on the countertop as she held on for dear life. Her nipples were already sensitive and Amanda found herself screaming as the sensations zipped through her body.

  The fire didn’t just build. It went from nothing to sixty within seconds and exp
loded. Amanda’s pussy tightened on Danny’s cock as she came, her hands clenching against the edge of the counter. She gasped as Danny leaned over her back, his fingers finding her clit and rubbing it hard. He didn’t let up as Amanda came down a little from her high, bringing her right back up again without a reprieve.

  When he finally found his release, Amanda wasn’t far behind.

  *****

  Danny couldn’t stop himself from smiling. In the two weeks since he had admitted to Amanda that he was in love with her and they officially started their relationship, he had been on cloud nine. Whenever he thought of Amanda he found himself smiling and there was a slight spring in his step.

  Everyone at work had noticed. Even his clients had noticed the change in him. And they approved, especially when Danny told them about Amanda. And everyone told him not to let her go anytime soon as she was a good fit.

  Danny knew that already. Amanda was good for him and she was good for his sister. Abi adored Amanda and she had been delighted when they broke the news to her. She started calling Amanda her big sister and they started doing things outside of Amanda’s tutoring that sisters would do together. Amanda didn’t mind and even confessed to Danny she had missed out on doing this with Lucy so it was a breath of fresh air.

  He had taken her to see his paternal grandmother, who lived further down the coast in a nursing home. His grandma was sweet and she adored Amanda immediately. They talked for close to two hours, much to Danny and Abi’s amusement. Amanda had taken him to visit her mother Helen and aunt Nicole, who lived together now their children were out of the house. Both women were no-nonsense but loving individuals. They welcomed Danny into the family and even accepted Abi. Helen treated Abi like her own daughter and Abi was lapping it up.

  Lucy was the only one who didn’t accept him but Danny wasn’t surprised. She hadn’t introduced him the first time around when they were in high school so Helen was mildly surprised when she discovered Danny was her other daughter’s ex-boyfriend. She had admitted Lucy had told her some things about Danny she hadn’t approved of but now she had seen Danny for herself Helen knew she had been fed some bull.