“Jacob, can you shake Miss Jodi’s hand?”
Jacob looked up at him, holding his truck tight in his hands, and then around Jodi to see where Anthony had gone.
“You want to go play, Jacob? It’s okay. You can go.” She stood and focused on Ryan. “You want some coffee?”
“That’d be great.” He followed behind her. “They look about the same age. I hadn’t realized.”
She glanced over her shoulder at him and snorted. “Neither did I.”
“Touché.”
Jodi grinned. “Have a seat. The Gorgeous Redhead will be done in a minute, I’m sure.” She sat a cup of coffee in front of Ryan and excused herself for a moment. A minute later a little girl, cradling a sippy cup in the crook of her arm wandered his way with Jodi behind her. “Sorry, it was way too quiet. Had to make sure this one wasn’t ripping my walls down.”
“How many kids do you have?”
“Two and that’s plenty,” Jodi said.
Maiya leaned inside the kitchen doorway. “Jodi, do you have— Oh, hey, Ryan. I hadn’t heard you come in.”
He stood and walked to her. “Morning.” She turned her head and his kiss landed on the corner of her lips. Hmm. She wasn’t as happy to see him as he was her. Great.
“Morning. Thanks for bringing me my stuff.”
“No problem. Do you need a ride to the airport?”
“I was going to take a cab. Jodi’s kind of got her hands full.”
Jodi rested a hand on her hip. “You didn’t even ask me. I can take you. I do know how to function on a daily basis, you know?”
“Well, I just figured…” Maiya wrinkled her nose. “I didn’t want to bother you.”
Bingo. Giving her a ride was, at least, a chance for Ryan to spend a little more time with her. “I can take you. It’s not a problem. I’m heading in that direction anyway.”
Maiya looked at him and bit her top lip. “All right. I guess that’ll work.” She shrugged a shoulder. “My bags? I need to change.”
“I’ll go get it.” Ryan ran outside and grabbed the suitcase from the back of the car and then brought it inside. Maiya thanked him and disappeared somewhere in the house.
He resumed his seat at the kitchen table and his nerves tap-danced in his stomach. Why the hell was he nervous? Also, why was she acting so distant? Ugh, this woman. He didn’t think he’d ever get it right with her. The images from last night were embedded in his mind, but he couldn’t recall anything he’d done to piss her off. Damn, he wasn’t up for this kind of dramatic roller coaster ride.
She needed to figure out what she wanted. Ryan’s head fell forward and he chuckled. Maybe he needed to figure out what the hell he wanted first.
“Something funny, Ryan?” Jodi looked over from the sink.
“Nah, just lost in thought.” The sounds of the boys playing off in another room filled his ears and every few minutes they’d race by the entryway.
Jodi dismantled a series of sippy cups and rinsed them. “Boys are playing nice.”
“Yeah, they are. How old is Anthony?”
“He’ll be six in September.” Jodi loaded the cups in the dishwasher.
“Nice. Jacob’ll be six in December.”
“We should get them together again.”
“Yeah, that’d be cool. Thanks.” He brought her his coffee cup. “Hey, Jodi, do me a favor will you?”
“Sure.” She looked at him.
“Don’t say anything in the office about Jacob. It’s not something I let people know about.” He leaned against the counter. “I just…I don’t want them thinking I can’t do my job, you know, since I’m a single father.”
“Is that why you haven’t told anyone? Jeez, Ryan. They won’t care.”
“I don’t want to risk it. I’d appreciate the favor.”
“All right.” Jodi closed the dishwasher and started it. “My lips are sealed.”
“Thanks.” He blew out a relieved breath and glanced over to the kitchen doorway right as Maiya returned.
“Okay, I’m ready. Better go now or I’ll miss my flight.” She walked over to Jodi and kissed her cheek. “I’ll call you later. Thanks for letting me crash here.”
“Sure thing. I gots da setup, yo. Perfect fo’ crashin’.” Jodi snapped her fingers in a zigzag pattern.
“Did—” Maiya dipped her chin and raised her brows. “Did you just try to go all gangsta? Cuz… Oh my God, please don’t.”
Ryan laughed. It was spectacular to see how well the two got along. They seemed total opposites too.
She hugged Maiya. “I’ll do it again if you don’t get gone this instant.”
“Let me get Jacob and your bags. I’ll meet you at the car.” He walked in the general direction of the noise. After finding Jacob, he poked his head back in the kitchen. Jodi was hugging Maiya again. He swore he heard Jodi say something about “hanging on to him,” but he wasn’t sure. “Hey, sorry to interrupt… Nice seeing you, Jodi. We’ll have to talk about getting the kids together again.” He left the room and headed to the car, Jacob and luggage in tow.
The first thing Maiya noticed when she got outside was Ryan wasn’t driving the Porsche. It was the BMW he’d mentioned before. An X5 SUV or, wait, they called them SAVs, didn’t they? She chuckled, opened the door and slid into yet another plush leather seat. “So, I guess you were serious when you said you had a Beamer.” She smoothed her fingers across the wood grain strip in the door. “I like these, they’re nice.”
“Thanks. And, the proper term is Bimmer.”
“What? Oh, please. Like that matters.”
He snorted a laugh and shook his head.
She squinted her eyes at him and furrowed her brow. “What’s so funny?”
“I figured I’d get another ‘typical’ comment from you, is all.”
“Ohh, that. Yeah well, the word coming to mind this time is spoiled yuppie.”
He frowned. “I am not a…a yuppie.”
“What’s a yuppie, Daddy?” Jacob asked from the back seat.
Damn. She’d forgotten Jacob was there. Whoops.
“I’ll tell you when you’re older.” Ryan eyed Maiya. “Okay, fine. It might appear that I am a bit…yuppie-ish.”
She burst into a fit of laughter.
The ride went by pretty fast, even with the little bit of traffic on the freeway. Jacob asked her a ton of questions. The kid was adorable and smart. So smart. Ryan answered any questions directed at him with ease and a tone of patience laced through his words.
Having never met the man who impregnated her mother, it intrigued Maiya to see how Ryan interacted with his son. He was a single father. Therefore he had to play both roles for this kid. Coach little league and wipe sick noses. Was it hard on him, or did it come easy? One thing was for sure, Ryan loved his son. It meant a lot to her, though it shouldn’t. It wasn’t like they were dating. She didn’t need to concern herself with whether or not Ryan was a good father.
They pulled up to the departures area at the airport. Maiya hopped out and then opened Jacob’s door. “It was really nice meeting you, Jacob.” She smiled. “Be good for your daddy.”
He flashed a big grin and waved. “Bye, Miss Maiya.”
She shut the door and walked to the back of the car.
Ryan had already pulled out her suitcase and computer bag and set them on the curb. “You sure you don’t want me to park and help you inside?”
“Nah, I’m good. Thanks.”
He pulled her into an embrace. “Yeah, you are.”
She stiffened, but relaxed when he stroked his hand up and down her back. Unable to stop herself, Maiya wrapped her arms around him.
He nuzzled her hair. “Will you call me?”
“Do you want me to call you?”
“Yes.” He pulled back from her. “I want to see
you again.”
“Of course you’ll see me again. I’ll be back in two weeks.” She tilted her head to the side. “We still have a project to finish.”
He rubbed her arms. “That’s not what I meant. I want to spend time with you again, outside of work.”
“We’ll see.”
His brows drew together in a look of confusion, but then he brushed a soft kiss over her lips. Warmth spread through her and when he pulled away, she licked her lips.
“Call me when you’re on the ground, okay?”
She blinked, her mind caught in a haze. “Sure.”
He stepped away from her and rounded the back of the car.
Maiya stood, lips still tingling and watched him drive off. How did this man do this to her? It was just a kiss, and a pretty damn chaste one at that. But now she’d be thinking about him the whole damn flight home.
Chapter Nineteen
Ryan couldn’t keep his eyes off the damn clock—or his watch, his phone, the clock on the stove or the microwave. Take your pick, didn’t matter which one. Maiya would be landing soon. Would she call? Maybe he should call her? Ryan stifled a growl. A little distraction was needed. “Little man, want to go to the park?”
Jacob looked up from his Legos. “Yes!”
Grabbing a couple of water bottles, he walked while Jacob rode his bicycle to the park. His phone buzzed in his pocket. Pulling it out, he read the screen.
Maiya: Hey, I’m home. Don’t have time to call right now. Maybe later.
Ryan: Okay, thanks for letting me know.
Disappointment settled over him like a storm cloud. He probably wouldn’t hear from her tonight. Maybe he’d try and call her tomorrow though. Ryan sighed and shoved his phone back in his pocket. No. He wouldn’t call her. Boyfriends did those things, and he wasn’t her boyfriend. He had no intention of being her boyfriend, either. A lump rose in his throat and Ryan swallowed it down. Why did the idea of not being her boyfriend upset him? Unless… Did he want Maiya to be his girlfriend?
He shook his head, helped Jacob park his bike and took a seat on a nearby bench. His son ran off toward a couple kids playing on the enormous wooden structure made to look like a castle in the middle of the playground.
The sun shined bright, warming his face while he watched his son play and tried to unravel the elastic ball of thoughts bouncing around his brain. After about an hour on the Maiya merry-go-round, his phone rang. He swiped the screen. “Hey, Mom. What’s up?”
“I’m making a pot roast. Care to come for dinner?”
He glanced over at Jacob. “That sounds great. Time?”
“Six-ish should work. Your brother is here.”
“Which one?”
“Your favorite one.”
“No shit? When did Jimmy get into town? The bastard didn’t even call me.”
“Language, please.” She sighed. “Last night sometime. I woke up and he was in the kitchen.”
“Sorry, Mom.” He cringed, amazed at how she managed to still make him feel ten. “Can I bring anything?”
“Just yourself, and my sweet grandson, of course.”
“That can be arranged.” He scanned the play area, finding Jacob again. “See you in a couple hours.”
Cool, Jimmy was in town. Why hadn’t the ass let him know? Damn, he’d missed his brother. Maybe he’d come stay at Ryan’s place instead of their parents’. Jimmy was fourteen months older than Ryan. Damn near Irish twins and flanked on either side by their two sisters, Cyn and Angie.
When they were kids, they’d fought incessantly, but as teens they were inseparable even though they were total opposites in all things, including women. Ryan played sports in high school. Jimmy was in drama and art classes. They rarely hung out during school hours and didn’t share the same group of friends. But they always ended up together by the end of the night. Plain and simple, they were best friends.
Now, Jimmy lived in New York City and was a big, hotshot artist. Saying Ryan was proud of his brother was an understatement. Jimmy had had several showings of his work and sold a lot of it.
Ryan called over to Jacob and let him know they were leaving in five minutes. Jacob waved and ran back up the maze to the slide. Ryan leaned back and crossed his arms, watching his son while he swooped down the plastic yellow spiral for maybe the twentieth time since they’d gotten there.
Maiya tugged her suitcase behind her on the way to the long term parking garage. Mötley Crüe’s “Girls Girls Girls” spilled from her phone in her bag, the ringtone telling her exactly who it was. “Home sweet home.” Stopping, she grabbed the phone and swiped the screen. “Hello, Heather.”
“Hey! You busy?”
“Who me? No. Why would I be busy?” Maiya rolled her eyes. The sarcasm in her tone was totally lost on Heather.
“Good. I need a ride.”
Wedging the phone between her ear and shoulder, Maiya continued the trek. “Why? Where’s your car?”
“It got towed.”
“Jesus, again, Heather?” Maiya stopped and repositioned the phone. Her damn neck was starting to cramp.
“Don’t lecture me. It wasn’t my fault.”
Maiya sighed. “Yeah, yeah. It’s never your fault.”
“Emmmmmm, pleeeease?”
Maiya cringed at the sing-songy whine smothering Heather’s words. “Ugh. I’m leaving the airport now. It’s going to be a little while before I can get you. I have to stop home first and then hit the grocery for Mom. You’re going to have to wait until I do that.”
“I thought you said you weren’t busy.”
“Just that whole flying home from a business trip thing, right? Plus, my mother. I mean, what could be busy about that?” She let out an exasperated sigh. “I’ll grab you, and then drop you off on the way to Mom’s. Be ready, please, because I’m leaving you if you’re not.”
“Thanks! I owe ya, Em.”
“I’ll add it to your tab. See you in a bit.” She hung up before her friend commented further.
Heather Walsh was Maiya’s oldest friend, and allergic to anything relating to responsibility. Growing up, they lived in the same trailer park, went to the same schools and got into trouble together. Lots of trouble. But while Maiya worked her way through college, Heather partied her way right out the door.
Arriving home, Maiya ran upstairs and dropped her bags. After changing her clothes, she pulled a brush through her hair and then made her way back out the door. It was a little past two thirty by the time she pulled up to Heather’s apartment complex in her black Infiniti.
Retrieving her cell from her purse, she sent Heather a text letting her know she was there. And waited. And waited. And wai—impatience won out and she dialed Heather’s number, listening while it rang and rang and then hit voicemail.
“Dammit, Heather! I am so kicking your ass if you flaked.” Maiya hit End and rested her forehead on her steering wheel, her left eye twitching. This additional agitation wasn’t on the to-do list, not when she still had to deal with her mother today.
She glanced up through her windshield at the cement stairs leading to Heather’s apartment. Maiya didn’t feel much like hiking up the three flights and banging on the door. Though she’d burn off a little restless energy and calories climbing them. Screw this. She dialed Heather’s number again and was greeted with a sleepy, “Hello.”
“Get your ass down here. I told you to be ready or I was leaving you.”
A yawn. Then a cough. “Em?”
“No. It’s your Great Aunt Sally. Of course it’s Em! Light a fire under it.” Maiya disconnected the call, got out of the car and lit a cigarette. It’d be at least seven minutes before her friend dragged her butt downstairs.
True to her prediction, seven minutes later, Heather puttered down the steps. Her petite frame wrapped in a pair of faded and torn blue jeans, a white tank a
nd no bra. Maiya rolled her eyes and got back behind the wheel. When Heather was in and buckled up, she pulled away.
“You love me.” Heather pulled down the visor, applied her lipstick and then ran her fingers through her dark brown hair.
“You’re lucky I do. Where’s the car this time? And please tell me you have money to spring it from the tow yard.”
“Actually, yes I do. I didn’t pay rent yet, so…all good.” Heather shrugged with an added grin and closed the visor.
“Then how will you pay rent? Heather, I swear to Christ, you really need to get your shit together.”
“Don’t lecture, Em.” Heather looked down at her hands. “Dunno, I’ll figure it out.”
“Chica, you always say that, but one of these days you really do need to figure it out.” Maiya reached over and squeezed her friend’s arm. She loved Heather, but the girl hadn’t ever grown up. She was still hitting the bars, weekend or weeknight, didn’t matter. And getting into any number of risky situations with crazy guys. Or not paying her rent. Or having her car towed. The list was never ending. They just weren’t the same people anymore.
Correction: Maiya wasn’t the same person anymore.
Heather was still the same, and failed to notice Maiya had changed. She still considered Maiya her best friend and bore no shame calling her to bail her out of the various dramas she landed herself in. Maiya put up with it because that’s what a person did for their oldest friend, but she was getting real sick of it. Heather represented everything about the past Maiya wanted to forget yet couldn’t manage to escape.
When they got to the tow yard, Heather gave her a peck on the cheek and got out. “I’ll call you later. Love ya, Em.”
“Love you too.” At least Heather hadn’t asked for money. This time.
As luck would have it, the tow yard was right around the corner from where her mother lived. Maiya pulled up in front of her childhood home and parked. She paused, taking in the rusted aluminum sides of the singlewide trailer. She hated going there, but she did it, every weekend, and sometimes a few days during the week.
Her mother was getting sicker, though the woman wouldn’t admit it. She still smoked close to two packs of cigarettes a day and drank like a damn fish. With no quitting in sight. The doctor wanted Joanie on an oxygen tank for her emphysema—no deal there, either. They didn’t discuss the drinking with her doctor, but he knew of her habit. Maiya made sure he did. It was only a matter of time before her mother got too sick and needed to be hospitalized.
Unworthy Heart: The Donnellys, Book 1 Page 13