by Beth Rinyu
He took a deep breath and nodded.
I loved knowing that I turned him on this much. I continued with my torturous tease until he was almost there. He quickly pulled me up to him. He stood up and buried himself inside of me. I let out a loud cry of pleasure. I pulled him closer and kissed his neck. He pulled out my ponytail holder and ran his fingers through my hair. He continued to move as my hips rose to meet him. “Don’t stop, Dailan. Please, don’t ever stop.”
He looked down at me and smiled. “Well, since you said ‘please.’” He began to move quicker and my screams became louder.
I couldn’t hold back any longer; my body was on overload. I gently dug my fingernails into his back as I screamed his name at the same exact time that he buried his face into my neck, letting out a light groan.
He lay on top of me while we both caught our breath. I traced my fingers up and down his back. “I love you,” he whispered in my ear while gently kissing me on the cheek.
“I love you too.” I could feel myself smiling on the inside and outside. “I’ve got a good idea; why don’t you call out today and we can spend the rest of the morning in bed.”
“Believe me, there’s nothing I would love more than that. But I’ve got meetings all day.” He lifted his head and looked at the clock. “One of which is about to start in twenty minutes.”
“B-o-o-o,” I said as he kissed me on the cheek and climbed out of bed. I got out of bed and stood behind him. I wrapped my arms around him and trailed kisses down his bare back. “I’ll go make you some coffee.”
“Good girl,” he said while playfully smacking me on the butt. I threw on my underwear and nightshirt and headed downstairs. I shook my head and laughed when I saw Dailan’s phone still on the step from last night. No wonder why he is always misplacing it. I picked it up and carried into the kitchen. I thought about what happened last night with Jonathan and how he wasn’t letting this whole custody thing go. I stood and watched the coffee brew when an idea struck me. I went through Dailan’s phone and wrote down the number that Jonathan had called from last night. I quickly put his phone down and poured him a cup of coffee when I heard him coming down the steps.
“It was so nice waking up with you this morning. Don’t ever leave me again, or we will have some serious problems,” I joked while I handed him a cup of coffee.
“I gotta get going.” He took one sip and put the cup down on the counter. “I’m running late, but you were so worth it,” he said, kissing me softly on the lips. “Call me as soon as you’re done at the doctor’s.”
“I will.” I sneaked another kiss in before he walked out the door. I finished drinking the rest of Dailan’s coffee and stared at the piece of paper with Jonathan’s phone number written on it. I took a deep breath. I needed to do this if I wanted the problems to stop. I needed to do this to have peace of mind and, most of all, I needed to do this for Ryan. My hands were shaking as I dialed the number. You can do this, you can do this, I said to myself as I waited for him to answer.
“Hello.” My stomach dropped at the sound of his voice.
I began to fidget nervously with the papers on the kitchen counter. “Jonathan, it’s Nicole.”
“Nicole?” He sounded surprised.
“Yes. I need to talk to you.”
“Okay, when?” I was surprised that he was being so accommodating.
“I can meet you in an hour at the coffee shop that we met at last time.”
“Okay, I’ll see you then.”
I called up Jack and asked if he would mind keeping the kids while I ran a few “errands” this morning. He was more than happy to do so. I showered and dressed and was on my way. I took a deep breath as I placed my hand on the door of the coffee shop. My knees began to wobble when I saw Jonathan sitting at one of the far off tables, waiting for me. I took the empty seat across from him, trying to be as cordial as possible. I ordered a coffee even though I didn’t want to. I just wanted to do what I needed to do and leave. His stare was making me feel very uncomfortable. I wasn’t quite sure if it was because we had a history together or because he was the one person who had changed my life forever. I nervously began to fold the napkin on the table into its smallest form possible.
“So, what did you need to talk to me about, Nicole?” Jonathan asked, looking calm and focused.
I took a deep breath and reached into my purse, pulling out the pictures that I gathered up before coming. The first was a picture of Ryan when he was two years old with Dailan’s brother and sister-in-law. “This is Ryan. He has a name. He isn’t an ‘it’ or a material possession. He’s a little boy with a big heart. He has two little perfectly placed dimples, loves baseball, and snorts when he laughs too hard. He was two years old in this picture with his mother and father.” Jonathan looked at me strangely, like he didn’t understand. “Ryan’s adopted parents,” I clarified.
“I don’t get it,” Jonathan said.
“I put Ryan up for adoption.”
“Yeah, I know, but I thought that you had changed your mind and somehow got him back. You didn’t?”
I shook my head. “No, three years ago, I started teaching second grade.” I looked out the window and smiled, thinking back to when I had first met Ryan and Dailan. I turned my attention back to Jonathan and continued. “One of my students was the cutest little boy with a bit of cursing problem, a little mischievous side, but most of all, a little lost soul. Both his mom and dad died in a car accident a few months prior.” Jonathan’s eyes widened and I wasn’t sure, but I thought I saw a little empathy when I looked into them. “The whole school year, I grew closer and closer to him each day, feeling as if I needed to be there for him and I didn’t know why. Well, I needed to be there for him because he was my baby. I was given a second chance with my child.” Jonathan was speechless as if he were in shock.
I pulled out another picture of Dailan and Ryan. “This is Ryan’s uncle, my husband. I got to know him throughout the course of that year that I was teaching Ryan. When I first met him, I thought he had no business raising a child, but then, as I got to know him and spent time with him and Ryan, I realized how much he loved that little boy. Ryan loves him with all his heart and thinks of him as a dad. And Dailan, well, Dailan would die for Ryan.” Jonathan looked away as if he didn’t want to hear anymore. But I wasn’t done. I took out one last picture, the one of Ryan and me taken on my wedding day. “And this is me and my little boy on one of the happiest days of my life. Jonathan, I told you a long time ago that I hoped one day you would be a man and do the right thing. Well, now is your chance to do it. Ryan is a little boy who has been through so much and he’s come through it fairly unscathed. Please don’t do this for your own personal gain. Think of the face in those pictures. Please be the man for him now that you couldn’t be back then.”
He looked down at the table and didn’t respond. I wasn’t sure if I had gotten through to him or not. There was nothing more that I could do; it was now up to him. I took Ryan’s baseball picture out of my wallet and slid it across the table. “Here, this all I’m willing to give you of him.” He picked it up and stared intently at it. “He was the best mistake that I ever made, Jonathan.” I stood up and pushed in my chair. He was silent, finally removing his eyes from the picture and staring into my eyes. I finally looked away and walked out the door. I sat in my car and cried. I wasn’t sure if it was the old memories that seeing Jonathan stirred up inside of me or because I was scared – scared for Ryan and the turmoil his life would be thrown into if Jonathan continued to pursue this.
Chapter 58
Dailan
I broke my concentration from Mr. Allan’s relentless banter when I saw that Nicole was trying to call me. I briefly excused myself from the meeting and exited the conference room.
“Hey, are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m just stuck waiting. The doctor is running way behind and I’m afraid I won’t be out of here to get Ryan from football practice. Do you think there’s any way that you coul
d possibly pick him up?”
I looked at my watch. Ryan needed to be picked up in a half hour and the way this meeting was going, there was no way in hell that it was going to be over with by then. But I knew I couldn’t let Nicole down; we were finally back in a good place and I had to prove to her that Ryan and Ella were my first priority.
“Yeah, I can get him.”
“Okay, thanks.”
“O’Maley, we need you in here now!” Mr. Allan screamed from the conference room just as I hung up the phone.
Fuck! How the hell was I going to get out of this meeting in a half hour? “Oh, boy. He is in a mood today!” Debbie said, referring to Mr. Allan as she walked out of the conference room.
“Debbie, would you be able to do me a huge favor?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“Can you go pick up Ryan from the rec field right up the street in a half hour and just bring him back here?”
“Sure, no problem.”
“Thanks.” I walked back into the conference room, feeling much like I was walking back into hell.
Paul and I continued to give Mr. Allan a briefing on the case for what seemed like forever, answering the same questions that he would ask over and over again. There was a light knock on the door. Mr. Allan looked annoyed by the interruption as Debbie poked her head in. “Excuse me, Dailan, can I see you for a moment?” Mr. Allan looked at Debbie and then at me, and he didn’t look pleased.
“Can it wait, Debbie?” I asked.
She had a look of worry on her face and she shook her head. “Excuse me for just a minute,” I said. Mr. Allan sighed deeply and rolled his eyes.
“What’s up?” I asked as I stepped outside of the conference room.
“Did you tell Rachel to pick up Ryan instead of me?”
“No, why?”
“I ran to the ladies’ room just before I was going to go pick him up. When I came back, Tina said that Rachel told her she was going to get him and I didn’t have to anymore because you had asked her instead. She must have overheard our conversation earlier when you asked me to pick him up. I thought it was strange that you would have asked her, especially after you laid into her about that spreadsheet this morning; that’s why I just had to interrupt and let you know.”
I quickly pulled out my phone and dialed Rachel’s number. She picked up on the third ring. “Rachel, you need to get back here now with Ryan. I never told you to pick him up.”
“You know what? I’m never coming back. My life is worthless, empty, and miserable. Jonathan doesn’t want me anymore. So now everyone – you, Nicole, and even Jonathan are going to see how it feels to feel so miserable and alone. Nicole took Jonathan away from me before and now she did it again. Well, now I’m going to take away something of hers.” She hung up the phone before I could even say anything else. The tone in her voice sounded different than usual; she sounded desperate.
I hit redial and this time she didn’t answer. “Fuck!” I shouted, causing Mr. Allan to come from the conference room to see what was going on. I ran into my office, grabbed my car keys, and ran out the door. “O’Maley, where the hell are you –” I completely ignored Mr. Allan. My only concern was Ryan.
I floored it out of the parking lot, not knowing where to begin to look for Rachel. I tried dialing her number again and still no answer. I looked down at my ringing phone, hoping that it was Rachel calling me back, but it wasn’t; instead, it was Nicole. I tried to answer as calmly as possible. I didn’t want her to start panicking.
“Hey, I’m done. Did you need me to come and get Ryan from your work, before I get Ella from –”
I cut her off midsentence. I couldn’t keep it from her any longer. Ryan was her son and she deserved to know. She was right all along about Rachel. I just wished that I had taken her more seriously.
“Nicole –”
“Dailan, what’s wrong?” she asked, immediately picking up on the worry in my voice.
“Rachel has Ryan and I’m trying to find out where she’s at.”
“What? Why the hell does Rachel have Ryan?”
“I was stuck in a meeting and I asked Debbie to get him. Rachel must have overheard and went and picked him up. Now she won’t answer her phone.” I decided to leave out the brief conversation that I had with her. I knew just hearing this much was going to throw Nicole over the edge.
“Oh my God! Dailan, where is she?”
“I don’t know. That’s what I’m trying to figure out!”
“This is all your fault! If something happens to him, I will never forgive you. I asked you to pick him up, Dailan, not Debbie! But once again, your job took priority.”
“Nicole, I’m gonna find –”
She hung up the phone before I could even finish. She was right; this was all my fault, and if something were to happen to Ryan, there was no way in hell that I would ever be able to live with myself.
Chapter 59
Nicole
I sat in my car and cried. I felt so helpless. I was just about to call the police, even though I was sure that Dailan already had. I jumped when my phone rang. I didn’t recognize the number. I was praying that it was Rachel. Instead, it was Jonathan.
“Nicole, listen to me. Rachel has Ryan. She called me earlier and when I told her I was planning on dropping the whole custody thing, she wigged out. Nicole, I’ve been spending some time with her over the past month or so and she’s not right in the head. I think she’s really gone off the deep end.”
“Well, where is she? I need to find Ryan!”
“I’m going to meet her at Community Park. Hopefully, she has him. If not, I’m hoping that she’ll tell me where he’s at.”
“I’ll meet you there!”
“No, Nicole. I’m afraid if she sees you, it might throw her over the edge. She wanted us to get back together and now she’s got it in her head that you are the reason that we’re not. Please let me go talk to her and try to snap her out of this and I promise I will call you as soon as I find anything out.”
My heart was racing. “Please hurry up!”
I drove over to Community Park and parked in a far off space, just waiting for something from Jonathan. It was starting to rain and Ryan was out in it somewhere. My hands were shaking when I looked down at the text that came through from Jonathan: Berk’s Pond. I threw my car in reverse and backed out of the parking spot. I floored it out onto the main road. Berks Pond was a heavily wooded area where a lot of the kids would go and party at back in high school. I pulled off on the side of the road, not even remembering the drive. I slammed my car into park and ran down the huge embankment, ignoring the stinging of the vines and branches that were snapping back on my face. “Ryan!” I screamed as I scoured the area. I tripped over a log and hurriedly got back up, overlooking the blood that was running down my knee. I continued to scream his name and then terror began to overtake me. What if he was in the pond? What if she…
My heart began to return to its normal pace when I saw Ryan coming out from a makeshift enclosure that was keeping him from the pouring rain. I ran to him and threw my arms around him. “Ryan, are you okay?” I asked, kissing him over and over again.
He began to cry. “She told me not to move or something bad was going to happen to you and Uncle D.”
“Oh no, Ryan, we’re okay. Everyone is okay. I’m so sorry that this happened.” I hugged him tightly as the rain pelted down on us. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too.” I held him until his cries subsided and he calmed down. The rain was moving out and the sun was slowly beginning to peek through the clouds. I heard rustling coming from the woods and looked up to find the most beautiful mama deer staring at me as an adorable little doe followed behind her.
“Look, Ryan,” I whispered. “There’s a mommy and her baby. Just like me and you.”
A smile stretched across Ryan’s face. “Yeah, just like me and you,” he said.
“Let’s go home.” I stood up and took his hand in mine.
&
nbsp; “Will my Uncle D be there?” he asked.
“Yes, he will.”
“Forever?”
“Forever, Ryan.”
I jumped when I turned around and saw Jonathan standing in the far off distance. He had his hands in his pockets and was staring at Ryan. A smile slowly stretched across his face as we got closer. “Hey, bud,” Jonathan said as he looked Ryan over up and down.
“Hi,” Ryan said in a whisper.
I took a deep breath. “Ryan, this is Jonathan. We knew each other back when we were in high school.”
Jonathan bent down so that he was face to face with Ryan. “So, I heard you like baseball.”
“Yeah, I do.”
Jonathan reached his arms behind his neck and unclasped his necklace. He took it off and placed it in Ryan’s hands, closing Ryan’s fingers tightly around it. “This is my good luck charm. My grandfather gave it to me. He said that Babe Ruth once wore it. I don’t know if it’s true or not, but every time I wore it when I use to play, it brought me good luck.”
Ryan opened his hand and looked at the necklace. “Wow! Cool! Thanks!”
“No problem. Just hit a homerun for me, okay?”
“Okay, I promise, I will.”
Jonathan stood up and I could see his blue eyes beginning to glass over. He looked at Ryan one last time, bit his bottom lip, and turned his attention to me. His gaze was intense, as if he were trying to convey a message to me with his eyes, which were a mixture of sadness and remorse.
“Thank you.” I mouthed the words to him.
He nodded and walked off to the water as he wiped the teardrop that had just escaped his eye.
I took Ryan’s hand and we climbed up the steep embankment, finally making it to my car. I texted Dailan: Ryan is with me. On our way home.
Ryan got in the back seat and wrapped the seatbelt around him. “Was that the same guy that we saw in the bakery that day?” he asked.
He caught me off guard. I didn’t think he would have put that together. “Yes, it was.”