His Best Bet_Uncensored

by Laney Smith

  “Right now, I could put your bed through the floor. But, it wouldn’t be you that I’d be thinking about,” he softly confessed.

  “So? I’d still get the benefit from it.”

  Ryan chuckled, pivoting his head. “That’s really tempting, but I can’t do it.”

  “Why not?”

  Ryan brushed his thumb over her cheek, scanning her face before he looked into her eyes. “This is so unfair,” he sighed. “It’s not you. You’re beautiful. You’re fun. But, I just can’t.”

  “Come with me and tell me that after we get to my house. I’ll make it worth your trip. I’ve got more liquor at my house.”

  Ryan slowly blinked. “I appreciate it. I really do. But, I’m going to have to pass.”

  Scottie smiled her devious smile. “I want you,” she muttered. “I want to feel your hands raising my skirt. I want to feel your fingers touching me. I want to feel you.”

  Ryan drew in as much air as he could convince his lungs to hold. He looked at his brother. Rick smiled and shrugged.

  “You’ve got a rough life, man,” Rick laughed, taking a drink of his beer.

  Ryan felt Scottie’s hand on his thigh, working toward the bulge in his jeans. He looked down at her hand and flashed her a smile. He shook his head. His eyes locked on hers.

  “You’re cheating.”

  She massaged him, sucking on his lower lip. “Come on, baby. It won’t take long. I promise.”

  Ryan put his mouth to her ear. “Please don’t make me be a prick.”

  “Mmm . . .” she hummed as she flashed him a seductive smile, gripping his manhood a little harder.

  “Stop,” he softly barked.

  “Whatever you say, baby.”

  He reached down in his lap and took her by the wrist as he raised his eyebrows. “It’s not a game. I said no. If you want these people thinking you’re something you’re not, you might want to back off before I get tired of playing along.”

  “Are you being serious?”

  Ryan nodded his head, a piercing glare radiating from his eyes. “Very.”

  She felt a stab to her heart and her pride. “Um, OK. What happened? Did I do something wrong?”

  “I already told you, it’s not you,” he quietly offered. “I don’t want to be an asshole, OK? I said no.”

  “Oh, my God! What did I miss?”

  “I’m glad I met you and I have no regrets. Things have changed for me, now. That’s all.”

  “OK. So, will you just make it look good and walk out of here with me?”

  Ryan shook his head. “We’ve done enough, I think.”

  With a heavy, disgusted sigh, Scottie finally accepted Ryan’s rejection. “I don’t really want to lose you. I hope you know that I’m hating this,” she said, forcing a smile. “I also hope you know that I would turn my bed back for you, anytime.”

  Ryan pressed his lips together and nodded. He glanced over at her, and smiled. “Sell the hell out of some houses. I want to see your pretty face all over the place. So, make it happen.”

  “Oh, I will. I have every intention of haunting you from all over the place,” she teased. After she sat silent for a few seconds, absorbing the reality, she cocked her head to the side. “So, you’re really sure?”

  He nodded. “I’m sure. Take care of yourself. I mean that.”

  “You, too,” she said from under her embarrassment. “Hey, Ryan?”

  “Yeah?”

  “We’re parting on good terms, this time, right?”

  Ryan chuckled. “Crazy, huh?”

  “Bye, Ryan.”

  As Scottie stood, she smoothed her dress down her body. She stalled for a second, allowing her brain to store a mental picture of him. Ryan smiled and winked at her before she turned and walked for the door. He glanced over at Rick, only to discover his brother, chuckling and shaking his head.

  “What in the hell are you doing sitting here with me? Go get ‘er!”

  Ryan shook his head. “Nope. I’d rather sit here with you, thank you very much.”

  ~TWENTY-SIX~

  After Ryan and Rick parted ways, Ryan sat outside the bar in the driver’s seat of his car. He pinched his lips between his thumb and his forefinger as he stared out the driver’s side window. A group of smiling girls waved at him, bringing him back to reality. He smiled and returned the greeting. He watched them stroll into the bar. As beautiful as they were, none of them were Corlay. None of those women made his heart stumble like the thought of Corlay’s name, alone, did. Ryan knew he was in trouble. Even if she were yelling at him, he’d still get to hear her voice. He took his phone out and called the woman that he couldn’t quit thinking about.

  “Ryan?”

  “Hello,” he said. “Do you still hate me?”

  “Is Nathan with you?”

  “Uh, no,” Ryan answered, abruptly sitting straight up in his seat. “Why? What do you mean? He’s not with you?”

  “Ryan, please tell me he’s with you,” she whimpered.

  Ryan started the engine and threw the car in reverse. “It’s OK. I’m on my way.”

  “He doesn’t want you to be here, Ryan.”

  “Then, why would you ask me if he’s with me?” Ryan fumed. “He doesn’t want me there? Tough shit. When he’s doing stupid shit, he doesn’t get to have what he wants. He’s not the only one that can get pissed off. I’m on my way.”

  “Ryan, he doesn’t need a heavy hand from you. He needs you to be his frie…”

  “Corlay, where is he?” Ryan interrupted.

  “I don’t know,” she hopelessly answered.

  “Exactly! So, don’t tell me what he needs.”

  “I don’t want to argue, Ryan.”

  “Then, don’t do it. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

  Within five minutes, Ryan’s car sped up to the curb and skidded to a stop. As he sprang from the driver’s seat, Corlay stood from the steps outside her front door and nervously walked toward him. His breath was rushed, his eyes were wild and raging. She watched as he hurried up the driveway and lifted the single car garage door. His eyes darted around the items stored inside.

  “What’re you doing?” Corlay asked. “He wouldn’t hide in here.”

  Ryan sarcastically glared at her. “Yeah. I know that, thanks. I’m looking for what’s missing so I know where he went.”

  Ryan surveyed the storage space. His finger pointing as he took a mental inventory. Finally, his finger stopped, as he stared a blank space. He turned on his heel and started for his car.

  “Where are we going?” Corlay asked, following behind him.

  “We’re not going anywhere. You have to wait here for him. If he comes home, call me.”

  Corlay stiffened her arms at her side. “Ryan! Where is my child?”

  Ryan stopped and his eyes locked on hers. “Where were you? Huh? Did you leave him by himself?”

  “For maybe an hour. I had to go get a code so I can . . .”

  “I don’t care. You know what? I don’t fucking care. I don’t want to hear any of this. You do whatever you want to do. I’m going to bring your son back. After that, I can’t be part of this anymore. I can’t deal with this. This is happening because you want to be stubborn. This is you having fun, trying to show me a thing or two. Congratulations! You win. You sure showed me.”

  “Where is Nathan?”

  Ryan rolled his eyes and scoffed as he shook his head. “The park . . . I hope! If he comes back, call me.”

  Ryan sped away from the curb. He was pissed off. He was mad that Corlay had left Nathan alone. He was mad that Nathan knew Ryan would come for him. He was mad that he couldn’t even remember if Corlay was still wearing the red dress. He was mad that he couldn’t figure out exactly why he was so mad. He just knew he hadn’t felt this enraged since Phil struck out and cost . . . It didn’t matter. It had been a long time, anyway.

  Ryan pulled into a parking stall and exited the car so quickly, it was as though he had been ejected from the s
eat. He stuffed the keys in his pocket and started jogging toward the backstop for the baseball diamond. As he looked up, he froze, his feet nearly sliding out from under him as they skidded on the sandy pavement.

  “Nate,” he said with relief in his tone. “What’re you doing, buddy?”

  Nathan sat on top of a picnic table just outside the baseball field. His lower lip sagged, as he pouted. He had dirt streaks down his cheeks. It was obvious he had been crying. Ryan strolled up and sat beside the little boy.

  “Is anyone sitting here?” he asked as he sat down.

  “No,” Nathan said with a sad tone.

  “You know you’re my best friend, right?” Ryan asked.

  “No. Not anymore.”

  “Yes, anymore,” Ryan sternly insisted. “You scared the hell out of me.”

  “You hurt my feelings,” Nathan barked.

  “You know what, Nate? You hurt my feelings, too. I’m trying to be good for you and your mom. I’m not doing very good at that. But, I am trying. I’m learning. I don’t know what I’m doing. I want to figure it out, though. It’s not like baseball, where you can just practice and get good at it. I’ve never had a kid to take care of before.”

  “Ryan, do you want to be friends with my mom?”

  “Yes. I want to be friends with both of you. I want both of you to be my friend, too.”

  “You want her to be your girlfriend, don’t you?”

  Ryan scrunched his face and immaturely giggled and answered. “No! Yuck!”

  “She’s not yuck. She’s a nice mom. She kind of wants to be your friend, too . . . like maybe she would want you to be a boyfriend.”

  “No way,” Ryan smiled. “How do you know that?”

  “She thinks you’re sexy.”

  “Na-than! You shouldn’t be talking like that,” Ryan laughed. “Did she say that?”

  “No, ya big silly. I’m just a kid.”

  “Oh yeah? Since when?”

  “I know I say I’m not. But, I really am. I just don’t tell anyone. I see her. She drools over you when she watches you out the window.”

  “She watches me out the window?”

  “Yep! She told me not to tell you, though.”

  Ryan pressed his lips together and shook his head. “I won’t tell her you told me.”

  “Will we still get to be friends?”

  “Yes.”

  “Are you going to marry her?”

  “I don’t know. If I ever decide that’s what I want to do, you’ll be the first to know, though.”

  “OK, will you be her boyfriend, then?”

  Ryan chuckled. “We should probably involve her in all of this, huh?”

  “She told her friend that she wished she could be your girlfriend but you only like pretty girls. I think she’s pretty, but she doesn’t think she is. I think she’s the prettiest mom out of all of the moms in the whole world. Do you think my mom is pretty?”

  Ryan slowly blinked and nodded his head. Realizing this was a completely different level of commitment, his voice was soft and sincere. “Yes, I do. I think she’s beautiful.”

  “Then, you should tell her you think that so she won’t have to worry or be sad about you.”

  “Thanks, buddy. We better get back before she loses her mind. You’re still in big trouble, by the way. You can’t run off without telling people where you’re going. You hear me?”

  “You did it. You didn’t tell us where you were going.”

  “Alright. Then, we’re both in big trouble. So, right now, let’s make a promise that we’ll never do that, again and that we’ll always be friends, no matter what.”

  “I love you even more than a dad, Ryan.”

  Ryan inhaled deep, pulling his baseball cap down on his head, fighting back his emotions. He held his breath before he exhaled, allowing the lump in his throat to dissipate. “I love you, too, buddy.”

  Nathan stood and hugged Ryan as tight as he could. Ryan wrapped his arms around the child, amazed by how much this hug meant to him. This love was different. This love was powerful and it meant more than anything he had ever experienced, before. This was fatherly love.

  “We gotta roll. Your mom’s worried sick. Get your stuff. Where’s your bike?”

  “I parked it in a parking spot. I was pretending it was my car. I pretended I have a car just like yours.”

  “One day, when I have one of those family car things, we’ll both be pretending we have a car like mine,” Ryan chuckled. “Never mind. Go get your bike and meet me at the car.”

  “We can’t put my bike in your car,” Nathan countered.

  “There were five squirrely cheerleaders . . .” Ryan paused, catching himself. “Yeah! It will fit. Trust me.”

  “You had five cheerleaders in your car?”

  “No. That wouldn’t be safe. I saw it on a poster or something,” Ryan lied. “We just have to be creative. It’ll fit.”

  When Ryan and Nathan got back to the Brock house, Nathan stared at the window.

  “She’s going to be drooling in the window any minute,” Nathan joked.

  “Hey, don’t make fun of her,” Ryan corrected.

  Before he could finish his statement, Corlay appeared in the window.

  “See, Ryan,” Nathan said excitedly. “She knows what your car sounds like.”

  “Yeah? You see that look on her face?” Ryan whispered as though he feared Corlay could hear him. “That’s what a mom looks like when she’s worried because her kid took off on her. You put that look on her face. You better get in there and make it right with her. I’ll put your stuff away.”

  “I’m going to pick flowers real fast. That makes it so she isn’t mad,” Nathan said as he opened the car door. “Can I tell her that you’ll be her boyfriend? That will make her happy.”

  “No,” Ryan calmly answered with a smirk. “I better talk to her about that.”

  “Are you going to take her on a date?” Nathan childishly teased.

  “Is that OK with you? We promised that we’re friends, no matter what, remember?”

  “Nathan, get in this house, right now!” Corlay demanded from the steps.

  “Uh-oh! Get in there and apologize to your mother. I’ll be in after I put your stuff away.”

  “Yes, Ryan. You can be my mom’s boyfriend,” Nathan whispered before he darted out of the car, toward his mother.

  Ryan smacked his lips together as he watched Nathan run toward Corlay. All of a sudden, he felt nervous. As he stared at the beautiful woman on the steps, his stomach tumbled. The red dress was replaced with sweat pants and a wide necked t-shirt that hung off one shoulder. Her long, curled, mousy brown hair had been pulled back and now the bouncy curls hung down her back. It didn’t matter. Whatever she wore, whatever she did with her hair or her face, she was beautiful to Ryan.

  He sat in the driver’s seat and admired her beauty. He could see that Nathan was in a world of hurt with his mother. He thought of bailing the boy out of trouble, a few times. Finally, he stepped out of the car and walked around to the passenger side. He leaned against the car and folded his arms across his chest. Within a few seconds, Corlay sent Nathan to his room. Then, she shifted her paralyzing glare to Ryan.

  He knew he was in trouble, too. However, the way her hair swayed as she marched toward him was too cute to be as scary as she was intending to be. She blew a puff of air at the strand of hair that had fallen over her right eye.

  “And you,” she started with her finger pointing at him.

  He couldn’t help the smile that widened his lips. He fought it. He tried to hide it. He just couldn’t help himself.

  “What’re you smiling at?” she snapped. “This is bullshit!”

  “I know,” he softly agreed.

  “What do you know? What’re you talking about? You know what?”

  Ryan stared into her eyes for a moment. “Can I take you to dinner?”

  Corlay jerked her head back in confusion. “No. If you have something to say to me, yo
u just do it right here, right now. If you’re leaving and never coming back, tell me. You don’t need to take me to dinner, or whatever. Just drop a pair and do it. I saw you on the news. You looked very happy with your pretty little girlfriend, today. She’s beautiful. I’m so happy for you both. So, are you leaving?” Corlay said bitterly.

  Ryan arched his eyebrows, lowering his head to look into her eyes. “I know what that must look like. There is nothing I can say that isn’t . . .”

  “You don’t need to say anything. I saw everything,” Corlay stubbornly insisted.

  Ryan smiled. “Did you?”

  “The whole world saw it, Ryan. You had a beautiful, centerfold – cheap as she pleases - hanging all over you, making a spectacle of herself and you. You must be so proud.”

  “It was a favor. That’s all that was.”

  “A favor? Hmmm . . . Boy! That was some favor. It was practically pornographic. You keep me from going to work because of my attire. But, you get to . . .”

  “No. Listen to me for just a minute. That woman was a fun time when I had nothing better happening. Then, I met this kid and I grew really attached to him. Then, I met his mother. I can’t quit thinking about you. In the photos you’re seeing on television, you won’t see where I put her on the stool beside me to get her off of me. In those pictures, you won’t see where I told her I couldn’t rock her world because I couldn’t stop thinking of someone else. You won’t see where I took her hand off my junk and sent her out the door by herself. As shallow as it sounds, she asked me to help get her some attention – free advertising or some shit - and I agreed. I fulfilled that, today. I’m done with her, forever. My brother was there. He’ll tell you exactly what happened. It’s not what it looks like. Not at all.”

  “She’s so beautiful. Why can’t you guys ever go for us normal women? Those girls can get anyone they want. Us normal women are overshadowed by those perfect girls. She was disgusting the way she -”

  Ryan pushed off the side of his car, shaking his head as he moved closer to her. “I don’t care. I don’t care what she does or doesn’t do, or how she looks. I don’t want her. I don’t want the normal women, either. I want you. When I’m not with you, I want to be. I dream about you when I sleep. I want to know if this is something. So, can I take you to dinner?”