Challenging Ryker (Kringle Security #2)

Chapter 28

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

For the third time that morning, she asked herself why she’d agreed to meet Ryker's mother. It wasn't that she didn't want to meet the woman, but no amount of makeup could hide the angry red marks on her neck.

"Will you stop fussing? My mother isn't going to care how you look."

"She's going to care that there are handprints around my neck, Ryker," she snapped, then had to force herself to calm down. Ryker didn't deserve her anger just because she was self-conscious.

"Sweetheart, she's aware you were kidnapped. Maybe not everything that was done but she knows what to expect. It doesn't change a thing. She's going to love you, just like I do."

Damn the man for knowing exactly what to say. Amelia leaned back into him when he came up behind her and caged her between his body and the bathroom vanity.

They were still staying at the hotel and would be for the foreseeable future until they found a house they liked.

Ryker was adamant he would never move back into his place, and hers wasn't an option. They spent some time last night looking at houses on the internet, but she wanted to wait until the marks disappeared before she contacted realtors to schedule showings. It would mean living out of a hotel room a little longer, but staying anywhere else wasn't feasible. Besides, she liked how close it allowed her and Ryker to be. She figured it wouldn't be long before the need to escape consumed her, but in the meantime, she enjoyed it.

A knock at the door pulled her from her musings. Ryker placed a gentle kiss on her temple before stepping away to answer it.

She tried one last time to use her hair to cover up the marks as much as possible but it was no use.

When she finally stepped out of the bathroom, Ryker extended his hand out to her. "Mom, I would like you to meet Amelia. Amelia, this is my mother, Charlene."

She could see where Ryker got his good looks. He was the spitting image of his mother, just a little more on the rugged side.

"It's nice to meet you," Amelia said with a smile.

She tried to shake the woman's hand but Charlene pulled her into a hug instead. The warm embrace felt both foreign and comforting all at once.

"I'm so happy to finally meet you. When the boys mentioned Ryker finally found someone, I knew you had to be special," Charlene whispered just for her.

Ryker’s mother pulled away and asked to both of them, "Would you like to take a seat?"

There was a small sitting area just inside the door, but now Amelia was thinking that meeting in the hotel room was a bad idea. However, Ryker was adamant that he didn't want to have this discussion in public. She would follow his lead just like he always did for her.

Ryker spoke up as soon as they were seated.

"I'm sorry for everything I put you and Dad through over the years. I was handling my guilt in my own way and didn't think about how it was hurting the two of you. And I'm sorry I kicked you out of my hospital room when you came to see me. I was so mad about being there that I was lashing out at everyone."

Amelia took his hand and offered him her silent support. Guilt was an awful thing, but she was glad that he was finally taking steps to put it to rest.

"I'm the one who's sorry,” Charlene replied. “I never realized how much pressure I put on you when you were younger until everything happened. I was so caught up in my own grief that I didn't see what it did to you until it was too late. The day the guys called me to tell me what happened, I nearly lost it. I’d already lost one child. I didn't want to lose another."

“It’s okay. It’s in the past. Time to look into the future.”

“So tell me how the two of you met?”

She looked at Ryker before giving an abbreviated version of their life the last few weeks. Amelia didn’t realize she said Gavin’s name until Charlene gasped.

“Gavin Yates?” Ryker’s mother had gone as white as a ghost as the hand that was covering her mouth shook uncontrollably.

“Wait, you know that name?” Ryker all but growled the question out.

“I haven’t heard it in twenty-one years but yes, I’ll never forget it. The day your sister came home and told me she didn’t like the way he was watching her will forever be etched into my brain. She was so damn scared. Thankfully his family moved a couple of days later.”

“She never said anything.” Ryker sounded hurt.

“She thought it was silly. I had to convince her to trust her instincts. She avoided him after that, but like I said, he was gone so soon after that it didn’t matter.”

If only Charlene knew how much it mattered. Her revelation was the missing piece. Countless hours they talked about why Ryker was targeted so badly, but now it made sense. It wasn’t just her who had the connection to Gavin, Ryker had as well, even if he hadn’t known it.

All talk of Gavin was pushed aside. They focused more on Sarah, and by the end of the visit, she could see it was a little easier for Ryker to say her name.

There were a lot of tears, a lot of hugging and promises to speak more in the future. Charlene promised to stay in town for a few more days and they would take a trip out in the next few weeks so Ryker could speak with his father.

By the time his mother left, Amelia was exhausted. Her throat hurt from too much talking and she wanted nothing more than to put on pajamas and crawl into bed.

"Dance with me, sweetheart."

"What?" She giggled but let him pull her up anyway.

A slow song came through the speaker of his phone and they started to sway back and forth.

"The DJ on the radio said you should always make time to stop on the side of the road and dance with your partner. I have no intention of leaving this room anytime soon or driving us anywhere, but I figured I could listen to his advice anyway."

So that was what they did. They danced to not one but five different slow songs in the middle of the hotel room that would be their home for the next month.