Finding Our Reality (The Reality Duet #2)

Chapter 42

ELLA

So, this is why he didn’t want to go to the bar tonight.

I jump out of the vehicle, unable to contain my excitement.

The second my door slams, Ry and Laura hold out their arms and yell, “Surprise!”

My heart flutters against my ribcage like a thousand butterflies are trying to escape. They’re standing on the patio where the firepit rages, sending gorgeous blue flames into the dusk sky. There’s a big tent set up, right where our tent used to be. This one is slightly larger and looks a little nicer. On the other side of the patio is a large table overflowing with food. I could be wrong, but that looks like a four-foot-long Philly cheesesteak sandwich.

I’m still taking it all in when Laura races up to me. I immediately scoop her into a hug. “What’s all this?”

She pushes her glasses up on her nose. “It’s a campout. Just like you and Uncle Ry used to do all the time. Except I get to camp out too!”

I watch Ry as he walks over to us. Stalks would be the more appropriate term. He’s wearing a T-shirt, cargo shorts, and flip flops. His ballcap is pulled down low on his head. Every muscle in his body flexes. He’s pure danger and power. And when he lovingly ruffles Laura’s hair, he’s never looked sexier.

“Y’all did this for me?”

Laura nods wildly. “Uncle Ry said you had a really bad day and that we needed to do something to cheer you up. He picked me up from summer camp and we planned the whole thing. He said that we’re gonna start camping out once a month. He said we’re ‘ going back to our stump’ .”

I furrow my brow. “Huh?”

Ry laughs. “Going back to our roots , not going back to our stump .”

She scowls, mumbling under her breath that she liked her saying better.

I smile. “It’s even better now.” I nod at the house. “We have a working bathroom this time.”

Laura runs back down to the patio. We watch as she grabs Felicia Stinkbottoms and skips to the tire swing.

Taking the opportunity, Ry wraps his fingers around my waist and pulls me against his hard body. I react. Instantly growing wet.

Flipping his ballcap around backward, he nuzzles his lips against my ear. “Hi.”

“I can’t believe you did this for me. It’s wonderful. Thank you.”

He pulls back and bends his head. He’s so close that his lips rub against mine when he talks, driving me to the brink of insanity. “I was worried you might not like it. We spent all those nights sitting outside, sleeping in a tent. But we were kids then. You haven’t grown too accustomed to indoor living, have you?”

I open my mouth, breathing his air, becoming part of him, renewing my soul. “Never. That tent is a sight for sore eyes.” My tongue dart outs, licking his. I couldn’t stop myself from moaning even if I wanted to.

But he doesn’t give me what I want.

Instead, he steps away and smirks. “Good. Then go change out of those work clothes so we can eat. My Philly cheesesteak is getting cold.”

After we eat, Ry and Laura fish while I clean up the food. I take the leftovers inside and store them in the fridge. That’s definitely an upgrade from our past as well—no more coolers filled with ice. Laura catches a fish and proudly poses next to Ry as I take their picture. By the time we play a few card games, Laura starts to yawn.

Ry hands his cell phone to her. “Little Girl, why don’t you call your mom and say goodnight before it gets too late.”

I snuggle next to Ry on a loveseat, watching the blue flames dance in the fire. Hearing Laura’s sweet and excited words to her mother stirs a longing deep in my heart. I reach around my neck, rubbing my scar in thought.

“She’ll jabber for twenty minutes if you let her,” he jokes.

“She’s got a lot to say.”

He snorts. “Little Girl always has a lot to say.” Noticing my mood, he gently kisses the top of my head. “Are you thinking about Reality?”

“I always think about Reality.”

I feel him nodding. “I was thinking we should do something special at the creek, a memorial of sorts. I was thinking about a rock garden, maybe? I did some research, and they make these fake rocks now that are eco-friendly and solar powered. They glow blue and green at night. We can build a really nice wooden glider out there. I was even thinking of lining the path I cut with lights and a cedar log railing. Instead of driving the side-by-side up there, we could walk. Enjoy the creek at night.”

I shift in my seat, studying him. “Really?”

“Yeah. Everyone said they would help me—Marcum, Ray, Holt, Will Ridge, Cullen, and Jeff. I told them I just had to run it by you first.”

I blink several times, willing my tears not to fall. This man. I can’t believe this is my life right now. I never thought in my sadness that I could be this happy. The words of his letter haunt me. Hate me . How could I ever hate him? “I think that’s a beautiful idea. Thank you.”

Leaning back, I chew on my lip in thought.

He bumps me with his shoulder. “Go ahead and ask me. I know you want to.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Don’t beat around the bush, Lulu. I like you when you get to the point.”

I grunt. “Fine.” I twist in the seat, allowing him to pull my legs into his lap. He lazily traces a finger up and down my shin. “Why ask me? It’s your house, Ry. Your property. You don’t need my permission to build or upgrade or change.”

He yanks the cap from his head and tosses it on another chair. He rakes his hand back and forth through his light brown hair. “For someone so smart, you can still be so stupid sometimes. I’ve told you before and I’ll tell you again, this house is just as much yours as it is mine. I built it for you. It’s the only way I could live my life, knowing that I made your vision come true. But it’s not just this house, Lulu. It’s everything. Everything you see and hear and touch and think. There is no you. There is no me. Not anymore. There’s only us .”

“And there’s me.”

We turn and see Laura standing right next to us. She slaps the cell phone into Ry’s hand. “Can I go inside and get the book now?”

“Sure. But brush your teeth while you’re inside.”

“Okay. Come on, Miss Lulu, you need to brush your teeth too.”

I raise my eyebrows. “I do?”

“Yep. Because I know you and Uncle Ry will wanna kiss after I fall asleep.”

Ry bursts out laughing. “How’d you get to be so smart?”

She smiles and pushes her glasses up on her nose. “I’m six. I know these things.”

Taking her hand in mine, we walk up to the house.

***

She falls sound asleep after two chapters in Little Women .

Ry carries her into the tent, laying her to sleep on the air mattress. Before sitting back down, he grabs a fresh beer for himself and a bottle of water for me from the small cooler he packed and brought down to the concrete patio. I swing my legs onto his lap, and his hand possessively holds my thigh.

“So, how bad was it today?”

“Bad.” I shrug. “My parents. What can I say? They had their secrets, even after all these years. Dad had secret bank accounts so he could buy things for his mistresses. Mom hid money to keep it away from Dad so he didn’t spend it on his mistresses.

“Apparently, Mom had several secret plastic surgeries over the past few years. The last disbursement checks I approved today included a balance of $42,000 to some plastic surgeon in Miami.”

I reach out and run my fingertips across the bones in his wrist. I trace the muscular cord of his arm up to his elbow and back again. His calloused thumb works the sensitive skin of my inner thigh.

“I don’t ever want that.” I watch as the flames of the firepit dance across his pale green eyes. “We’ve already been through that. We hid things from each other. We kept our distance; we kept our secrets. And it nearly ruined my life. I don’t ever wanna fall into that trap again. Promise me we won’t.”

He takes a deep breath, studying my face. “We won’t. Because I’m never letting you go again.”

I snuggle against his side, and we soak in the comforting noises of the night. Eventually, I nod at the tent. “It’s hard to believe school is already starting again. Is she excited about her new school?”

He chuckles. “She’s more excited about being in the same class as Anna.” He sighs, “Raylee didn’t have to do what she did. I’ll be forever indebted to her. I’d crawl across glass to make sure Laura has all the opportunities that Trash and I never had. I know it’s only elementary school, but she’s too smart to be in a struggling school that doesn’t challenge her.” He kisses the top of my head. “I’m also glad Holt accepted that coaching job. I know he’s on the other side of the campus in the high school building, but it’s still nice to know he’s close in case anything happens.”

“I’m sure she wishes Ridge were that close. Laura has a major crush on him. And did you see her with Nate the other day, when she met him? She couldn’t stop staring at him,” I say, talking about Marcum and Nancy’s thirteen-year-old grandson.

Ry snorts and shakes his head. “Let’s hope that’s not an indicator of what’s to come in her teenage years.”

“At least she has good taste in men.”

He pulls back, studying my face. Good humor and jealousy color his features in equal parts. “Something I should worry about? You carrying a torch for your old pal, Ridge?”

I lick my lips. “The only man I’ve ever carried a torch for has been you.” I kiss his jaw, running my tongue across the sexy stubble shading his face. “I love you, Ry.” He loves it when I say that. When I speak the truth.

His eyes grow heavy with desire. His head lowers and his hot breath tickles the sensitive skin below my ear. “Fuck yeah, you do.”

His body presses against mine, making me forget every dirty detail I trudged through today regarding the strangers I once called Mom and Dad.